I am an industrial worker during the War of Resistance

Chapter 83 Schneider's Super Transformation
Throughout World War II, if there was one that was the most versatile mountain gun, it would undoubtedly be the French Schneider M1923 75mm mountain gun.

Its caliber is 75 millimeters.

Barrel length: 1395 mm (approximately 18.6 times the diameter).

Total weight: 657 kg.

Total weight of the row: 677 kg.

High and low radiation range: low axis -10° to +22°.

High axis 0°～+40°.

Radiation range: 5° to the left and right.

Projectile weight: Approximately 6.33 kg.

The shrapnel weighs approximately 6.525 kilograms.

Initial velocity: Approximately 440 meters per second.

Maximum range: approximately 9500–9600 meters (40° elevation angle) for grenades.

According to normal circumstances and the thinking of a normal person.

Such a hill gun is absolutely excellent.

It is lightweight, has a long range, and is powerful.

It can be disassembled into ten major components, and the weight of each component, except for the barrel, is controlled to be less than sixty kilograms.

When transported by mules and horses, they could move quickly through mountainous and hilly areas.

It was the longest-range mountain gun during World War II.

Although the Japanese Type 94 mountain gun was more than 100 kilograms lighter than his, it had a range of more than 1,200 meters.

While the Swedish Bofors M1930 and the German Geb G36 had ranges similar to the Schneider M1923.

However, they weighed 128 kg and 58 kg more than Schneider, respectively.

This gives Schneider a significant advantage in mountain transportation.

Even so, Chen Changzai still believed that this Schneider mountain gun had a great deal of room for improvement.

In Chen Changzai's view, Schneider Electric's most commendable feature is its "adjustable, air-hydraulic retraction and reset device".

The working principle of this resetter is as follows.

When a shell is fired, the barrel recoils and moves backward, causing the recoil piston to move backward.

The hydraulic oil behind the piston is compressed into the accumulator cylinder below.

The piston inside the pressure accumulator cylinder moves forward due to the pressure from behind.

However, there is a closed space with air in front of the piston.

As the piston moves forward, the air is compressed.

The recoil of the artillery is counteracted by the transmission of hydraulic oil and the compression of air.

When the firing process of the cannon barrel is complete.

The compressed air begins to expand, which, through the transmission of hydraulic oil, returns the gun barrel to its original position.

This process is repeated to complete one firing cycle of the artillery.

Furthermore, at the very front of the upper recoil piston cylinder driven by the gun barrel, there is an adjustable air intake.

By adjusting the air intake of the retracting piston, different negative air pressures are created, thereby adjusting the retracting stroke and pressure of the cannon barrel.

This design can be described as very ingenious.

Another point is that its shell design is very distinctive.

Compared to the shells of other 75mm mountain guns of the same period.

Its projectile body is relatively slender.

The aspect ratio is around 4.5.

Moreover, its head has a moderately high arch.

It ensures certain aerodynamic performance while facilitating the installation of trigger or delay fuses.

Unlike some high-explosive shells with their sharp, cap-shaped noses, it is also not as blunt as early shrapnel shells.

It is a design that balances range and lethality.

These two points are why Chen Changzai initially intended to use the Schneider M1923 as the basic reference for his newly developed artillery.

However, Chen Changzai believed that with further upgrades, this cannon would become even better.

Now, Chen Changzai has developed a certain level of industrial capacity.

However, compared to the Japanese, its industrial scale is so small as to be negligible.

If the Japanese industrial scale is that of a super-large enterprise.

So, Chen Chang's place here is at most a small workshop.

Although Chen Changzai is also working hard to improve the industrial capacity and scale here.

However, industrial accumulation takes time.

Talent development takes time.

Mining ore and smelting steel takes time.

Turning steel into various equipment, tools, and weapons takes even more time.

It's easy to produce a gun.

However, to produce 10,000 guns, it would require a continuous accumulation of industrial resources and equipment.

This difference in industrial scale cannot be bridged in a short period of time.

Fortunately, Chen Changzai now believes that he is still able to surpass the Japanese in terms of technological innovation.

At least, Chen Changzai still had some ideas, methods, and means when it came to basic weapons.

He had to develop something that could adapt to various battlefield conditions within his existing framework.

In local battlefields, a 75mm caliber mountain gun can serve as a tactical pivot.

It must have the flexibility of a mountain gun, as well as the range and power of a field gun.

Because Chen Chang is currently in power, there isn't enough material and production capacity for him to waste.

Therefore, achieving multi-functionality with a single shot is the result he desires most right now.

It's like the wooden model of a cannon that's now in the artillery research and development workshop of a machinery factory.

May 5, 1937.

In this very workshop, Chen Changzai once again gathered the technical personnel and related staff involved in the artillery.

For example, there were more than a dozen masters such as Master Liu from the machinery factory, Master Zhang from the smelting and casting factory, and Master Wu from the precision parts factory, as well as Chen Changzai, who was the technical leader among his students.

There was also Director Zhao from the headquarters' ordnance factory, and Director Liu from the headquarters' ammunition factory.

They also specially invited two leaders from the headquarters' ordnance department, as well as two veteran gunners who had served as test gunners for the "Type 1 Infantry Gun".

Inside the workshop.

When everyone saw this wooden model cannon, which hadn't even been painted and was still in its natural wood color...

Everyone thought the cannon's design was exquisite.

But it was not any of the artillery pieces that the people present had ever seen before.

Chen Changzai didn't keep everyone in suspense.

Instead, he said directly: "Distinguished leaders, mentors, factory director and comrades."

I've gathered everyone here today for only one purpose.

That is to conduct a technical analysis and positioning of the new artillery I designed from everyone's perspective.

Let me first introduce the basic theoretical performance of this artillery.

After listening, everyone can offer their opinions and views.

This artillery piece is based on data I obtained from all 75mm caliber mountain guns and field guns in the world today.

After comprehensive analysis.

I designed a new type of artillery, which I call the "mountain and field gun".

It combines the portability of a mountain gun with the ability to be disassembled and transported by mules and horses.

It also has a range similar to that of field artillery support fire.

Its caliber is 75 millimeters.

The gun barrel is 21 times the caliber and 1575 mm long.

The entire length of the cannon when deployed is 3.5 meters (after the legs are extended).

The total weight of the train is 665 kilograms.

It can be disassembled into eight parts for transport by mules and horses. The heaviest individual component, the cannon barrel, weighs 165 kilograms.

This gun uses optimized long-caliber fixed-load shells. The length-to-diameter ratio is based on the 4.8 length-to-diameter ratio shell of the French Schneider M1923 gun.

Based on this, I increased the propellant chamber by 15%.

Including the warhead charge, the total charge is 1.1 kg.

The entire bomb weighs approximately 6.9 kilograms.

To ensure the stability of the projectile during long-distance, high-speed flight, I further optimized the projectile body.

Under such adjustments

When paired with a 21-caliber gun barrel, this projectile can achieve a muzzle velocity of 522 kilotons per second.

The theoretical maximum range is 10800 meters.

Effective range of 10,000 meters.

At a range of 10,000 meters, the circular error probability is less than or equal to 15 meters.

The 0.65 kg explosive charge in the projectile's warhead and the internal pre-formed fragmentation groove design allow it to produce 300-350 fragments.

Faced with its shockwave and fragmentation.

Its absolute lethal radius is 8-10 meters.

The effective kill radius is 18-22 meters.

In order to reduce the weight of this cannon.

Its gun carriage and open double-legged design.

I adopted the design we used on the Type 1 infantry gun: square steel pipes, built-in V-shaped corrugated reinforcing plates, and weight-reducing holes drilled in the pipe walls.

For their materials, I chose medium carbon steel-based high molybdenum alloy steel.

This alloy steel can fully meet the impact requirements of the gun mount and the outriggers.

I referenced the design concept of the recoil recovery mechanism of the Schneider M1923 75mm mountain gun.

The cylinder of its hydraulic air retraction and reset machine was slightly lengthened.

Furthermore, a reset assist spring was added to its air compression chamber.

This increases the recoil reduction mechanism's ability to absorb recoil force from the artillery.

It can also solve the problem of reduced compression ratio of the same volume of air under low temperature conditions.

With the buffer provided by this hydraulic air spring recoil reset mechanism, the peak recoil force of this artillery can be controlled at around 1.62-1.65 tons (the value for infantry guns was incorrect and has been corrected; that value is 0.2-0.3 tons).

Our gun carriage and legs, designed with square steel pipes, reinforced plates, and weight-reducing holes, can fully meet the requirements for supporting the recoil of this artillery piece.

In order to further reduce the weight of this cannon.

The cannon uses a three-chambered wheel with an aluminum-magnesium alloy rim and a hollow pneumatic tire.

Its tire interior is divided into three independent chambers by a rubber support plate with a certain support capacity.

Each chamber contains an inflatable inner tube.

In this way, even if a tire is punctured by a bullet or shrapnel, even if one of its chambers is pierced.

The gun's speed can also be ensured by relying on the rubber support plate and the support of the other two chambers.

Apart from the rim of the cannon wheel, the other parts of this cannon...

For example, elevation adjustment levers, and mounts for mechanical and optical sights.

For all other non-load-bearing parts, I will use aluminum-magnesium alloy.

Only under such circumstances can this cannon possess the lightweight characteristics of a mountain gun.

It also has the long range of a field gun.

Only in this way can the maximum power of its shells be maximized.

The barrel of this cannon is made of medium carbon steel-based nickel-molybdenum-chromium alloy steel.

Its performance is fully capable of meeting the increased intra-chamber pressure required for increased propellant dosage.

The breechblock with its locking mechanism has no problem with this pressure.

Although this type of breechblock has a relatively lower rate of fire compared to the wedge breechblock, it still achieves this.

However, a firing rate of six to eight rounds per minute is still sufficient to meet the requirements of this artillery for providing fire support on the battlefield.

Alright, these are the basic performance data for the new type of mountain gun I designed.

If you have any questions about the data or technical challenges of this artillery piece, please feel free to raise them.

Let's discuss it together.

After listening to Chen Changzai's introduction of the basic performance of the 75mm artillery...

Everyone present looked at each other quietly, and no one said a word.

They listened as Chen Changzai explained that this new cannon drew heavily on the design concepts of the Schneider M1923 75mm mountain gun.

Some of them had seen this kind of French cannon before.

In particular, the two veteran gunners who came to the meeting had personally fired this classic mountain gun in the Guangdong Army.

However, after hearing Chen Changzai finish introducing the data of this new cannon...

The mouths of these two veteran gunners were agape, practically unable to close.

The classic French cannon had a maximum range of only 9500 meters, but this new cannon's range has been increased to 10,800 meters.

That's a difference of over 1,300 meters.

With such a large range difference, if this new cannon were to face that French Schneider...

Schneider would be blasted to pieces by that cannon.

This gun's range is comparable even to that of a typical 105mm field howitzer.

But this is a 75mm caliber mountain gun.

If we could move this mountain gun to a high place in the mountains, we wouldn't need many mountains, just one with a height difference of 300 meters.

That would increase the range to twelve kilometers.

In a place like this, let's not even talk about hitting others.

Anyway, we can shoot the Japanese 105mm field howitzers, which can't go up the mountain, and make them cry out their shit.

As for taking down the Japanese 105mm mountain guns that could go up the mountain, that would be no problem at all.

The Japanese 105mm mountain guns had a range of less than eight kilometers. Even if they worked themselves to death, they still couldn't reach this new gun.

The workshop remained quiet for half a day.

One of the two old gunmen suddenly shouted, "Great! This is the kind of mountain gun we've been looking for!"

If we had this cannon, I guarantee we'd crush those Japanese devils!

This old artilleryman from Zhang Fakui's Fourth Army of the Guangdong Army shouted loudly.

What he meant was: "Great, this is the kind of mountain gun we need."

If we had that mountain gun, I guarantee we'd crush the Japanese devils!

But Chen Changzai has been here for so long, and has met this old gunner quite a few times.

But I still couldn't fully understand his fluent Cantonese.

However, Chen Changzai felt that this old gunner, Brother Zhao, who was not young, probably liked this cannon.

Looking at Chen Changzai's puzzled expression.

The leader of the headquarters' ordnance department smiled and translated Old Zhao's meaning for him.

Chen Changzai smiled after listening to the leader's translation.

The reason he put so much effort into this cannon is...

The purpose was precisely to use this mountain gun to suppress the Japanese 105mm field howitzers.

Even if we can't completely dominate, a draw would be good enough.

We can't possibly be overwhelmed by the Japanese field howitzers on the battlefield.

Then his design of this mountain gun would be completely meaningless.

He doesn't have such lenient conditions now, allowing him to design a cannon based on every type of terrain or battlefield.

That would magnify the weakness of his small industrial scale.

The Japanese will also fully leverage their advantage of having a massive industrial base.

Therefore, Chen Changzai combined the needs of the battlefield and created this mountain gun.

Although the cost of this mountain gun is relatively high due to the extensive use of aluminum-magnesium alloy.

However, we should try our best to compensate for the weakness of our small industrial scale.

It has two aspects: strong battlefield adaptability.

Overall, this price is worth paying.

(End of this chapter)