Chapter 179: The Renault Tank

Chapter 179: The Renault Tank

Colonel Estigni introduced himself to Mathieu with a handshake, "I'm Estigni, sir. Pleased to meet you."

"Mathieu, from the mechanics department!" Mathieu replied with a smile. "We've met many times already!"

"Oh…right, of course!" Colonel Estigni replied, a bit embarrassed.

Up until today, Estigni had assumed Mathieu was just an ordinary worker, even a disabled one—which, in this era, often meant someone marginalized and reliant on others. Consequently, he had never paid much attention to Mathieu, until he realized today just how talented he actually was.

Mathieu, on the other hand, had thought of Colonel Estigni as merely a field commander, not realizing the colonel had a keen understanding of tanks as well.

Charles, meanwhile, paid little attention to their exchange. He was busy sketching on some draft paper, his pencil flying over the page. Though his drawing skills left much to be desired, the details didn't matter. Soon, he handed the rough sketch to Mathieu.

"Take a look at this, Mathieu! Perhaps we could design the road wheels like this—in sets of four per group."

Joseph peered over curiously, uncertain of its purpose. "What's the advantage of this setup, Master Charles?"

But both Mathieu and Colonel Estigni took one look at the drawing and were stunned.

"No, no, this is significant!" Estigni said with excitement, pointing to the triangular structure in the design. He turned to Charles, asking, "It's dynamic, right? I mean, it's movable, correct, Lieutenant?"

"Yes!" Charles confirmed. "Each part of the triangle could be connected with hydraulic shocks. So, yes, it's dynamic."

"This design could provide much better suspension!" Mathieu studied the sketch as if it were a treasure map. "It's not just suspension. The unique structure means that when force is applied, these wheels would spread out horizontally, and the treads would settle into this area. Good heavens, this allows each set of road wheels to distribute force differently, making the tread behave like dough soaked in water!"

"That means the hull could achieve a sort of balance!" Estigni immediately realized. "With the treads acting like a pliable dough, the hull would stay more level. Not only would this make things more comfortable for the crew, but it would make it much easier for the gunner to aim accurately. This is brilliant—genius!"

Mathieu looked at Charles with a mix of admiration and self-doubt. "How did you think of this, Charles? Compared to your ideas, my work feels like child's play!"

"You've done wonderfully, Mathieu," Charles reassured him.

And Charles meant it. Mathieu's progress was completely natural—starting with springs, then moving to hydraulics, then gradually developing more complex designs like the triangular suspension. Renault's design process had also followed a similar path; they took over a year to move from initial designs to a prototype tank.

Charles simply skipped the steps and drew the end result directly.

With the suspension design concluded, Charles turned his attention to Colonel Estigni. "So, Colonel, what was your question?"

"Well, part of it has already been solved," Estigni replied. "For a while now, I've been wondering: since the primary role of tanks is to support infantry and break through defenses, wouldn't it make sense to build a lighter tank that could move faster and cover more ground?"

He glanced at both Mathieu and Charles. "The addition of hydraulic suspension already boosts the tank's speed, but I believe we could improve the tank's overall performance, allowing it to avoid the setbacks we faced at Laforques."

Though Laforques had been a resounding victory, Colonel Estigni still had regrets. The "Mark I" tank couldn't execute his "swarm tactic."

Estigni's "swarm tactic" involved tanks penetrating deep into enemy lines, dispersing to strike various strategic points and regrouping to maintain pressure. This required a tank with significantly improved mobility. Unfortunately, the Mark I tank couldn't meet the needs of the swarm tactic.

"So, you think we should develop a lighter tank?" Charles asked.

"Exactly, Lieutenant!" Estigni nodded vigorously. "A light tank might meet our combat needs. As long as its frontal armor is thick enough to stop bullets and it's designed well enough to cross trenches, why do we need such a massive vehicle? If it could move faster and farther, its battlefield impact would be far greater."

Charles wasn't surprised in the slightest. In history, Estigni had been the one to suggest such a design to the military, leading Renault to develop a tank that could be operated by just two people, weighing only seven tons.

The Renault tank would eventually prove far more effective than larger, fortress-like tanks and would even earn the title of the "progenitor of tanks."

"I agree!" Charles replied, turning to the "Mark I" tank stationed in the center of the research facility. "It's time for a new tank design. This tank should have…"

He paused and looked at Mathieu. "You'll be responsible for the chassis, Mathieu. As we discussed earlier."

"No problem!" Mathieu responded confidently. With the designs and parts on hand, and an entire hydraulic shock production setup, it was practically a matter of assembly.

Then Charles turned to Colonel Estigni. "The tank's overall design is yours, Colonel!"

"A pleasure, Lieutenant!" Estigni replied.

He paused, hesitating before adding, "There's one issue, though, Lieutenant. To reduce weight, we'll have to cut down on crew members and weapons. At a minimum, it might only be equipped with a single machine gun. But that would leave us unable to cover the sides, and its side armor would need to be thin…"

Charles cut him off, "Then design it with a rotating turret, Colonel!"

Estigni's mouth dropped open as if frozen in place. After a long pause, he suddenly shouted with excitement, "Of course, Lieutenant! A rotating turret—why didn't I think of that? It solves every problem! I can almost see what it'll look like!"

Mathieu, watching them, gave a sly smile. Was this tank really designed by him and Estigni?

Or had Charles already envisioned it and merely split the design between the two of them?

(End of Chapter)

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