Chapter 217： Tank (on)

In the spring field, farmers are still working hard, but the impact of the war is now a lot less young and middle-aged men in the field.

A train speeds by on a railway that stretches out in the wild. On this train from Vienna to Bucharest, two men in Romanian military uniforms are chatting.

"Major Hoffman, the war has had a huge impact on this country, and many of the farm work has to be done by these old and weak women and children."

An officer in a Romanian military uniform looked at the Austria-Hungarian pastoral scenery outside the window and said to the officer who was obviously a few years older than him.

This officer named Hoffman was the founder of the Romanian Armored Battalion, Haynes von Hoffman. He observed the use of armored vehicles by Britain and France on the French front and found that it was different from what he had imagined, because the western front had already entered the trenches. In war, wheeled armored vehicles have little room to play on the front line. He can only observe more about the deployment and maintenance of armored vehicles in Britain and France.

This time I went back because of news from Constanta that the tracked armored vehicle has been completed and he needs the head of the armored battalion to see if it meets the requirements. Hoffman, who had a thorough knowledge of the use of armored vehicles in Britain and France, of course immediately put aside his things and rushed back to check the weapons and equipment he needed.

And this Major Erascu around him is much more beautiful. During his time as a military observer, he not only flew a plane to the sky to compete with the Germans, but also defeated a German fighter. Moreover, many French girls are fascinated by him by virtue of his charming looks almost like the hero in the big ship. According to the gossip that Hoffman learned, several girls even got pregnant for him, and they even went to the barracks for this. This caused both parties to have a headache, so he was also recalled to China.

Two Romanian officers who returned home took a train from France to Italy, and then from Italy to Austria-Hungary. Now this is their last journey back home. On the train, Hoffman, a scholar-like armor-theoretic officer, and Major Ilascu’s dandy-like pilot, it took a lot of time for the two to repel each other to slowly understand each other. The common thread is to talk about military theories for the future.

In the consensus reached by the two, they both believed that emerging weapons such as aircraft and armored combat vehicles will be the main direction of future military development. As for whether it is based on armored combat vehicles or aircraft, this is where their small differences lie, and they need to be further explored before they can be eliminated. What the two people have in common now is to win more funds for their arms and speed up their own development.

In fact, when they were arguing, the Romanian military had already decided based on the situation of the European War. It is planned to split Romania’s current flight team into the third flight team in Iasi (54 aircraft + 4 spares), the second flight team in Pitesti (54 aircraft + 4 spares), and the station in Kang Stanza's fourth flying team (48 aircraft + 4 spares), and the first flying team based in Bucharest (58 aircraft + 6 spares) complete Romanian air defense system.

Of course, this is only the plan prepared by Romania this year. In the future, the various flying teams can be expanded according to the development of the situation. And Major Ilascu, who seduced the girl in France, will be placed in the third flight team to defend the border, which is a punishment for not only restraining him abroad. Of course he will be appointed as the deputy captain of the flight team to conduct air combat, but I don't know if this is a punishment or a reward for him?

As for Hoffman's armored battalion, there is no way, who made the armored fighting vehicles too expensive, and there has been no outstanding performance in this European war so far. If it were not for King Edel's insistence, the General Staff could not even approve the expansion of its establishment. In the end, relying on the authority of the king, the armored battalion formed by Hoffman was approved to be expanded into two wheeled armored fighting vehicle companies (one company of 14) and two tracked armored fighting vehicle companies (one company of 12). Big establishment camp. In addition to the maintenance company, accompanied by infantry company medics, etc., the entire battalion has an army of 8 officers and soldiers.

The two people who do not know the details continue to look at the scenery along the railway line, which is completely different from the scene of the smoke filled with gunpowder in the battlefield before. This makes the two officers who have just returned from the battlefield still a little lingered about the peaceful scene. However, even the scenery along the U.S. railway line was sometimes seen. They passed through Austria-Hungary and entered Romania within two days. After another half day's journey, we arrived at the terminal Bucharest.

Of course, it is impossible for the two mid-level officers to return to the country to be picked up by the staff, unless they can reach the level of generals. After the two got out of the car, they immediately called a taxi and rushed to the General Staff Headquarters. They were still waiting for the General Staff Headquarters to make arrangements for them.

The two rushed to the busy General Staff Headquarters. If they follow the normal procedures, they need to report to the organization office first, tell the military that they are back, and then wait for the job arrangement of the organization office. However, because the two officers were directly involved in the chief of the general staff and the king, the head of the organization, Colonel Borks, was more polite when he met them. Moreover, they arranged their place after three times and five divided by two.

Major Ilascu was arranged to go to Iasi as the deputy captain of the 3rd Flying Team and Hoffman had something else. After sending away Major Ilascu, Colonel Borks spoke to Major Hoffman before him. "Major Hoffman, you are still appointed as the battalion commander of the armored experimental battalion. For your own efforts, Your Majesty and His Excellency Pretzel are both in the eyes, so we have prepared a new rank for you to make you better. Command force."

After speaking, I took out the two-star epaulettes and badges representing the lieutenant colonel from the drawer, Colonel Borks told Major Hoffman. "Originally, this was supposed to be the promotion by Lord Preysan, but now you can also see the current situation of the General Staff. Moreover, Your Excellency the General Staff is inspecting the situation of the various troops. It is really too busy. You need to rush to Constant immediately. Observe. So this time your promotion will be done by me."

Looking at the rank of lieutenant colonel, it is impossible for Hoffman not to be excited. He said quickly. "It's okay, it's a surprise to me."

For Hoffman's promotion, it was actually the light of the expansion of the armored experimental battalion. In the process of expanding the armored battalion under Edel's insistence this time, its expenditure has been equivalent to the cost of two infantry regiments. It is no longer appropriate for its commander to hold the rank of major, so Hoffman was promoted immediately upon returning home.

And Major Hoffman, who didn't know the inside story, was right now a lieutenant colonel, so he picked up a bargain. Lieutenant Colonel Hoffman walked out of Colonel Borks’ 1 office, and of course he was immediately congratulated by his new friend Major Ilascu. After the two stayed in Bucharest for one night, they went to each other. Lieutenant Colonel Hoffman is now anxious to see the tracked armored fighting vehicle successfully developed by the Volkswagen factory. 8)