It's better to conquer them than to command the steel torrent

Chapter 104｜Hold on firmly and there will be a way

In fact, many ideas for weapons and equipment in later generations have the feasibility of being realized early.

For Shangke, realization is not so unattainable. The unavoidable problem is how to convince people and promote it widely.

He realized early on that it would not be easy to convince the conservatives in the military, as senior generals were naturally hostile to many new things.

For example, how difficult could it be technically to make an automatic rifle firing intermediate-power bullets?
Small-sized cartridge case, 1800-2000 joules of muzzle energy, mature piston-gas-operated automatic principle... these are not a problem for the Grand Unified Federation. The MP43/Stg44 that has been mass-produced and deployed in history can also prove its feasibility.

However, more than one person stubbornly believes that an automatic rifle with an effective range of only 400 meters is useless and is inferior to a traditional bolt-action rifle. The reasons are often the same - when holding such an automatic rifle and being suppressed and fired at by a bolt-action rifle 600 meters away but unable to fight back, they will just be obedient.

This seems to make sense at first glance, but it doesn't stand up to scrutiny.

Was he fighting alone? Was the infantry squad's light machine gun just for show? Was the infantry company's mortar just watching the action? Couldn't they close the distance by using smoke grenades to provide alternating cover?

Total war is about systems, not guerrillas.

Of course, the stubborn conservatives can't find a better reason than to repeat the scriptures over and over again. In the end, when they can't refute it and their defense is broken, they will use their seniority to suppress others.

Shang Ke didn't like to make things difficult for himself, so after his first setback, he started looking for another way.

From this perspective, the Ivan Ross airborne troops that raided Vitesse Airport actually helped Shang Ke a lot.

Now, having successfully acquired real-world experience, he firmly believes that even without relying on his father, he can still gain enough say on his own.

"Pride and prejudice are the biggest obstacles," he lamented.

After finishing the battle report, Shang Ke read it over and adjusted some words to ensure smooth writing.

This time no one had the time to make coffee for him, so he had to make a pot of coffee himself and prepare an extra cup.

It seems that Anna likes sweets? He thought so and added two more sugar cubes.

Anna, who was so busy with paperwork, had no idea how many documents she had copied. After working for more than ten hours, she felt a little dazed.

At this moment, a cup of warm coffee was suddenly placed in front of her.

"Hmm?" She looked sideways and saw a man named Shang in a dirty military uniform standing next to her, drinking from a cup.

Shang Ke drank the bitter coffee as if it were water, finishing it in one gulp.

"Ah? Mr. Consultant?" Anna forced a smile and said in a hoarse voice, "Thank you."

Shang Ke nodded, smiled, and then encouraged: "Stay at your post, Captain Anna."

"Are you still going to the front?" Anna asked.

"of course."

"Be careful, Mr. Counselor."

Awkwardly, the Kovacs Barracks, home to the Grand Command Federation's military and technical advisory group, was not far from Vitesse Airport and practically next to the battle zone. Therefore, the battle report couldn't be submitted directly. Shang Ke deposited the report with the General Staff and headed straight for the front.

After leaving, abnormal situations occurred.

Shang Ke found that although he was approaching the war zone, the sound of gunfire was much sparser than in the morning, and the originally continuous exchange of fire became intermittent.

"What happened? The fighting seems to be about to stop?" He asked as soon as he arrived at the temporary command post of the Royal Guard.

Eugene showed the artillery scope and said excitedly, "Sir, as you can see, the 24th Infantry Regiment is taking over the position south of the airport, and the main force of the 8th Infantry Division will arrive this afternoon."

The 8th Infantry Division was one of the strategic reserve forces. It was originally more than 24 kilometers away. After receiving the order, it rushed to reinforce overnight. The vanguard th Infantry Regiment rushed to join the battle as soon as it got off the train.

Shang Ke made a rough estimate and found that there were about five battalions of Ivan Ross Airborne Forces in the encirclement. Excluding several companies that had been annihilated, there were still four battalions that had suffered heavy losses. The total number of people was definitely less than two thousand.

With the arrival of the Hungarian Royal Army's field troops to join the battle, the destruction of Ivan Rus's airborne troops was imminent.

In fact, in terms of the operation planning itself, although the General Staff of the Ivan Rus Empire was very radical, it still had a great chance of winning - the Budapest defense was weak, and the combat effectiveness of the Ivan Rus airborne troops was indeed strong.

Shang Ke, who was in a trance, thought about it and found that the biggest variable was himself?
He couldn't help but think of the so-called oracle. If the flapping of a butterfly's wings could cause a tornado, then his actions in this life might be enough to trigger a hurricane.

"Look! Our plane is coming!" someone cheered.

More than 30 fighter planes and bombers were seen flying from the southwest, dropping aerial bombs like raindrops. In an instant, the sky in the encirclement was covered with smoke and dust.

Throughout the afternoon, the Royal Hungarian Air Force organized four consecutive air raids, dispatching hundreds of aircraft to bomb Vitesse Airport.

Lieutenant Colonel Antonov was on pins and needles, and kept asking about the progress of the front-line troops - what about the promise to smash the Tisza River defense line and reach the gates of Budapest within three days?
However, he only received Tukhachevsky's vague reply: Hold on firmly, there will be a turning point, we are on the way.

At 17:24 p.m. in the evening, the well-prepared Hungarian th Infantry Regiment launched its first exploratory attack.

The ammunition of the 4th Airborne Infantry Regiment of the Russian Empire had been exhausted yesterday. Fortunately, a transport plane formation sent by the Air Force flew over the airport regardless of interception and delivered a small batch of 7.62mm machine gun bullets and 82mm mortar shells, otherwise they would have really run out of ammunition and food.

The setting sun is blood-red and the sound of cannons rumbles.

The Hungarian soldiers launched an attack under the cover of infantry guns and mortar fire!
Noticing that the enemy's firepower was quite sparse, the Hungarian commander decisively transformed the tentative attack into a strong attack.

He said, "I thought of an Eastern idiom: 'A spent force is the last gasp of a powerful bow.' No need to wait for the main force of the division. Let's destroy them now, immediately!"

The Hungarian troops quickly deployed a battalion of reserves and continued to exert frontal pressure on the enemy.

Not long after, a tank unit composed of cadets from the Danubecasei Armored Forces Academy also joined the battle.

The Ivan Rus Airborne Forces had lost so many men in a series of failed offensive attempts that they were now in a precarious position.

Mr. Shang calmly recorded the course of the battle in declarative sentences and wrote an essay about his own opinions - failures similar to Operation Market Garden must be prevented!
"...Due to current technological limitations, airdropping heavy weapons is difficult. Using large-scale paratrooper units is unwise and should be avoided. In my opinion, only small-scale raids involving elite paratrooper units are appropriate."

Late at night, a messenger came running to inform him: "Sir, your advisory group has issued new instructions, requiring you to go to Miskolc immediately."

Miskolc? Isn't that the deep fortified area in the northern section of the Tisza Line?
(End of this chapter)