The Rise Of Australasia

Chapter 461: Chapter 367: The Indigenous Peoples Problem

Thanks to the 14.6-ton weight of the T-14 tank, it can accommodate five crew members while carrying 2800 machine gun bullets, 42 shells and some supplies, as well as enough fuel to travel over 400 kilometers.

Of course, the personal weapons of the five crew members are also included. These are to be used for self-defense and combat when the tank is scrapped or breaks down.

The T-14 tank also has a significant improvement in speed. Although it has also gained much in weight, the T-14 tank can still maintain an average speed of at least 26 kilometers per hour on flat ground, with a maximum speed of around 30 kilometers per hour.

But data taken only on flat surfaces can't illustrate much, since tanks are designed to adapt to various road conditions, even against trenches and gullies dug by the enemy.

Unfortunately, even with enhanced power, the T-14 tank is not fast on non-flat terrain.

Considering a variety of road conditions, under non-flat and obstacle-filled surfaces, the T-14 tank can maintain an average speed of 15 kilometers per hour, without exceeding the maximum speed of 20 kilometers per hour.

If the speed exceeds 20 kilometers per hour on obstacle-laden surfaces, there will soon be problems like stalling, turning the powerful weapon into a pile of scrap iron.

This issue is not something that can be resolved in the short term, as even in the history of World War II, tanks would occasionally encounter problems.

At present, the capability of Australasia's tanks has already taken a significant lead in the world's tank research and development.

Although the occasional issue of the T-14 stalling cannot be solved, overall, as long as the tank can be quickly repaired, the T-14 tank is still a massive weapon on the battlefield.

With robust armor and a 75mm semi-automatic cannon, and a Maxim heavy machine gun, this combination of an impenetrable shield and a sharp spear on the battlefield ensures that unless the enemy has anti-tank weapons or uses large caliber bombardments, the tank will pose no danger.

The T-14 tank is known as the basic improved version of the first-generation tank because there are such killers as the T-14A heavy tank.

If you look at the weight of the T-14A tank, you'll know there are many differences between it and the T-14 tank.

The T-14A tank weighs 21.7 tons, a whole 7.1 tons more than the T-14 tank.

In terms of firepower, the T-14A tank is equipped with a GA1906 Model 105mm semi-automatic cannon, a CA-1 37mm machine gun and an MA-107 Maxim heavy machine gun.

Because it has significantly improved firepower, the T-14A tank has a main gun turret and a forward gun turret.

The only heavy machine gun is mounted on the forward gun turret, along with a CA-1 37mm machine gun, to ensure effective damage to the enemy's ground troops.

The 105mm semi-automatic cannon in the main turret is used specifically to capture enemy positions and fortresses, making it a top weapon for charging and breaking through defenses.

In terms of armor protection, the T-14A tank has a steel armor thickness of up to 35mm and is a whole size larger than the T-14 tank in physical dimensions.

This makes the protective capability of the T-14A tank greatly enhanced, at least rendering the enemy's light weapons no threat to this heavy tank.

Even some large-caliber guns do not pose much of a threat to this massive guy. Because of the overall design of the T-14A tank, unless the shell directly hits and explodes, it will be deflected by the sturdy steel armor, significantly reducing its destructive power.

Unless the shell explodes at the bottom of the tank or directly blows up the tank's track, the T-14A tank on the battlefield only needs to charge headlong.

The T-14A tank has two more crew members than the T-14 tank, with a total of seven crew members including one driver, one commander, two gunners, one machine gunner, and two loaders.

As a heavy tank, the T-14A tank can carry even more weaponry and ammunition.

Generally speaking, the T-14A tank can carry 4600 machine gun bullets, 180 37mm shells, 22 105mm shells, and enough fuel for the tank to travel more than 300 kilometers.

Of course, this data is relative. If the tank is on a flat road, it can carry more weaponry and ammunition. Otherwise, it will carry less.

As a heavy tank, although the T-14A tank has larger and more diesel engines, its speed is slightly slower than the T-14 tank.

Of course, this is actually the design of this tank. It does not pursue speed, but rather seeks more important stability.

According to several private tests by the Agricultural Machinery Factory, this heavy tank can reach a maximum speed of 22 kilometers per hour on a flat road, with an average speed of 18 kilometers per hour.

On non-flat roads, the T-14A tank can reach a maximum speed of 16 kilometers per hour, with an average speed of 12 kilometers per hour.

Although the speed does not seem fast, if Arthur recalls correctly, the speed of most tanks in World War I, did not seem to reach ten kilometers per hour.

And it's been about twenty years since World War II began after World War I, so it's quite normal for all kinds of tank technologies to have made considerable progress.

Given the current progress of Australasian tanks, it's possible that tanks with World War II performance could be manufactured about ten years earlier.

"Factory Manager Joel, have these two types of tanks been tested in practice?" After reading the data on the two tanks, Arthur, with a hint of curiosity, looked at Joel, the manager of the Royal Agricultural Machinery Factory, and asked.

"The machinery factory has already done small-scale tests, Your Majesty. However, to determine the actual performance and stability of a military weapon like this, I'm afraid it requires large-scale and long-term testing," Factory Manager Joel replied hurriedly.

After all, these are military weapons to be used on the battlefield. Even though the agricultural machinery factory has conducted several tests, Factory Manager Joel still doesn't dare to guarantee that there will be no problems.

The official testing of a weapon typically involves the military and R&D industry's upper echelons attending. If the military confirms that there are no issues with the T-14 Tank and the T-14A Tank, even if some defects arise during use, they aren't likely to be blamed on Factory Manager Joel.

Even during the testing of crucial weapons and equipment, Arthur might personally attend and give his opinions.

Who would dare to say there's a problem with a tank that passed a quality inspection under Arthur's supervision?

Arthur nodded, naturally understanding Factory Manager Joel's caution, and said, "Organize the official testing as soon as possible. But the news must be kept secret. Besides some upper echelons of the Royal Agricultural Machinery Factory, those participating in the tank test can only be the military's upper echelons and trustworthy soldiers."

Building a tank is rather simple. For example, Australasia's first-generation tank was simply a tractor that had undergone some improvement, becoming a tank that unites the spear and the shield.

Although the tank's exposure is inevitable, Arthur still wants to delay that exposure.

Certainly, falling behind in airplane and tank research weakens the British and French's power a bit, but it's also weakening Germany's power.

As long as Australasia has tanks and airplanes, the Allies' comprehensive military strength would far exceed the Central Powers'.

As for Britain, France, and Russia not having tanks and airplanes, Australasia could sell them to them. The prices would definitely be fair and honest.

Having second-generation tanks before World War I broke out is good news for Arthur.

Even if the second-generation tank's production rate isn't high and they only have a few dozen of them at most if war breaks out, they would play a crucial role in the war.

Looking at the T-14A tank's performance data, without a doubt, this is a powerful weapon that could ignore the enemy's firepower and easily destroy the enemy's position and fortress.

If such a weapon appeared in the trench warfare in Europe, could it speed up the progression of the war?

That's an unknown, but one thing for sure is that the emergence of second-generation tanks will significantly reduce the Australasia Army's casualties, at least the casualties of the regular army.

As for the hundreds of thousands of indigenous soldiers, no one would care about their casualties.

Even if some indigenous soldiers safely returned, they would ultimately be dispatched by Arthur to other regions or secretly killed in places unknown to the public.

If the reason must be given, it might be because the majority of Australasian colonies in one of the three major islands of Oceania, where most Melanesians live, are inhabited by black people.

The territories of Melanesia include New Guinea, Royal Territory, Australian Timor, Australian Solomon Islands, Australian New Caledonia, Australian Fiji, etc., which occupy the vast majority of Australasia's overseas territories.

And the name "Melanesia" comes from the Greek language, implying "Negro Islands".

According to the Australasian Government's preliminary statistics, about a million indigenous people live on these lands, most of whom are Melanesians, with a small number being New Guinea people.

Among Melanesians, pure bloodlines are maintained. Only blacks marry blacks, which also leads to the most pure black bloodline on this land.

It's this reason that they will never be accepted by Australasia. Australasians' strong racism will not accept such a population, and Arthur's strong personal will would also definitely not accept such a population.

In fact, after Australasia took over these colonies in the Melanesia region, the fate of these natives only had two outcomes. Apart from serving Australasia to their deaths, their best outcome was being sent to the Dutch East Indies in Southeast Asia.

But up to now, the recorded actions of sending indigenous people by Australasia didn't exceed three times, with no more than 2000 people each time.

This suggests that among the hundreds of thousands of indigenous people in Australasia, at most 6000 have safely left Australasia so far.

Meanwhile, nearly 1.5 million people have been hastily buried en masse on this land.

Their sacrifices were worth it. They built a powerful nation in about ten years.

Arthur and Australasia haven't forgotten these indigenous people's contribution, and the action of sending indigenous people away is still ongoing and has even increased from before.