I Became a Plutocrat in World War I: Starting with Saving France-Chapter 957: Paratrooper Helmet

Shire only provided Dorne with the direction of development.

Fighters, bombers, and attack aircraft, all required to be upgraded to full-metal enclosed cockpits, and then further developed into carrier-based aircraft.

Shire hoped that before these demands or even relevant concepts appeared on the battlefield, France would have unconsciously reached a new height.

One day, when these planes suddenly appear on the battlefield and enter people’s vision, they will marvel at the power of French technology, and its prestige will soar.

This may seem unimportant, as ultimately what matters on the battlefield is combat effectiveness.

But this is what is called soft power.

When French military, technology, and economy reach a level that other countries cannot even dream of, its own citizens will be filled with confidence, and citizens of other countries will look to France as a model, a paragon, a beacon.

France will become their ideal utopia, their goal to strive for and pursue, even the destination and home of their lives.

Thus, talents and labor from various countries will desperately flock to France, bringing with them endless wealth and strength.

If a few articles are written or a narrative is woven into films for global promotion.

France will become even stronger, gain more advantages, and then gain more soft power...

If this cycle repeats, it will grow like a snowball.

As long as one doesn’t foolishly think drinking disinfectant can kill viruses, no major mishaps will occur, and France can maintain its seat as the world leader and reap the world’s rewards.

...

Labor Day only truly lives up to its name during wartime because it genuinely becomes a day of labor.

However, capitalists like Steed are different; he booked the best restaurant at the Ritz Hotel, spending over three thousand francs on a sumptuous feast.

He took out a pocket watch for a glance, inexplicably started to feel nervous, hesitated for a while before getting up to check the placement of knives and forks, then stood back to see if anything was amiss.

Shire walked into the restaurant seeing this scene and couldn’t help but laugh: "The renowned owner of the ’Saint-Etienne’ arms factory is interested in table arrangements?"

Steed’s face immediately broke into a smile, stepping forward to shake hands with Shire: "That’s because it’s you, Vice Admiral, that I’m hosting. It’s my honor, and I dare not be negligent!"

To Steed, Shire was not just "the ruler of France," though that was already enough.

Under Shire’s guidance and operation, the "Saint-Etienne" arms factory had become the largest and most important in France, even one of the leading ones globally.

"Relax, Mr. Steed." Shire sat down at the table: "We’re staunch allies and partners; no need for too much ceremony like with others."

"Yes, of course." Steed nodded repeatedly.

These words pleased him greatly, indicating that Shire considered him "one of his own."

The waiter served the food to Shire.

"Your dish, sir." The waiter announced the dish: "Confit de canard!"

Shire acknowledged it with a curt sound, finding the waiter’s voice familiar, then turned and exclaimed: "Dominic?"

Dominic dejectedly removed the tie from his neck: "We were betting on which course you’d recognize me, General, didn’t expect it to be the first."

Steed quickly explained: "Sorry, General, I warned him."

"No, no, it’s okay." Shire invited Dominic to sit across with a smile.

For a long time, he hadn’t encountered such a joke; except for Tijani, others always maintained a polite caution around Shire, not daring to be disrespectful, even though Shire was just 19.

Perhaps this is the cost of "growing up."

"So, you’ve graduated?" Shire cut a piece of duck leg’s crispy skin into his mouth and asked Dominic.

"Yes, General." Dominic replied: "Mr. Browning believes I can now handle things on my own."

He mimicked Browning’s tone, adding a bit of rasp:

"The best teacher is practice, Dominic."

"Because what we design are guns, meant to kill enemies on the battlefield."

"You can’t learn this inside a laboratory; you must step out, even onto the battlefield!"

Dominic spread his hands, reverting to his own voice: "And so here I am."

"You seem more confident." Shire raised an eyebrow.

Dominic used to be more hesitant.

"Yes, General." Dominic nodded in agreement, holding up two fingers as if pinching a small glass: "Perhaps because I’ve filled in the missing piece of my soul!"

Shire chuckled, shaking his head gently.

It’s definitely Dominic, who actually regards studying gun design as replenishing a piece of his soul.

"Since you’re back, things are more convenient now." Shire glanced at Steed.

Steed immediately grasped Shire’s meaning: "You can discuss anything with Dominic, General. I’ve already transferred the shares to Dominic; he’s my successor."

Steed was already old, lacking innovation in weapons and equipment and unable to keep up with modern tactics. Transferring the production tasks to Dominic was a wise choice.

Shire nodded, took a document from his briefcase, and handed it to Dominic.

Dominic opened the document, gave Shire a surprised look, and then handed the document to his father, Steed.

Taking the document, Steed looked puzzled: "A helmet? Is there a problem with the current Adrian helmet?"

"No, Mr. Steed." Shire replied: "You should have heard about the French Army’s parachuting into Saarbrücken."

"Of course." Steed nodded, still unsure about the helmet’s connection to this.

Dominic uttered an "Oh": "The Adrian helmet isn’t suitable for airborne operations, is it?"

"That’s right." Shire focused on his duck leg, finding its crispy skin and tender meat quite delicious, speaking while chewing: "The Adrian helmet has a wide brim, not suitable for soldiers to roll while parachuting, causing some to break their necks." 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Dominic returned his gaze to the document: "So we need this brimless helmet."

Shire pointed the dinner knife at Dominic: "And make it as lightweight as possible, possibly at the cost of some protection, while enhancing the elasticity of the lining and the durability of the neck strap."

Lightweight construction reduces the paratroopers’ load, critical for those relying primarily on foot movement.

Increasing the lining and strap improves protection and prevents detachment.

As for protection against bullets and shrapnel, paratroopers typically engage in close combat with the enemy without fortifications, making it less of a priority.

(The two images above compare the French "spectra tap" paratrooper helmet and the Adrian helmet; the helmet rim is removed, and the neck strap is modified to a chin-fastening neck strap.)

Dominic nodded repeatedly: "You’ve thought this through thoroughly, General, something I hadn’t considered."

"You hadn’t considered?" Shire paused his meat-cutting, looking towards Dominic: "What do you mean?"

Dominic smiled and counter-questioned: "For your paratrooper unit, I thought the primary issue would be the rifles?"