The Rise Of Australasia

Due to the proximity of National Day, the Cabinet rapidly passed the resolution for military expansion, and decided to announce it on National Day itself, officially starting the conscription process.

As usual, the conditions for conscription this time were quite stringent. In addition to physical fitness evaluations, recruits also had to undergo ideological and political screening, and only those who had resided in Australasia for more than five years were eligible to pass the conscription tests.

After all, compared to immigrants who were almost fully assimilated, the loyalty of those who had just arrived in Australasia within five years could not be guaranteed.

This was also the best way to differentiate new immigrants from old ones. It would not only prevent new immigrants from being dissatisfied with such regulations but would also allow old immigrants to easily join the military, a high-paying job.

Joining the military was undoubtedly one of the most popular jobs in Australasia, and most of the time, it could even be considered the most popular.

The military’s salary was not only much higher than the average wage, but its food provisions were also among the best of any profession in Australasia.

Add to that all sorts of benefits and subsidies, which could make the income of a common soldier comparable to that of an excellent skilled worker.

As the conscription announcement was made public on January 10, 1927, the recruitment offices in various cities of Australasia were immediately surrounded by crowds eager to join the army.

Even though there was an economic crisis and it was still the holiday period for National Day, nothing could stop these people’s enthusiastic steps to enlist.

The Public Security Department even urgently deployed a number of personnel because the large number of people eager to enlist caused congestion in some streets, and almost led to a stampeding incident.

This also showed the recognition and fervor for Arthur and his country. Had there been a different monarch, such an enlistment frenzy probably would not have occurred, even if the military’s benefits remained the same.

It was precisely because the people had a fervor for Arthur and sufficient recognition of the country that they were eager to enlist with just an order of conscription, even willing to give their lives for the construction of their country.

While the Guards and the seven regular armies were hotly reconstructing, Arthur also turned his attention to the development of the new Tank.

True, the current T-22 and T-22A Tanks were already the most advanced and powerful in the world, but that did not mean Arthur was satisfied with the current state of tank development.

The technological levels of all countries were constantly advancing, and such tank technology would inevitably be developed sooner or later.

If Australasia stood still, it would ultimately seal its own fate and squander the advantages Arthur had built over the past twenty-plus years.

Therefore, not only must tank development continue, but it should also be heavily invested in, to strive to maintain the gap with other countries.

Beyond tanks, Arthur also had requirements for the development of Firearms, and he especially instructed that Firearms development should take into account both anti-aircraft and ground aspects.

Let’s not mention the Tank research for now; the study of Self-propelled Artillery was already pressing.

With some Trucks now equipped in the army, even the mobility of the infantry had been significantly enhanced.

But transporting Firearms remained too difficult, and the wide array of Firearms even threatened to delay the army’s marching speed, which in wartime would be a detriment to the military’s combat effectiveness.

If Firearms could not be effectively deployed to positions, achieving effective fire suppression would be impossible, and victory in combat unattainable. @@novelbin@@

At the same time, during retreats or when executing tactical tasks, the slow movement speed of Firearms could also slow down task execution.

For these reasons, enhancing the mobility of Firearms had become a necessary choice.

The good news was that research into caterpillar-tracked Firearms had already been underway in Australasia, and had achieved some results.

The research approach to caterpillar-tracked Firearms was simple: mount the Firearm on a Tank’s caterpillar tracks.

Since Firearms weighed far less than Tanks, in theory, the mobility of these caterpillar-tracked Firearms should exceed that of Tanks.

Furthermore, without the burden of excessive weight, this would also reduce the breakdown rate of Firearms, offering various possibilities for the development of such caterpillar-tracked Firearms.

In the Royal Military Factory’s Firearms research department, a secret meeting was being held.

Those attending the meeting included Arthur, the Defense Minister and General of the Armed Forces Thomas, several army Generals, the Chief of Staff, and several main Technical Personnel from the Firearms development department.

The development of any weapon cannot rely solely on Technical Personnel; the soldiers’ practical experience with the weapon is also extremely important.

After all, no matter how strong the weapon’s theoretical data may be, it ultimately cannot compare to a soldier’s adaptability and proficiency with the weapon.

And those soldiers who have actually used these weapons on the training grounds and battlefields are the ones who are most qualified to offer suggestions for improvement and research and development of weapons.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the issue of how to improve the military’s mobility has always been a hot topic among nations.

We have done well in terms of tanks, but our performance in artillery and overall military mobility is still lacking," Arthur began, directing his gaze at the military upper echelons and technical personnel involved in artillery development, and requested, "We must enhance the mobility of our artillery as much as possible, which means developing highly mobile artillery to replace the role of our existing guns on the battlefield to some extent."

The technical personnel from artillery development were the first to speak: "Your Majesty, we have made some headway with the tracked artillery you previously requested. Here are the blueprints for the tracked artillery, please Your Majesty and generals take a look."

The royal guard took the blueprint from the technician’s hands and distributed a copy to everyone, including Arthur, and then the technician continued, "Your Majesty, please see, this tracked artillery depicted in the blueprint has been named TGA-1.

It is mounted on a modified T-14 tank chassis and equipped with an M1922 75mm semi-automatic artillery piece, capable of firing up to 25 rounds per minute at its fastest.

We have only equipped this tracked artillery with a driver and a loader, with the driver also serving as the gunner, to minimize the artillery’s weight as much as possible.

Based on our estimates, the TGA-1 can reach a maximum speed of 28 kilometers per hour, and can travel at 19 kilometers per hour for over six hours under normal conditions, with a maximum range of approximately 150 kilometers."

Arthur showed no reaction, instead turning his gaze to the many military high-ranking officials, waiting for their opinions.

In fact, the so-called TGA-1 tracked artillery was still very rudimentary, basically just a tank chassis with a gun mounted on it, and it was only equipped with a driver and a loader.

But such a concept was indeed very practical, significantly enhancing the mobility of the artillery and also increasing its flexibility.

After all, once the artillery is mounted on a tank’s chassis, it means that the artillery could be quickly adjusted to fire in different directions.

"Mr. Robert, can such a design ensure the effective accuracy of the artillery?" Defense Minister Thomas was the first to stand out and asked earnestly.

After the artillery was mounted on the tank chassis, although it increased the flexibility of the artillery, the artillery was not as stable during firing anymore.

This means that it could very likely affect the hit rate of the artillery, and the accuracy of the artillery is also crucial to the its fire suppression capability and effective lethality.

"This is something we have not tested yet," said the technical expert named Robert with a shake of his head, regretfully stating, "Currently, this tracked artillery model is only at the design stage, and no prototype has been made for testing yet.

However, if we refer to the hit rate of tank guns, such a design may affect accuracy, but the impact should be within a controllable range."

General Thomas nodded and turned his gaze to the other high-ranking officials in the military.

After all, what Robert said was not wrong, under the premise of pursuing artillery mobility, it would be a bit harsh to require that the effective hit rate of this first-generation design be maintained as well.

Since this is the first design, even if there are flaws, they can be improved in the time to come.

"Mr. Robert, can such a design reduce the track laying rate of the tracked artillery?" General Karl of The Seventh Army, who was very concerned, asked.

General Karl of The Seventh Army, who has three tank divisions and has been the Brigadier General of the first tank division previously attached great importance to the breakdown rate of tanks, something that had always been a headache. Your journey continues at NovelBin.Côm

Even Australasia’s most advanced tanks would typically experience a breakdown rate of 10 to 20 percent, which was simply unavoidable with current technology.

If conditions were extreme, the breakdown rate could even rise to 30 to 40 percent, which would be a huge detriment to the combat effectiveness of a tank division and was also the reason why tanks have not yet fully replaced cavalry divisions.

But this was to be expected because the history of tank development in all countries can only be traced back a little over a decade.

If in just over ten years, a vehicle could be developed to replace the role of horses, a means of transport and combat that had been used for thousands of years in human history, it would indeed be too unbelievable.

"Your Excellency the General, the high track-laying rate of tanks is generally caused by the heavy weight of the tank and the complex mechanical structure. One reason is that engines cannot cope with the weight, and damage to the mechanical structure is another major cause.

However, in our tracked artillery design, the overall weight of the artillery has been significantly reduced, and the tracked mechanical structure has been simplified without the complexities of a tank design; theoretically, it should be possible to significantly reduce the breakdown rate," explained the technical expert named Robert: "

"At least the breakdown rate will be lower than our T-22 tanks, and if further improvements are made, we should be able to initially solve the problem of track laying."

General Karl nodded to indicate that his question had been addressed.

After waiting for a while and seeing no other general raising questions, Arthur then said, "Well, since none of you have any further questions, let’s move this tracked artillery into the testing phase.

Mr. Robert, I authorize you to use additional funds to expedite the testing phase of the tracked artillery and to continuously improve the design of this artillery.

The high mobility of the artillery will bring a tremendous enhancement to our military, and it will become a spearhead weapon in our future wars."