Rudolph was not at all modest, and he also asked his old colleague Viktor, "I should also have eyebrows for submachine guns and self-propelled guns." ”

"Yes, five self-propelled guns have already been tried to be produced, and their maneuverability and firepower are much higher than those of armored vehicles. We designed two submachine guns, and at your suggestion, we jointly designed an automatic weapon with a sleeve and heat dissipation holes with a sleeve and heat vents with Hugo, and later we took into account the insufficient firepower of the 20-round magazine. We also designed a water-cooled submachine gun that could fire continuously with a 160-round magazine. ”

Rudolph was speechless, dodging the freak of the double-barreled submachine gun, but not the wonder of the water-cooled submachine gun. Rudolph asked bluntly: "Can the water-cooled gun hold the charge?" ”

The firearms chief pondered for a moment and replied awkwardly, "It can be used as a machine gun." ”

Rudolph was even more confused, "He used a pistol bullet. ”

"Yes, Steyr 9mm, the Germans used the Belum 9mm."

"Then why don't you just use a machine gun?" A military commander discovered a loophole.

Rudolph added, "I'm afraid the pistol bullet can only hit two hundred meters." ”

"Yes, how do you define this new weapon. It consumes a lot of ammunition and is not as powerful as a machine gun. "The Ordnance Director could not understand the role of the submachine gun, and most people also had difficulty understanding it.

"The heavy weight of machine guns makes them unsuitable for man-portable manship, and trench warfare requires fierce and light and reliable automatic weapons at close range. And this weapon costs such a synchronous gun, which we can equip in large quantities. ”

The head of logistics first agreed, "the production capacity of pistol cartridges is more than enough, and the production line of submachine guns can also be opened." It's just that after the LMG is installed, we may need the Germans to help with rifle cartridges. ”

Thanks to previous reforms, the army expanded its production capacity. But constrained by the production of steel, coupled with the amount of ammunition that no one expected in modern warfare, the production of rifle ammunition has exceeded its means.

With the assurance of the head of logistics, Rudolph continued to state his plan. "This is where my confidence comes from, and I hope that within a month, I will be able to strengthen the combat capability of some of the army."

"The 27 Division can serve as an arrow, opening the line of defense of the Russians. Then the 2nd Army followed, cutting the Russian units from behind. ”

The chief of staff asked from a military point of view, "How can a division overcome the defense line of at least one Russian corps?" ”

"I need enough equipment."

"At best, artillery can blow up the first line of defense. You can't win a war with equipment alone. ”

"I will take advantage of the gap and break up the enemy's line through movement operations. So I needed to equip each company of the division with 6 light machine guns and 16 submachine guns. ”

The chief of logistics calculated an account for Rudolph, "12 infantry battalions, 48 infantry companies, I will equip these 10,000 infantry with 300 machine guns and 1,000 submachine guns. ”

Rudolph felt that this was not a high demand, a company of 170 people, 3 platoons and 12 squads, on average, a squad only half a machine gun and two submachine guns. The price of the machine gun is undoubted, and the submachine gun is not synonymous with cheapness these days, a Manlicia M1914 rifle is 3.7kg, but the MP14 weighs 4kg, which alone makes it slightly more expensive than a rifle. But Rudolph still felt that the army could afford this expense.

"We plan to equip each platoon with a light machine gun, and your request will not pass with me."

Before Rudolph could ask the commander-in-chief for help, the crown prince spoke first, "I approve it, if there are any other requirements, you can mention it." ”

"I don't need divisional artillery, I need a battalion of 100mm howitzers and a battalion of 105 field guns, I need 160 trucks, 20 armored vehicles, and as many self-propelled guns as possible." ”

No one disputed the requirements for artillery, after all, as a striker, strong fire support was a matter of course. But everyone is curious why there are so many vehicles.

After learning of the crown prince's support, the logistics chief no longer questioned it. General Elmolly asked Rudolph: "Are you going to break through the line of defense with a car?" ”

"My purpose is to disrupt the enemy, and mobility is a must. Sixty trucks were responsible for artillery and logistics, and the remaining one hundred, only enough for one regiment. ”

The chief of staff was very interested, "I will collect 180 trucks and 30 armored vehicles for you, as for the kind of mobile artillery, I don't know much about it, but the machine factory will do its best to produce it." ”

The chief of logistics muttered to himself, "We have to use the supplies of an army to form this division." ”

Seeing that his demands were all fulfilled, Rudolph issued a military order, "I dare not guarantee that I can recover Lemberg, but I will definitely let the Russians lose the Eighth Army." ”

No one believed Rudolph's bold words, only when he was young and in high spirits.

Having achieved his goal, Rudolph began to train his troops with all his might.

The next day, December 24, Rudolph spent the whole day agreeing on plans with the generals of the High Command and his colleagues in the Second Army. The High Command developed a counteroffensive plan codenamed "Polaris", and Rudolph was appointed commander of the assault group, he was to command the 27 Division, the 17 Field Chasseur Battalion and his old unit 79 Brigade, which were to break through the lines of the two armies of the Russian 8th Army, and then block the support of the other two armies of the 8th Army in the Lemberg direction.

The 79th Brigade has also been repatriated from Przemyśl for retraining, and given their combat effectiveness, this crippled unit will also be integrated into the assault group. Replenished by more than a thousand reservists, the 41 regiment had 3000 people, mainly Romanians and Poles, and the 146 regiment had 2300 people, all Slovaks. Rudolph gave the brigade commander Major General Jordi, the chief of staff, Lucas, Felix and Rennes, two regimental commanders, a training plan to strengthen the protection of the troops. Felix and Lucas are both Rudolph's old subordinates, and their understanding of Rudolph's defensive measures can be said to have experienced the dual guarantee of training and actual combat.

The 27th Division was the main force of the offensive, and Rudolph focused his efforts on the use of new weapons, infantry and artillery coordination.

The 17 Chasseur Battalion had a thousand Austrian light infantry, and Rudolph asked the battalion commander, Lieutenant Colonel Christian, to practice urban warfare and equip them with the first submachine guns and steel helmets.

Rudolph devoted all his resources to teaching the officers of the Chasseur Battalion the art of street fighting. "You're going to rely on buildings to defend yourselves, and then spread your forces to keep scouting and attacking. Snipers, machine guns and explosives are your weapons. "Although Rudolph can't get his hands on a sniper scope, there is no shortage of sharpshooters in the hunting battalion.

Rudolph finally concluded: "The purpose of urban defense operations is to delay and exhaust the attacking enemy, to consume the enemy's vital forces, and to buy time for the reinforcement and counterattack of our army's external troops. When attacking, follow the process of rushing-blasting-clearing-advancing. In short, you need to be active in practicing to overcome these kinds of problems. ”

Brave and skilled hunters are best suited for tough combat environments. Since you can conquer the mountains, there must be no problem with the streets and alleys. What's more, Rudolph's theory made the officers enlightened and unspent.