Kabriel's final point caught Kuinman somewhat by surprise. After all, East Africa's artillery had not been considered backward before the war, and its numbers had been sufficient for use. At least by prewar standards, East African artillery was no inferior to that of any major European or American power.
But on second thought, it made some sense. Kuinman said, "Now that the military and heavy industries of every European country are firing on all cylinders, artillery warfare has indeed developed rapidly."
Kabriel continued, "That's right. Before the war, many of the artillery pieces commonly equipped by various countries could no longer meet battlefield demands. More and more large-caliber guns exceeding two hundred millimeters have begun appearing on the battlefield, and even railguns exceeding three or four hundred millimeters have entered the fight. Artillery's role in the war is obvious."
Railguns could also be called railway guns. As early as the end of 1914, the French army had hastily designed the first batch of railway guns, made from outdated coastal-defense guns and naval guns mounted on existing commercial railway wagons. Britain, as an ally, soon followed suit, while the German Army more often converted existing long-range guns mounted in fixed emplacements into railway guns that fired directly from the tracks.
"So the role of heavy artillery cannot be ignored. Of course, we in East Africa certainly do not have the conditions to imitate the European countries, but we should still make some preparations," Kabriel said.
The East African Army's funding was limited in the end. With great efforts being poured into developing new-style forces such as armored units and air units, it naturally lacked the strength to devote to researching traditional military weapons.
But Kabriel also knew that one could not have one's cake and eat it too. Military development inevitably