Bismarck

Fortunately, the dock at Trincomalee is a proper concrete dock, and even the waterline of the Bismarck docked on the shore cannot be blown up by this suitcase of explosives...

Except for the sailor who was kicked down with the table because he didn't have time to let go, and was immediately disintegrated into pieces and ascended to the immortal world without any pain, there were no more casualties. But after everyone got up, they all looked at each other in bewilderment...

"What...what's going on?" Nan Yun came back to his senses and immediately looked at the captain with a dark face and asked. After all, the box was taken from the German ship, so of course he wanted an explanation!

"This... I don't know either...?" Although the captain was a veteran and knowledgeable, he still felt a little confused that there were explosives in the boxes on his ship.

However, Bismarck has already figured it out!

"Captain, General Nanyun, I roughly know what happened!" Bismarck gnashed his teeth and told them about the strange attack he had encountered in the Italian port. The generals around him were all stupid. After hearing Bismarck's narration, everyone reacted almost at the same time:

"The attack was a fake! There must be an Allied agent among those checking people!"

"Not only did they take the blueprints, they also installed explosives! This... is simply vicious!"

"It's really the Americans and British who are the devils and white pigs... Ah, sorry, General Lütjens, I was talking about the United States and the United Kingdom..." A straightforward Japanese officer accidentally let the cat out of the bag. After he reacted, he looked at the captain and Nagumo whose faces turned a little black, and hurriedly apologized and smiled towards the captain - he was still calling them white pigs in front of his German allies, and in front of his own commander, how could Commander Nagumo save his face?

only…

"General Lütjens, I really have to thank your secretary this time... If she hadn't discovered it early, we might all be doomed..." Thinking of the scene just now, Nan Yun was still frightened.

"…General Nanyun, I think we should check how many blueprints have been swapped out!" The captain, who was also feeling lingering fear, thought of the possibility of other bombs and said to Nanyun Chuichi. After hearing this, Nanyun Chuichi was also slightly stunned, and then he understood instantly:

“Someone, come here! Get the military police and the explosive disposal engineers here! Check all these boxes thoroughly for me, the ones that haven’t been opened for inspection!!”

………The dividing line that is safe and sound…………

In front of the furious Nanyun, the dark-faced Lütjens, and other generals of the two countries who were all gloomy, the Japanese military police and bomb disposal engineers did not dare to neglect and began to inspect the dock. On the 1500-meter-long dock, a pile of sandbag bunkers were piled up every few dozen meters. In the middle of each sandbag bunker, two engineers were carefully groping for these waterproof boxes.

Meanwhile, Bismarck, who had been standing far away with the captain, Nan Yun, and other generals, watching the engineers clearing the danger, was also patting his chest lightly, secretly rejoicing:

Fortunately, I am already a battle-hardened ship cat, otherwise...

If the Captain is gone...

But the Persian cat didn't dare to think about it at all.

In Bismarck's WIFI, Zeppelin and Tizi also had fear on their faces, and they were expressing their gratitude one after another beside Bismarck's ear.

"It must be the British! Humph... since they can't defeat us head-on, they resort to conspiracy and assassination... their spies love this kind of despicable behavior the most..."

"…Those British people are so abominable! Sister! I will bomb them to death when the time comes…"

"...Okay, okay, we are in the Indian Ocean, there are plenty of opportunities to deal with them... The captain seems to be discussing cooperation with Chuichi Nanyun. If we join them, the British in the Indian Ocean will sooner or later make them miserable..."

Seeing that his two sisters were united in their hatred of the enemy, Bismarck also wanted to take revenge.

but……

"Your performance just now was okay! But now you only know how to say we are cooperating. Why did you call us Japanese dwarfs before? This attitude shows no good doing~su?!"

The sudden sound of a female voice, which was a bit angry and mixed with pidgin English, frightened the three people on the WIFI.

"Who...who is it! Stop playing tricks! Come out now!"

Tirpitz, who was the most impatient, was already looking around and shouting loudly.

But her shouting really worked.

King Kong, with brown hair tied up on both sides of his ears, wearing a white witch costume on the upper body, a short skirt and stockings on the lower body, gradually appeared in the WIFI space under the vigilant eyes of Bismarck, Tirpitz and Zeppelin...

MI6: New Equipment (Part 1)

On February 1942, 2, Walvis Bay in Namibia, West Africa, which was originally a desolate place with few visitors, was now the scene of a bustling scene. A group of fully armed British soldiers wearing strange-style helmets escorted experts to lift huge wooden boxes from the transport ship to the ground, and then pulled them onto trucks and drove to the desert test site in the south. There were many officers present, including Americans, British, and even a few Soviet officers, who were all looking at these new equipment curiously.

"Hey, Carl, be careful. This is one of only six prototypes we have. If you damage it, I'll hold you accountable."

Colonel Russ tightly grasped the belt of the newly designed Type 42 gear with one hand, and knocked on the commander's tower with the other hand, shouting loudly in a serious manner.

"No problem, sir. It's a good, reliable girl. I will take good care of it. It feels completely different from the Crusader I used to drive. It's perfect!"

"Major Carl, wipe the saliva from your mouth before talking to me. If you drip saliva onto the tank, I will make you run around the base 20 times!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Is this the new cruiser tank that the higher-ups want us to equip in the future? The shape is quite nice, how is the performance?" Lieutenant General Brooke looked at the tank that was performing maneuvers and nervously knocked on the balcony railing with his cane. To be honest, he had long despaired of the protection performance of the cruiser tank and the maneuverability speed of the infantry tank, and he did not have much hope for this new thing. There were a lot of those that were just for show, not to mention those old guys who were in the late stage of brain failure.

"Its current code name is A27m, and it is classified as a heavy cruiser tank. It weighs 44 tons and is equipped with a Rolls-Royce improved 600-horsepower Meteor engine, which has a power of 15 horsepower per ton. The front armor is inclined at 60 degrees to the normal line, with a thickness of 100 mm and an equivalent thickness of 220 mm. The side armor is inclined at 40 degrees, with a thickness of 80 mm. The rear armor is 50 mm. As you can see, there is no inclination. It is an absolute little monster."

The technician in a white coat next to him seemed quite excited, just like the funny guys in the car. He kept talking about a bunch of technical parameters that Brook couldn't understand. According to what he heard, this was indeed a powerful tank, but he still had a lot of questions.

"This thing's engine only has 600 horsepower. Is that really enough?"

"Don't worry about this problem. We have expanded the volume of the power compartment and reserved enough space for modification. As long as it is not a big violation, we can always modify it to a more powerful engine."

"What about the turret, and what's with the little six-pound hose that's stuck on it? It looks like a Panzer IV turret on steroids."

The 6-pounder gun is a multi-purpose gun of the British Army. Although its armor-piercing ability is quite excellent among guns of the same level, it is widely criticized for problems such as the insufficient power of high-explosive shells during siege warfare, and is not very suitable as a tank gun.

"We use the latest design of welded turret, the front thickness is 140mm, the side is 70mm, and the top of the entire tank is 30mm. It is now temporarily equipped with a 6-pound tank gun, but it will be replaced soon. It is said that a 20-pound big guy is prepared."

"20 pounds? I thought it was 17 pounds, why was it changed?" Lieutenant General Brooke continued to ask the technician in disbelief.

"I don't know about that either." The technician shrugged. "It is said that the higher-ups thought the armor-piercing power was not enough, so they planned to make a bigger one based on the 17-pounder. Of course, some people also said that there was big news over there from the Germans. Anyway, everyone has their own opinions. The higher-ups are very strict."

"That's good, much better than before. Do you have any follow-up plans?"

"We are also currently manufacturing a more powerful heavy cruiser tank based on its design experience. Although it is called a cruiser, I think it is more like a hybrid of an infantry tank and a cruiser tank."

Lieutenant General Brooke turned his attention to the test site, and saw that the new tank, under the command of Colonel Russ, maneuvered flexibly, crossed roadblocks at a speed of 30km/h, climbed sand dunes, and its various amazing operations shocked the American onlookers.

Because of the latest intelligence provided by MI6, the Americans found that their chubby Sherman was completely unable to cope with this new German tank. At first, they were not very interested in it, but later they saw this new British toy at the British test site. The amazing performance made the Americans dizzy, so they finally launched an improvement plan based on the Sherman (the steamed bun had not yet been mass-produced at this time). They invited British technicians to visit. The latter did not have much experience, but they liked the cute steamed bun shape of the Sherman turret.

The U.S. Army is also conducting a design tender for a heavy tank. The specific plan has not yet been formulated, so we can wait and see.

The Soviets' reaction was completely different. They did hold a meeting after receiving the intelligence, but they remained calm and there was no sign of nervousness on their faces. It was unclear whether they were truly confident or just blindly arrogant.

As far as Brooke knows, there are two more test sites like this, one deployed in South Africa and the other on the coast of the British mainland. The superiors have not disclosed the specific locations, but based on the current situation, one can roughly guess what their functions are with one's toes.

"Colonel Russ! How's the test going?" Brooke called out his adjutant's name loudly.

"Except for its speed, it's almost perfect, General. The comfort of this baby is really amazing! I think the tanks I drove before were like sitting in coffins. Who on earth thought of adding fans to the car body? I must treat him to a big meal!"

In order to adapt to the drastic temperature changes in the desert, the designer specially installed two simple air conditioners on the tank, which are mounted on the rear of the tank turret through a bracket, and can simply adjust the temperature. When the tank is running, it is provided by the generator inside the tank, and when it stops, it can use the battery. This air conditioner consumes a lot of power and will run out in about 10 minutes. Of course, most tankers will not have the time to turn it on when they stop.

"Colonel Russ! I'm talking about the specific test results. Don't give me any nonsense!"

"Oh, sorry General, I'm really too excited. It has excellent desert off-road capabilities and strong climbing ability. Its off-road speed in the desert is as high as 28 kilometers per hour. I really don't have any adjectives to describe it."

The adjutant looked quite excited, his two big eyes emitting strange light at the tank from time to time. In fact, Brooke was also very excited in his heart. Who asked him to get such a great job?

Colonel Russ and some officers have just been transferred from the North African battlefield. They will serve as instructors to teach the recruits how to fight and survive in the desert. The recruits must learn to rely on the sun to identify directions instead of sand dunes, how to effectively use the food and water on their bodies to survive a week without supplies, and how to prevent heatstroke and colds (the temperature difference between day and night in the desert is large).

There are many barracks scattered around this experimental field, which can accommodate up to 3 people for training at the same time. There are currently 19000 soldiers stationed here, including two regiments sent by the United States and Canada for inspection, and one battalion each from New Zealand and Australia.

The engineering corps has initially built a medium-sized airport here that can take off and land heavy transport aircraft.

The expansion work of the base is proceeding in an orderly manner. I believe it will soon reach a super large scale of 6 people, and it will be even more lively here.

Most of the Allied recruits who were sent there were immediately affected by the drastic temperature difference between day and night. Many were sent to the hospital, especially the American young soldiers, who had never experienced such drastic changes. Some even foamed at the mouth and fainted on the ground. They were as hot as monkeys during the day and as cold as dogs at night.

The British are much more relaxed in this regard. Their national habits give them the confidence to show their thighs even in minus ten degrees Celsius (this is a fact. Can you believe that you can wear shorts and long socks in winter? Of course, it is the winter in Western Europe.)

The training is still going on, and I believe they will soon be able to adapt to this new environment and become well-trained killing machines armed to the teeth.

The Army redesigned two military uniforms based on feedback and combat experience from Southeast Asian and North African troops, with particular emphasis on tropical combat uniforms for Southeast Asian troops. Originally, this design from the 19s was quite outdated compared to the Japanese Army. It was suitable for the desert battlefield, but completely unsuitable in the humid and deadly jungle. It could even be said to be harming the lives of soldiers. Imagine what a miserable sight it would be to expose your skin and thighs in the hot, humid, mosquito-infested tropics.

The domestic textile industry is working at full capacity to manufacture new models of uniforms. The new tropical military uniforms have eliminated the shorts design, lengthened the trouser legs, and added leggings to prevent mud and sand from entering the boots. It is also convenient for long-distance marches. The tops have been changed to short jackets to enhance breathability and maximize comfort and service life in the rainforest environment.

In order to launch a counterattack against Western Europe and capture the Mediterranean, the Ministry of National Defense relied on the combat experience of SAS in the Mediterranean region to design two types of camouflage short windbreakers, military pants and helmet cloths for winter and summer. It was planned to popularize them to elite troops in mid-43 and equip ordinary troops in appropriate quantities.

It uses DPM camouflage, has an adjustable waist elastic rope inside, four large pockets on the front, and two small pockets on each arm. A simple British flag and information such as military rank, unit number, etc. are sewn on the upper arm.

The collar of the shirt adopts a small lapel design, and the back is connected to a wire-edged hood. The designer designed the hood to be quite large, which can accommodate the latest mkIII helmet and can also easily change the shape.

The way to fix the helmet and hood is very simple. There is a specially designed small canvas buckle on the outside of the front of the hood. Connect it to the leather belt fixed on the brim of the helmet and you are done. At the critical moment, you can take off the hat quickly without wasting the soldiers' time. The only drawback of this hood is that it cannot be matched with the old-fashioned helmet because its brim is too large.

The military used zippers instead of buttons, but still retained the button design on the outside of the zipper, which can be removed when not needed, making the entire camouflage uniform both beautiful and warm.

The summer lining is uniformly made of 50% polyester and 50% cotton, which is quite comfortable and wear-resistant. The winter version of the camouflage uniform only changes the paint and adds an additional lining made of a mixture of cotton and wool. The inner fabric is artificial silk, which can prevent parasites from entering the inside of the uniform. Wealthy officers can go for private customization and replace the ordinary lining with a better one, but that depends on themselves.

The cuffs are fastened with buttons. The military originally planned to use Velcro to fasten the cuffs, but it made too much noise when opened, easily exposing the target, and was difficult to manufacture.

The regular military uniform is still the P40 style. The military has enhanced the color of this uniform to match the windbreaker, and a camouflage scheme is also being proposed. Normally, soldiers only need to put the windbreaker on the outside to achieve a concealed effect.

The military followed the advice of some frontline officers and introduced two styles of military caps. One is a simple round (ben) brim (ni) cap made of waterproof fabric, which is both breathable and can block rain and sun. There is a circle of hollow protrusions just above the brim of the cap, and plants and camouflage cloth can be fixed on the cap through the hollow part. It is quite comfortable and practical to use. In addition, since the SAS, which had made outstanding military achievements in the past, was equipped with this military cap, it received unanimous praise from the troops. (Part of this is a follow-up behavior)

The other is the "Lei Feng hat" that everyone is very familiar with. Those who have worn it must know the power of this hat. It can effectively protect the heat of the soldiers' heads in winter. The military has made simple modifications to its shape, appropriately reducing the thickness of the hat to fit the helmet, making it neater and more beautiful, in line with the British's awkward aesthetic.

The old-style desert combat uniforms are based on shorts and have a simple pair of trouser legs fixed with elastic bands and buttons. Each leg has a small bag that can hold some sundries. Soldiers can take it off during the day and put it on their coats and helmets as camouflage cloth, and put it on shorts at night to keep their legs warm. The style of the coat has been simply modified to make it more suitable for desert combat.

The infamous marching boots were also immediately replaced. Designers came up with combat boots that are more suitable for marching in the rainforest. They use rubber soles and new anti-slip patterns. They are currently being tested at the rainforest test site in South Africa. The progress of several test sites is basically the same. They all have their own goals. Other allied forces will also use them to test the combat effectiveness of the troops in different environments.

"Hey! Lieutenant General Brute, are you having fun here?"

In the distance, a senior military officer wearing a newly designed desert camouflage short jacket was riding a bicycle at full speed. The wheels of the bicycle kicked up long clouds of dust in the sand, but he didn't care about his image or the horrified eyes of the people around him. He drove straight towards Brute. The medal on his chest was shining, telling others his identity.

"Oh, my God! Admiral Auchinleck! I have never heard that you are going to visit here. Please tell us your itinerary in the future, and pay attention to your image! You are now the supreme commander of the Middle East and South Asia!"

"Hahaha, how can I not be happy when I encounter such a good thing after leaving that damn place in London! Look at this cute and brand new little guy, I can lift it with one hand!"

In order to increase the marching speed of infantry in various environments, the Army used the marching artifact - the bicycle - based on its combat experience in Southeast Asia.

The importance of bicycles to rainforest warfare has long been proven by the Japanese dwarfs they have always looked down upon. Yamashita Tomoyuki led the "bicycle army" to easily defeat the local British defenses and launched an oriental version of the "blitzkrieg". Now the old antiques in the army can only admit their mistakes and cannot find any reasons to refute, just like a duck with its mouth tied with tape.

The army has already placed preliminary orders with domestic companies. The first batch will be 2 bicycles, and the rest will be handed over to the United States and its allies for production. Thinking about the number of bicycles that the British Army will need in the future, Lan Ling and other company executives are so excited that they can't sleep at night.

"Mr. Admiral, come to the balcony quickly! Be careful of heat stroke!"

"Thank you for your kindness, Lieutenant General Brooke! I just saw Colonel Ruth and my adjutant, Major General Edward, talking about something. Do you want to go with me to ask them?"

"sure!"

Are you kidding? How could I not go?

Brooke tumbled down the balcony and walked with the admiral to where the two adjutants were. Even though there was a difference in military rank, the two men were still gesticulating as if they were arguing about something.

"Colonel Ruth! Come here quickly! Do you have the appearance of a soldier? You are dancing and shouting with your superiors?"

"Sir, I..."

"All you have to do now is shut up and come back with me to accept your punishment!"

"Wait a moment, Lieutenant General Brooke, I want to hear what my adjutant has to say first." Auchinleck interrupted Lieutenant General Brooke who was loudly scolding his subordinates.

"Well... no problem!" Brooke had no choice but to admit defeat.

"It is like this, Generals. Ruth and I bet twenty pounds. There is no other intention."

"Oh? What bet?" Admiral Auchinleck became interested instantly, as excited as a child who found candy.

"I'm betting with Edward what the barbed wire with bags in between is used for. I bet it's a new type of shelter, and Colonel Andre bets it's a new tool for digging trenches."

"Barbed wire with a bag in between? Lieutenant General Brooke, what is that?"

"Oh, that's the latest bunker our superiors have given us for experiments. When using it, we just need to unfold the folded parts to form one or a long series of square open bags, and then directly pour soil or sand into it. Now we are ready to test its reliability in the desert area."

"So it seems that you lost! Edward, twenty pounds! You must accept the defeat and give the money quickly!" Admiral Auchinleck urged his adjutant to pay the money quickly.

"It seems that I lost, Ruth. Here, this is 20 pounds." Colonel Andre was not unhappy at all. He took out 20 pounds from his trouser pocket with a smile and handed it to Ruth. The latter stuffed the money into his trouser pocket very happily without noticing the angry look of his superior.

PS: Hello, readers (*^▽^*) I am Lao Wang. This extra chapter may be separated from the plot of the Sixth Division for a while, but don’t worry, I am still well prepared. The main purpose of the next three or four chapters will probably be to introduce the development of the British Army~

After I finish writing about the mess in the UK, I will write an article every few months or when something major happens in the book~

that's all.

Chapter 580: First meeting and strange letter

"It's King Kong!" Bismarck almost subconsciously said the name of the person.

"How do you know the name?" King Kong looked at one of the three warships in front of him curiously. This must be the Bismarck.

She is a beautiful girl with blonde hair, blue eyes and fair skin.

When speaking Japanese, Kongo has a serious stuttering habit, after all, it is her second language. She uses strange words like de~su, and sometimes mixes in some half-Japanese and half-English words, which makes it difficult for listeners to understand. Basically, she can only talk to herself - of course, basically no one can listen to her Japanese. But she speaks English very well, probably because she studied abroad in the UK a few years ago, so English is no different from her native language. When she speaks, she speaks fluent and beautiful English, and there is no barrier in communicating with the "guests" from Europe.

King Kong felt that her identity had not been exposed yet. Why could Bismarck in front of her say her name accurately?

Even Zeppelin and Tirpitz looked over in surprise.

"You are the only battleship here. I'm afraid there is no other ship that can produce a ship spirit."

Could it be that Bismarck said, oh, because you look exactly like the big fool in ship C, I recognized you at once... Then Zeppelin would definitely question him.