Trench Bolts and Magic

Chapter 245 New Equipment

After the inspection was completed, the first thing Morin did was to say goodbye to Ludwig.

"Molin, you're leaving already?"

Ludwig looked at the neatly dressed and spirited Morin, his eyes filled with envy and reluctance.

"Ah—! I also want to be discharged from the hospital and get back to the battlefield as soon as possible! We're almost at Paris!"

Seeing Ludwig's frustrated expression, Morin couldn't help but laugh.

"Just stay here and recover. By the time you're all better, I might already be sitting in Xiafei's office drinking coffee."

"You guy."

Ludwig chuckled and cursed, then his expression turned serious.

"Friedrich, be careful when you get to the front lines. Paris is not Amiens. The Gauls will definitely fight tooth and nail to defend their capital. Patricia is still waiting for you in the rear!"

"Do not worry."

Morin nodded, the image of the blonde girl flashing through his mind.

Well, it's just that what he's thinking might be a little different from what Ludwig is thinking.

"You too, stay here and recover well. Don't forget what we talked about before. The future of Armored Knights depends on you to push things forward!"

"Of course, I remember."

Ludwig said emphatically:
“I have many ideas, and I have written them down on paper these past few days. When I return to the Knights, the first thing I will do is write our ideas into a report. I believe the Grand Master and the others will understand the value of this.”

Two young people who had forged a deep friendship amidst the flames of war shook hands firmly.

See you on the battlefield!

Meanwhile, the 'fellow patients' that Morin had met in the field hospital these past few days, upon learning that Morin was leaving, those who could stand spontaneously came to see him off.

Originally, in the eyes of these Saxon officers and soldiers, the battalion commander of the training assault battalion, which belonged to the Imperial Guard, should have been a rigid and arrogant figure.

Or, as described in the 'Military Legends,' he was a 300-pound strongman who could eat 200 pork knuckles in one sitting.

However, after spending these days together, Morin became very approachable and mingled with everyone, treating officers and soldiers alike equally.

Everyone enjoyed listening to Morin recount his combat experiences training the assault battalion, and Morin would also record many problems encountered by other units in combat, occasionally offering his own insights.

Maureen also discovered that her social skills weren't nonexistent, but rather only activated in the specific environment of the military.
Looking at the crowd who came to see him off, Morin felt a pang of emotion.

In the end, he could only stand still, salute the crowd, and then say with a smile:

"Ladies and gentlemen, I'll be waiting for you in Paris!"

"Have a safe journey, Captain Morin!"
-
After saying goodbye to Ludwig and the other 'fellow patients' he had met in the hospital, Morin boarded a military truck heading back to camp.

As the truck slowly drove into the training commando battalion's temporary base on the northern outskirts of Amiens, Maureen saw a bustling scene.

The soldiers, who had already received news of their imminent departure, were making the most of their last moments to clean their weapons, organize their equipment, and inspect their vehicles.

Everyone's face showed a hint of tension before the big battle, but even more so, a high spirit and anticipation.

The training assault battalion's morale had already reached its peak after a series of battles.

"The battalion commander is back!"

A sharp-eyed soldier spotted Morin in the passenger seat of the truck and shouted excitedly, causing the entire camp to erupt in cheers.

The soldiers who were busy around him stopped what they were doing and rushed toward the truck. Familiar and excited faces surrounded Morin.

"Battalion Commander, are your wounds healed?"

"Commander, when are we leaving for Paris?"

"Commander, I've heard that the girls in Paris are especially beautiful, is that true?"

Kleist and Manstein finally managed to squeeze through the crowd and stood on either side of Morin, both wearing genuine smiles.

“Welcome back, Battalion Commander.” Kleist’s voice was somewhat excited.

"If you hadn't come back soon, we wouldn't have been able to keep these kids in check," Manstein joked.

Looking at the energetic faces before him and listening to their cheerful greetings, a warm feeling welled up in his heart.

He could sense that these people were genuinely happy for his recovery and were truly looking forward to his return.

"Alright, alright, quiet down!"

Morin raised his hand and pressed down, and the noisy crowd immediately quieted down.

"Gentlemen, I'm back!" His voice was loud and powerful. "I know you've all been waiting anxiously, and so have I!"

"The good news is that the orders from above have come down, and our training assault battalion will be the first wave of attack forces in the assault on Paris!"

"Ow—!"

A deafening cheer erupted from the crowd, and the soldiers waved their arms and shouted excitedly.

After the cheers from Morin and the others subsided slightly, he continued:
"I think you all know that what follows is a tough battle, a bloody one! But have we ever been afraid?"

"We are not afraid!" the soldiers roared in unison, their voices echoing across the fields.

"Very good!" Morin nodded in satisfaction. "Now, all of you go back and make the final preparations! Where is our target?"

"Paris!" the crowd shouted in unison.

At the same time, a soldier suddenly shouted loudly.

"For the emperor and roasted pork knuckle!"

"Hahahaha~"

The soldiers laughed and joked, then dispersed contentedly amidst the officers' laughter and scolding, continuing their pre-battle preparations. The morale of the entire camp was completely ignited by Morin's return.

"Let's go see our new baby."

After everyone had dispersed, Morin gestured to Kleist and Manstein, and then, led by them, walked toward an open space in the camp.

During Morin's recovery period, the new equipment he requested from the field hospital was delivered to the training assault battalion under the personal supervision of General Mackensen.

As he walked, Kleist reported the situation to Morin:

"Battalion Commander, the 12 75.8mm grenade launchers you requested, as well as the equipment and personnel needed to form a flamethrower platoon, have all arrived."

"The efficiency this time is really exceptionally high," Morin said, somewhat surprised. He had thought it would take at least some time.

"It was directly allocated by the First Army from their inventory and subordinate units."

Manstein began to explain:

"I heard that General Mackensen personally gave the order from the army group headquarters, and the supplies were delivered in just two days."

Soon, the three of them arrived at the open space.

Morin immediately spotted the new equipment being carefully wiped and maintained by the soldiers—twelve oddly-looking short-barreled cannons, neatly arranged on the ground.

This is the 75.8mm 'grenade launcher' that Morin requested in his report.

The structure of this thing is very different from the mortar that Morin remembered.

The cannon barrel was thick and short, only about 20 centimeters long. Complex hydraulic buffer devices were connected to the sides and back of the barrel. The entire cannon was fixed on a heavy rectangular metal base, making it look somewhat bulky.

According to Morin's arrangement, these twelve grenade launchers were directly distributed to the four infantry companies.

So the four company commanders are now familiarizing themselves with the equipment with the artillery crew members who have been transferred here.

Wolf, the company commander of the 2nd Company, excitedly greeted Morin as soon as he saw him approaching.

Although he was a reckless man, he was more eager than anyone else for anything that could improve firepower.

"How is it? Is it easy to use?" Morin walked up to a cannon, squatted down, and examined it carefully.

"It works so well! It's so great!"

Wolf slapped his thigh and exclaimed excitedly:

"Battalion Commander, we never imagined this thing would be so effective in providing support. It's practically tailor-made for positional warfare and urban combat!"

Morin nodded, then reached out and touched the cold cannon barrel, before looking at Wolf:
"Is it complicated to operate? How many people are in a gun crew?"

"It's not complicated!"

Wolf immediately called over a gun crew from the 2nd Company and demonstrated it to Morin on the spot.

A standard gun crew consists of five people: a gunner, two gunners, and two loaders.

The gunner is responsible for adjusting the angle, the loader is responsible for loading the shell from the muzzle, and then the gunner pulls the rope to fire.

According to Wolf and other company commanders, this weapon was far more flexible than field artillery and could be used to advance alongside the infantry.

However, one problem is that the range is relatively short, with a maximum range of only 1300 meters and a minimum range of 300 meters.

Another problem is that the horizontal field of view is too narrow, only 7°.
To engage targets in other directions, the entire gun platoon, along with its base, had to be moved, which was rather cumbersome.

However, Morin had anticipated these shortcomings, after all, it was a prototype of a mortar, and one couldn't expect too much.

Even so, the indirect firepower it provides is invaluable for infantry lacking offensive capabilities.

"Where's the ammunition?"

Morin stood up and asked the question that concerned him most.

"How many were deployed? What types of ammunition were used?"

"Reporting, Battalion Commander!" An officer from the battalion's supply corps handed over an ammunition inventory.

"A total of 1200 rounds of high-explosive shells were issued this time, averaging 100 rounds per gun. The main type of shells was high-explosive shells. In addition, a batch of smoke shells were also found."

"Smoke bomb?" When Morin heard those three words, his eyes lit up instantly, as bright as a searchlight.

"Yes, smoke bombs."

The supply officer scratched his head, and seeing that Morin seemed quite interested in this, he continued to explain:
"This thing was developed by the Empire many years ago. The smoke generator is made of potassium nitrate and sugar, and there was also a version that could be thrown by a single soldier. However, it is said that the effect was not very good. The smoke dissipated quickly and the concealment effect was not very good, so it was not produced much afterward."

"If the army group's quartermaster department hadn't turned the warehouse upside down, we probably wouldn't have even remembered this thing existed. They said it was a freebie, and we could play with it as we pleased."

"Just playing around? This is good stuff!"

Morin took the list from the quartermaster and looked at the word "smoke bomb" on it. Suddenly, he felt like he had searched high and low for something he hadn't found.

He had been thinking of using smoke grenades to provide cover for the infantry attack.

Kleist, Manstein, Wolf, and others present were all stunned by Morin's sudden outburst of excitement.

"Battalion Commander, it's just a smoke grenade, isn't it? Is it really that good?"

Wolf asked, looking puzzled:

"I heard that stuff is really pungent and disappears with a gust of wind, so what's the point?"

"What use could it be? It's incredibly useful!"

Morin glared at Wolf, then earnestly explained to everyone.

"Think about it, if we were to attack a position defended by heavy machine guns, how would we normally fight?"

"That goes without saying. The machine gun team will provide suppressive fire first, and then the assault team will flank from both sides and throw grenades," Wolf replied without hesitation.

(End of this chapter)