Iron Cross

The third drawing is the German version of the Japanese Yunlong-class aircraft carrier. The original design displacement is 17,500 tons, but it uses an open bow. The German Naval Design Bureau plans to change it to an Atlantic bow. The rest of the internal design is generally based on it, and Some structures were reasonably reinforced according to the designer's requirements (Germans always felt that Japanese ships were not strong enough). These two changes directly increased the displacement by 3,500 tons. Due to the modification of the ship's bow, the number of carrier-based aircraft in the German version will be reduced. Under the premise that the displacement has increased to 21,000 tons, an increase of 20%, it is expected that the carrier-based aircraft will still only have 49 regular aircraft + 6 reserve aircraft (Japan's is 57 + 8 ).

Hoffman spoke: "I am considering building four medium-sized aircraft carriers, two in the North Sea direction, and two in the Mediterranean and Indian Ocean directions. As for the construction period, I hope the completion time will be 20 months, and no more than 24 months at the latest. "

"How much does one cost?" Reidel asked nervously.

"100 million."

“Do the Italians pay for it?”

Speer shook his head: "If we don't pay, we will even have to pay for the renovation and expansion of some facilities in the Italian shipyard. In total, you can calculate it at 420 million."

It takes two years to complete, which means another 210 million yuan is lost every year...

"It is required to start the construction project sequentially from March, with one ship per month, starting locally in March and April, starting the construction project of the Strasser in May, and starting construction after the Italian shipyard completes the infrastructure in March." Hoffman agreed. He said, "This is the core warship that affects whether the empire can win in the end. It must be completed. The required materials and labor will be dispatched by Speer. The crew can be trained from now on."

When the fourth design drawing appeared, everyone gasped. There were dozens of anti-aircraft guns densely arranged on it.

"Gentlemen, this is a new type of destroyer that I helped design. I call it the Hedgehog class..." Hoffman said with a smile.

"Ha!" The crowd roared with laughter. The head of state's witticism was too vivid: Are the anti-aircraft artillery clusters above like a hedgehog with all the spines on its back? It makes people’s scalps tingle just by looking at it.

"Japan has built the Akizuki-class air defense destroyer, which is barely satisfactory in terms of air defense performance, but the head of state hopes that we will go further and personally propose an artillery design concept for close-range air defense." Schubert changed a new picture , the shape above is very unique, and the cross-section view looks densely packed like a honeycomb, which is very stressful for people with trypophobia.

"I call this type of anti-aircraft gun Phalanx. It is a carrier-based version developed based on the Mauser company's rotating MG213 aviation cannon. Although it has not been completely successful in being installed on aircraft, due to the size and weight of the carrier-based version, It can be enlarged, so the technical application is not as limited as that of aviation machine guns, and the barrel can be longer. Consider combining the G213 together as a Phalanx turret, driven by electricity, and the rate of fire of a single door is expected to be as high as 1400-1500 rounds per minute. , the muzzle velocity is expected to be 1050 meters/second, and the combination is enough to create a metal storm..."

"This destroyer focuses on anti-aircraft firepower. The long-range air defense is a total of 12 88mm high-level dual-purpose guns installed in 6 three groups of twins. The medium-range air defense is up to 1 Bofors high group. The short-range is developed by 12 heads of state. Phalanx, as for the torpedo tubes, it was originally considered to cancel, but it was finally decided to retain 2 torpedo tubes per ship," Schubert explained, "The 88mm anti-aircraft guns will be commanded by radar for long-range air defense, while all medium and short-range air defense will use dense bombs. Curtain kill—when dive bombers forcefully dive down, how many can withstand such intense firepower?”

"There is also a very good innovation. The Air Force Armaments Department has developed a radio proximity fuze and is undergoing final testing before final acceptance. If everything goes well, the new fuze will be available in July. Of course, it can only be inserted into 88mm artillery shells at the moment. , But even this is enough for the enemy bombers to enjoy it. "Whether proximity fuses, Phalanx or radar fire control are new ideas proposed by Hoffman based on the current situation, the Air Force can't wait for it - if it is carrier-based. If air defense is effective, ground air defense towers will be more confident in dealing with heavy bombers.

"The anti-submarine performance of this warship is also outstanding. We will install the latest sea search radar, sonar and hydrophone - these have been tested on other ships and found that the efficiency of our U-boats has increased by 5-7 "

After hearing Schubert's introduction, everyone immediately turned to look at Dönitz. He showed an awkward smile: "This... the last time we used the old model submarine, the new model will not be like this."

Redl understood that this was an out-and-out anti-aircraft and anti-submarine destroyer. Although the standard displacement was 3,200 tons, it had almost no tonnage for traditional fleet engagements and breaking engagements. It was completely used in conjunction with aircraft carrier formations. The 88mm caliber was high and flat. Dual-purpose artillery can't even keep up with the firepower of some 10,000-ton freighters. At least everyone has begun to equip them with 105mm artillery.

"The head of state requires that at least 24 new destroyers be built, and it is initially planned to start construction on both sides at the same time." Weiser said, "Of which 14 will be built in Germany and 10 will be built in Italy. The Z-class destroyers currently on the slipway will be changed to If the new design cannot be changed, it will be built as much as possible according to the design. Regardless of whether the Z-class is modified or not, the number of 24 ships will remain unchanged. The construction period of a single ship is not more than 15 months, and the entire construction project should be completed within 3 years. As for the price... …”

Reidel's heart skipped a beat and he quickly asked: "How much?"

"Estimated to be 40 million marks a piece."

Redel felt like he was about to pass out. This batch of destroyers alone cost 960 million marks. Evenly divided over three years, it would cost 320 million a year. What he didn't know was that Hoffman actually proposed an enlarged version of the Hedgehog class - the development of a 5,500-ton light cruiser. However, neither the design nor the slipway could support it, so it had to be postponed.

Finally, we talked about submarines. Since the VII-class submarines have entered the most mature construction period, the price has been reduced to about 8 million marks. The construction price of the slightly larger IX-class submarines is about 11 million marks. This is one of the few in Germany. , the price is lower than the world level of naval equipment. But what Redl saw from the design drawings was obviously not the VII or IX class. It was a brand new submarine design. Compared with the past, the streamlined appearance of the new submarine was simpler, which was conducive to reducing submarine resistance. It is known from the data that it can carry 23 torpedoes or a combination of 17 torpedoes and 12 mines. There are 6 torpedo launchers on the bow, and the firepower level is not low.

"The design is planned to be Class XXI. It improves the old battery capacity and can reach 3 times that of Type VIIC, increasing the underwater range and shortening the time required to surface. The biggest advantage of this class is that it only takes 5 hours The snorkel can be continuously submerged for 2-3 days at a speed of 5 knots without recharging. It has superb concealment characteristics and is difficult to be tracked and destroyed. Its maximum speed on the water exceeds 16 knots, which is higher than that of other types. It can be used as a transport ship or merchant ship with a range of up to 15,000 nautical miles and can be used in global battlefields. "Dönitz is very familiar with various features. "The ship also has a special hydraulic torpedo system, which can shorten the time of assembling torpedoes, which is enough to be used on the battlefield. It launches 18 torpedoes in 20 minutes. The effect will be better if it is combined with the newly developed G9 oxygen torpedo (the German improved version of the 93 torpedo). It also has the most advanced sonar system at present, which does not require a periscope when launching torpedoes. Being able to aim greatly increases concealment.”

Hoffman was even more aware of the advantages of the XXI class than Dönitz. Historically, this submarine was known as the best submarine of the Third Reich, but the construction process was delayed for two reasons and did not play a greater role. First, the construction of new submarines was delayed in order to make up for the large number of submarine losses that began in the spring of 1943; second, due to the intensification of British and American bombing, Dönitz was forced to adopt a process of segmented construction and reassembly. The level of each factory was different, and the components were often There were problems that could not be assembled and needed to be corrected, which delayed the construction time.

But now the "super secret" has been destroyed in advance. Germany strictly follows the 6-9 month code change regulations. The United Kingdom and the United States cannot take advantage through code deciphering and can only rely on radar, sonar and escort carrier systems to improve anti-submarine capabilities. The U-boat loss rate The increase is certain, but it will not result in a sharp increase in history. At the same time, British and American air strikes have been initially curbed. They are not as free as they were in history. The level and efficiency of each manufacturing plant are also stronger than in history.

"What's the price?"

"One piece costs about 19 million marks, and large-scale construction can reduce it to less than 16 million."

Redel was very nervous. He didn't know how much Dönitz wanted. If he asked for 100 pieces, he would lose 2 billion.

But the head of state did not mention the quantity, and only asked: "I am very concerned about the start time. In addition, I think the remaining 20mm anti-aircraft gun can also be cancelled-fighting aircraft is not the task of submarines, you should count on aviation battleships."

"Yes, Head of State. I expect it to be finalized in July and then put into production. The construction time of a single line is estimated to be 50-60 days, and we can start 15-18 lines at the same time."

"Very good. Production of new models must start in August, and all other models will be stopped. We will strive to increase the level of simultaneous production to more than 25. The time can be slowed down a bit, but the quality must be guaranteed."

Dönitz was a little worried: "I'm afraid this won't work. The construction speed of new submarines is relatively slow. If all other models are basically stopped, the number of fleets will not be able to make up in the second half of the year. After all, our combat scope has expanded to the Indian Ocean, and the scale gap is huge... "

“Quantity is certainly an issue, but I’ve found a better solution.”

"What is it?" Dönitz was as confused as everyone else. Could it be that the head of state could also transform into a submarine?