Rise of Empires: Spain.

Chapter 465 Tank Units
Actual testing has shown that even the most rudimentary tanks can be quite effective against simple defensive fortifications and small bunkers on the battlefield.

While casualties are inevitable on the battlefield, they vary greatly depending on the scenario. In defensive battles, relying on advantageous terrain or well-constructed fortifications can effectively reduce casualties.

Conversely, when armies attack enemy fortresses and strongholds, they often suffer heavy casualties.

The enemy could huddle inside fortresses and bunkers, while the attackers had virtually no cover in front of them, leaving their soldiers completely exposed to enemy gunfire and artillery.

This issue can be effectively addressed by tanks. First, tanks themselves are powerful weapons for offensive warfare.

Neither machine guns nor rifles are effective against tanks. The 75mm cannon mounted on a tank can also effectively destroy simple enemy fortifications and small bunkers.

As long as tanks can break through the enemy's defensive lines first, the infantry can then approach the enemy's positions under the cover of the tanks, eliminating these positions with fewer casualties and at a faster pace.

Modern tanks aren't without their flaws. First, they're too cumbersome, making them slow to move on the battlefield.

Modern armored forces cannot achieve the same effect as the Blitzkrieg of World War II. Given the current speed of tanks, advancing the front line by tens of kilometers a day would be considered quite good.

Of course, even if Spain had tanks, it wouldn't be so extravagant as to use tank units extensively when advancing the front lines.

These tanks are more of a last resort, only to be used when the frontline troops are locked in a stalemate, or at certain crucial points in a counter-offensive, in an attempt to deliver a fatal blow to the enemy.

As for the problem that tanks cannot breach large fortresses and strongholds, this was anticipated during the tank's development.

Current tanks cannot be equipped with larger caliber artillery; the conquest of those fortified fortresses and strongholds will certainly require the use of larger caliber artillery.

The primary purpose of tanks is to inflict greater casualties on enemy infantry, especially when hundreds of thousands of troops are engaged in a protracted battle. Once tanks are deployed to break through the enemy's defenses, they can quickly and effectively change the course of the battlefield.

At first, the generals of the Ministry of Defense were skeptical of the rather bulky-looking behemoth in front of them, but after witnessing the tank's performance on the test track, the army generals' eyes no longer showed skepticism, but rather undisguised excitement.

Even the usually composed Defense Secretary Jyoti (the previous Andrew was the next one, the error has been corrected) could be seen in his eyes at this moment.

"Minister Jyoti, what do you think of this big guy? Can it be considered a weapon of mass destruction on the battlefield?" Carlo asked with a smile, looking at the excited Defense Minister Jyoti.

“Of course, this is a deadly weapon on the battlefield.” Defense Minister Jyoti nodded without hesitation. He now completely believed what Carlo had said earlier about the important role of tanks on the battlefield.

It is no exaggeration to say that if Spain were to equip itself with tanks on a large scale, the overall combat capability of the Spanish army would be firmly established as the world's number one, and even Germany would not be able to compare with the Spanish army.

Of course, all of this is predicated on Spain having tanks and other countries not having tanks or anti-tank weapons.

If all countries in the world were to uniformly equip themselves with tank forces, then the competition would have to be about the combat effectiveness and quantity of each country's tanks.

The good news is that Spain is currently far ahead of other European countries in tank development. At least according to the Royal Security Intelligence Service, no other countries have been found to be involved in tank development.

Carlo knew that the code name for the British tank development was "Water Tank," and he even had the Royal Security Intelligence Service investigate any British research and development projects related to Water Tanks.

After much inquiry, it was finally confirmed that, at least for now, Britain has not yet begun any tank development.

Thinking about it, it's quite normal. Compared to Britain in history, the British government at this time had a greater sense of urgency.

Their navy's position is not so secure, and for the British government, it is certainly more important to ensure that the British navy remains the world's number one.

As for tank development related to the army, the British government will certainly do it, but certainly not now.

"Your Majesty, when will the army be able to equip itself with these tanks? I can't wait to see these behemoths working together with the infantry. It would be the perfect scenario. Our army, combined with these behemoths, would be able to create the greatest trouble for any enemy."

"I guarantee that with these behemoths, the Spanish army will be the best performing force in future wars, even surpassing the German army," Minister Jordi said eagerly.

Carlo did not answer Minister Jordi's question directly, but instead looked at Brad, the head of the tank development project team and the chief designer of the Spanish tank: "You have to ask Mr. Brad. He is the head of the project team and knows the most about the tank's development progress and whether it can be built on a large scale."

Sensing the gazes of the army's high-ranking generals, Brad, the head of the water tank project team, smiled slightly and then explained to the military leaders, "Your Majesty, Your Excellencies Generals."

Although this behemoth in front of us has already passed the testing phase, for our project team, the entire water tank project is actually still in the initial research and development stage.

What you see as the finished product, this huge thing in front of you, is actually only our first-generation product.

We are currently developing the second-generation product. With minor changes to the tank's appearance, we have added a machine gun and improved the engine, reducing the probability of the tank breaking down.

Based on the current development progress of the second-generation tank, we should be able to see it at the testing grounds within six months at most. As long as the testing proceeds smoothly, the second-generation tank can be officially mass-produced and deployed to the armed forces within a year.

With substantial funding from Carlo, the water tank development team harbored great ambitions. They were not satisfied with the initial product, even though its capabilities had been fully demonstrated.

The water tank project team hopes to develop a new generation of tanks based on the existing finished products, effectively reducing the breakdown rate, improving stability, and maximizing the tank's firepower.

Only tanks like these can be considered true battlefield weapons of mass destruction. The current tanks are indeed only initial versions; since Spain has access to better ones, it's natural that they should develop even better ones to equip their troops.

Hearing Brad, the head of the R&D project team, say this, Minister Jyoti was somewhat disappointed, but still nodded and said, "Since it can be confirmed that the second-generation tank can enter the testing phase within six months, the army can wait a little longer."

After all, these tanks are meant to be deployed to the battlefield, and they are operated by our soldiers. Reducing the failure rate will also improve the survivability of tank crew members.” Hearing Defense Minister Jyoti say this, the army’s top brass nodded in agreement, indicating that the army was not in a hurry to equip itself with tanks.

Seeing the obvious disappointment of the army's senior generals, Carlo smiled and made a suggestion that caught their eye: "Although it will take at least another year before tanks are widely deployed to the troops, that does not mean we cannot conduct relevant training during this year."

Mr. Brad, could you build some first-generation tanks so that the army can form a tank unit and conduct tactical training related to tanks first?

Only by familiarizing soldiers with these tanks and related tactics can they make reasonable use of these powerful weapons when future wars break out.

Furthermore, the coordination between infantry and tanks also requires prior training. Tanks alone cannot achieve effective results; they need to work in close cooperation with infantry.

In this regard, the army also needs to establish a separate tank unit and secretly train a group of troops and tank units to strengthen cooperation between the two sides.

Upon hearing Carlo's words, several high-ranking army generals' eyes lit up. Brad, the head of the water tank development project team, also nodded, giving an affirmative answer: "If it's just about building a small number of finished products for training, then of course there's no problem."

Your Majesty, your thoughts have given me a wake-up call. Although it is certain that the performance of the second-generation tank will be far superior to that of the first-generation tank, even the best tank design will be wasted if we cannot train sufficiently skilled tank drivers before the second-generation tank is developed.

Although the first-generation tanks had their shortcomings, they were at least sufficient for training and allowed soldiers to fully experience the role of tanks on the battlefield.

Give me three months, and I can build fifteen tanks for the army's training.

Upon hearing that Brad was only willing to build fifteen tanks for the army for training, before Carlo could even speak, Defense Minister Jordi couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Brad, could you build more tanks for the army for training?"

"The more of these behemoths, the better. I believe Mr. Brad, your purpose in developing this tank is not to equip the troops with a small number, but to equip them on a large scale so that they can play a more crucial role in important wars."

Assuming each tank has four crew members, fifteen tanks can only accommodate a total of sixty tank soldiers.

Sixty men is not even the size of a company in the army, and in the eyes of these high-ranking army generals, it is inevitably too few.

At least a hundred tanks need to be built for training purposes to ensure that the Spanish army has a sufficient number of skilled tank drivers to operate these tanks and play a more crucial role once the second-generation tanks are developed.

Upon hearing Minister Jyoti's question, Mr. Brad did not rush to answer, but instead looked at Carlo.

Jyoti also looked at Carlo, her expectation in her eyes speaking volumes.

Carlo found the greed of these high-ranking army generals somewhat amusing, yet understandable. Ultimately, they were still acting in the best interests of the Spanish army.

The more tanks an army has, the greater their role in future wars. If an army has thousands of tanks, their coordinated attacks alone can easily destroy enemy defensive positions.

However, the main purpose at present is to conduct tank-related training, so the relatively rudimentary first-generation tanks will not be deployed to the troops on a large scale.

Carlo didn't really intend to build too many tanks. After all, Spain was already far ahead in tank technology and had enough time to train tank soldiers, so there was no need to rush.

After a moment's thought, Carlo offered a compromise: "Ultimately, these first-generation tanks are only for training purposes, to help soldiers master tank-related tactics as much as possible, and to enable infantry and tanks to coordinate better."

If the army is worried about not having enough tanks, it can simply have soldiers take turns driving and operating them. An early tank only had a crew of four, but if they take turns operating it, it can provide training for eight or even twelve people.

In this way, we can train up to a hundred tank soldiers at a time, which is enough to effectively utilize the new tanks when they are deployed to the troops in the future.

When Carlo got to this point, the army's senior generals thought that Carlo disagreed with their proposal to request more tanks, and they all looked somewhat dejected.

Carlo was somewhat amused and exasperated. These high-ranking army generals had their naked greed written all over their faces when they were vying for military budgets and advanced weaponry.

However, Carlo did not oppose such behavior. After all, their idea was very simple: to equip their troops with more advanced weapons in order to improve their combat effectiveness.

"However, fifteen tanks are indeed too few. Tank soldiers need to practice tank operation and various tank tactics while also coordinating with infantry. Too few tanks will not achieve effective training results."

Here's what I'll do: I'll contact the relevant factories and try to build thirty tanks for the army within five months.

Thirty tanks are more than enough for training. Using the rotation training method I mentioned before, which involves tank driving and operation, at least three hundred tank soldiers can be trained.

Tank production won't be that fast, and these 300-plus tank soldiers are sufficient to meet the needs of the first batch of tanks. During the construction of the second batch of tanks, the army can train another batch of new tank soldiers, continuously meeting the manpower needs of the tank units.

Limiting the number of tank units trained also helps us maintain better secrecy. Before European countries are aware of any information about tanks, any news about them must be kept highly confidential.

"When the army forms tank units, it also needs to maintain a high degree of secrecy, setting up training grounds far from urban areas and residential areas to minimize public attention," Carlo instructed.

The need for secrecy was the biggest reason, enough to make these high-ranking army officials abandon the idea of ​​building more training tanks.

After all, if information about tanks were leaked, Spain's advantage in this area would disappear once other European countries acquired tanks.

Industrial powers like Britain and Germany, in particular, were able to build tanks much faster than Spain, thanks to their industrial foundation and steel production.

If news of the tanks leaked out, Spain would be shooting itself in the foot. The best approach was to secretly build and train its own tank force; only by keeping it hidden from other European countries could the tanks play a greater role on the battlefields of a future European war.

(End of this chapter)