The Rise of the Third Reich

Zengo Yoshida was a mentally disturbed person - when he was the commander of the Combined Fleet, his subordinate staffs had a consensus on this. Moreover, he is not a popular commander. He is too picky, likes to get involved in trivial matters, is not at ease with anything, and often scolds the staff around him for trivial matters. Such a person could actually become a minister after becoming a commander, and this was at a time when the situation was extremely complicated.

Unlike the army, which can barely come up with a unified opinion, the current Japanese navy, under the leadership of this mentally unstable minister, cannot reach an agreement at all.

Of course, the debate within the Navy is also related to the "Anglo-American phobia" that has always existed in the Navy. Unlike those army chiefs who did not have any good weapons in their hands but were fearless, most Japanese naval officers were knowledgeable people who knew the situation of Britain and the United States very well.

Moreover, the navy's combat methods are different from those of the army. The army can still win by risking human life - at least in the eyes of the Japanese army, it is possible. The navy cannot fight without aircraft and warships. The number of aircraft and warships will directly determine the strength of the sea. The war is won or lost.

And manufacturing aircraft and warships is inseparable from strong industrial strength! Therefore, the soldiers of the Japanese Army can ignore how much steel, ships, oil and aluminum the United Kingdom and the United States have, but the officers of the Navy cannot ignore these.

Therefore, the naval leaders of the Japanese Empire, who were at an absolute disadvantage in terms of national power, had never thought of taking the initiative to go to war with Britain and the United States. Even their combat plans against the imaginary enemy the United States were defensive in nature. For example, the famous "nine-stage combat" and "gradual attack" are both defensive plans.

However, anyone who knows something about the navy knows that relying on the "nine-stage combat" and "gradual attack" tactics (the two plans are actually the same thing, that is, when the U.S. fleet begins to pounce on Japan, it will be carried out step by step. Resistance weakens the U.S. fleet and puts the main fleet in the final decisive battle) There is no way to defeat the United States. Because in a fleet decisive battle with an opponent of the U.S. Navy's level, you cannot imagine a "big lead". If it is just an exchange ratio of "kill ten thousand enemies and lose thousands of yourself", with the United States being dozens of times more powerful than Japan, With its industrial strength, as long as we fight a few more times, Japan will always lose.

So the mainstream of the Japanese navy. Regardless of whether they are the "treaty faction", the "fleet faction" or the "aircraft carrier faction", they are all "pacifists" who oppose an alliance with Germany. Only some young people, such as the Director of the Naval Military Affairs Bureau, Oka Keichun, and the Military Affairs Bureau's lecturer Kamizhongori, insisted that an alliance with Germany should be formed.

However, the fact that the mainstream faction of the Japanese navy does not support war with Britain and the United States does not mean that they support the westward and northward march. Because the navy is not needed to move westward and northward, if Japan takes this as a national policy, then it should not engage in the "03 Ship Replenishment Plan", but should use its limited financial resources to expand the army.

Therefore, it is impossible for the Japanese Navy to reach any agreement before this meeting of the Five Prime Ministers, and they can get the opinions of the Imperial Majesty.

But since Yoshida is now the Minister of the Navy, he cannot pretend to be deaf and dumb at the imperial meeting and always say something.

"Your Majesty, the Navy believes," Zengo Yoshida said with a grimace, "that the current world situation is very uncertain. Our empire should act with caution and focus on accumulating national strength first, and must not act rashly. Going south will definitely be hostile to Britain and the United States, unless Britain and France are in Europe. Defeat, otherwise our empire has no chance of winning. If Britain and France are defeated, our empire should decisively implement the southward policy. Therefore, its naval strength still needs to be strengthened.

Although it is not necessary to be enemies of the British and American powers when marching north and west, the army is insufficiently prepared for combat and cannot win in one blow, and is very likely to fall into a protracted situation. Moreover, the industrial raw materials of our empire, except oil and rubber, all need to be imported from the northwest. If a war cannot be won quickly, how can the industry of our empire be maintained? If Britain and the United States sincerely support our empire's westward and northward expansion, they should help the empire obtain sufficient markets for raw materials. "

Although the navy represented by Yoshida could not come up with an idea, they could find out what was wrong with moving south, north, and west. It is impossible to defeat them by going south, but it is easy to fight a protracted war by going north and west.

Emperor Hirohito already understood what the navy meant: the navy's military expenditures must not be reduced, because the possibility of going south still exists.

The emperor shook his head slightly. The opinions of the Minister of War and the Minister of Navy were completely different. He looked at Prime Minister Abe Nobuyuki again. Abe's whole face was wrinkled, and he spoke carefully: "If it is the national policy to go south, we must reach an agreement with the Soviet Union to ensure that the lifeline of the empire is safe. If it is the national policy to go west and north... …Then our empire should fight side by side and form an alliance with Britain, France, the United States and other countries, and Britain, France, the United States and other countries must also provide our empire with full assistance.”

He is the Prime Minister after all! Hirohito nodded, and Nobuyuki Abe had some clues - Japan is going west and north to conflict with the Soviet Union, so whose side is Britain, the United States and France on? Neutrality is not enough, an alliance must be formed, and how much benefit the Empire of Japan will share after victory must be agreed upon first.

Things like that in Qingdao can never happen again!

…

When Japan's meeting of the five imperial ministers was held, German Ambassador Taudemann had already arrived at the embassy and was handing a large package of documents and photos to Eugene Ott, the military attache at the embassy in Japan. This is top-secret information that the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent to the Consulate General in Vladivostok. Taudman brought it back when he went to Vladivostok.

"Eugene, this is top-secret information on the 'Scapa Flow Air Raid' and 'Operation Scharnhorst'. There are photos and descriptions of the combat process, as well as plans drawn up before the war." Taudman said, "I believe it will satisfy our friends."

Eugene Ott opened the document bag and pulled out several photos of the "Scapa Flow Air Raid". He looked at it and said, "Yes, yes, yes, that's it! Photos of the aircraft carrier and battleship that were sunk... Major General Oka and Major General Ishihara will definitely be satisfied.”

Rear Admiral Oka is the leader of the pro-German faction of the Japanese Navy, Oka Keichun.

Major General Ishihara is Kanji Ishihara, the first director of the Japanese Army General Staff Headquarters. He was a confidant of Nagata Tetsuzan, the leader of the ruling faction who was hacked to death before the "2.26 Incident" (August 1935). He was instrumental in suppressing the "2.26 Incident". "With meritorious service, he was promoted to major general and served as the head of the 1st Department of the General Staff Headquarters (in charge of operations and mobilization).

Moreover, this Ishihara was very creative and was considered to be the most intelligent "genius staff officer" of the Japanese Army after Nagata Tetsuzan. He was very influential in the Japanese Army General Staff Headquarters.

After the outbreak of the world war, most of the influential officers in the army and navy have expressed their pro-Germany or not. Only Ishihara Wanji did not express any opinions, but asked the German Embassy to provide information on important battles. For research by the Japanese Army General Staff Headquarters.

Ishihara Kanji had already obtained the information about the Polish campaign before, and now Colonel Eugene Otto sent him and Oka Keichun relevant information about the "Battle of Scapa Flow" and "Operation Scharnhorst".

"The effect of aircraft bombing is amazing!" Ishihara Kanji looked at the photos one by one and kept commenting, "Ah, it seems that there is no need to discuss the navy's 'battleship faction' and 'aircraft carrier faction' anymore. "

Oka Kejun, a former submarine commander, is now at Kanji Ishihara's home. He was also very surprised that the "Operation Scharnhorst" failed: "The 10 submarines did not sink the Hood. They already hit it." 2 rounds... If it were replaced by our Type 93 torpedo, the Hood would be doomed. "

"It's a bit of a pity," said Eugene Ott, "but the final victory undoubtedly belongs to the German Empire!"

"If the United States did not participate in the war, Germany would have won." Ishihara said lightly.

"Ishihara-kun, the United States is not that scary!" Oka Kejun shook his head and said, "If the '03 Ship Supplement Plan' is completed, the Navy will have 8 large aircraft carriers and 14 powerful battleships, enough to defeat the U.S. Navy's Pacific Fleet!"

"The Americans also have their own naval expansion plan," Ishihara smiled, still shaking his head, "It's not enough in terms of military strength."

Eugene Otto interjected: "General Ishihara, what if we add 4 Soviet-class battleships, 4 Veneto-class battleships, 2 Bismarck-class battleships and another 4 more powerful battleships than the Bismarck-class?"

"United with the Soviet Union?" Ishihara Wanji looked up at Eugene Otto, "Then the whole world will attack the United States together!"

No matter how powerful the United States was in 1940, it couldn't help but beat the whole world together! In terms of battleships, there are 18 cutting-edge battleships under construction in the four countries of the Soviet Union, Germany, Japan and Italy, which is enough to fight against the United States.

"Ishihara-kun, you Japan will definitely join, right?" Eugene Otto asked.

"Yes, we in Japan will definitely join!" Oka Keichun stared at Ishihara. Although Ishihara is not a good person, he is after all the leader of the Tōtō faction. The Tōtō faction has expanded greatly after the collapse of the Kodo faction. The key figures in the Japanese army are all members of the Tōtō faction. Moreover, those who really call the shots in the ruling faction are not some elderly old men, but middle-level people like Ishihara Kanji - these people actually control the army's combat troops, and they rely on them for suppression or incitement.

This kind of real power may not have existed before the "2.26 Incident", but after the "2.26 Incident", the generals of the army and navy, as well as Japanese politicians and even the emperor himself began to be afraid of "**** ideas" in the military. Therefore, we can only double down on and rely on these repressive officers who occupy the middle level. This is how the era in which the so-called "Colonel", "Lieutenant Colonel" and "Major Colonel" had the final say emerged.

........

The "2.26 Incident" was actually a failed social revolution. It was a revolution instigated by a group of lower-level officers who were dissatisfied with the current situation of Japanese society at the time. It had the nature of a national socialist revolution, but the Japanese upper class regarded it as ****.