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Forged in Iron and Ambition (Web Novel) - Chapter 826: Guns For Gold
Chapter 826: Guns For Gold
This chapter is updated by JustRead.pl
In the Great Basin desert, a series of planes lay grounded on the Bonneville Salt Flats.
Soldiers in arid uniforms, armed with modern assault rifles, helped unload pickup trucks whose beds were filled with weapons, munitions, medical supplies, field rations, and even clothing.
The weapons were not standard issue to the current German Armed Forces or allied nations who were blessed with contracted domestic manufacturing of such designs.
Rather, they were a mixture of surplus stock from previous wars that Germany had yet to dispose of entirely, or dedicated export weapons.
Take, for example, the G-05/33 Semi-automatic Rifle, which was a variant of the WWI era G-05 Semi-Automatic rifle that Bruno had helped introduce as an improved variation of the G-43 from his past life.
The G-05/33 was an export rifle that was essentially a G-43 semi-automatic rifle re-chambered in 7.92x33 Kurz, given a bayonet lug for use with standard Mauser 98 style bayonets, stripped of its built in side rail for simplified manufacturing, and given a fiberglass stock.
These rifles fed from the older surplus 7.92x33 double-stack, double-feed magazines Bruno had created as a stopgap for his latest iteration of rifles that currently saw service during the Second World War.
Their fine wooden stocks were replaced with a reddish fiberglass variant, allowing for ease of manufacture, and resistance against harsh environments.
The same types of upgrades were made across the board for the submachine guns, light machine guns, and heavy machine guns that were sitting in the backs of the trucks.
Among the soldiers was none other than Oberstleutnant Erich von Zehntner. He stood with his rifle in hand.
This was not the rifle he had known during Dunkirk, or the Philippinnes. No, it was a newer iteration.
With the war going as planned, and Germany constantly progressing technology at the back end, the latest iterations of the Sturmgewehr series of rifles had begun rolling out to elite frontline units.
Tested heavily by Werwolf mercenaries during the early days of the war in black operations. The new StG-42 model had many new features.
The StG models began their service life shortly after the end of the Great war, and were a direct evolution of StG-44 clones from Bruno’s past life, to a hybrid blend of StG-44 and HK-33 rifles from Bruno’s past life.
To a modernized weapons project that was now in Erich’s hands. The rifle was entirely roller-delayed. And was based on the HK series of firearms from Bruno’s past life. With one major caveat.
The weapon fired from a new cartridge, based on the experimental 7.92x40mm CETME, which itself was an evolution on the 7.92X33mm Kurz from German scientists that fled to Spain after the war had ended in defeat for the Axis during the previous timeline.
This new cartridge Bruno’s engineers had designed after his own basic input, necked the bullet diameter down to 6.5x40mm making a highly effective, highly modern, versatile cartridge that had a maximum effective range of 1,000m, while still having extremely low recoil, and lower weight to carry ratios.
In a 30-round magazine double stack, double-feed magazine, it was considerably shorter than the 7.92x33 Kurz while outperforming it in every area of performance.
The only other real changes other than the chambering, when compared to, say, an HK-33 style rifle, were that the ergonomics, including the swappable charging handle, were designed to be completely ambidextrous.
Erich examined his rifle, thinking back upon the battles he had waged. He and his soldiers had always had a technological superiority over their enemies. But this new rifle was something that put Germany ahead of even its closest allies.
And when thought about the weapons locked in crates within the beds of the pickup trucks. He could not help but shake his head and sigh, thinking about just how far ahead of the rest of the world Germany had become.
But his thoughts were cut short by the kickup of salt and dust in the distance. He gazed down his new optic. It was a fixed 3.5x prismatic optic, with an etched and illuminated Bullet Drop Compensator horseshoe reticle. Along with a ruggedized body.
Boasting a wide field of view, it sat on a welded 1913 top rail, allowing him to keep a lower profile than the older rifles. Which were rapidly being phased out of service entirely by the Reichsheer.
When he saw the makeshift banners, crudely stitched, yet proudly waving off the back of the trucks headed towards them, he got on his radio, and called out to his forces.
"Standby, these are our contacts. Be alert, but not hostile unless necessary."
The Brigade quickly calmed themselves, lowering their weapons into a ready, but non-aggressive posture.
Eventually, the trucks arrived. Many of them were the same type of trucks being rolled out of the planes. Others were of American origin, older, less capable, and struggling with the off-road conditions.
The men who hopped out of these trucks were sporting the same weapons as those within the crates. They took one look at the Germans, whose uniforms proudly boasted the Empire’s flag and coat of arms on the left biceps, and tossed a burlap sack at them.
A German soldier stepped forward to retrieve the sack, while Erich and the rest of his men were on standby. Upon handing the hefty bag over to Erich, he opened it to find the gold bullion was exactly where it needed to be.
He nodded silently towards his men who began to exchange the weapons for the gold. All the while the local militia began to exchange crates of gold and silver bullion in exchange for the weapons.
Once the trade was complete, Erich looked over at the warlord of the Great Basin, who was a large and burly man, and said a single phrase in perfect English before departing.
"We will meet again in a month’s time at the next series of coordinates we provide for you. Keep up the good work and enjoy the Kaiser’s gifts...."
The Warlord of the Great Basin looked at Erich, specifically at the rifle in his hands with a great sense of envy.
But ultimately he let his avarice fade, as he knew all too well the cost of crossing the German Reich.
"We will see you then..."
After which, the Warlord and his marauders rolled off with their new trucks and supplies, and the German planes took to the skies once more only after they were certain the bandits were gone.
