xymnovel Chapter 130 Sean Wayne, the Trendsetter in the Weapons Industry
Chapter 130 Sean Wayne, the Trendsetter in the Weapons Industry
Chapter 130 Sean Wayne, the Trendsetter in the Weapons Industry
"Hey Sean."
Standing in front of a six-wheeled armored vehicle, Henry Ford greeted Sean.
Sean walked towards the other person.
The armored vehicle in front of us was a six-wheeled infantry fighting vehicle, more than five meters long, with a 12.7 mm machine gun and a 37 mm main cannon on its roof.
"Is this a Greyhound infantry fighting vehicle?" This thing is also called a light cavalry vehicle.
It was an infantry vehicle developed by the United States in 1941, but they actually got it out a year ahead of schedule.
Hearing Sean's question, Henry nodded and pointed to the car behind him.
"This is an infantry vehicle designed and developed under the leadership of the Army Ordnance Bureau after you suggested that wheeled infantry vehicles are convenient, low-cost, and easy to maintain."
We at Ford are responsible for production, including this modified version next to it.
Sean knew that many weapons had appeared ahead of schedule because of him.
There are also a series of variants alongside this Greyhound infantry fighting vehicle equipped with a main gun.
This vehicle uses a sloped armor design, which is a very advanced concept. Although the armor is weak and offers almost no protection against German tanks, the addition of sandbags to block shrapnel damage enhances its survivability, making it quite good as an armored vehicle.
Vehicles and tanks are not necessarily better the thicker their armor, since they are mostly facing infantry.
The key is that its modular design enables it to be used for multiple purposes and is quick to produce, which is its versatility.
Coupled with its environmental adaptability and maneuverability, this vehicle shone brightly in the later stages of World War II.
One of the modified vehicles on the side had its turret removed and was equipped with a radio and command system, becoming a battlefield command vehicle. The other vehicle on the other side was equipped with a 105mm howitzer, the barrel of which could be detached and used as an infantry gun, becoming a fire support vehicle.
By adding a multiple rocket launcher, it can also become a self-propelled rocket launcher for long-range strike output.
"Excellent."
Sean proposed wheeled infantry fighting vehicles because of their superior adaptability; armored vehicles are not meant to fight tanks, but to provide support and coordination.
In particular, radios and command systems, as battlefield communication nodes, can greatly enhance communication capabilities.
"Thank you, I think so too."
Sean and Henry Ford chatted idly to one side.
A group of people were also talking not far behind them.
"We also have wheeled infantry fighting vehicles, and we've made a lot of improvements to them. My troops were issued some when we were in France, and they were quite good."
Rommel looked at the American greyhounds and was reminded of his time in France.
"Yes, infantry fighting vehicles are easy to produce and modify. I have also discovered its advantages through production data. However, our military industry always likes to make perfect designs while meeting the standards."
Many gun barrels and even armor materials are different, making it difficult to replace them even within the same product series.
Mr. Sean pointed out our shortcomings in this regard. For example, with the American M8, aside from the scale of production, it takes us about twice as long to produce an infantry fighting vehicle as the United States.
Modularization, standardization, and process unification will be the next tasks for the Imperial Production Efficiency Department.
Speer looked at Sean Wayne with admiration. As a minister in the field of economics, he was different from the generals around him; he pursued production scale and economic efficiency.
The German military industry is really obsessed with something.
Conversely, the American approach is more scalable.
Small and refined is not as good as large and simple. What the German army needed was a large-scale mechanized force, not an elite force plus a large number of infantry.
"Under Lord Sean's leadership, the Empire will surely be invincible."
Rommel was speaking from the heart. "I really wish Guderian and the others could come too, because they share my thoughts."
Even Model, the loyal marshal who had opposed the assassination of Little Beard in the later stages of German history, subconsciously nodded in agreement.
"Every action of His Excellency Sean is filled with astonishing wisdom."
"Communication is very important. Look at the United States, they have added radio command to infantry vehicles. Our troops are undergoing restructuring and have already distributed radios from the battalion level down to the company level, but our radios are too bulky."
This is very detrimental to establishing a communication network.
Rommel, as a front-line commander, naturally knew best.
"That's why I've invested resources in developing portable radios so they can be deployed down to the platoon level. The US is doing a better job than us in this regard; this time, we're buying a batch of miniaturized radios from the US for research. Currently, only the Air Force is ahead of the rest of the world in this regard."
Speer's words were affirmed by the majority.
When the air force was mentioned, everyone looked at Richthofen with disdain.
Hoffen smiled smugly, "Marshal Göring followed Lord Sean the fastest. Your jealousy is useless. Who told you to be so arrogant at the beginning?"
Sean was quite impressed with Ford's production capacity; they not only produced vehicles but also airplanes.
As they walked, they looked around. They skipped the Thai weapons, but focused on the Swedish military industry, which was small but sophisticated, with its snow weapons being particularly outstanding.
"Mr. Sean."
"Is this a Czech AH-IV light tank?"
"Yes, Mr. Sean."
This Swedish tank has a clear Czech lineage. In fact, many early tanks had Czech origins, and even the German Panzer I and II drew heavily from them.
The L60 tank next to it was a model for both the Soviet Union and Germany. Both of these tanks sold well in Romania and the Middle East, and Iraq and Iran used these two models.
"I have a question: will it fail to start in extremely cold weather?"
Ok?
The Swedish defense industry representative was stunned. He hadn't expected that Sean wouldn't ask about the tank's specifications, firepower, or price, but instead would ask a question that everyone had overlooked.
Even Henry Ford's eyes widened. "Isn't your focus a bit odd?"
"How can weapons be used without considering the combat environment?"
This statement is astonishing.
Even Eisenhower, who was glancing at Sean from time to time, remembered the weapon's operating environment: extreme cold conditions. Should the Army Ordnance Bureau consider this when developing the weapon?
Not only the U.S. War Department, but even the Germans were listening intently.
"Exactly, if we can't operate in cold regions, wouldn't mechanized units become useless scrap metal?"
Rommel's eyes gleamed. As an excellent commander, he couldn't think like Sean; he focused more on tactics.
"We adopted the method of preheating the diesel engine with the gasoline engine."
"This is a great design."
"Thank you." The representative from the Swedish defense industry was beaming with joy. Sean Wayne was a well-known weapons expert in the United States.
Eisenhower, who was standing nearby, immediately came over and said, "Our War Department will each buy ten."
Take it for research.
Speer also came up, "We'll each buy five."
The various delegations around were looking around curiously. What was going on?
Was the deal completed so quickly?
I'm not interested in Thailand or Saudi Arabia; I don't need their services.
Britain has no intention of getting involved with Sean's situation.
The North has its own design, but I'm too lazy to look at it.
The little notebook hesitated on the side. They were so stingy that they couldn't bear to spend money. If they went out and didn't rob any money, they would consider it a loss. How could they afford to bleed money?
Sean watched a group of people come over to discuss business, grabbed a drink, and suddenly noticed an empty exhibition area ahead.
"Whose is that?"
Henry Ford glanced at it, sipping his strawberry juice, and said, "It's Ansaldo, Italy."
"Didn't Italy not send anyone?"
"No officials came, so this is the only company that came."
Sean walked over. "Is this a DA90 anti-aircraft gun?"
"Yes." The president of Ansaldo looked at Sean with some embarrassment. This lifelong rival of Italy had made them a laughing stock in the world.
"This weapon is excellent, with outstanding performance, dense firepower, and multiple uses. It is a very good anti-aircraft gun, and its rate of fire is nearly twice that of the German 88mm gun. Although this is a theoretical value, whether it is anti-aircraft or anti-tank, its dense firepower will be everyone's nightmare."
Upon hearing this, the president was stunned. He thought Sean had come to ridicule him, after all, he and Italy were not on good terms.
"Thank you," the president said slowly.
"No, your weapons are excellent, let's stick to the facts."
"Our War Department will buy 100 guns. It would be even better if they were self-propelled or towed guns. Together with the Navy's, we'll have a total of 300 guns."
Three hundred doors?
These orders came in a gust of wind.
Ansaldo had little hope, given that the US is an ally of Britain, and Italy's embarrassing situation has earned it the contempt of other countries; no official representatives even came this time. But Italy has it tough.
Economic downturn and resource scarcity.
The Italian Supreme Command ordered 1000 guns, but only 100 have been delivered so far. These bastards haven't even paid enough. The president is extremely frustrated.
I came to the United States alone this time entirely by chance.
Unexpectedly, Sean's single sentence led to a huge order from the U.S. War Department.
"Three hundred doors?"
"We can pay half of the deposit in advance."
Oh My God.
"But we need to be quick." Eisenhower wasn't sure how the war between Italy and Britain would turn out.
"No problem." As long as the money is right, anything is negotiable.
"We in Germany are pre-ordering 300 guns, the same as the US War Department's requirement. However, we don't need the naval version; we need self-propelled and towed guns!"
"Okay, okay."
The president watched as Speer nodded repeatedly, knowing that the German Ministry for Economic Affairs and Productivity would certainly not renege on its promise.
That's fucking awesome, kudos to Sean.
What's going on?
Those around him were shocked again. What did Sean have his eye on that Germany and the United States were scrambling to buy?
Are Germany stupid?
They're definitely not stupid.
What about the United States?
That's obvious. These bastards are doing business with both sides of a war, do you think they're stupid?
The Saudi prince also walked over curiously, saying, "We want a hundred doors too."
Members of the Thai royal family also stepped forward with interest, saying, "Fifty doors."
Neighboring Romania and Croatia, a newly formed small country, were not to be outdone, with "fifty doors."
The president of Ansaldo almost cried tears of joy. My God, is this a turnaround for him?
Sean Wayne is the savior.
The Italian cannon was well received.
Rong Yilang was incredibly envious. Sean and he had completely different fates. He wished he could have the same fate, then those companies would be showering him with money.
A single sentence can boost sales; that's the power of a true expert.
Unfortunately, Eiichiro couldn't have what he had. Sean Wayne was the father of the American assault rifle, the inventor of the rail, the pioneer of the flashbang, and had a whole host of other weapon titles.
The northern delegation was more focused on tanks, having suffered losses in Iran, and they wanted better mechanized forces.
Unfortunately, they chose the wrong direction. The Russian tanks were not bad, even surpassing the Panzer III and Panzer IV. They just lacked communication methods and had a chaotic command system. No matter how good the weapons were, fighting alone was useless.
Britain was more interested in American aircraft.
Among them is Lockheed's two-winged demon.
"Was this developed by Sean Wayne Corporation?" Montgomery asked softly.
"Yes."
"We won't look." The pride of the British meant they had no intention of bowing down to Sean Wayne.
"Mr. Sean, thank you, thank you so much," the president of Ansaldo said repeatedly.
"It's nothing, your weapons deserve that kind of praise."
Just as Sean finished speaking, a loud shout came from a deserted booth in the far corner.
"Mr. Sean, it's great to finally meet you."
Hearing someone call his name, Sean went over.
This booth was very ordinary, with only two items: a backpack-style telegraph machine.
The other one, well, it looks like a giant telephone.
The walkie-talkie looks similar to the early mobile phones from the 1990s.
This was absolutely unparalleled during World War II.
"Calvin Company?"
The company president excitedly shook Sean's hand, "Yes, sir, without you, we wouldn't know how to continue operating. Thank you so much."
The War Department provided us with research and development funding.
Do you need investment?
Sean's words excited the other person. "Of course."
"I have some money recently, so I'll invest three million US dollars in you to expand production capacity."
"That's fantastic, I can sell a portion of my shares."
The president was extremely excited. Sean was the darling of the War Department and a future White House advisor. He was about to take off.
Henry Ford immediately chimed in, "Ford Motors can also invest, two million dollars."
"Oh." The president was dumbfounded.
"What? You don't like it?" Ford joked. "Isn't my money prettier than Sean's?"
"No, thank you very much."
"Then it's settled." Ford was certain that what Sean had his eye on was something special.
Walkie-talkies were very useful during World War II. Although the communication range was only a little over a kilometer, they were lightweight and could be distributed to class units to form a large communication network, making up for the shortcomings of telegraph machines.
Moreover, phone calls allow for more precise message delivery.
This is the principle of "detect and destroy," which is impossible without a walkie-talkie.
Individual communication is the future; walkie-talkies will completely transform World War II into an information-based battlefield.
Although it has many drawbacks, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.
Eisenhower was not surprised to see Sean invest in Calvin.
"The War Department will place additional orders." This was originally a necessity for military restructuring.
"That's great!" The people from Calvin Company almost jumped up.
They were just a small, unknown company, but now they see a bright future ahead.
Good heavens, what is that?
The German delegation was thrilled upon seeing the communication device.
This was exactly what they had been dreaming of; with it, the German army would become much more efficient.
Speer immediately stepped forward. "2 units, you need to deliver them as soon as possible."
My God, Calvin's men were speechless with astonishment.
Did Sean invest in the company?
I don't think it's true; the dislike for Sean Wayne in Britain and France is genuine.
The Germans are just sucking up to him, and Sean, this hero, is just making money.
The Saudi lords and Thai monks weren't interested; they wanted cannons and airplanes.
Their soldiers don't know how to do this either; there are too many illiterate people.
Sweden, Romania, and Croatia immediately followed suit and bought some.
The Indian man scoffed, "We can develop our own. It's not even a weapon, so why is it so expensive? A rifle costs $28, but this walkie-talkie costs $360. Why don't they just rob us?"
Indians are envious of the wealth and power of Germany and the United States.
Sean hit the jackpot.
Japan wants to buy it, but it's fucking too expensive.
The North completely ignored it; it's genuinely expensive, and their radio technology is lacking, making even counterfeiting difficult.
Looking at the reactions of the audience, Sean sighed. The British and Russians still hadn't listened to what he had to say.
Then they deserve to be beaten.
Once this thing is miniaturized, it can be used not only by the army, but also by the navy and air force. With local communication enabled and large equipment assisting, and telegrams relayed in unison, you can imagine how terrifying it would be.
The era of air-ground integration 2.0 has arrived.