Chapter 680 Individual Soldier Equipment
Franz's private soldiers, their training is mainly street fighting.
Franz is quite confident in the firepower of his army. After all, when there is a generational difference in firepower, there will be no suspense in frontal combat.
No army composed of flesh and blood can maintain its formation under the bombardment of rockets. Under the intensive explosion, they will run around like the natives or wait to die.
At the same time, lever-action rifles also provide more intensive firepower. Coupled with the widespread use of rifled guns, Franz's troops still have an absolute advantage even if they are lined up to kill. One person can produce the firepower of a squad of traditional troops.
However, the most terrifying thing in the civil war is the street fighting. No matter how elite your troops are, it is possible to achieve a situation that is infinitely close to one for one.
Compared with street fighting, massacre seems much simpler. But this is a civil war, and that kind of massacre-style advance is obviously inappropriate.
But if Franz was asked to trade his loyal elite soldiers with the rebels, he would not be able to accept it.
So in addition to street fighting artifacts such as grenades, early warning scopes and rapid rifles, Franz also developed a gadget that was not very timely.
Reinforced shield, the specification is slightly larger than the modern commonly used military shield (0.45 square meters), which is 0.5 square meters.
Traditional lead spherical projectiles have average armor-breaking capabilities and can penetrate 4mm thick steel plates. They are definitely a killer for classical knights. However, with the advancement of technology, it is no longer impossible to withstand the firing of such weapons.
According to research, a 6mm steel plate can 100% withstand the fire of this traditional rifle. It is not difficult to create such a shield with the current technology.
A 6mm, 0.5 square meter steel shield weighs about 25 kilograms, so carrying it by a single soldier is not a big problem.
An important reason why bulletproof shields have not been developed in history is the price of steel, because human life is obviously cheaper than shields.
However, the problem of high steel prices was not a problem in Austria at this time, with technological advancement (mentioned earlier) and wealth (Franz had more resources and more money).
However, considering the minie bombs that have appeared at this time, a 6mm thick steel plate is not enough, because in order to defend against the minie bombs, at least a 10mm thick ordinary steel plate is needed.
If a 10mm thick shield is made from ordinary steel plates, the weight will be as high as 40 kilograms. This is a challenge for an individual soldier, and the exaggerated weight will greatly affect the soldier's flexibility and reaction speed, thus losing its value.
Fortunately, the special steel industry in the Austrian Empire developed relatively early. Even using high manganese steel can obtain 2-3 times the strength of ordinary steel.
However, considering the weight and price issues, Franz used a composite steel that is about twice as strong as ordinary steel. The total combat weight of a shield made of this steel is 25 kilograms.
Although it is twice as heavy as a modern military shield, it is the best choice in this era. With this kind of shield, no matter whether it is a narrow alley or a fatal corner, the infantry does not need to use its full life.
Even in the face of emergencies, the shield can withstand a large number of bullets from the front.
However, hiding behind a shield is not completely safe. Due to the technical limitations of this period, it is inevitable that a bullet will ricochet after hitting the shield.
Coupled with the complex terrain in street fighting, whether you will die in the end depends on luck.
When a bullet hits a smooth hard object at a certain tilt angle, the bullet can easily bounce and hit other objects. This is called a ricochet.
Street fighting is the place where ricochet is most likely to occur, but relatively speaking, the probability of ricocheting in the opposite direction to the shield holder is higher, and even if it flies behind the shield holder, it will be less powerful.
As for the power of the ricochet, it is difficult to judge, because the angle, speed, and even the shape of the bullet may have changed after rebounding.
But one thing is certain, ricocheting bullets can also kill people, so you still need to wear a helmet and hang a bulletproof insert on your chest.
A ten-kilogram bulletproof steel plate can protect the front of one's torso. Although it will also cause ricochet, it is still a dead end for a fellow Taoist rather than a poor Taoist.
Therefore, the best way to avoid this embarrassing situation is to avoid street fighting and use your own advantages to eliminate enemies on the frontal battlefield.
The weight of an individual soldier during this period was usually around 25 kilograms. For example, the French Army was still looking for ways to reduce the weight of soldiers, and some radical generals even advocated throwing away luggage and food.
However, the average load of the army that Franz wants to organize is more than 35 kilograms, so the requirements for physical fitness are extremely high.
Although this requirement is not as good as that of modern armies, it far exceeds that of other armies of the same era.
It is normal for Franz's guards to be more demanding, and the supplies to compensate for them will be unmatched by other armies.
Although the mountain people were hardworking and hardworking, due to problems with training conditions and nutrition at that time, the number of qualified people was far smaller than Franz expected.
But out of consideration for a pure team and not wanting to add sand to it, he could only lower the standards and use scientific training and nutritional supplements in the hope of expanding the team of qualified candidates.
It is also an inspection period for previous passers, and it is not clear how many Franz will eventually pass. But one thing is for sure, these people will be different from any traditional army.
Of course, in order to maintain deep control over this team, "loyalty to the emperor and patriotism" education is naturally indispensable. In addition, the church will also send full-time pastors to provide constant supervision and guidance.
Franz also compiled a street fighting manual, which contained all the precautions he could think of about street fighting.
Although it seems a bit ahead of its time, I believe that after the brutal war, they will soon understand the importance of this booklet.
As for the problem that some officers reported that the lever-action rifle could not be fired while lying down, Franz felt that this was not a problem. As long as the gun body was turned sideways, the shooting action could be completed normally. For details, please refer to the use of box guns during World War II.
How can we go to Tirol without mountain hunters? However, Franz prepared more advanced weapons for them, rifled guns equipped with optical sights.
Although the scope at this time was still relatively primitive, in a sense it was a telescope with two crosses drawn on the lens, its improvement in the shooting accuracy of soldiers was obvious to all.
With the scope, these marksmen can increase their precise shooting distance to 400 meters.
Without a scope, even shooters who have trained for many years can usually only hit a target two hundred meters away. There are people who can hit a target three hundred meters away, but they are very rare because the technical conditions at the time were really limited.
In addition, Franz also plans to build a hot-air balloon team. After all, the importance of overall vision for a commander is self-evident.
The early warning mirror of this period was actually a mirror stuck to a stick. Although it looks very simple, it is extremely useful in street fighting.
In addition to the rockets used extensively by the Austrian Empire at this time, this army will also be equipped with a cheap artifact-grenade.
Although this thing has limited lethality, short range, and low accuracy, it is cheap, has a fast rate of fire (relative to this era), is light and flexible, and is very suitable for use as an individual weapon.