CHAPTER 651: CHAPTER 651: ADAPT TO LOCAL CONDITIONS

"I am here to learn about the development and tactics of tanks from you." Brusilov spoke very directly and sincerely.

Most officers who have experienced the battlefield have this trait.

The reason is that they have gone through life and death and know that in the face of battlefield victory or defeat, the "face" that ordinary people care about is negligible.

"As you know." Brusilov sighed lightly: "The performance of our army on the Eastern Front is terrible. No matter how much geographical and manpower advantage we have, the casualty ratio against the enemy is about 5:1, sometimes even worse. This is true even when fighting against the army of Austria-Hungary."

The combat effectiveness of the Austria-Hungary army is far inferior to that of the German Army, but the army of Tsarist Russia still crumbled and fell apart in their assault.

Brusilov looked directly into Shire’s eyes: "But you, more precisely you, Vice Admiral Shire, managed to defeat the German Army with far fewer troops. You penetrated Antwerp and captured more than a hundred thousand German soldiers in one go and then penetrated Hasselt to capture over two hundred thousand German soldiers. Sometimes I wonder if our army could achieve similar penetrations..."

"Of course you can." Shire answered confidently: "You just need to find the enemy’s weak point."

"I know." Brusilov’s eyes showed helplessness: "I have studied your tactics, Vice Admiral Shire, for a long time, ever since you successfully blocked the Germans at Ypres."

That was at least a year ago, and Shire had almost forgotten about it.

"We have even developed our own tank." As he spoke, Brusilov turned sideways to look at the translator.

The translator understood and immediately took out a blueprint and instruction document from the briefcase he was carrying and respectfully handed it to Shire.

Shire took a look, it was a type of tank he had never seen before.

Or perhaps because it could hardly be called a tank.

(The picture above is the "Tsar Tank" developed by Tsarist Russia. The large wheels are at the front, 9 meters high. The Russians tried to use these big wheels to cross trenches and obstacles, but when the prototype was produced in August 1915, they found that although the big wheels could cross, the small wheels behind would get stuck, making it immobile, and it was eventually abandoned.)

Shire only took one look before pointing out the weakness of the tank: "Aren’t you worried that the massive front wheels will become targets for enemy infantry artillery?"

The larger the wheels, the larger the target, the easier it is for the enemy to hit.

And they are wheels, the tank’s support and means of movement. Such a huge weakness in front of the enemy, a random shot could cripple or even overturn it.

Really don’t know how this design got approved!

Brusilov nodded and sighed: "Facts have proven that your ’Shire A1’ is the best design. It is not outdated even now. However...our transportation routes to Europe have been largely cut off. It is very difficult for us to import this tank from your country."

This is the fault of the Minister of Military Supplies.

He arrogantly provoked the Ottoman Empire at the start of the war, resulting in heavy losses while cutting off the most important route from Europe to Russia.

The other route is to enter the Arctic Ocean from the North Sea and then to Russia.

But firstly, the North Sea is blockaded by German submarines, and more importantly, the Arctic Ocean is frozen for about six months a year (November to April), and even when it is thawed, it is filled with icebergs and very dangerous, so the transportation volume is not large.

As a result, Tsarist Russia is now largely isolated and without aid.

Brusilov took a sip of the coffee in front of him, worrying: "The situation on the Eastern Front is very unfavorable, Vice Admiral, we could collapse at any moment. I am wondering if you could design a tank for us, one that can be produced in mass in a short time without consuming too much funding. This could be of great help to us."

Only with such a tank could he, like Shire, form an armored unit, replicate Shire’s tactics, and apply them to the battlefield.

Finally, Brusilov added: "This would benefit the Western Front as well, and is in line with the interests of France and even yourself. I believe you would be willing to help, wouldn’t you?"

This indeed aligns with the interests of France.

Germany’s current policy is "West First, Then East," with Fajin Han planning to defeat France first and then turn to fully deal with Tsarist Russia.

(The reason being that Tsarist Russia, with its large size and numerous troops, is difficult to fully defeat in a short period even with a 5:1 casualty ratio. No one would have thought that Tsarist Russia would eventually collapse from within.)

For France, helping Russia achieve victory on the Eastern Front, or at least hold on longer, could indeed reduce the pressure on their own defensive lines.

However, after pondering for a moment, Shire shook his head: "It’s not that I don’t want to help, General, but I think what you need is not tanks. Also, even if you had tanks, it would be difficult to conduct penetrations like my army."

"Why?" Brusilov looked puzzled.

"Terrain, climate, and transportation, General." Shire replied: "Have you considered that the weather in Russia is much colder than here? The snow in winter is very thick, making it unsuitable for rapid tank penetrations."

Shire turned his gaze to Brusilov.

Brusilov was taken aback, then nodded in agreement with Shire’s words.

It is common for the snow in Russia to be half a meter thick in winter, and in extreme cases, some areas can reach over ten meters deep, making it difficult for tanks to penetrate quickly.

Shire continued: "After the spring snow melts, there will be large areas of standing water, many regions will turn into swamps, and the roads will be muddy. Plus, your railway lines are much fewer than those in France, making logistics difficult to maintain..."

In this case, even if tanks successfully penetrate to designated positions, they might be surrounded and annihilated by the enemy due to logistical support falling behind.

During World War II, the Germans succeeded in their penetrative envelopment by utilizing the window of time before the onset of winter.

Once the harsh winter arrived before achieving ultimate victory, the scales began to tip in favor of the enemy.

At that time, Tsarist Russia, with its lack of organization, logistical capability, and reconnaissance capacity, could not execute the same kind of penetrative envelopment as the Germans, ultimately failing to mimic and instead becoming like a clumsy imitation.

Brusilov’s expression became increasingly grave:

"You are absolutely right, Vice Admiral, you have a thorough understanding of Russia’s terrain and conditions."

"But, is there no other way?"

Shire answered calmly:

"There is always a way, General, there is always a way."

"I believe you should not always think of tanks, but rather leverage your own advantages."

Brusilov looked puzzled: "Our advantages?"

All he could think of were disadvantages. At this moment, the Russian Army’s confidence and morale were crumbling.

But Shire answered very confidently: "Yes, advantages: manpower, and familiarity with the terrain."