Chapter 32: Current Situation of Military Industry
"What about our steel and military factories?" As asked the question that he also cared about.
The steel factories were not a problem because of the equipment they had. Australia could build more and more steel factories at any time, but the employees needed to be trained to achieve that level of proficiency.
But the military factory was different. In this era where military technology had not yet taken off, the most advanced weapons were machine guns and artillery.
As the former Commander-in-Chief of Ireland, Duke Arthur naturally had a strong interest in weapons and equipment, and he founded the current Connaught Integrated Military Factory.
What is an integrated military factory? It is a large military factory that integrates the research and development and manufacturing of light and heavy weapons and artillery.
Even most of the employees in this military factory were poached by Duke Arthur from the Enfield Royal Small Arms Factory.
The Enfield Royal Small Arms Factory is a well-known name in the UK and its Lee-Enfield rifle is the standard equipment for the army throughout the British Empire.
The performance and power of the Lee-Enfield rifle even surpass the famous Kar98k rifle, which was the standard rifle used by Germany in both World War I and II and was one of the world's famous sniper rifles.
Interestingly, these two rifles were born around the same time. The prototype of the Lee-Enfield rifle appeared in 1888, and the Lee-Metford magazine rifle was officially renamed the Lee-Enfield magazine rifle five years ago.
The predecessor of the Kar98k rifle, the Gewehr 88 rifle, was also born in 1888, but due to its many design flaws, Mauser developed a new rifle in 1898, the Mauser 98 rifle.
During World War II, Germany was immersed in the research and development of tanks and aircraft and did not pay much attention to the development of light weapons.
Therefore, the shortened Mauser 98 rifle, the Kar98k rifle, officially appeared on the stage of history.
The reason why the Lee-Enfield rifle is not as famous as the Kar98k and Mosin-Nagant rifles in history is because the British did not prioritize sniper tactics during World War II, which led to the Lee-Enfield rifle, which had a slight advantage in sniping, not becoming as famous as the Kar98k and Mosin-Nagant rifles after they were equipped with four-times scopes. The British and French believed that in World War I, it took an average of 10,000 bullets to kill one person, and that as long as the gun was shot fast and dense enough, even the most accurate gun would not be of much use. Not everyone can shoot accurately while bullets are flying around, especially in urban combat, where the Germans suffered losses. Developing a sniper rifle was not a big deal, and therefore the British and Germans took different routes, with advantages and disadvantages.
However, at this point in time, no one can deny that the Lee-Enfield rifle is currently one of the most powerful rifles, and its superiority can be maintained for at least another fifty years.
As a comprehensive military factory entrusted to the Duke of Arthur, the Kynoch Military Factory, under the powerful influence of the Duke of Arthur, introduced the production line and technology of the Lee-Enfield, and has the ability to independently produce the Lee-Enfield rifle, its supporting parts, and bullets.
In terms of heavy weapons, the Kynoch Military Factory has also made remarkable achievements. After the famous Maxim heavy machine gun, the Kynoch Military Factory quickly introduced this technology and produced a copy of the MA-96 Maxim machine gun.
In addition, the Kynoch Military Factory has also been involved in artillery, although it has not mastered the research and production of heavy artillery, it has basically mastered the technology of small-caliber artillery.
For example, the 37mm machine gun, 65mm howitzer, 88mm mortar, and 105mm howitzer.
It is worth mentioning that especially in the case of the 37mm machine gun, the Kynoch Military Factory has achieved remarkable results and has made some progress in artillery automation, independently developing the CA-1 machine gun, which is a 37mm machine gun.
How powerful is the firepower of the CA-1 machine gun? Due to the initial achievement of semi-automation, although the caliber of this gun is small, it has a firing rate of more than 70 rounds per minute. In terms of firepower output, it is enough to crush other caliber artillery.
As for why the technology of semi-automation is only applied to the 37mm caliber artillery, it is because the strong recoil generated when firing large-caliber artillery is enough to destroy the automation device, and the current technology cannot achieve semi-automation for large-caliber artillery.
However, semi-automation of small-caliber artillery is also enough to be proud of. Semi-automatic artillery in other countries did not appear until two years later in 1902, while the Kynoch Military Factory was two years ahead.
"The steel plant will have to wait for the government to finish planning the industrial zone before construction, but in the meantime, our employees will still receive their salaries as usual," explained the butler, Hunter. "The location of the military factory has not been determined yet and we will have to wait for Your Highness to personally make the decision."
For Arthur, the employees who followed him all the way to Australia are the most precious assets, aside from the equipment, whether it's the steel plant, military factory or shipyard.
The welfare of these factory workers is very high, far exceeding the average level in the UK, let alone in Australia. This is also why Arthur can easily persuade these employees to come to Australia. No one wants to give up a stable and high-paying job, even if it means moving abroad.
These factories have lived up to expectations and have been in a loss-making state. Previously in the UK, the losses each month were not much, but now, the four factories combined lose over 200,000 pounds to Arthur every month, totaling an annual loss of 2.4 million pounds.
But the results obtained from this little loss are definitely worth it. Putting the steel plant aside, even the military factory and shipyard, when placed in Europe, can definitely be considered as advanced factories.
The employees, equipment, and technology possessed by the military factory and shipyard are wealth that cannot be bought even with billions of pounds.
Duke Arthur has also relied on his own powerful authority to create these factories over decades.
"How are the workers doing? Is there anyone who is dissatisfied with their current living conditions?" Arthur asked.
After all, they have come to a new country, and even before the factories have started operating, Arthur has been paying them their salaries as usual, so it's normal for their emotions to fluctuate.
"They are all doing well, Your Highness. We are paying them as usual and have arranged accommodation and citizenship for all employees. At least for now, no one has expressed any dissatisfaction. They are just adapting to their new life in the country," explained Hunter with a smile.
Indeed, although they have moved to a new country, they can bring their entire family and provide them with accommodation, and their salaries are still paid even when they don't have work.
This kind of treatment is much better than the greedy capitalists in Europe, and it's even rare in the whole world.
"That's good, Hunter. The location selection for the military factory will begin soon, and the industrial zone is expected to be in the western mineral area. The military factory will be located in Western Australia, right? The construction of the steel plant should start quickly, and we must ensure a certain steel production capacity before the military factory is completed," ordered Arthur.
The military factory is also a steel-eating monster. If Australia does not have a certain steel production capacity before the military factory is completed, then they can only look at the drawings of various weapons and shed tears.