After discussing options, Charles and Estigny ultimately decided to make the additional armor 20mm thick. This would provide several advantages for the tanks.
First, it would make them more versatile in terms of mobility. The extra armor could be removed and transported separately by truck when not in combat, then reattached when needed. This would not only increase the tanks' mobility but also reduce strain on the engines, extending their operational lifespan.
Second, with the 20mm of additional armor, the frontal armor thickness of the tanks would reach 45mm. Previously, German anti-tank rifles had a chance of penetrating the "Charles A1" from the front at around 200 ters, but now they would be virtually immune—even at 50 ters, they'd remain intact.
Finally, in tank-to-tank combat, the additional armor would offer a clear advantage. Though 20mm may not seem like much, on the battlefield, it could an the difference between life and death.
Estigny, however, was still focused on tank upgrades and boosting firepower. Now that the armor issue was settled, he began considering modifying the tank cannon and even developing a new model.
Charles reminded him, "Those aren't things that can be done quickly, Colonel. We should think about other areas where improvents could be made."
Estigny paused, sowhat at a loss. In his mind, a tank's primary components were power, armor, and firepower—what else was there to improve?
"You may have noticed that the tanks are faster than the infantry," Charles pointed out. "This creates an inconsistency in unit movent."
"Yes," Colonel Estigny agreed.
While the "Charles A1" wasn't especially fast, it could still reach speeds of up to 15 kiloters per hour. Fully equipped infantry, however, marched at around 5 kiloters per hour.
Because of this, tanks often had to stop during marches to allow the infantry to catch up.
The First Tank Brigade tolerated this because the stops allowed ti for maintenance. But there was a solution.
"We could equip the infantry with trucks, General," Browny interjected. "Motorcycles with sidecars would work, too. Then the infantry could keep pace with the tanks. Of course, we'd need your support."
Browny's tone was hopeful. This level of chanization for the First Tank Brigade had once seed like a pipe dream. The military was unlikely to approve it—after all, when most units had only a few trucks, asking for full chanization seed outlandish.
But with Charles, a commander and a financier, backing the request, it no longer felt impossible.
"Only trucks?" Charles asked, with a hint of amusent.
"Yes, just trucks!" Browny replied confidently, trying to show he "wasn't asking for too much."
But Browny hadn't caught Charles's aning.
Charles smiled. "We know that trucks aren't very safe on the battlefield. They lack any form of protection. If soldiers are concentrated in trucks moving down the road, any ambush would cause heavy casualties."
Browny assud Charles was finding an excuse to refuse. He replied eagerly, "We can manage that, General—it's not difficult."
"For example, we could send sidecars ahead for reconnaissance, ensuring the road is clear. We could also integrate tanks with the trucks, so if there's an attack, the tanks can imdiately shield the infantry."
"We'd train specifically for this. The soldiers would learn to dismount and prepare for combat as quickly as possible!"
...
"Are you certain?" Charles asked, amusent in his eyes.
"Absolutely!" Browny nodded enthusiastically, feeling optimistic.
Could it be possible?
My God, we're talking about over a hundred trucks!
Estigny sensed there was more to this and asked curiously, "But, General, is there another option besides trucks?"
"No, there isn't," Charles replied calmly. "But we could use our own vehicles."
"Our own vehicles?" Browny and Estigny exchanged puzzled looks. What did he an?
Charles nodded, then laid out his plan. "You know, our engine now produces 130 horsepower. We could use this engine to produce a slightly smaller vehicle, adding enough armor to protect it against bullets and shrapnel…"
Estigny exclaid, "That would turn it into an armored personnel carrier!"
"Exactly," Charles said. "With this, the issues we discussed wouldn't be a problem. Even in an ambush, it wouldn't be completely vulnerable, and on the battlefield, it could coordinate with tanks, providing additional firepower."
Charles's vision was simple: the tank brigade was a combination of tanks and infantry, and if tank capabilities were limited, enhancing the infantry would be an excellent solution.
With armored vehicles, the infantry's protection, firepower, and mobility would significantly improve, raising the First Tank Brigade's combat effectiveness to a new level.
Charles looked at Browny with a hint of resignation. "These armored vehicles are already in production. I originally planned to equip the tank brigade with them. Since you insist on trucks, I could consider assigning them to other units instead…"
"No, no!" Browny quickly interjected, stepping in front of Charles with a careful smile. "You're absolutely right, General. Trucks can't et the brigade's needs. The brigade needs to advance quickly through enemy fire, even under artillery bombardnt. Using trucks would be madness."
"You can use sidecars for reconnaissance," Charles said. "That would indeed reduce the risk of ambushes."
"Even so, it doesn't help much—trucks have no armor!"
"Or you could integrate the tanks and trucks."
"Tanks can't protect trucks in such a situation; it's a foolish plan."
"You could also enhance the training."
"No… no one would want to train with trucks, General. It would be pointless!"
...
Estigny laughed. "Don't worry, Browny. The General will give us the armored vehicles. They're of limited value to other units."
Browny's face lit up, and he looked at Charles excitedly. "General, is that true? Are they really for us?"
Charles nodded.
Estigny was right: "the best steel goes into the blade." These armored personnel carriers, which would protect the infantry and synchronize with tank movents, were ant to enable swift breakthroughs. While they weren't "useless" to other units, their value would be significantly lower outside the tank brigade.
With this confirmation, Browny cheered and couldn't contain his excitent. He enthusiastically shook Charles's hand, exclaiming, "That's fantastic, General. Thank you, thank you very much!"
"You're a great man, General!"
...
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