Munitions Empire

Tang Mo was "charging a powerful move." He was preparing to, before other powers were ready, take full advantage of wireless communications to gain a comprehensive advantage in both tanks and airplanes.

With such an advantage, he could be proactive in expansion, using fewer troops to achieve greater military results.

However, installing wireless radio equipment on airplanes required more efficient engines and more mature designs! Only larger and more powerful engines could give airplanes greater carrying capacity, supply more electricity, and allow the use of wireless radios!

The existing airplanes obviously wouldn't suffice, so Tang Mo could only develop brand new, more powerful monoplanes as quickly as possible to modernize his air force into the "World War II" era.

The same was true for tanks. If one wanted to install wireless radio equipment in a tank, it required larger engines and a larger chassis, so the previously used Type 2 tanks were clearly insufficient.

Tang Mo had no choice but to upgrade the tanks once more, allowing them to be equipped with higher-power wireless radio equipment while also housing more powerful weapons.

With each nation already having their industrial foundations and production capacities, Tang Mo had to start considering certain contingencies when designing his troops.

He couldn't pin his hopes on the enemy never developing anti-tank cannons, so enhanced protection for the tanks became a necessity.

After much consideration, Tang Mo still decided to choose the German tank development strategy for his troops, primarily because he was unwilling to risk the precious lives of tank crew members.
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Clearly, under the same conditions, German tanks could provide a better combat environment and protection for the crew.

Compared to these tanks, Tang Mo cared more about people—the ones operating these tanks! When training personnel couldn't meet the demands in numbers, minimizing losses and maintaining quantity was a better choice.

Soviet-style tanks were practically a nightmare for tank crews; early tanks had no place to install wireless radio equipment, which was very detrimental to subsequent development.

Tang Mo found it hard to imagine his meticulously trained crew members continuously fighting in cramped spaces; such a scenario was nothing short of murder.

He also wasn't willing to allow his crew members to drive thinly armored Soviet tanks into enemy defenses regardless of the cost; he couldn't afford such horrific losses.

As for American tanks, Tang Mo chose not to use them mainly because their technology was not mature. Early American tanks were too peculiar, and their subsequent development lacked distinctive features, also suffering from insufficient defense.

So, after weighing his options, Tang Mo decided to faithfully follow in Germany's footsteps to prosper, and as for later development, that would have to wait until the technology matured!

Who says you can't use M1s after adopting Tigers and Panthers? And who said you have to use M1s, anyway? Once you've developed, can't you use the Type 99A? It's no joke—the Type 99A is extremely capable!

In fact, the Great Tang Group had already started producing larger and more versatile Type 4 tanks on Dragon Island—skipping the Type 3 because it was far inferior to the Type 4 in terms of versatility.

Tang Mo didn't need to experiment with errors; he didn't need to manage a combination of different tank roles, such as assault or breakthrough vehicles, so he simply chose to ignore the existence of Type 3 altogether.

Due to its more powerful engine and larger chassis, the Type 4 tank had a huge advantage in subsequent modifications. In fact, until the end of World War II, the performance of Type 4 tanks was never outdated and remained at the mainstream level.

Even Israel managed to use them for a while in subsequent wars, significantly extending the service life of the Type 4 tanks.

The overall design of the Type 4 tank could be considered a benchmark, or rather, almost perfect! A five-person crew was the standard for efficient tank crews in the early days, and the advantage in tactics with installed wireless radios was absolute!

Its 75 mm short-barrel cannon could deal with any threat at that stage, whether facing earthworks or any potential weapons the enemy might deploy.

The relatively thick armor also guaranteed the basic survival of the crew, and the armor could be further thickened later to improve defense.

Compared to other options, the interior space of the Type 4 tank was ample, providing a more comfortable operating environment for its crew. This ensured that the crew members could fight continuously without wasting stamina due to fatigue that could force them to stop and rest.

In the past, Tang Mo used to think that the Soviet-style tank development path was actually the perfect answer for large-scale warfare.

But when he faced the choice, he realized that sometimes you really cannot help yourself. His situation now was very similar to that of Germany before World War II: possessing some industrial capability but suffering from having no riches from the past.

The defeat in World War I meant that Germany lacked the foundation for mobilization, which was their biggest weakness: even with a population close to a hundred million, the German Army hadn't fully mobilized even three years after the outbreak of the war.

Though the German Army was elite and the tactics advanced, they couldn't afford losses! Those formidable, well-trained National Defense Army soldiers were each a priceless treasure in the hands of German generals.

The soldiers that kept coming in were brave but inexperienced, unable to support an increasingly professional tactical system.

Therefore, the German Army had no choice but to protect its elite tank crews as much as possible, develop stronger tanks, and concentrate their use of elites, all in an effort to safeguard these experienced and irreplaceable "family assets."

Tang Mo was no different! He also had only these few "assets." He could only hope that these "assets" would lead the inexperienced and cultivate more "fresh blood" that could be relied upon.

Only when there was enough "fresh blood" accumulated and they no longer feared occasional losses, could Tang Mo qualify to develop a steel flood and have the luxury of choices.

For now, he could only count on his fingers how many tank crews he had and how many would complete their training next month...

The same was true for Tang Mo. Pilots, naval commanders, and future naval airmen... he couldn't afford to lose any of them! He had no choice but to invest in more powerful advantages to avoid the senseless loss of these valuable specialists on the battlefield!

On Dragon Island, in a dense forest near Weigang, a fenced-off lawn was lined with a row of Camel Fighters.

In front of these Camel Fighters, two bi-wing Camel Fighters had entered the field. Accompanied by the roar of engines, the two planes wobbled back to the ground, bounced a bit, and then shakily came to a stop at the end of the runway.

Two pilots took off their goggles and gave each other a thumbs-up. They had coordinated well during the exercise, taking out two rookies from the 1st Aviation Squadron that had taken off from Dragon City.

Such combat training occurred daily. All pilots, including squadron commanders, had to personally take to the skies to participate in similar drills and training.

Every Air Force Commander had to understand what kind of force they were commanding, then embrace new technology, acquire enough skills, and only then could they be promoted and stand out among their colleagues to become senior officers of the new branch, the Air Force.

They were familiar with radio equipment and had even started learning how to use more advanced communications for coordinating and commanding, overwhelming their opponents.

"I heard there's a new exercise today," a pilot who had just managed to climb out of the cockpit with the help of ground staff said to his comrade.

"Yes! I heard they formed a new company, quite interesting," another pilot replied as he handed his goggles to a ground crew lad, nodding in confirmation.

The troop's ground staff was nearly five times the standard number! It included ground personnel apprentices and pilots who hadn't completed their training; the unit size was astonishingly large.

"Let's see if these guys dare to jump out of the planes, hahaha!" Watching the distant sky, two pilots seemed to recall something amusing.

Their parachute training was a truly bittersweet memory. Leaping out of an airplane from a kilometer high was not for the faint-hearted.

In a place out of their sight, a large bi-wing airplane, buffeted by the air currents, carried a new recruit who pulled his head back from the door.

At that moment, he felt he must have been mad to come to such a forsaken place for flight pay and the highest level of rations.

"Officer! Are you sure this thing will open?" Pointing at the massive parachute pack behind him, the new recruit involuntarily took a step back.

The lead officer, irritated, checked the parachute release hook tethered to the steel cable for the new recruit, gave a nod, and shouted over the windy gale, "I'm absolutely sure! All you have to remember is your landing technique, you idiot!"

Remembering the landing technique that had almost become muscle memory, the soldier still didn't dare to approach the cabin door again.

Reaching out his hand, the officer pulled the timid recruit back to the door and, before the new recruit could react, kicked him out of the airplane.

Then, the officer looked at the next new recruit, who was pale, and asked loudly, "Do you need my help too?"

The soldier hurriedly shook his head and then tremulously moved closer to the cabin door, facing the wind.

Unfortunately, as he looked down at the ground below, the soldier involuntarily began to shrink back.

But before he could retreat, someone kicked him in the backside. He tumbled out of the airplane...

"Ahh..." A faint scream drifted away from the outside of the cabin; in truth, the people inside could hardly hear the agonizing sound. The roar of the engine mixed with the noise of the wind and the tense atmosphere, no one had the inclination to care about any screams.