Bismarck

"Close range bomb?" the captain repeated twice in his mind.

"Come on, get in the car, we'll take the bus there"

So, the drivers who did not have time to drive away were requisitioned by us again. Of course, this air defense position was not very far away. It was just around the Voss Shipyard, and we arrived there quickly.

"Sir, the 37 anti-aircraft gun you requested is ready. Is there anything else you need?" As soon as we entered the door, a naval captain ran over to report.

Oh, so it's under the jurisdiction of the navy. No wonder it's so convenient for us to use artillery. If it were the army, it wouldn't be that easy...

“Are the high-altitude balloons we want ready?”

"Ready, sir," the captain pointed with his hand. A balloon was tied to the ground not far away, swaying in the wind.

"Very good, there is no need for anything else, we will prepare it ourselves," Lindman replied

"Yes," the captain said with some doubt, but he saluted and walked away without asking us what we wanted to do with the cannon.

"Captain, you and Lindemann, stay away. There is a bunker over there. Let's go inside."

"Then what are you going to do?" The captain looked at me strangely and said

"The fuse is not very stable. I made it after being bombed many times. I don't want any problems to occur before I install it." I said with some shame.

The captain nodded and did as he was told.

After they walked away, I opened the box, carefully took out three shells, and stuffed one shell into the barrel. In order to better display the trajectory of the ballistic missile during the day, I added phosphorus under the warhead, so that when the warhead flies by, it will leave a streak of light in the sky.

Then I used a thin layer of iron sheet to cover the bottom of the high-altitude balloon to simulate the effect of an airplane.

"I'm going to start!" I gestured to the captain and the others, and tore off the thick hemp rope on my index finger...

The balloon shot up, and I paid attention to its distance and aimed at it with the crosshairs.

"Bang" a flash of light spurted out from the muzzle, then turned into a ray of light and streaked into the sky. After flying out of the barrel for dozens of meters, its circuit was connected under the action of the spin force, and the sensing device started working.

The high-speed projectile instantly caught up with the balloon, which was now only the size of a fist. The iron sheet cut the magnetic lines of force, and the coil sensitively sensed the changes in the magnetic field, and exploded when it reached a certain threshold.

With a "bang", the shell exploded accurately a few meters away from the balloon, and shrapnel scattered everywhere.

The balloon's air bag was cut and it immediately began to deflate and then fall.

After the first shell was fired, I started loading the follow-up. Two more shells were launched into the air in a short period of time and both exploded near the target.

The balloon soon crashed.

very successful!

I excitedly made an OK gesture to the captain, the experiment was successful!

Captain's room

"Okay, now you can tell me what this fuse does." Back on the ship, the captain immediately let me into his room.

Because of the success of the experiment, I was in an excited state all the way and was very excited.

"Captain, you should have seen that the shells I fired were not aimed at the target, but passed through the side of the balloon, right?"

"That's right"

"This is the purpose of this kind of fuze. Proximity explosion, as the name implies, means explosion at close range. The delayed fuze requires the gunner to adjust the firing time according to the order in advance. I will not talk about whether the time calculation is accurate. Even the lag in issuing the order is fatal to the timing of shooting at the aircraft. It will explode if it is too far or too close, and the damage rate is very low."

"The proximity fuze does not require the gunner to adjust it. Just fire it in the direction of the aircraft. When it reaches a certain damage range, it will automatically explode to attack the enemy aircraft, which greatly saves time and improves efficiency."

"That sounds good," the captain said with interest, "and what is its production? Don't tell me its production is the same as your self-guided artillery shell, one a day."

"No, the technology behind this thing is not complicated, it's just that others haven't thought of it yet." I said with a smile, "I can't meet the ammunition consumption I need, but what if I add the German military factories, Captain?"

The captain smiled and said, "This is the help you just mentioned, right?"

"That's right," I smiled like a fox, "I plan to share my technology with a certain military factory and cooperate with them to produce this kind of fuse."

"Captain, do you know anyone?" I asked

"Do you really want to share this technology?" the captain asked me

"Isn't that good?" I tilted my head. "This is a great improvement for Germany's air defense capabilities."

"Yes," the captain nodded, "I personally hope you can share it."

"That's great, Captain," I said, "I don't mind sharing technology. Can you help me find a military factory? I only have two requirements. First, it would be best if I could participate by investing in technology, and second, the products they produce must first meet my needs."

"This shouldn't be difficult," the captain groaned. "Everyone wants this kind of technology. There's no problem in giving you a share. But, what do you want so much money for?"

He looked at me funny and asked

"Money is a good thing," I naturally answered, "With money you can buy anything, so of course I want it too."

"If you need money, just ask me." He touched my head helplessly.

"It's not good to always ask you for money." I shook my head. "I want to make money on my own!"

After the captain promised to contact the manufacturer for me, I started to organize the design drawings and materials. In fact, there is no need to worry about stability. As long as the safety is not opened, it will not explode no matter how hard you hit it. I was just too worried about the captain and Lindemann, so I asked them to stay away. Later, I made a few more fuses, and they were all very reliable after being installed.

The captain was very efficient, and almost the next day he told me that a company was willing to come and see me, so in order to show it, I made a row of proximity shells overnight. And they were neatly stacked under my bed.

Haha, it feels really good to sleep on a cannonball.

I heard that the person who came was the product manager of Krupp Arsenal. I quickly tidied my appearance in front of the mirror and then walked quickly to the captain's reception room.

I have heard of Krupp Arsenal a long time ago. It is the most famous arms dealer in Germany. Many German weapons and equipment come from there. The most famous of its products are the world-famous Krupp cannon and the Tiger tank that has made great military achievements. These are the cornerstones of the survival of the Third Reich. Unfortunately, this arsenal was bombed by the Allied forces at the end of the war.

Originally, I was supposed to meet the representatives sent by the city of Hamburg, but it was not convenient for me to carry artillery shells, and there were ready-made anti-aircraft guns around the shipyard that could be used, so they placed the target directly on me, so that I could directly observe the effect.

In fact, I think it’s just because the captain has more face...

I knocked on the door gently

"Enter," the captain said.

I pushed the door open and saw the captain and a middle-aged man sitting on the sofa chatting. There was a group of people dressed as engineers sitting on wooden chairs on the side. Well, they seemed to be technicians.

"Hello, Captain," I bowed slightly respectfully. No matter how I act like a spoiled child behind others' backs, I still have to save face in front of others.

The captain nodded in satisfaction.

"Andresen, this is my secretary, Bismarck," he introduced me to the middle-aged man.

"Hello, Mr. Anderson," I said politely.

"Haha, I didn't expect that the person who developed this proximity fuse was actually a beautiful girl." He laughed a few times. "Hello, Miss Bismarck, I am Andre Anderson, the product manager of Krupp. Captain Lütjens called our general manager a few days ago and gave us a brief introduction of your product. We are very interested in it, so we sent someone here immediately."

“I feel very honored to be recognized by Krupp,” I said with a smile.

"Then Miss Bismarck, could you introduce your product to our engineers?" He pointed to a group of people sitting nearby.

It seems like everyone’s eyes are glowing red... Could they be the legendary tech geeks?

"No problem," I said

"I didn't bring the shells with me for safety reasons, but I have a real fuse and other engineering drawings. You can take a look at them first."

I took out a box and opened it. Inside was a fuse and a bunch of blueprints.

The engineers took it excitedly, but the smiles on their faces froze when they saw the drawings I drew... Well, I know the level of liberal arts students. I have not learned formal drawing. In their opinion, what I showed them was not even a draft - although I have worked very hard on drawing.

"Ahem." One of the engineers coughed lightly and took the blueprint back. "Ms. Bismarck, can you tell me about its basic working principle? Um, this blueprint may not be easy to understand..."

Okay, he's been very polite.

"Well, its specific working principle is to sense the changes in the external magnetic field, and then change the current size of the internal circuit through the inductor coil, and ignite instantly after reaching the threshold. Because the threshold can be adjusted, its detonation distance can also be controlled."

"So that's how it is." He nodded, and then whispered to his friends beside him about his views.

"I have to say, Miss Bismarck, your idea is really great," he praised, "but I want to know, the ship is made of steel and has a magnetic field, how do you prevent it from exploding the moment it leaves the gun?"

"You hit the point," I said confidently, "Please look here."

I pointed to a circuit. "In addition to a safety switch, I also installed a second safety circuit. The opening and closing of this circuit is still controlled by the spin force. When the shell just leaves the barrel, its force is not enough to close the switch, so it will not explode due to the magnetic field of the ship. But after flying for a while, the force is enough, the switch will close, and then when it senses the magnetic field again - bang."

I made a flower gesture and said, "Enemy planes will be terrified from now on."

"Haha, I think so too."

I have to say that the German engineers were very rigorous. They raised questions during the discussion, and I naturally answered them patiently one by one. Of course, if it weren’t for the captain, I wouldn’t have explained it in such detail. I would have thought that they were trying to steal technology...

Finally, the engineer's commander nodded to Andreessen, who breathed a sigh of relief.

I know I have passed it, and the next step should be live ammunition.

"Captain Lütjens, your secretary is really a genius. My engineers also admire her very much. If it weren't for your sake, I really want to recruit her to our company. I believe she is definitely a great scientist," he said with a smile.

"It's a pity that she is mine now," the captain smiled.

"But Miss Bismarck, even the best theories need to be put into practice, right? Let's go test the magic of your fuse on the anti-aircraft gun," he shrugged.

"As you wish, Mr. Andrewson."

Chapter 48: Contract Signing

The captain and Andrewson, accompanied by me, walked up to the observation platform, where three pairs of binoculars had already been prepared. I only needed to watch the live-fire shooting this time, and the specific test would be handed over to Krupp's engineers and the sailors on our ship.

It was still the 37mm anti-aircraft gun, and the basic test was based on the same process I had last time. When they were ready, I turned to the captain and Andrewsson for instructions.

"They are ready, can we start now?"

Andrewson smiled and said, "Captain, give the order."

The captain nodded and said, "Let's get started."

The balloon rose higher and higher, and soon it was only the size of a small ball.

"To be honest, I think it would be more convincing if the balloon was replaced with a drone," said Andrewson, observing through a telescope. "The balloon is too slow, it's just a fixed target."

"Mr. Andrewson, you are right, but we are only verifying whether this fuse works as I described and can explode automatically within a certain range. We still have to wait for your factory to produce it in batches before we can actually conduct air defense experiments."

"That's right," he said, "It's almost time to start. I can't wait."

“You won't be disappointed”

As a series of shells went up into the sky, black smoke from the explosions continued to appear around the balloon. In my perception, the multi-airbag anti-aircraft balloon was turned into a sieve almost in an instant, the gas leaked, and then fell.

"What a magical thing!" Everyone present witnessed the process and couldn't help but exclaim in admiration. The shells exploded precisely next to the balloon, no more, no less, as if there was an invisible force wall around the balloon, and all the shells that entered that range were detonated without exception.

"Ms. Bismarck, I have learned a lot." Andrewson put down the telescope with a happy expression. "I think our Krupp company should take this magical thing. It can change the situation of war." "By the way, Miss Bismarck, I hope you have not disclosed the existence of this fuse to other companies." He said casually, "If Siemens and Mercedes know about it and come to compete with us, it will be a troublesome matter."

"At present, only your company knows about it," the captain said calmly on the side. "As long as you agree to Bismarck's two requirements, I think other companies will only know after you produce it."

"Very good, I feel relieved to hear your words, Captain," said Andrewson. "To be honest, Miss Bismarck's invention is worth a factory, so thank you for choosing Krupp. Miss Bismarck, don't worry, we will meet your requirements."

"Then we will have a pleasant cooperation?" I smiled and held out my hand

"Then we will have a happy cooperation!"

Anderson left with his group that night. Two days later, he came to my ship again. This time he was alone, but he had an extra contract in his hand.

"This is the contract we are going to sign. Miss Bismarck, please take a look at it first. If you have any questions, you can ask me. If there are some parts that you think are unreasonable, you can also propose modifications."

I took the contract and started looking for my two requirements first.

Well, it seems not bad. The contract states that after the Krupp factory mass-produces the proximity fuze, the first task is to replace all the anti-aircraft weapons on the battleship Bismarck with proximity shells, and this is free of charge. Of course, in exchange, the Bismarck must give the ordinary shells to Krupp. This is no problem. After changing to proximity fuze, I have no need for ordinary shells, so it is no problem to give them to Krupp. The captain nodded after reading it.

It also reduced Krupp's losses. After all, the shells of a battleship are very valuable.

However, this operation must be carried out in secret. If we secretly deliver the arms to the company, it will be a serious problem if others find out, even the captain is no exception, so we need to sign a confidentiality agreement for this behavior and this kind of fuse.

Then I also saw my reward. In the contract, I learned that Krupp had a factory near Hamburg that specialized in producing artillery shells. The head office decided to transfer 10% of its shares to my name, and I could get dividends from the factory's profits every year. The scale of that factory was very large, and the dividends alone were a large sum of money. It can be said that I made a fortune. Now I have become a rich man, and it seems that I should have more money than the captain.

"Haha, the rewards are great." I laughed so hard that my eyes almost narrowed.

"Indeed, you will not suffer any loss if you cooperate with Krupp." Anderson also smiled. "I hope that Miss Bismarck will think of Krupp first when you have any new inventions in the future."

Oh, the address has changed from you to you, well~ it seems that my skills are still pretty good.

"I'll let you know first." I nodded.

"The following are the obligations you need to abide by, Ms. Bismarck. If you violate them and cause losses to Krupp, you will be required to pay compensation. I hope you can read the terms carefully."

"Oh? Okay, let me see." I picked up the contract again. "Party A needs to keep the product confidential and is not allowed to contact any company other than Krupp. This is easy. Don't worry. I haven't contacted any other companies."

"Party A needs to provide all technical information and samples to Party B, and provide technical guidance." I read it again. "Andresen, it's no problem to provide technical guidance. I can also provide technical information and drawings, but my scope of activities cannot go beyond Hamburg. So if I go to the headquarters, I will have no way to do it."

"Why?" Andrewson asked curiously.

"This is due to personal reasons and I cannot answer that," I said apologetically. Going too far would consume a lot of my energy and it's not worth it.

"Yes, she can't leave Hamburg," the captain also said