Chapter 330: The Deployment of the Chauchat Light Machine Gun
After the servers cleared away the main courses and served dessert and fruit, Steed spoke between bites. "They're preparing to deploy the Chauchat light machine gun. The first batch is expected to number at least ten thousand, headed for the Gallipoli front."
He glanced up at Charles, watching his reaction closely. In the past, Charles would have hesitated. A machine gun as unreliable as the Chauchat, sent to Gallipoli, would inevitably cause "incidents" and unnecessary losses. Charles wouldn't have accepted that risk easily. But now, he merely gave a calm "Mm" in response, as though he hadn't heard. He continued eating slices of apple from the plate in front of him.
Apples weren't in season, so these had been preserved in an industrial refrigerator—a luxury reserved for the wealthy at the time.
Dominique watched Charles with concern. "Shouldn't we release our own machine gun first?" he asked.
Charles replied coolly, "We can wait. The timing isn't right yet."
"But…" Dominique looked visibly distressed. "This could end badly. When we designed the Chauchat, it was meant for French soil. Now they're sending it to Gallipoli."
The French front was mainly inland, while Gallipoli, a peninsula, was exposed to high salt content and humidity. Even without sand, the Chauchat's open magazine design would likely accumulate salt crystals, and the high humidity would make it prone to rust. All of this would lead to even more malfunctions.
"Gallipoli desperately needs light machine guns," Charles replied evasively. "Heavy machine guns are far too cumbersome and require precious fresh water for cooling."
This insight came from Charles's own combat experience; sometimes soldiers had to ration their water for machine gun cooling rather than drinking.
"If we introduced our light machine gun now, fewer lives might be lost," Dominique argued, his words heavy with implication.
Steed chuckled and replied for Charles, "The Colonel is correct, Dominique. Without comparison, the difference won't be obvious. People need to see just how terrible the Chauchat is to appreciate how superior our machine gun is. Only then will we truly surpass our competition."
Dominique looked from Steed to Charles in disbelief. It didn't surprise him that Steed thought this way; Steed saw only money, profit, and his business interests. But Charles?
Charles's silence confirmed his acceptance, although this was only part of the reasoning. Gallipoli indeed needed light machine guns desperately, and despite its flaws, the Chauchat would be manufactured in large numbers due to wartime demand, with a total of 260,000 units produced over the next two years.
Dominique, visibly disappointed, replied with a hint of bitterness, "So you've become heartless after all, Colonel. I wonder how that sits with your own combat experience."
Steed shot Dominique a scolding look. "Are you worried about the soldiers in Gallipoli? They're Australians, New Zealanders, Brits, and Africans, Dominique. This doesn't concern us. The only French infantry unit, the 105th, has already returned home."
"But they're still lives, Father!" Dominique replied heatedly.
Steed's face darkened. He retorted, "Is it our responsibility that they're on the battlefield? Was it we who sent the ships and armies? We're merely supplying equipment, Dominique. Your anger is misplaced."
Dominique fell silent, his eyes still full of silent protest. An awkward silence settled over the table.
Steed offered Charles an apologetic smile. "My apologies, Colonel. I hope this hasn't caused you any discomfort."
"Not at all," Charles replied, turning to Dominique with a calm tone. "What's the name of our machine gun?"
"It's called the Saint-Étienne Type 2," Dominique answered.
Charles raised an eyebrow. It was a smart choice. Branding it as the "Saint-Étienne" could bring additional prestige to the factory itself. Once this machine gun succeeded on the battlefield, the public wouldn't just remember the weapon but would associate it with the Saint-Étienne Arsenal.
"What if I let you decide when to launch it?" Charles asked.
"What?" Dominique looked startled.
"I'm serious," Charles continued. "You could be in charge of deciding the timing for introducing the gun."
"Then I'd release it immediately," Dominique replied, hope rekindling in his eyes.
"You're assuming they'll automatically choose the better option," Charles replied, recognizing in Dominique the same idealism he once held himself.
Dominique hesitated, slowly grasping the problem. Even if the Saint-Étienne Arsenal launched the machine gun immediately, there was no guarantee it would be accepted by the council. The Saint-Étienne's influence had been eroded by competing arms manufacturers.
"We could submit it under the wartime procurement act," Dominique suggested.
"My tanks fall under the same act," Charles replied. "Do you know why I didn't submit the Char A1 under the wartime procurement act?"
Dominique fell silent; he already knew the answer, as did everyone else. At the time, the Char A1 stood little chance of outcompeting the other tanks. It had to prove itself on the battlefield.
The current situation with the Saint-Étienne was no different. This wasn't a matter of merit; it was a matter of influence and lobbying.
"I'll bet you anything," Charles continued, "that the later we introduce the machine gun, the faster it'll be adopted and save more lives."
"That's impossible," Dominique argued. "If we wait, won't it still need to go through the same approval process?"
"It will," Charles agreed. "But by then, it will already have victories on the battlefield. The French military and public will already know it's superior. And if the council rejects it, what do you think will happen?"
Strikes, protests, marches, perhaps even military dissent…
Dominique finally understood. Charles's strategy was to use public pressure to force the council's hand, compelling the legislators to accept the Saint-Étienne Type 2 machine gun.
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 20 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Franklin1