Hindenburg and Ludendorff were stunned. They may have never thought that the firepower of a Infantry Division could be so powerful. In their opinion, this kind of firepower is too powerful.
"Your Highness, do we really want to do this? If the reorganization is carried out according to your plan, the firepower of each Infantry Division will be greatly improved. It is estimated that other countries in the world are far from being able to compare with us." Hindenburg said.
Previously, a Infantry Division owned by the German Army had 54 77mm Field Gun and 18 105mm Light Howitzer. Such firepower was already very powerful in the entire Europe, only slightly inferior to the 54 83.8 mm field guns and 18 114mm Howitzer owned by Britain. French and Infantry Division only have 36 75mm Field Gun doors. Although, the rate of fire of Miss 75 is very terrifying. But the disadvantage in caliber is irreparable. As for Russians, although each Infantry Division has 48 76.2 mm field guns. But neither the rate of fire nor the quantity has any advantage.
And now, if reorganized according to the military system of Oscar, Infantry Division of the German Army has an overwhelming advantage in firepower. Generally speaking, 155mm Heavy Howitzer will not appear in the sequence of Infantry Division. Now, Oscar requires German military's Infantry Division to also be equipped with 18 artillery pieces of this caliber. This undoubtedly makes German military's Infantry Division have more powerful firepower.
"To further improve the combat effectiveness of our army, the most direct way is to strengthen the firepower of the army. Artillery firepower is undoubtedly a vital part of the army's firepower. Having powerful artillery allows us to have powerful long-range strike capabilities. In this way, our troops will have a greater advantage in combat." Oscar said.
"But Your Highness, equipped with so many artillery, may greatly increase military expenditures." Ludendorff reminded.
Compared with the previous Infantry Division, the current Infantry Division has 18 more doors of 105mm Light Howitzer and 18 more doors of 155mm Heavy Howitzer. 8th Army Corps There are ten Infantry Division in total, which means 180 more 105mm Light Howitzer and 180 more 155mm Heavy Howitzer. This is a big expense! Especially now that their relationship with Moltke the Younger is so tense, it is almost impossible to get General Staff Headquarters to agree to increase military spending.
"Don't worry, this little military expenditure is nothing. I paid for it myself. I know that Moltke the Younger will definitely not increase our military expenditures for us, so I am too lazy to go to him. Such a small amount of money is nothing to me." Oscar said nonchalantly.
Hindenburg and Ludendorff nodded. Indeed, for the extremely wealthy Oscar, the cost of hundreds of cannons was nothing at all. Even if the cost of subsequent training is included, it is still nothing.
"Your Highness, after adding so many artillery pieces, our Infantry Division's firepower can truly be the best in the world!" Hindenburg sighed.
"Of course, this is exactly my goal. The life of every German Empire* soldier is precious. Problems that can be solved with artillery shells must not be left to soldiers to fight to the death. If one artillery shell is not enough, use ten or even a hundred. In comparison, saving the life of one more soldier is the most important." Oscar said.
Later generations of America have always claimed to fight a war with zero casualties. Even though, America was not successful even once. However, this concept is worth learning. Oscar also knows that even if the firepower of the troops is strengthened, there will inevitably be many casualties in the war. But being able to save one more soldier's life is a big deal, and in the end it's very impressive. Oscar doesn't want half of the young men in Germany to die in a fight with World War. In that case, even if the war is won, what will happen? With so many people dead, the country's development will inevitably be greatly affected.
Therefore, Oscar hopes to kill as few people as possible in the war.
Oscar's concept made Hindenburg and Ludendorff agree very much. Although, they are all people who are used to seeing mountains of corpses and seas of blood. But Oscar can consider the lives of ordinary soldiers and invest huge sums of money, which is undoubtedly worthy of admiration.
"In addition to the enhanced artillery firepower, the machine gun firepower of the newly reorganized infantry division has also been greatly enhanced. Each infantry battalion has 15 heavy machine guns (6 12.7mm heavy machine guns, 9 7.62mm heavy machine guns) and 33 light machine guns. There are also 18 60mm light mortars and 6 81mm medium mortars. The firepower of the front-line troops has also been greatly improved." Ludendorff said.
Oscar nodded. "With the development of technology, the past fighting method of lining up with guns is no longer applicable. The emergence of machine guns has made that fighting method no different from seeking death. I think the next war will most likely evolve into trench warfare. Both sides will dig hundreds of kilometers on the battlefield."
Hindenburg and Ludendorff quite agree that future wars will most likely evolve into trench warfare. As technology continues to advance, combat methods will inevitably change.
In addition, there is another extremely significant change, that is, the firepower of each infantry squad has been strengthened. In the Oscar plan, not only each infantry squad will be equipped with a light machine gun, a Sniper Rifle and a Grenade Launcher. The rifle used by infantry will also change from Mauser 1898 rifle to M1 semi-automatic rifle. Although, compared with Mauser 1898 rifle, M1 semi-automatic rifle has some disadvantages in long-distance accuracy. However, the rate of fire is faster and the firepower is more powerful. After the equipment change, the firepower of each infantry squad will be greatly enhanced. It can be said that in the future, there will be no problem for an infantry squad to resist two or three enemy squads. With powerful firepower, you can truly achieve the goal of defeating more with less.
Oscar believes that in war, the most critical factor is not weapons, but people. However, equipping elite soldiers with the most sophisticated weapons will undoubtedly further enhance the combat effectiveness of the troops.