Conquer Europe from the West

Chapter 73: Shortcomings of Motorized Troops
Ryan didn't say anything, but he straightened his back, which made Hellingen and Schubert beside him immediately understand that he was ready.

But Schubert was thinking about some other things, such as if he had had another daughter.

Hellingen didn't know what Schubert had said to Ryan before, so he just assumed that Schubert liked the young man Ryan very much. After all, for the soldiers of the empire, there was nothing more worthy of admiration than a combat hero with unlimited possibilities in the future.

But that wasn't the point today, so he spoke quickly.

"Captain Ryan, I've read your paper. It's quite novel, especially in your definition of the term motorized troops."

As Hellingen spoke, he skillfully turned to one of the pages of the document that opposed him. On it was a large page of black and gray handwriting typed on a typewriter. Mixed in among them were several photos of motorcycles, cars, and trucks that Ryan had specially cut out from newspapers.

Ryan knew that this was his explanation of the term motorized troops, which included the composition of the troops and the main configuration of the troops, but all the content was just a superficial introduction without going into too much depth.

He looked at Helingen, trying to read something from his face, but instead heard Helingen's words directly.

Helingen said, "I still have some questions about this motorized unit."

"First, what is the size of this motorized unit? Is it mainly at the battalion level, or company level, or even a higher-level regiment?"

"Secondly, I'd like to know how we can ensure the operational efficiency of such a force if it needs to be deployed over a distance of more than 800 kilometers one way."

As he spoke, Hellingen took out a few motorcycle, car and truck toys from the desk drawer nearby and placed them on the table as if to make it easier for Ryan to explain.

"Yes"

Ryan didn't hesitate. He immediately stood up, put his hands behind his back, looked directly at the window behind Hellingen, and began to explain.

"Regarding the question just raised by His Excellency the General, I have a few points to clarify in advance."

"First, the purpose of the motorized corps is not to abolish the existing idea of ​​transporting troops by rail. The main purpose of this corps is to meet the mobility needs of the troops starting from the railway operation center to the front line."

"Secondly, the core of motorized forces is not to equip all units with vehicles capable of transporting all infantry troops, but to provide a transitional unit with similar functions on the way to developing more advanced mechanized forces."

Even Schubert, who had long been exposed to Ryan's idea of ​​a motorized force, could not help but feel surprised by what Ryan said.

"That's not what you said before, Captain."

Schubert leaned over, his gaze slightly raised, and looked at Ryan standing there. "Before, the motorized troops you mentioned were troops that could move hundreds of kilometers overnight. That's why I asked you to write the paper, but why have you changed your mind now?"

Ryan glanced at Schubert but didn't immediately object.

"General Schubert," he said, "what I said earlier was based on my understanding of the situation and objectives before the war began. The core point was how to explain the difference between motorized troops and traditional infantry units."

"In fact, even if the troops were able to advance at a speed of more than 300 kilometers per day, the supply work required for their operations would significantly reduce their speed."

"Therefore, for the current Imperial Army, the optimal size for motorized units is generally battalion-level. Their deployment often focuses on capturing key areas through high-speed surprise attacks, emphasizing elite formations and high mobility."

"And, as the number of wheeled vehicles deployed by the Empire gradually increases, the size of the motorized forces can also gradually increase from battalion level to regiment level, and even division level."

"But for division-level motorized troops, it is often not recommended to promote them in countries other than the empire." "Why?" Hellingen quickly understood what Ryan meant, but was still a little confused about the last point.

"It's very simple."

Ryan stretched out his hand and pointed at the road outside the window behind Hellingen.

“Because the scale of road infrastructure is different.”

Hellingen: "Road?"

"Yes."

Ren nodded.

"Ten years ago, the Empire launched a large-scale civil construction project. The most important of these projects was the construction of a highway connecting all the major cities in the Empire."

"This project has relieved a great deal of pressure on the empire's railway transportation industry and provided excellent conditions for the development of the empire's automobile industry."

"But our enemies, whether it's the Farlan Republic in the west or the Empire in the east, the combined mileage of modern roads within their territories that allow large numbers of vehicles to travel freely is less than one-tenth of the Empire's current road mileage."

"This often prevented the Empire from successfully deploying large numbers of regiment-level or even division-level motorized units on enemy territory during war."

"You're saying..." Schubert rested his chin on one hand and muttered to himself, "The probability of loss will increase to a level we can't accept, right?"

"Yes."

Ryan nodded immediately.

"Is there any way to remedy this?" It was Helingen who spoke. He looked at Ryan curiously, his expression much more relaxed than before, and he seemed to be very satisfied with what Ryan said.

He and Schubert were both veterans who had participated in several wars, so they naturally understood the various situations that vehicles would encounter when moving on bad roads.

A small puddle could immobilize a carriage, and a small mistake could even cause them to lose their horses.

They had suffered a lot of such hardships in the past. Even a few days ago, they heard that a second lieutenant named Mel accidentally overturned his carriage while riding to the front line. As a result, the carriage broke down and the horse ran away. His superiors had to go and apologize to the owner of the carriage for this.

This matter spread quickly in the army, but Ryan seemed to be unaware of it.

In response to Hellingen's question, Ryan did not answer immediately.

He first glanced at Schubert, who was unhappy because he had said that the motorized troops should not be too large, then looked outside the door, and after confirming that there were no outsiders, he slowly spoke.

"That brings me to what I was saying about the mechanized troops."

"Just say it." Helingen moved his hand, palm facing up, as if to continue speaking.

(End of this chapter)