Trench Bolts and Magic

Chapter 246 Early Synthesis

“Yes, but wouldn’t that result in heavy casualties? The enemy’s machine gunners aren’t stupid; wouldn’t they move to a different position? Our machine gunners will be exposed; wouldn’t that be dangerous for them as well?” Morin countered.

Everyone nodded. This was indeed the most common scene in urban warfare, and also the place with the most casualties.

"But what if we had smoke grenades?"

Morin didn't keep them in suspense any longer and continued:

"Before launching the attack, let's use the grenade launcher to fire a few smoke grenades at the enemy's machine gun positions and other areas where they might be able to spot us!"

"A thick white smoke rose up, and the enemy machine gunner was instantly blinded! He couldn't see anything and could only fire wildly. At this moment, our assault team could use the smoke as cover to advance quickly!"

"Also, when we move to a new position, can we use smoke grenades to conceal our movements? When we retreat, can we use smoke grenades to hinder the enemy's pursuit?"

"We can even fire a dozen or so smoke grenades in one area to create chaos and make it unclear to the enemy where our main attack is!"

Morin became more and more excited as he spoke, while Kleist and Manstein's eyes grew brighter and brighter.

They were all experienced officers, and with just a little guidance from Morin, they immediately understood the immense tactical value behind the smoke grenades.

In Morin's words, this is simply a multiplier for infantry tactics!
Seeing that everyone roughly understood how to use the smoke grenades, Morin summarized, "This thing, no matter how good it is, is better to have than not! Tell each gun crew to use these smoke grenades sparingly, and to use every single one wisely!"

"Yes, Battalion Commander!" the men replied in unison.

After inspecting the grenade launcher, Morin walked contentedly to the other side of the open space.

There, a newly formed platoon-level unit also received the news and completed its assembly.

This is the 'battalion-level flamethrower platoon' of the training assault battalion.

This platoon consisted of sixty soldiers, most of whom were handpicked from various engineering units under the First Army Group.

What these soldiers had in common was that many of them were professional firefighters before the war.

At their feet lay thirty sets of new equipment—flamethrowers—that had recently been converted from civilian to military use.

This flamethrower consists of two backpack fuel tanks, a compressed air tank, and a firing device connected to a long nozzle, giving it a violent aesthetic.

"Hello, battalion commander!"

As Morin approached, a tall, dark-skinned sergeant immediately stepped forward and gave a standard military salute.

He was the acting platoon leader of the flamethrower platoon, Michael Gast.

“Hello, Sergeant Gast.” Morin returned the greeting, then turned his gaze to the flamethrowers. “Tell me about this equipment.”

"Yes, battalion commander!"

Gast seemed somewhat excited. He and his partner quickly equipped themselves with flamethrowers, and then began to explain:

"This is the Empire's latest Fmw14 flamethrower. It uses specially thickened scintillation fuel as its propellant, weighs about 35 kilograms, has an effective range of about twelve meters, and can fire 20 times when fully fueled."

Then, Gustel gave Morin a rough demonstration of how to use the flamethrower.

Unlike the individual flamethrowers that Morin was familiar with, this flamethrower from the Saxon Empire required two people to operate: one to carry the fuel tank and the other to operate the spraying device from the front.

Even so, in Morin's view, this thing was a godsend for urban warfare and trench warfare—especially when the Gauls, who were suffering defeats in this world, began to dig trenches and start 'trench warfare'.

Because it actually uses compressed air to spray a jet of fuel liquid, the flame jet from the flamethrower can bend and adhere to the burning along the curves of the fortifications and tunnels, effectively eliminating internal targets.

In addition to direct burns, the flames can also rapidly deplete the oxygen in an enclosed space, potentially causing suffocation in enemies trapped inside.

Incidentally, Morin has also figured out how this world uses Brilliant Crystals during this time.

Once the mining is complete, the resulting pyroxene ore will first be crushed by a jaw crusher, and then some lime slurry will be sprayed to neutralize some of the sulfides.

Next, the crushed ore is loaded into a vertical dry distillation vessel using a technique similar to 'dry distillation'.

When heated to 500°C, pyroxene will transform into a three-layer distillate.

The upper layer is a light oil that can be used as an 'ignition agent', the middle layer is 'sparkling crude oil' which is the target product, and the bottom layer is highly toxic tar.

Then, through 'sulfuric acid washing' or 'alkali washing', the crude oil is transformed into usable refined oil.

This refined oil is much more potent than the diesel oil from Morin's previous life.
This is why, with a similar size and weight to flamethrowers from another early world, this flamethrower could fire three to four times more times.

With the addition of these new equipment, the overall combat capability of the training assault battalion has naturally been enhanced.

However, after the initial excitement, once everyone returned to their tents at the camp headquarters, the adjutant, Kleist, raised a very practical question.

"Battalion Commander, the new equipment has indeed greatly enhanced our attack capabilities. But have you noticed that our command system is starting to lag behind?"

He pointed to the organizational chart on the folding table and said with a worried expression:

“You see, although we are still labeled as a ‘battalion-level unit,’ our actual size and complexity have far exceeded that of a battalion.”

"In addition to the four infantry companies that form the main force, we also have a reinforced field artillery battalion, a battalion-level heavy machine gun company, a newly formed flamethrower platoon, and a large transport and supply convoy. The total number of people in our battalion is almost over two thousand!"

Upon hearing Kleist's words, Manstein added:
“Yes, Battalion Commander, the more people there are, the longer the command chain becomes. And now we also have to coordinate artillery and flamethrower troops. There are too many intermediate links, which can easily lead to delays and chaos.” Upon hearing this, Morin’s smile gradually faded, and his expression became serious.

The questions raised by Kleist and Manstein were actually ones he had been pondering.

The training assault battalion was like a product he constantly 'modified,' becoming increasingly powerful in combat but also increasingly 'bloated.'

The existing traditional command system has actually begun to fail to meet the needs of this "Frankenstein's monster" unit.

"You're right."

Morin paced back and forth in the tent, his mind racing; he already had many other ideas in mind.

“The existing organizational structure has indeed begun to limit our combat effectiveness. We must make adjustments so that the training assault battalion can fully utilize its advantages in firepower and mobility, becoming more flexible rather than increasingly sluggish.”

He stopped and looked at everyone, then put forward a bold idea that he had been thinking about for a long time but had never dared to say aloud.

“I’m thinking, could we break out of the existing organizational framework and expand the training assault battalion into an ‘assault combat group’?”

"Combat group?"

Everyone present was stunned; clearly, they had never associated their battalion-level unit with a large unit like a 'combat group'.

Of course, what Morin actually meant was 'combined forces'.

However, he knew that others would not understand in a short time, so he used 'battle group' as a substitute for that.

Because in a sense, a 'combat group' pieced together from various units can actually be considered a kind of combined arms force.
"Yes, an independent combat unit that combines multiple branches of service and is capable of performing a variety of combat missions."

Morin excitedly told the others that this kind of project, which involved working with others to develop and implement plans, was something he always found particularly exciting.

"Within this 'combat group' framework, we are no longer a simple infantry battalion; we can form multiple specialized companies with different functions according to mission requirements."

"For example, there are 'assault squads' that are mainly equipped with submachine guns and grenades and are specifically responsible for close-range assaults and mopping-up operations."

"For example, a 'fire support unit' that concentrates all heavy machine guns, grenade launchers and flamethrowers."

“We can even integrate the field artillery battery and the supply convoy to form a ‘logistics and tactical support unit’ to be responsible for the artillery support and material supply of the entire battle group.”

"This flattens the command structure, so as the combat group commander, I only need to command the various specialized companies."

"The modules can be freely combined and flexibly arranged, just like building with blocks!"

Morin's idea opened a door to a new world for all the officers present.

They seemed to see what the future army would look like—no longer rigid divisions, brigades, regiments, and battalions, but flexible, efficient, and deadly combat groups.

However, this idea was far too advanced and too audacious.

"Battalion Commander, isn't this idea a bit too far-fetched?"

Kleist hesitated for a long time before finding a suitable word.

"Too radical? The General Staff would never approve of us doing this; it completely overturns the existing military system."

"Of course I know that."

Morin nodded, but he wasn't worried about the issue and already had his own ideas.

He knew that with the current level of technology in the world, it was impossible to achieve the kind of truly integrated information and digitalized combined arms force that Lao Zhong possessed in one step.

However, combined arms units have different playstyles in different eras.

After all, the core concept of 'combined arms' is to emphasize multi-service coordination, aiming to achieve battlefield information sharing and efficient use of firepower.

If we really want to trace the origin of this concept, we can actually look at the practice of various European countries in the 19th century of integrating infantry, cavalry and artillery into a single division.

It can be considered a kind of 'budget version of synthesized'.
Maureen: "So I'm just giving you a preliminary idea right now. We have to take things one step at a time, and we're not there yet. Besides, I have many other ideas I haven't shared with you all."

"For example?" Manstein asked curiously.

"Hehe, for example, adding more heavy equipment to our battle group, like forming an armored knight squadron or something."

"Battalion Commander, you certainly have a good idea."

"Hahahahaha."

The camp was filled with a cheerful atmosphere.

Morin smiled and then said seriously:
“What I’m saying isn’t just baseless speculation or wishful thinking. Don’t forget that the mission of training the assault battalion is to explore new tactics in battle.”

"Let's stick to the existing organization for now and adjust as we fight. I believe that as long as we can continuously prove the superiority of this model on the battlefield, that's enough!"

"Once the results are in, are we afraid that the General Staff will not approve?"

(End of this chapter)