Iron Cross

The good days of the Navy have finally come. After experiencing hope, loss, hesitation and helplessness, the old and strong Marshal Redel finally waited for a turning point.

At the strategy meeting, the head of state resisted Goering's pressure and not only approved the renewal of the Zeppelin aircraft carrier but also authorized the navy to establish an independent aviation force. Although only 400 aircraft were proposed and all the core senior leaders were transferred from the air force. , but the old marshal believes that this is only the beginning. As long as the navy quickly demonstrates capabilities that meet expectations, the head of state will not skimp on aircraft and personnel, and the aircraft carrier will never be limited to the Zeppelin. Göring was labeled as the leader of the treasonous group, and the old Marshal was the first to stand up and cheer for the Führer and express his support, because no one suffered as much from Göring as he did regarding the aircraft issue.

There have been rumors that the head of state was dissatisfied with the old marshal who advocated enriching the surface fleet. He was once planning to abolish all shipbuilding tasks and turn to submarines. He was even preparing to make Dönitz his successor. But judging from the current situation, this It is obviously nonsense: the Air Force was ordered to deploy 500,000 excess personnel to support the Army. Marshal Keitel of the High Command originally wanted to do the same in the naval field, but was explicitly blocked by the head of state. The significance behind this news is far greater than a few ships. The progress of ship recovery is even more exciting. Although the president's insistence on canceling the eight 150MM naval guns on the aircraft carrier made the conservatives a little uncomfortable, Raeder is not a person who clings to the past. The results on the Pacific battlefield clearly show that it is useless to install large-caliber naval guns on the aircraft carrier. Besides, the 150MM caliber naval gun is at best the firepower of a destroyer (the destroyers of the Third Reich emphasized single-ship firepower. The 3,000-ton Z-series destroyer naval guns all use 150MM caliber, while the British and American destroyer naval guns of the same level are usually 127MM or 105MM. ), it may have some use against merchant ships, but if the aircraft carrier is used to deal with merchant ships, Redel feels that it is too cheap. What's even more terrible is that the head of state ordered that the overall construction of the Zeppelin be completed within half a year. The eight 150MM naval guns have not been produced yet, so naturally they cannot catch up.

In addition, some people within the Navy have suggested that since the construction of the Zeppelin aircraft carrier can continue, whether the heavy cruiser "Seydlitz" (Prince Eugen class), which has been nearly 95% completed, can continue to be built as planned Completed, not as rotten as it is currently in the shipyard ready to be converted into an aircraft carrier. Regarding this point, the old marshal was not confident enough. Theoretically, Seydlitz could be put into service as long as it was equipped with an aircraft catapult, radar and some fire control devices. However, judging from the head of state's early plans, this heavy cruiser was scheduled to be transformed into a In addition to this transformation task, the auxiliary aircraft carrier "Weser" also has the conversion of the merchant ship "Europa" into the No. 1 auxiliary aircraft carrier and the conversion of the French light cruiser De Grasse, which Germany had captured earlier, into the No. 1 auxiliary aircraft carrier. Two important tasks on the 2nd. It seems that in the minds of the heads of state, the construction of aircraft carriers is the overriding priority.

Therefore, on the way to the Prime Minister's Office, the old marshal, who was not good at words, thought over and over again how to speak when he met the head of state, and what kind of words to use to fully express his wishes without arousing the resentment of the head of state - he had heard that Well, the head of state has been in a bad mood recently and is very angry about the treasonous group.

Hoffman seemed a little surprised by Raeder's sudden visit. For the past two days, he had been concentrating on taking stock of the Third Reich's overly large weapons development plan, and could not take care of the navy for the time being. After hearing the purpose, he frowned at first, and then laughed dumbly. Redel was unsure of Hoffman's attitude, and his uneasy mood fluctuated as Hoffman's expression changed. He didn't even have time to pay attention to Mrs. Jung's carefully prepared coffee.

"Dear Marshal, this is really ridiculous..." Hoffman waved his hands and said, he was now fully equipped with the style of the Führer, "The Seydlitz was completed as soon as possible according to the original design as a heavy cruiser, instead of preparing for a ridiculous modification. Only the rigid-minded OKM (High Command of the Navy) Design Bureau can think of dismantling and rebuilding a basically completed heavy cruiser for an aircraft carrier.”

Redel was overjoyed, and all the tension he had felt just now disappeared. It didn't matter if the head of state scolded OKM, as long as he agreed to his plan.

"I will order Speer to include Seydlitz in the priority plan, requiring all outfitting to be completed within one month, and combat effectiveness to be established within three months, by the way." Hoffman seemed to have remembered something, and added, " If possible, it is recommended to improve the fuel capacity and boiler system of Seydlitz to make them more reliable - I have had enough of Prince Eugen's power cabin that has frequent accidents, and I don't want to do it on Seydlitz. Make the same mistake again. If it hadn't been for the sudden accident of Prince Eugen last time, the Bismarck would have had an extra escort ship, and the British would never have sunk it so easily. "

Redl originally came here with the attitude of trying his luck, but he did not expect that the answer he got from the head of state was better than expected - not only was Seydlitz given the highest priority, but he could also use this to optimize the power system. , with this directive, he believed that Speer would provide enough materials and personnel to complete the project, and there would be no problem at all in serving within three months.

Hoffman originally wanted to delay the strategic arrangements for the Navy for a while, but since Redl was here, he continued on the topic, "I heard that the Navy is still continuing the design of the H-class battleship, and the plan has been changed from H -40A, H-40B have been developed to H-41, H-42?”

"Indeed." Raeder nodded. "OKM is based on the lessons learned from the sinking of the Bismarck by British aircraft, and taking into account the changes in the strength of the United States in the war, the anti-aircraft firepower has been strengthened in the design while increasing the tonnage. We call the new design H-43, and only one-third of the design has been completed so far."

"The development of all battleships and their subsequent designs will be stopped." Hoffman said word by word, "The experience of the Bismarck and the actions taken by the Japanese at Pearl Harbor have clearly told us that in the face of the enemy's overwhelming air power, battleships have no future. Germany will no longer need battleships in the future."

Has the Führer changed his character? Isn't he a loyal fan of big ships and cannons? Why has his interest shifted to aircraft carriers so quickly? Raeder opened his mouth and instinctively wanted to argue a few words, but suddenly found that it was a futile act.

"Aircraft carriers must be built. It is not a pity that the Peter Strasser was dismantled. Compared with the use of aircraft carriers of the same level in the United States and Japan, the aircraft carrying capacity of the Count Zeppelin has always been relatively small, which is also an area that must be improved. The ideal aircraft carrier in my mind should be a battleship with a displacement of about 40,000 tons, more than 80 aircraft, a speed of 33 knots, and certain armor and survivability. In addition, cruisers and destroyers should be redesigned. They should be important members of the aircraft carrier formation. The focus should be on air and anti-submarine defense. In my opinion, the anti-sea attack force is already excessive. I hope that the Navy Design Bureau can focus on this."

"Führer, do you mean that the Navy can build new surface ships?" The old marshal couldn't suppress his joyful look, his eyes sparkled, and even the corners of his mouth began to curl up.

"Build! Why not build?" Hoffman's expression was firm. "The army alone cannot win the war. Can the armored division swim across the English Channel by itself? Submarines must be built, and surface ships are also indispensable."

It was originally a fruitful harvest, but Hoffman's last sentence made the old marshal a little suspicious: "After a while, I will inspect the navy and discuss and adjust the next stage of combat strategies. I hope you and General Dönitz can make corresponding preparations."

What does this mean? When shaking hands with Hoffman and saying goodbye, the old marshal's heart began to churn: the head of state clearly knew the weaknesses of the Prince Eugen-class power system, and his instructions on replacing boilers and strengthening the power system were very appropriate. He also made a sharp conclusion that aircraft carriers did not need large-caliber naval guns and frozen the subsequent design of battleships. This shows that he is not a layman in the navy. Thinking of the story that has been circulating inside the headquarters, Raeder is now worried. The head of state has served as the commander-in-chief of both the army and the air force. Isn't he going to serve as the commander-in-chief of the navy next?

He had a lot on his mind when he came here, and he still had a lot on his mind when he left. Redel didn't even know how he walked out of the door of the Chancellery...