Treasure hunt begins in England

Chapter 769 Clues

The bright sunlight shone through the glass into the room, filling the whole room with a warm atmosphere, while Liang En and Joan of Arc pondered over those documents under the sunlight, hoping to find a solution to the current problem.

In the face of these drawings where all explanatory texts have been specially removed, leaving only standard data, it is difficult to understand their origins even if you have ideas.

"This document may provide some clues." After reading a series of documents, Liang En took out some drawings and said. "At least compared with other artillery, this artillery is more special."

After hearing Liang En's words, Joan approached curiously, only to find that what he had on hand were some blueprints belonging to a 150mm howitzer.

The larger the caliber of the artillery, the fewer countries have used it, so there must not be many countries that have used it like 150mm, and there are often no detailed records.

At the beginning, Liang En and the others regarded this gun as Krupp's sFH-13150mm howitzer, because both the air spring for shock absorption at the rear of the gun, the cradle and the horizontal wedge breech block all have thick Krupp taste.

The sFH-13 howitzer was one of the main artillery pieces of the Germans in World War I, but because Germany, as a defeated country, was not allowed to keep this artillery after World War I, it may be transferred to other countries for production.

But after careful inspection, he found that this artillery has a huge difference compared with the sFH-13, that is, there is an extra recoil machine above the barrel.

This characteristic is not the characteristic of Krupp artillery, but the characteristic of Rheinmetall's sFH-18. Not only are the two companies not the same company, but there is a difference of more than ten years between them.

"Interesting—" After discovering the characteristics of the second cannon on these blueprints, Liang En suddenly became excited, because the distinctive cannon was obviously easier to find in the next search.

After further observation of the drawings, he found that this artillery used the relatively backward steel hoop self-tightening technology on the sFH-13, not the more advanced sleeve self-tightening technology of the sFH-18.

"Could this be a transitional product?" Joan of Arc asked in a low voice at the side, and after hearing what Liang En said, she immediately thought of a possibility.

"As far as I know, many weapons often have a lot of test products before they are manufactured, and these test products basically have the characteristics of new products and old products."

"Very likely, and if I remember correctly the Germans had a certain delay in naming such weapons, so those guns between the sFH-13 and the sFH-18 are worth checking out."

After being told by Joan of Arc, Liang En nodded in approval, because this cannon is so unique, if it was really mass-produced, it should leave a record.

Sure enough, after searching a series of information, they found that before the end of World War I, Switzerland had ordered a batch of 150mm howitzers designed and manufactured by Krupp from Germany. They were called sFH-17.

This batch of artillery was purchased by Switzerland from Germany in 1916 and delivered in April 1917, a total of 4 pieces.So Switzerland called them 56cm Schwere Haubitze 15 L1916 howitzers.

Compared with the German sFH-13, the sFH-17 has a larger shooting range, and other performances are basically the same. The style of its bolt, shield, large frame and cradle is very similar to the 150mm howitzer on Liang En's drawings. The barrel is also self-tightening with steel hoops.

Although there is still a little difference between the two, considering that the next number of the 150mm howitzer made in Germany is sFH-18, the number of the Germans in this regard is also gradually postponed.

So in theory, if the technology of the 150mm howitzer on the picture comes from Germany, then the sFH-17 is the closest gun to it.

"There should be a relationship between the two. Don't forget that the father of the person we are looking for is a German Krupp designer, so it is inevitable that he was affected when designing the artillery back then."

After reading the clues about the Swiss artillery, Joan said seriously, "I think if we really have no other way, we can find a way to see what records the Swiss have."

After a simple comparison of the two artillery pieces, they found more common points. For example, as a mountainous country, the Swiss custom-made sFH-17 howitzer is relatively light in weight, and the Swiss Army Artillery Unit even uses 4 heavy horses. Effective pulling.

The cannon shown in Liang En's drawings is also lighter than ordinary cannons. Considering that the cannon uses wooden wheels covered with iron sheets, it proves that the design is based on animal power rather than motor vehicle traction.
This kind of practice was not much during World War II, because at that time Europe and the United States basically used rubber tires that were easy to tow by motor vehicles, and only mountain troops would choose this type of artillery.

After the judgment came to this point, Liang En called Mr. Frey. Although Liang En could do the next work, it would undoubtedly be more convenient for this Mr. Frey.

"Mr. Liang, your judgment is correct. These things are indeed related to Switzerland." Two hours later, this Mr. Frey called back. "It's just that Swiss officials don't quite know where these things come from."

According to him, he found a series of materials after searching the Swiss archives with the 15cm Schwere Haubitze 1916 L14 howitzer as a key word.

After a detailed inspection of those materials, he found that there were some notes belonging to his father in this batch of materials. Obviously, after the introduction of these artillery back then, the Swiss side also conducted research on these artillery.

Although it is a permanently neutral country, the Swiss know that what can guarantee their neutrality is not a simple agreement, but their own strength, so they also attach great importance to the military.

For example, Switzerland has a famous national service system, and they also build a large number of fortifications in the mountainous areas of the border year after year to ensure the security of the country.

Of course, after entering modern times, weapons have also become an important factor in determining the success or failure of wars. Under such circumstances, as a country with an industrial foundation, they are naturally not only satisfied with buying various weapons from abroad.

Therefore, for these Swiss people, it is also a very normal thing to conduct research on those imported artillery. On the one hand, it is for the convenience of future maintenance and repair, and on the other hand, it is for learning.

And these learning achievements will naturally be used in many places, for example, those designers who entered the Krupp Swiss branch will transfer the content of these designs here.

According to Mr. Frey, although he only saw the notes left by his father on a few documents, it undoubtedly means that his father had studied these old-fashioned artillery, and he also had his own ideas.

"Then have you found anything related to your father in the Swiss records?" Liang En asked curiously after the other party finished speaking.

"No, but I have found some crucial clues, such as the destruction of some files of expatriates during World War II." Mr. Frey said with a sigh.

"It should have something to do with the secret cooperation with the Germans, but I really don't want my father to have too much to do with them."

(End of this chapter)