Bismarck

"Well, let's do this. Don't worry about this. I'll go talk to the higher-ups. If we want to produce artillery shells, we'll do it in factories around Hamburg. Do you think this is okay?"

"That's fine with me," I nodded. "That's the best."

"If there are no problems, then let's sign the contract, Ms. Bismarck," said Anderson with a smile.

"Okay, let's get started."

“A pleasure to work with”

Andrewson and I signed the document and exchanged the contract papers. From the moment I signed, I was considered a rich man. I looked at the contract stupidly. Hahaha, I didn't expect that my only wish in my previous life was to be an ordinary person. In this life, I became a rich man so easily. It was just because I was bombed by 37 shells a few times.

"Captain, I'm rich now!" I said happily. "When I return to Berlin, I'm going to go shopping with Lily!!! Buy lots of delicious food!"

Since it's just a projection of the ship's hull, I won't gain weight no matter how much I eat. This is like a cheat for a girl who loves to eat.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you." The captain looked at me excitedly and felt helpless.

"Hmm? What's up?"

“Liliana will come to Hamburg during the New Year”

"Really!"

"Well, because I can't go back to Berlin for the time being, and Liliana heard that you were injured by the Poles and was very concerned about your injuries, so she planned to come over."

"Well, that's great," I said happily, "She and I can go to Hamburg to play."

However, the relationship between me and the captain suddenly occurred to me, um... it seems a bit awkward.

"Captain, um, um..." I said a little shyly

"What is that?"

"Have you told Lily?"

"What?" He looked at me puzzledly.

"Ahem, it's us, the relationship between us." I blushed.

"Oh, I didn't tell her," the captain said lightly.

"Well, that's good." I was silent for a while, feeling relieved but also a little disappointed. But after thinking about it, I decided to keep this relationship, which would have the least impact on the captain and would also be good for Liliana.

Krupp's branch factory is located in the suburbs of Hamburg, just across the city from where I am. In order to facilitate my travel, Andresen specially arranged a black car for me to pick me up. Hey, I can be considered a car owner. In the next few days, I lived a nine-to-five life like civil servants in later generations. In the morning, the car took me to the factory to guide the engineers to make the fuze with their own equipment, and in the evening, I was taken back to the Voss shipyard. My life was quite fulfilling. Anyway, the captain was at the shipyard, so I didn't have to worry about anything.

But it seems that there is a problem with the Krupp copy fuse that I can't solve...

"Ms. Bismarck, the fuze sample we made seems to be a bit larger than yours. It can't be put into the 37mm shell. It seems that it can't even be used for 76mm anti-aircraft shells." An engineer said to me, "Is it a problem with the process?"

I was a little upset. It seems that what I made with my own ability is naturally not on the same level as their industrial production. But, what should I say?

"Um, let me go back and study it, okay? I don't know the specific reason." I looked at the fuse he handed over seriously. I didn't want to say anything about how rough it was. At least that's how it looked to me. It should... work, right?

"I look forward to your solution, thank you." He breathed a sigh of relief and thanked

"fine"

I returned to the ship and immediately ran to the captain's room and told him about the situation. I asked for help, "Captain, how should I answer?"

"Well?" The captain looked up and said, "Just tell them you made it yourself."

"But what if they ask me to teach them the craft?" I said with a bitter face.

"Do it once in front of them. Whether they learn or not is their business. Whether the factory equipment can be made is also their business," the captain said calmly. "Is this difficult?"

“Uh… not difficult.”

ps: Many people say that my novel is similar to Yamato, because I and Yamato use the same plot - Blue Steel. This anime is very good, if you are interested, you can go and watch it, you will not be disappointed. The next one will be about the Kongo-class battlecruiser in it. If you like Bismarck, don't hesitate to vote for it~ You are also welcome to join the group discussion, the group number is pinned at the top of the book review area, looking forward to it!

Chapter 49: New Year in War (I)

But if the fuse is not reduced in size so that it cannot fit into the 37mm bullet, then my 37mm gun still cannot be used for proximity bombing, right?

"How big do you think the explosion range of the 37mm shell is?" The captain smiled. "Its main killing method is to directly hit the target and explode inside the aircraft. By the way, what is the smallest projectile that Krupp's equipment can be stuffed into?"

"Well, it seems to be 76mm," I thought about it and replied

"76mm is enough. Your 105mm anti-aircraft gun can be used. As for the German domestic anti-aircraft firepower, as far as I know, it is an 88mm anti-aircraft gun, which can also be used. I don't think Krupp will specially improve the technology for the use of 37mm guns. After all, it is designed to directly hit the opponent to be effective."

"So that's how it is." I nodded. "Then I feel relieved."

"And, Captain," I said

"Well, what is it?"

"If we use 37mm ordinary bullets, I feel that the barrage formed by my 16 37mm guns is not enough. There are only eight guns on one side. Even if they are not manually loaded, there are still many loopholes and it is impossible to form all-round coverage. Can we apply for a few more guns?" I said with a smile

"16 guns? How do you know it's 16?" the captain asked curiously.

"Isn't that what's piled up on the dock?" I asked, pointing out the window.

"That's just the first batch. The Navy plans to give you 16 guns on both sides," the captain said. "And some 105mm anti-aircraft guns will also be added."

"Wow, that's great" I was happy "Thank you Captain!"

Sure enough, a few days later, another batch of new anti-aircraft guns arrived. In addition to the 37 of the same caliber, there were four 105s, ready to be installed in the stern and tail. Looking at so many treasures, my face was full of smiles. I went to have a look when I had nothing to do. This was the capital for showing off in front of the British in the future. My emotions were so exposed that the rumors on the ship were whether I had found true love... In this regard, Lindeman was distressed and told me why the emotions of the young officers and soldiers were a little bit wrong recently.

How do I know...

I went back to the Krupp factory that day and told the engineers that this was a process problem. Unless the factory equipment was upgraded on a large scale, the size of the proximity fuze would remain at a level suitable for 76mm shells. As for whether to upgrade, it depends on the leadership. Of course, my suggestion was not to upgrade, because the 76mm level was completely sufficient, and the price of upgrading was not cheap. My suggestion was completely from the perspective of capitalists, considering this matter from the perspective of interests, so as expected, they accepted my suggestion and gave up the plan to reduce the size of the proximity fuze - which also made me feel relieved.

Soon, the first batch of 105mm caliber shells rolled off the production line. The captain and I went to participate in its live-fire test. The test was quite successful. Although the distance control was not as precise as mine and the explosion distances between the shells were different, it was almost the same for the first batch.

"Captain Lütjens, what do you think of the effect of this?" Anderson accompanied the captain for a walk on the position after the artillery fire.

"The effect is good," the captain nodded. "I am looking forward to its mass production. I hope Krupp can replace the anti-aircraft shells on the Bismarck as soon as possible according to our agreement."

"Captain, you can rest assured. We will secretly transport the first batch of mass-produced shells to the Bismarck."

"That's good"

"Mr. Anderson," I said, "I have a question."

"kindness?"

"What is the filling inside the 105 shells now? I took a look and it seems to be steel balls, right?"

"It's steel balls," Andrewson nodded. "Once these things are spread out, they can cause considerable damage to fighter planes."

"You're right. The steel balls have a good aerodynamic shape, so they have a wide dispersion range. They have good destructive power against small targets like fighter jets, but for heavy targets like bombers with two or four engines, the damage is limited," I said lightly. "Moreover, there are many straits in Europe. I, no, the Bismarck or the German Navy's activities are within the range of bombers... You, understand what I mean?"

"Miss Bismarck, do you have any suggestions?" Andrewson asked seriously. The captain stopped and turned to look at me.

"I think Krupp needs to produce another type of shell, one filled with steel bars, or rods, to use against bombers."

"Steel pole?"

"That's right," I said with a smile. "The steel rod will cut the fuselage of the bomber like a scalpel in the huge explosion. The power is huge. One is a penetrating wound, and the other is a laceration. What do you think? And think about it, if something can seriously damage a bomber, wouldn't it be easy to deal with a fighter?"

"As for the aerodynamic shape, it will of course be affected, but that's why we have proximity fuses. When detonated at close range, accuracy is no longer a problem."

After listening to it, Andrewson thought about it carefully and said, "It sounds good. I will discuss Miss Bismarck's suggestion with the engineers and give you a reply then, okay?"

"Okay," I nodded.

"You have so many ideas," the captain said to me after Andrewson left.

"Is this a compliment?" I smiled and walked back with the captain.

"Of course," he nodded.

"Bismarck, it's an honor, hahahaha"

As time goes by, my ship has been repaired and modified. In the increasingly cold winter, 1939 will soon become a thing of the past.

Under the setting sun, I sat on the top of the mast again. Now my transparent figure didn’t need to worry about being seen by anyone.

It has been a long time since I came to this place to watch the sunset. A long-lost sense of familiarity came to my mind again. It seems that a lot of things happened this year, and my mood is very different from before.

A few days ago, the Volkswagen factory finally completed my renovation on the occasion of my 40th anniversary. After launching, I was docked in the harbor again with a brand new look, accompanied by the small U556 submarine.

In this upgrade, my anti-aircraft guns were massively increased. Now there are 32 37mm anti-aircraft guns on both sides of the ship, almost every ten meters or so, not counting the 20 guns for close defense and the 105mm guns for long range. Because the number of German naval ships is seriously insufficient, it is difficult to have a large fleet like the British. It is necessary to require a single ship to have good air defense and anti-submarine defense capabilities. In this case, upgrading me is actually imperative. In addition to the increase in the number of anti-aircraft guns, I also added a lot of anti-aircraft gun directors. Basically, two anti-aircraft guns share one, which greatly increases the accuracy. This kind of command equipment can find targets at a very long distance when the weather conditions are good, even beyond my maximum sensing range. Of course, it can also quickly calculate the firing parameters and provide good parameter instructions for the shells. Although I don't need it, the sailors do. When I am fighting the enemy with all my strength, I can't control those dozens of anti-aircraft guns. I can only rely on the ability of the sailors. Naturally, the higher the accuracy, the better.

Of course, in terms of increasing accuracy, I was the first to use proximity fuze, which is a black technology that even the US military does not have. After several experiments, after my calculations and analysis, I was able to achieve the level of being able to hit whatever I pointed at.

There is also the legendary 380 main gun anti-aircraft shooting. During this period of time, I also took the time to improve some of the main gun shells at the bottom of the ammunition depot. They are not the tiring special shells, but the original HE shells secretly added some materials, such as steel balls, steel rods, etc. The process is simple, the power is huge, and it is completely suitable for dealing with cluster targets.

Now when I look from the side, I can see that it is really full of guns and cannons, and it is armed to the teeth. Even the armor below the waterline has an additional layer of anti-torpedo bulkhead, which looks the same on the surface, but it is really bloated underwater. I was worried at first, thinking that after the anti-torpedo bulkhead was installed, my waist would become thicker and become a bucket waist, but later I found that my body did not seem to regard it as a part of myself, and the projection did not change much, which also made me feel relieved (please don’t laugh at the psychology of loving beauty!). This also proves that even if the anti-torpedo bulkhead is really penetrated by a torpedo in the future, my body will not feel any pain.

Isn't this the original intention of the design? Anyway, I am very satisfied.

The shortcoming is that after I got into the water, I clearly felt the increase in resistance and my own weight, but this is acceptable. As I said before, there are gains and losses. For my speed, this reduction is acceptable. I now expect the maximum speed to be maintained at around 38 knots. Yes, as fast as an island wind, yes.

In fact, there was not much war atmosphere in Germany this year. Hitler's national mobilization was still early. For ordinary people, life was still going on as usual, because Christmas and New Year were coming soon. When I was traveling in Hamburg, I obviously found that there were more pedestrians on the street. Everyone's face was full of energy. The successive victories on the front line made everyone's patriotism unprecedentedly high. Naturally, everyone had a kind of almost god-like worship of Hitler, the creator of this series of miracles. For a time, the streets were full of portraits of mustaches and swastika flags.

After the German army annexed Poland together with the Soviet Union, it temporarily stopped and the war on the Western Front also quieted down. However, this was just Hitler digesting the results. When he took action again, the whole world was shocked.

Who is the next target? It seems to be France, no, it seems that there was also Denmark and Norway before, so I will be deployed again. The words that Hyde said to Lindemann before immediately came to my mind, the Norwegian campaign... Well~ It doesn't matter, I have upgraded now, and I am really a lot braver, Bismarck, you can do it! I said to myself.

"Captain" I thought, and projected it to the captain's room.

"You don't even knock on the door now?" The captain looked up at me. "What's the matter?"

"Why can't you come if you have nothing to do?" I said, "Captain, when is Liliana coming? I've been waiting for her for a long time. It's almost Christmas now, why hasn't she come yet?"

Captain Liliana smiled and said, "She will probably arrive tomorrow. I just talked to her on the phone today and she is already packing her things."

"Really!" I shouted excitedly, "Is she going to live on the boat? I want Lily to live with me!" In addition to living with me, I also want to take her for a good spin on the boat and show off my true self, hahahaha.

"It's your place, you can do whatever you want." The captain smiled faintly.

ps: Please recommend!!!

Chapter 50: New Year in War (Part 2)

Finally, on Christmas Eve, the captain told me that Liliana had arrived and her plane would soon land at the Hamburg airport.

"I'll pick her up!" I shouted, "I have a car!"

Because it was Christmas Eve, most of the employees in the factory went back to reunite with their families, including the uncle who drove for me. But it didn’t matter, I already knew how to drive, and in order to make it convenient to go out these few days, I specially said hello to Anderson and drove the car back to pick up Liliana.

"Your car?" The captain looked at me and said, "It's Krupp's."

No way, Captain, please stop worrying about using the public vehicle for personal purposes at this time, okay?

I argued, "I've talked to Anderson about this and he's agreed."

"Use your ship car" But the captain ignored it and said lightly

"Well," ship vehicles are cars specially equipped by the Navy Department for ships of a certain level. There are trucks and cars. It can be said to be a fleet. Although ship vehicles are not unusable... they are just not very good.

"That one sucks, after all it's Liliana who's here."

"It's because she doesn't need to be special." The captain looked at me and said, "Just do it."

"Okay, okay," I pouted and didn't argue anymore, "Okay, then I'll go by ship car."

I dressed up carefully in front of the mirror early in the morning, smoothed my long blond hair, put on a wide-brimmed hat, and then happily went out in my iconic black and red boots. It didn't take long to drive from the shipyard to the suburbs of Hamburg. After all, Hamburg is not a very big city. There is a military airport in the suburbs, and Liliana's plane landed here.

Half an hour later, a transport plane appeared in the sky and began to land along the runway. With a quick scan, I knew that Liliana was also in it.

"Lily~" I opened the car door, leaned against the hood, and shouted to the familiar figure with a smile on my face.

Lily, who had just walked down the gangway, was looking for someone to pick her up. When she heard the voice, she immediately turned her head towards me.

"Bismarck!" She was extremely surprised, and her voice was so eye-catching that everyone focused their attention on it.

"You didn't expect it to be me." I smiled and took off my sunglasses, then walked over to take her luggage. Liliana was also dressed very nicely today, wearing a khaki windbreaker that went over her knees, brown boots, and long wavy blonde hair. Her eyes made the men around her stare. The two of us were too obvious targets.

"I really didn't expect that." She nodded and stepped into the car to block out the sight of everyone outside. "Aren't you seriously injured? I thought you were in the shipyard."

"It's been so long," I said speechlessly. "I finished the repairs a long time ago and am now upgrading and modifying them."

"Is the modification done yet?"

“Just launched a few days ago”

"Okay, then tell me about your story. I'm very interested."

"What do you want to hear?"

"Anything is fine."

I started the car and drove out of the airport. I kept telling Liliana about what happened in the past year. She was very interested in my life and asked many questions. So I patiently told her everything from the sea trials after we separated to the Polish campaign. Of course, I also told her about the interesting things that happened on the ship, such as Oscar the thief cat and Werner the greedy cook officer. There were also the two torpedoes that impressed me deeply. As for the details of the killings and the battle scenes, I erased them, and Liliana did not mention them either. Everyone knows my record.