Bismarck

"Report to the captain, we have been spotted by a British reconnaissance plane!" Because the sky was cloudless, the British fighter plane was also seen by the sailors at the same time as the battleship was discovered.

"In this case, the captain's goal has been achieved." Bismarck smiled at Hyde, and then said to the soldier, "Just fire a few shots at it to drive it away, and let it go."

"Yes!"

"We're finally exposed." Hyde breathed a sigh of relief. "I was afraid that if the British didn't find us, we might move closer to their place."

"That's fine. After all, the Führer is on board. We can't take risks. It's best if they find us."

"What happened?" Hitler came over.

"Report to the Führer, a British reconnaissance plane just flew over, it's nothing serious." Bismarck said with a smile.

"Have we been discovered?" Hitler asked.

"Yes." Hyde nodded.

"But don't worry, Führer. This is part of our plan," Bismarck explained.

"what's the plan."

"We are now in the waters close to Germany, very safe, and there is no danger of being attacked." Bismarck assured first, "Our plan is to reveal my whereabouts to the British, pin down their Hood and at least one aircraft carrier, and reduce the pressure on the captain and his men to break out. Because as long as the British know that I am out to sea, they will not dare to act rashly, and there must be a warship stationed on the mainland. This warship is most likely the Hood, and as long as she does not intercept, I think there will be basically no problem in breaking out."

"Is it possible that Hood will catch up?" Hitler asked.

"That's impossible. We are very far away from the British mainland. She can't catch up with us. The best she can do is defend. So we just need to head north now."

Hitler nodded.

"How long will it take us to reach Leningrad?" he asked.

"At this rate, we will arrive on November 11 in another seven days."

"Then I will tell the captain this news first, Führer. I will take my leave now."

"Go and do your work."

Hyde withdrew.

"The weather is getting colder and colder, and it's only October." Hitler said with some emotion as he looked at his position on the nautical chart.

"As we go further north, it will definitely get colder. It will probably be very cold when we reach the Soviet Union. Führer, you should bring enough clothes." Bismarck joked with a smile.

"Haha, it's okay. I have enough clothes. People say that winters in the Soviet Union are very cold. Let me go and experience it too." Hitler said energetically.

"It is said that even the fuel will freeze in the coldest weather. If we go further north, we will have to turn on the air conditioner on my ship. By the way, how do you feel, Miss Eva? How about I turn on the heating in your room first? The weather is getting colder..."

"No need." Hitler waved his hand and refused. "No need to take special care of us, just do what you need to do. Eva and I are not that fragile."

"All right then." Bismarck did not insist.

"By the way, I recently wanted to read a book on your naval strategy. Your ship's library should have it. Bring me a few books later." Hitler said after a moment of hesitation.

"Yes, there are a lot. The captain also reads them when he has nothing to do. I'll get a few books for you," said Bismarck.

Since there was no one else in the chart room and Bismarck was too lazy to walk over on his own, a few books suddenly swallowed up from the bulkhead behind Lütjens's bookshelf, then followed the pipes and other places to the chart room and emerged from the floor.

"This is really convenient." Hitler couldn't help laughing as he watched Bismarck squatting down to pick up a pile of books.

"Hehe, actually I'm just being lazy." Bismarck touched his head and said embarrassedly.

"Tell Lütjens that I've taken these books over to read for the time being." Hitler took them and put some padding on them and said.

"In fact, I can give these books to the Führer on behalf of the Captain."

As expected, Hitler shook his head again.

"I'm leaving, you work hard."

"Yes!"

"By the way, you can go talk to Eva when you have time. She's pretty bored too."

"Yes!"

--

During the day in the waters north of Iceland, the German two-ship formation, which had exposed its tracks, was surrounded and intercepted by British air forces. Fortunately, there was an aircraft carrier. The highly skilled Zeppelin used carrier-based aircraft to repel a group of British bombers, and immediately sent out JU87 to bomb two patrolling British cruisers before sunset, causing heavy damage to the two cruisers.

It was originally thought that the interception fleet would basically end here for the day, but what was unexpected was that after dark, Tirpitz, who was walking in the front, discovered that there were two British battleships defending the entrance to the Denmark Strait.

Night battles are obviously more powerful for ship girls. Ordinary battleships can hardly exert their full firepower at night, and their accuracy is greatly reduced.

However, considering that there were two battleships on the opposite side, and Zeppelin did not have decent artillery, and aircraft could not be deployed at night, Lütjens felt that it would be better to retreat first for safety reasons.

"Tirpitz and I will cover your evacuation!" Lindemann reported to Lütjens through the grape.

"How is Tirpitz's artillery? Is there any problem at night?" Lütjens asked. It's not that he doesn't believe in the strength of the ship girl, but this girl is too lazy. Compared with her sister...

"No problem. I have been training her since Newcastle. She has improved a lot. Don't worry." Lindeman made the promise while saying to Tizi, "You have to show some strength this time. Don't be confused! Otherwise, I will spank you."

"Oh, Lindeman, don't worry, I'm working very hard too!" Perhaps because she was an older sister, Grape seemed to be more motivated - although she was only cautious.

"Fire!"

"I will protect you all!"

Tirpitz stopped between the British battleships and Zeppelin and opened fire first.

The other side fought back without showing any weakness.

In the fierce exchange of fire, a 380mm shell directly collapsed the bow of the Renown, blowing it into pieces. Before the British could react, the rain of bullets had already enveloped the Renown in various tall water columns.

Rear Admiral Holland, commander of the British battle fleet, was shocked that Tirpitz could perform so well in a night battle. He gritted his teeth and sent the King George V to the front to replace the Reputation, which had been hit by two main shells and was broken at the beginning of the battle. At the same time, he called Vice Admiral Sommerville, commander of the British fast mobile fleet on the two aircraft carriers further behind, reporting that the enemy's firepower was too fierce and asked Sommerville to make tactical preparations in advance...

Of course, we can only go earlier, it’s still dark now...

ps: I'm so sleepy...good night

Chapter 193: Fireside Chat

It took only one day for the blizzard that Lütjens, Tizier and Zeppelin encountered on Jan Mayen Island to reach the Bismarck on the North Sea.

Lead-gray clouds, accompanied by a biting cold wind, scattered large snowflakes that danced in the wind.

The temperature dropped instantly, and the originally refreshing sea breeze became howling.

At noon on the day when Bismarck went to sea, the weather suddenly changed. Heavy snow fell outside. Overnight, the entire deck was covered with white snow. The glass of the optical equipment was also frosted, and even the weapons and radar facilities were covered with icicles...

The ice on some outdoor cables was even as thick as eggs...

In order to ensure the normal development of work and the safety of equipment and personnel, the entire ship began snow removal operations the next morning.

The sailors wore anti-slip shoe covers, tied safety ropes, and took small hammers, shovels and pickaxes to start knocking the ice. Some sailors even played with the snow on the deck. Even Bismarck, who still had a childlike heart, couldn't help but run to the deck to play by himself...

Well, she is a ship girl after all, and she has fully utilized her cold-resistant physique to the fullest.

But after all, not everyone is not afraid of the cold, and some people hid in the cabin cursing...

The temperature dropped overnight and the weather changed suddenly. It was even a little cold inside the cabin. Although the air conditioner was on, it was on a warship after all. It could not be compared with the facilities on a cruise ship. It could only reduce the coldness a little.

Besides, the sea is damp and cold... Even if a Bismarck personally grabbed some onions, ginger, and brown sugar and ran to the kitchen to ask the quartermaster to make a big pot of ginger soup for everyone, it only slightly drove away some of the cold.

This was the case for all the strong sailors, not to mention others. Just one night, Eva caught a cold.

For the sake of the Führer's health, even though Hitler said he wanted to be treated like the crew, Bismarck and Hyde still insisted on placing a heater in his room as an additional source of heat.

Some people in the delegation saw that there was a fireplace in the Führer's room, and some of them, who were on good terms with him, came to visit, such as Field Marshal Keitel...

"Bismarck, come here, let's sit and chat." Seeing that it was Bismarck, Marshal Keitel acted familiarly and smiled as he invited Bismarck to sit down.

Come to think of it, I met him once at the French surrender ceremony. I admire this smart and capable "secretary from Berlin University" under Lutjens.

"Um, I came to see Miss Eva, and I came to give her some medicine and ginger soup."

"Miss Eva is resting. The Führer is inside, but will be out soon. Please sit for a while."

Of course I know Eva has fallen asleep... Bismarck complained, but seeing Keitel's enthusiastic look, she still put the thermos on the table, and then sat down beside him holding the medicine bottle.

The sofas were placed in a circle next to the fireplace. Keitel placed his hands on them, feeling the heat, with a look of satisfaction on his face.

"This damn weather is so cold, and we haven't even reached the Soviet Union yet." Keitel complained while warming himself by the fire.

"It's so cold because there's more moisture in the air at sea. It's just a little better on land," said Bismarck.

"You don't seem to be cold at all. You're still wearing a short skirt. You look really energetic."

Bismarck looked at her summer miniskirt outfit and laughed, "Ah, actually I am wearing thick tights on my legs, so I am actually wearing a lot, but the tights are tight, so you can't see it."

"But you are not afraid of the cold. You were just making snow with the soldiers. Haha." Keitel smiled. "I really envy you. It would be great if all our soldiers had a physique like you."

Bismarck smiled and said nothing, but the fireplace has always been a good place to tell stories. Looking at the flames jumping in the stove, Keitel became interested.

"Come to think of it, although it is because of the sea now, this is the north, and it is an indisputable fact that the winters are cold. And after we arrive in Russia, the winters there will be even colder, right?" Bismarck said.

"Yes, the temperature of dozens of degrees below zero is indeed annoying."

"Low temperatures put a huge strain on the logistics of the military. Think about how French Emperor Napoleon conquered all of Europe, but was defeated by Tsarist Russia because of the horrible low temperatures."

"If it's dozens of degrees below zero, all military equipment will be frozen and destroyed if there is no preparation." Bismarck nodded. This morning, due to the wind and snow that blew all night, her gun barrels were all frozen into ice lumps. Thick ice stuck on various rotating mechanisms and openings, and even directly affected the rotation aiming and use. It looked very embarrassing. If it was those tanks... It is said that even the fuel would be frozen!

"Yeah, what's the point of fighting like this? If the logistics can't keep up, even Napoleon will be——"

"What are you talking about?" After Hitler took care of Eva and put her to sleep, he walked out quietly and closed the door.

Even in the room, the wooden door handle was icy cold. Hitler's hands shivered from the cold, and he quickly blew two breaths on his hands - although the breath turned into ice mist as soon as it came out.

"Führer, this is the medicine that the military doctor gave to Miss Eva. I put it on your table." Bismarck said. "In addition, I also made some brown sugar ginger soup, which can drive away the cold, and it tastes sweet~"

"Oh, thank you." Hitler nodded with a smile, then sat down around the fireplace.

"What were you talking about just now?"

"Marshal Keitel is telling me about the Emperor Napoleon. He is talking about his attack on Russia."

"Napoleon was a great emperor." Hitler became interested. "I usually study his deeds. I admire him very much. Attack Tsarist Russia, and then what?"

"Because of the cold weather there, Napoleon was defeated in the end. I actually wanted to tell Bismarck about the importance of weather in war. After all, it is too difficult to fight a good battle in such an icy place."

Bismarck looked at Keitel strangely. As a marshal, it was impossible for him to come to her and talk to her for no reason, especially in the Führer's room. It was obvious that there was something fishy when he pulled her aside to talk about these things.

Winter, Soviet Union, Napoleon, defeat...

This is obviously what he wanted to say to the Führer.

However, wouldn't the Barbarossa plan be known to the top leaders only after December? Could it be that Keitel was aware of this plan? But considering Keitel's identity: the head of the German headquarters and a close confidant of the mustache, this is possible.

Bismarck nodded in agreement without any expression. Of course, she also wanted Hitler to get to know the cold and icy weather of the Soviet Union and understand the consequences of fighting in such an environment...

"Indeed, as a foreign army, fighting in the snow against a nation that grew up here is a disadvantage in itself." The man with a mustache nodded.

"Today... our battleship's artillery, observation instruments, and even external cables were all frozen. It was difficult to hit them with hammers and pickaxes. Some of the thickly frozen areas had to be burned with gas lamps first... and if we go to Russia, it will probably be even colder there, right?" Bismarck also muttered in unison.

Keitel glanced at Bismarck and continued, "Yes... That was too tragic. With 600,000 troops, less than 30,000 escaped in just one winter..."

Seeing the mustache frowning slightly, Bismarck began to feel a little uncomfortable. He rolled his eyes and said, "It is not easy for Russia to survive in this climate for a long time."

"Yes, yes, yes, that's true! A nation that can survive in this climate, and a big country at that, must have a lot of things worth our study and attention..." Keitel quickly took over the conversation, and at the same time, Bismarck and Keitel glanced at the mustache's face. The mustache didn't say anything, as if... could he still speak out some of his own opinions and ideas?

Keitel suddenly found that the mustache seemed to glance at him, and Keitel was almost completely stunned. However, the mustache nodded and said, "Can anyone tell me the details of Napoleon's defeat?"

Um, it seems I can continue talking...?

"Okay, let me explain...More than half of Napoleon's 600,000-man army are vassal states with low combat effectiveness. Many of these troops are only dragging their feet and can't even guard the rear transportation lines..."

As Keitel spoke, he secretly paid attention to the expression of the mustache man, but the latter seemed to be listening with great interest, so Keitel continued speaking...

"During the Battle of Borodino, Napoleon only had 130,000 troops at his disposal. Later, when he entered Moscow, he had only 100,000 left... But Tsarist Russia boldly abandoned Moscow and burned it down, turning it into an empty city. The 100,000-strong army had no food, no fortifications, and even no houses to live in..." Bismarck could even hear Keitel speaking with a little trepidation, but although the man with a mustache had a serious look on his face, he did not interrupt and listened with great interest... ?

After Keitel finally finished speaking, the mustache man thought for a moment and glanced at Bismarck, but he had no intention of letting Bismarck leave. He said directly to Keitel: "...In other words, Napoleon misjudged Russia's potential, perseverance and tenacity, and the combat effectiveness of the vassal state's army is low. In addition, it is possible to prepare for a large-scale protracted war?"

"Maybe it's more than that. You know, our country's resources and even agriculture are not very rich, especially oil..." Seeing that the mustache man had no intention of objecting, Keitel spoke more freely, "And... our weapons production capacity is not enough, and it has even been slightly reduced recently. But if it is a protracted war and a large-scale war, the output may not be enough..."

Bismarck started to get upset... Wasn't the guy with the mustache discussing Barbarossa right in front of him?

But why... didn't the mustache guy let me out?

And...the guy with a mustache also asked me what I thought?

Hitler...invasion...Three Alls Policy...

Bismarck was so confused that he was shy and panicked. He said something weakly without thinking: "...Can you be nicer to the civilians in the occupied areas?... Hey, what I mean is that if the civilians organize guerrillas, it will cause trouble to the rear transportation lines, right?"

-------Mustache's inner monologue-

Looking at his chief of staff and a certain unscientific existence on the ship he was on, Hitler knew very well what they wanted to do. Perhaps Celt wanted to remind him or something, but the question was, did they already know what he was planning?