To be honest, Europe really doesn't know much about the Far East. Even if the Footpot people once defeated the Mao Xiong and won the Russo-Japanese War, this did not win them much. Much attention.
Europeans have a bone-deep sense of superiority in their bones. They don't even look down on the world's largest economy like Yingjiang. How could they possibly look down on a country that is far smaller than Yingjiang in terms of population, land area, industrial strength and economic scale? Where's the footbath?
Therefore, when Mainz asked this, Paulus was stunned.
He really didn't know what kind of rifle the Footpot people used in the Russo-Japanese War!
"Meiji 38-type rifle, referred to as the 38-type rifle!"
Seeing that Paulus couldn't answer, Mainz didn't embarrass him and took the initiative to reveal the answer.
"General, does the footbath man's rifle have anything to do with our aid to China?"
Paulus scratched his head and said with a blush.
As a soldier, he didn't even know what weapons his potential enemies were equipped with. This was indeed a bit derelict.
During World War I, Footbath joined the Allied Powers and snatched away Hans's lease in the Jiaodong Peninsula of China killed and injured thousands of German soldiers. So far, more than 3,000 German prisoners of war and more than 1,000 civilians have not been released to Hans in the hands of the Footpot people! For Hans, the footbath is an out-and-out enemy. They don't have the slightest favorable impression of the footbath, but they are full of hostility!
"Tiaobaren's Type 38 rifle has a long range, high accuracy, and a long gun body, which is very suitable for bayonet fighting. Compared with the current rifles of China and even Mao Xiong, this kind of firearm is a full generation ahead!"
The 38-gai was a rifle with very good performance during World War I. On some specific battlefields during World War II, such as the Tianchao battlefield, the 38-gai performed very well, but its performance on the Pacific battlefield was... That's terrible!
Before the birth of tanks and armored vehicles, both warring parties wanted weapons with longer range and higher accuracy so that they could hide in trenches farther away and shoot the enemy, so the rifles in all countries were very long. A longer barrel can make the bullet accelerate in the barrel longer, and the initial velocity when leaving the muzzle will be faster, and the range will be longer!
This design idea is not problematic in this era, after all, farther is better!
It is safer, more accurate and saves money on bullets, and the longer barrel is also very convenient for bayonet fighting after being equipped with a bayonet.
Therefore, this design in various countries is based on the experience gained in actual combat!
It was completely out of date during World War II, because the main force of World War II was not infantry, but armored troops.
The infantry's fighting location was no longer in the cold trenches, but followed tanks and armored vehicles as accompanying infantry to cover their attacks.
, everyone hiding and shooting at each other with long rifles completely changed, and the distance at which the battle broke out was shortened to 200-400 meters, which was much lower than during World War I.
In this case, what the soldiers needed was not long and heavy. The gun is a new one, shorter, with stronger firepower, and preferably a continuous-fire assault rifle!
This combat requirement has caused warring countries to begin to improve their own rifles. The German army launched the STG44 action rifle, and Mao Xiong launched the SKS semi-automatic rifle. Step by step, the MI Garand semi-automatic rifle was launched.
These new firearms have the same thing in common, that is, the barrel is shorter, the gun is lighter, and the firepower is stronger!
The reason why Mainz dared to use the design drawings of the Mauser 98 rifle. Even the production technology was transferred to China. The main reason was that he had better choices, namely the STG automatic rifle and the MG-34/42 general machine gun. These two firearms perfectly replaced the Mauser 9 rifle and Mark The status of Qinzhong machine gun!
This kind of bulky and backward weapon will not be included in the future battle order of the German army. It is a backward weapon that has been eliminated. Even the Mauser 98 rifle can be used with the improved Mauser 98K. There is no need for this existing model, so Mainz feels it is completely acceptable to sell it in exchange for other benefits.
What's more, this is not just an exchange of benefits, but also a deliberate arrangement for other countries. Bureau!
Everyone knows the power of the Mauser rifle, and the transfer of the most advanced rifle technology currently in service by the German army in Mainz will definitely attract the attention and vigilance of the Chinese army. They will definitely intensify their research on rifles and develop a new generation of improved Type 38 rifles to achieve full suppression of the Chinese Empire.
As one of the five major powers in the world after World War I, their actions are bound to attract the attention of other countries. And be vigilant.
For example, Yingjiang!
For Yingjiang, Tiaobao is their largest and only competitor in the Pacific!
The combined fleet of Tiaobao is even more threatening to Yingjiang than the Royal Navy, so, While their imaginary enemy is working hard on a new rifle, Yingjiang will definitely not be able to sit still!
When tanks and armored vehicles are not yet widely used and armored tactics are not yet mature, I am afraid that Yingjiang will not pay attention to the needs of future combat. They will also improve and design based on the original Springfield rifle, which will invisibly China is squeezing the resources of the US military, disrupting their development of automatic rifles, and slowing down the birth of their automatic rifles!
This kind of thing seems impossible, but in fact it is very easy to do, because military expenditures in peacetime are very low, and most of them are given to the navy. Compared with other countries in the world, the status of the army is low. In peacetime, the army only has 100,000 people. With such a small number of people, the military expenditures they receive every year are pitifully small. Therefore, developing a new rifle may cost them several years of military expenditures.
Once they go astray, the impact will be huge!
Mainz doesn't need much, as long as it can delay the release of the US military's M1 Garand rifle during World War II by four or five years, that's enough for Mainz!
Of course, in order to ensure the success of this plan, the German army itself must pretend to join the arms race for this long-barreled, bolt-action rifle to completely confuse the enemy. To this end, Mainz prepared the Mauser 98K rifle. This rifle will be made public after he returns to China, further stimulating other powers!
Of course, this is a conspiracy on the surface. Behind the scenes, the German army will secretly develop and produce automatic rifles, and will send killers to hunt down John Garand, the designer responsible for developing the Garand rifle. Mao Zedong The designer of Xiong's SKS semi-automatic rifle is also among the targets!
As long as the development plans of new rifles in various countries are strangled in the cradle, the launch of automatic rifles in various countries will be greatly delayed!
Mainz hopes that before the outbreak of World War II, no semi-automatic rifle will appear in any country. In this case, when the German army takes out the STG automatic gun, they will have an overwhelming advantage over their enemies!