Chapter 496: BAR Automatic Rifle
From the perspective of "milking the situation," Charles hesitated when it came to authorizing directional mines and landmines.
"It may seem trivial, but it concerns the survival of France, Your Majesty," Charles said, looking at King Albert I with sincere apology on his face. "As you know, we managed to hold off the German offensive at Verdun precisely because of these landmines. If their secret gets leaked and the Germans discover this weakness, which could threaten the safety of Verdun, the consequences would be unimaginable!"
"I understand, Brigadier!" King Albert I quickly responded. "But we are enemies of the Germans, and we will strictly adhere to their confidentiality regulations. We do not want the Germans to discover the weaknesses of the landmines either."
Charles shook his head faintly, troubled. "I may not be able to help you, or at least not right now."
He said that, but in his mind, he was thinking: The Germans could always dig up a few and take them back to study—they don't really have any secrets. The greatest secret of the landmine is simply where it's buried.
King Albert I, who didn’t quite understand, grew anxious. "But we urgently need it! The landmine can slow down the German advance, and the directional mine can inflict massive casualties on the enemy. This is extremely useful for guerrilla forces."
He then added, "If the guerrillas can win, it will also reduce casualties and ease the pressure on the French army, Brigadier."
Charles now understood—King Albert I needed these not only for a "fortified defense system," but also for the guerrilla forces or rather the inadequately trained Belgian army.
It was a good idea. Landmines do not require high-quality troops; even a civilian with no training could carry out landmine warfare after just an hour of instruction.
However, Charles remained silent. The more you need, the more leverage I have.
Boyata made an enticing offer: "We are willing to give you more profit, Brigadier. For example, you could earn 60% of the profits."
Landmines are items with "low profit but high sales." Even though the profits were meager, the high demand would generate considerable revenue.
But Charles remained unmoved. "Sorry, sometimes equipment cannot be measured in money and profit."
Boyata helplessly glanced at King Albert I. He had done his best, but further concessions would mean no profit at all.
King Albert I showed a hint of disappointment in his eyes.
At this moment, Major Browning took a small step forward and said, "What if we have equipment to exchange with you, Brigadier?"
"Exchange?" Charles turned his gaze toward Major Browning, a look of confusion on his face.
Internally, he was pleased. This guy has finally taken the bait.
"Yes," Browning nodded.
Charles sneered slightly, "What do you have that is worth exchanging with us?"
It was a provocation—Charles hoped that Browning would bring out his trump card.
"I have recently been researching a rifle," Major Browning said, pulling out a gray notebook from his pocket. He quickly flipped through it and handed a page to Charles. "This is a rifle, but it can fire continuously like a machine gun!"
It turned out to be the BAR, and Charles immediately understood after looking at the sketch.
Charles studied the sketch briefly and asked knowingly, "It looks more like a light machine gun, Mr. Browning."
"Yes, you have every reason to think so," Browning explained. "But its function is that of a rifle. I plan to use a thinner barrel, eliminate the bipod, and simplify the design. The weight should be around 15 pounds."
"This makes it fundamentally different from a machine gun."
"We all know that machine guns must be operated by two or more people, but this is a weapon for a single infantryman!"
(Note: The BAR weighs 14.5 pounds without a magazine, while a belt-fed machine gun weighs 18.2 pounds. The difference is even more significant with a loaded magazine since the BAR uses a 20-round magazine, making it easier for a single soldier to operate without needing an ammunition bearer.)
Hearing this, Tigani, who was several meters away discussing the progress of the Verdun battle with his staff, was immediately drawn to the conversation.
A single-man rifle that can fire continuously?
And it uses long-range, high-powered rifle cartridges?
This was the dream of every frontline soldier—and officer!
Tigani unconsciously put down the papers in his hands and quickly walked over to stare at the sketch. He asked Browning with a mixture of belief and doubt, "Can it really work?"
Browning nodded firmly, "I have even produced prototype rifles, General. I am confident it will not let you down."
Tigani asked again, "Do you intend to exchange this rifle for landmines?"
"Yes, General," Browning replied, then quickly added, "Along with directional mines, anti-tank mines, and jump mines."
This was the meticulousness required of an arms dealer, or else one could easily be taken advantage of.
Tigani's gaze shifted toward Charles, his eyes burning with intensity, as if to say, "Go ahead, Brigadier. What are you waiting for? We need this equipment!"
But Charles remained calm. He asked Browning, "Have you considered the issue of the French army's ammunition conicality, Mr. Browning?"
Browning was taken aback. He hadn’t considered that.
However, he quickly regained his composure. "I heard that the Saint-Étienne arsenal has successfully developed a new type of ammunition that does not have the conicality issue, but the Saint-Étienne factory has yet to develop a new rifle."
This was true; the new 7.5mm rimless rifle cartridge, modeled after the Mauser rifle round, had been produced in small batches by the Saint-Étienne arsenal, and they were in the process of developing a new rifle.
Charles continued pointing out the flaws:
"But the thin barrel will inevitably result in poor sustained fire. If it's used in a single-man operation, the barrel cannot be replaced."
"And the recoil will be too strong during continuous fire; ordinary soldiers may not be able to handle it."
"Also, there's the issue of weight. 15 pounds is still much heavier than a regular rifle. How do you plan to address these problems?"
Browning was at a loss for words. He had indeed been troubled by these issues but hadn’t expected Charles to so easily expose them after just one glance at the sketch.
Charles knew the solution—developing intermediate-powered ammunition to create a true assault rifle.
But of course, Charles would not reveal this; otherwise, it would be FN, not Saint-Étienne, producing the assault rifle.
After staring at the sketch for a moment longer, Charles reluctantly responded,
"Alright, although it has many shortcomings, this rifle might indeed be needed on the battlefield."
"I agree to the exchange, but it must meet my satisfaction. At the very least, it must perform as you’ve described."
Browning nodded repeatedly. "Of course, Brigadier. I promise!"
King Albert I breathed a sigh of relief, stepping forward to shake Charles' hand. "Thank you, Brigadier. Thank you very much!"
Charles sighed inwardly. This was the fate of small countries—being taken advantage of, yet still having to express gratitude!