The Third Reich: The Return of the King

Model was not as optimistic as his subordinates.

To go from North America to South America, the most convenient way is definitely to go by sea.

And if they want to fight across the sea, they need the assistance of the navy.

Considering the size of their troops, such a military operation requires the mobilization of a large number of transport ships, and a large amount of supplies need to be prepared in advance. Otherwise, even if the troops successfully land, without the subsequent replenishment of various weapons, ammunition, food, daily necessities and other supplies, they will soon lose their combat effectiveness.

At that time, let alone conquering the enemy, they themselves may become the military exploits of others.

Therefore, they cannot set out until the navy is ready.

“Go and talk to the North American Chamber of Commerce to see if we can rent their ships to help us transport supplies. In addition, let the soldiers strengthen their maritime training so that they won’t get seasick when fighting across the sea!”

Although we can’t attack directly for the time being, preparations can be made in advance.

Model had previous combat experience in landing in North America, so this time he knew very well what he should do in advance.

Under his command, the German army in North America began to make intensive preparations.

On the other side, on the Imperial Navy side,

General Nimitz, commander of the First Fleet, had already left the Azores with his fleet and began to sail towards the North American continent.

The Azores played an important role in the previous North American campaign. It is not far from Europe and North America, so it perfectly served as a transit station between the two sides!

A large number of ships departing from Europe stopped here to rest and replenish supplies before continuing their journey to North America.

The Imperial Navy also established a naval base here and stationed A large number of fighters and warships are used to protect the safety of the surrounding waters, escort passing ships, and escort them safely to North America.

Affected by the war, the scale of the fleet heading to North America has become larger and larger, and the number of people has increased, so the ports and military bases in places such as the Azores have also been expanded accordingly.

After the expansion is completed, large ships of more than 80,000 tons can dock here. As for the navy, not only has the port been expanded, but a shipyard has also been built to repair and maintain the navy’s warships.

With these supporting facilities, Dönitz simply dispatched a part of the fleet over, using the Azores as their home port and stationing here all year round.

After all, as an archipelago in the central North Atlantic, the Azores can radiate a much larger area than the empire’s mainland outlets!

So it will If this place is chosen as the home port, if something happens anywhere along the Atlantic coast, the Empire’s fleet can set off immediately and reach its destination in the shortest time!

And this time is no exception.

Taking into account the Empire’s upcoming military operations against South America, the Navy divided the fleet into two.

General Nimitz led the First Fleet westward, preparing to go to Florida in North America, where he would meet up with the Army, and then escort the Army south to land in Venezuela. Venezuela is a friendly country of the Empire, and they have signed a military assistance agreement with the Empire, so the Imperial Army can assemble and attack here.

The other part of the navy, led by General Lütjens, went south along the coast of Africa, preparing to occupy St. Helena Island in the center of the South Atlantic.

This island was where the British exiled Gaul. The place where the legendary emperor Napoleon lived.

The island has a sparse population and a harsh environment. Poor Napoleon eventually died of illness here and was unable to return to his homeland.

After the opening of the Suez Canal, the strategic value of the island declined rapidly. It had been abandoned at this time. The British had disbanded the army on the island a long time ago, and there was no regular army stationed on the island at this time.

However, it is not clear whether the British army left weapons and equipment on the island when they retreated. Considering that there are many indigenous people in the area, the German fleet brought a large number of marines.

Leading the marines to follow Lütjens’ fleet was the commander of the marines, Steiner.

Steiner was once the commander of the Viking Division. During the Empire’s campaign of the Sun Never Sets, the Viking Division was reorganized into the Marine Corps and carried out this operation.

At this time, the Marine Corps already had considerable experience in cross-sea operations. Whether it was the attack on the Sun Never Sets or in the subsequent North American campaign, their performance was remarkable and obvious to all.

Therefore, no one in the military dared to look down on them, and the navy treated this unit as a treasure.

After all, for the navy that cannot go ashore, if they have a marine corps, they can greatly extend their radius of activity and expand their influence and voice within the military!

On the fleet’s flagship Hindenburg aircraft carrier, Steiner ran circles on the deck with his subordinates.

The combat mission of this operation is not heavy, and they probably can’t find any qualified opponents in the southern hemisphere.

So the navy only brought two aircraft carriers, and neither of them was full of fighters.

This is not to say that they are careless and underestimate the enemy, but because the space on the aircraft carrier deck is relatively large, it is more suitable for the marines to move and train on it.

After all, it takes at least ten days to go south from the Azores to St. Helena. For such a long time, if the soldiers are kept in the dull cabin, I am afraid they will be driven crazy.

And if the soldiers do not train for a long time, their combat effectiveness will also degenerate.

Therefore, the Navy decided to clear the space on the aircraft carrier deck and collect the fighters in the hangar. The remaining fighters that could not be loaded were transported by merchant ships. After they landed on St. Helena, they could take off and land directly at the airport on the island.

Considering future operations, they definitely need to have an airport on this island.

Moreover, the area of this airport must be large enough to meet the take-off and landing requirements of strategic bombers and large transport aircraft.

After the fleet occupied St. Helena, the Marines would leave some people on the island and recruit the islanders to help build ports, airports and houses. The remaining troops followed the fleet and prepared to go around the coastline of Samba first.

If Samba’s coastal defense is relatively empty, they don’t mind giving the other side a surprise, so that they can experience the feeling of having an enemy coming from the sea!

Of course, if the other side’s defense is strict and they can’t find an opportunity, then they will give up the landing operation and use aircraft and naval guns to bomb.