Chapter 93: Australia-Germany Joint Research (Seeking Subscription!)

Chapter 93: Chapter 93: Australia-Germany Joint Research (Seeking Subscription!)

Translator: 549690339

Following the principle that demonstration is better than explanation, Arthur simply ordered the experts to organize a live demonstration of the M1897 cannon.

Because there were ten boxes of shells, Arthur generously took out two boxes, just to test the specific power of the famous French Lady.

The test site was chosen on the outskirts of Sydney, a deep mountain, desolate and safe enough to be concealed.

Under the guidance of experts, the Indigenous Peoples prepared the targets for the shells in less than an hour and placed them on the hillside a kilometer away.

The person responsible for shooting was a senior artilleryman in the Australian Army. Although he had never used the M1897 before, he was familiar with the Australian CA-1 machine gun, so naturally understood the principles of these automatic firearms.

At this time, the German experts were holding their breath, staring intently at the only M1897 cannon, afraid to miss any important information.

Soon, after completing all the arrangements, the new French Lady began its roar.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Following the commander’s order, the French Lady continuously poured shells towards the targets on the distant hillside, finally hitting the target with the third shell.

What surprised the German experts was not the hit rate of the shells but the rather exaggerated firing rate of the M1897 cannon.

A German-made 75mm cannon has an average firing rate of about 4-6 rounds per minute. The firing rate depends on the artilleryman’s familiarity with the cannon, but it should never exceed seven rounds per minute.

However, the M1897 exhibited a terrifyingly powerful firepower output, even with the Australian artillerymen who were not familiar with it, achieving a rate of more than eleven rounds per minute.

That is to say, once the artillerymen familiarized themselves with this cannon, the M1897 would be able to exert the firepower of two German cannons of the same caliber, gaining an overwhelming advantage on the battlefield.

In other words, the French only need to employ half the number of German cannons to maintain a balance in firepower with Germany.

After all, Germany had given their own cannon technology to Australia, and Arthur’s requirements were not very demanding given their good cooperation.

Arthur nodded with a smile, agreeing.

The German expert’s words were what he wanted. Whether it was equipment or experts, the more, the better.

As long as the research took place in Australia, even if thousands of experts came at once, Arthur was willing to bear the costs.

Of course, these German experts were worth it. Although each expert had high annual expenses, generally exceeding several hundred pounds.

The value they brought was considerable, not only covering Australia’s embarrassing lack of high-end talent but also laying a good foundation for talent cultivation.

Under Arthur’s instruction, the German experts became acquainted with several Australian experts.

As assistants, they helped the German experts with some trivial and simple tasks.

In fact, these Australian experts could also take the opportunity to learn some things they wouldn’t have access to otherwise.

Arthur liked the German experts’ serious, careful and cautious attitude. Australian experts progressed quickly under their meticulous teaching.

To facilitate their research, Arthur directly handed over a large part of the military factory’s laboratory to the experts, as the military factory had no plans for any weapons experiments in the short term anyway.

Additionally, he provided 500,000 pounds of funding to support the experts’ research.

As the French Lady continued to be used into the World War II period, its advanced performance goes without saying.

If they could successfully grasp its technology and make certain improvements, it would be appropriate to use it as Australia’s main cannon for the next thirty years.

With the research site available, the only M1897 cannon and the remaining eight boxes of shells were moved by the German experts into the laboratory with great care.

Even if there were enough shells, these German experts would never allow the cannon to be used again.

From now on, they would carefully research and disassemble the cannon, as any damage would be unbearable for their research progress.