Bismarck

Although the US shipbuilding industry has begun to build a large number of Liberty ships at all costs, for at least a year, the convoys in the Atlantic must still be cautious and tread carefully, praying for God's blessing every step of the way, and never encounter the German "deep-sea sniper submarine" preemptive torpedo double attack...

"According to the Führer, Germany is now betting on the Soviet Union. The navy's mission is to hold back the Allies and prevent them from piling up resources for counterattack in Britain. Victory will come when the Soviet Union gives in. In this case, after Lütjens and his crew have repaired their ships, it looks like they will have to go to Brest..."

"However, the shipyard in Brest can only accommodate Kumetz's fleet... It seems that now that the 'Todt Organization' (Germany's official labor union, which uses a large number of forced civilians, prisoners of war and Jews to build military projects) has just finished building Dönitz's submarine cave, I may have to pay some money out of my own pocket..."

"Although I don't want to go to war with Britain and the United States, I don't want to lose after fighting for so long..."

Having made up his mind, Redel gritted his teeth and picked up the phone in his hand:

"Hello? Is this the Todt Organization? I'm Admiral Raeder! I have a project to build one or two large shipyards along the French coast..."

........................

On the distant eastern front, the brutal war continues...

"...As of early September, we have already formed three encirclements in Lipetsk, Tambov, and Borisoglebsk. In addition, we have also encircled and annihilated two Russian armies in the breakthrough battle of the Russian 'Oka River Defense Line' southwest of Tula, encircling and annihilating a total of 210 Russians...But we are also suffering heavy losses now. Of the 6200 million troops and tanks participating in the battle, nearly % have been lost so far. Among them, Khrushchev's Ninth Army, Model's Fourth Army, and Busch's Sixteenth Army have lost their combat effectiveness to continue the offensive..."

In the Wehrmacht High Command, Hitler, wearing reading glasses, sat upright in the main seat of the conference room. He looked at Field Marshal Keitel pointing at a large sand table with a pointer, and nodded slightly, as if he was having a seizure, or thinking about the war situation.

Marshal Keitel continued his comments:

"At present, on our front line, Marshal von Bock's Army Group A has already reached the Tver-Kaluga line. Now they are planning to follow the revised 'Typhon' plan, allowing Hoth's Fourth Panzer Army in the far north to bypass Moscow's core defenses from the north, encircle Moscow from the north and attack Rybinsk. Guderian and Rommel's Second and Fifth Panzer Armies in the south are now preparing to capture Kaluga and Tula, opening up two key points on the south side of the Russians' second line of defense. The Ninth Army, which has been defeated in the middle, is playing a diversionary role... Currently, Bock is continuing to intensify his attack on the Russian defense line."

"In Rundstedt's Army Group B, Model's Fourth Army, which has lost its offensive power, still has a small salient between Tula and Ryazan. Model has now been ordered to tie down the Russians' energy and manpower in Tula from the flank and rear of Tula; Manstein's 11th Army and Kleist's 1st Panzer Army are preparing to attack Ryazan, and some of their forces are setting up defenses along the Zuna River... Marshal Rundstedt's next plan is to focus on Ryazan, and once Ryazan breaks through, Manstein and Kleist will respectively move towards Moscow and the Vladimir region behind Moscow, and cooperate with Chrysler to completely encircle Moscow and seize Dzerzhinsk..."

"The last thing I want to talk about is List's Army Group C... The biggest problem now is that Busch's 16th Army, which originally planned to attack Penza, has suffered heavy losses and cannot advance further..." Keitel looked a little embarrassed, and even secretly glanced at the mustache, but seeing that the mustache did not speak, he quickly skipped Busch and continued to introduce the battlefield dynamics: "In addition to Busch, Dietrich's SS First Army and Paulus's Sixth Army have now pushed to the edge of Saratov and surrounded Kamisin on three sides - but the opponent has its back to the Volga River and cannot completely eat this place..."

At this point, Keitel was still a little depressed - the last city that was backed by the Volga River and could not be completely captured was Stalingrad behind Army Group C! Moreover, Saratov in front was also a city backed by the Volga River!

Not to mention, Busch, which was originally attacking Penza and outflanking Saratov from the rear, is no longer able to fight!

While Keitel was thinking about the problem, his mouth and hands did not stop. Basically, the current battle situation report was almost complete at this time.

And seeing that Keitel finally finished his report, the mustache man finally spoke up: "What is the reason why Bushi can't beat him?"

"Um... it's like this, my Führer." Keitel thought for a moment and then replied: "Busch and Kleist had encircled the Soviet armies in Borisoglebsk and Tambov, and they also had to attack Penza at the same time, so the attack efficiency and losses were particularly impressive."

"What about Chrysler's losses?" Hitler continued.

"The main combat areas of these two encirclements are within Army Group C. Kleist is only responsible for infiltration. The actual destruction of the encirclement is mainly done by laying siege, so the losses are greater..."

After hearing this explanation, the man with a mustache fell silent. After a long silence, he waved his hand and said, "Ask Dietrich to dispatch an armored division to reinforce and restore the offensive against Ryazan and Saratov! The Russians must have been busy during this month. You all know the speed of mobilizing their rear troops and producing tanks! Besides, it's already autumn, and you've all seen the Russian winter and mud. So, we must do our best!"

“Tell everyone that we must realize that this is a decisive battle between the Germanic people and the Slavs! Either they come over here on our dead bodies, or we go over on their dead bodies!” Hitler’s expression was very solemn, and even his voice was a little roaring as he spoke: “Attack! Keep attacking! Pull up all the reserve troops and weapons and equipment that we can still mobilize as quickly as possible - even if it means risking everything!”

The mustache man's roar echoed throughout the German High Command.

Chapter 772: Siemens

British bombers once again attacked the port of Kiel at night, their target apparently being the four "Spirit" ships that were about to be modified.

Although the shipyard did not suffer serious damage due to the hard-fighting GR-186 wing, the improved night interception firepower, and the anti-aircraft barrage of the refitted and relaunched Prinz Eugen, the city of Kiel also suffered some damage. The wreckage of two bombs that were lost and a crashed Lancaster heavy bomber were still dropped uninvited to the town where the Naval Nuclear Research Institute was located more than ten kilometers away.

Although neither Lily nor the Naval Research Institute were greatly affected by the bombing, Bismarck, who was frightened when he learned that the institute was hit by a bomb, obviously did not think so!

She immediately ran to her own captain and kept asking the research institute to speed up the development of surface-to-air missiles. She even came up with ideas for ship-to-air missiles and air-to-air missiles!

Unable to bear the harassment and also worried about Lily's safety, Lütjens covered his forehead and pressed his aching temple: "Liquid engines are expensive, and solid engines have a short burning time, so the range is not enough. What are you going to do?"

"Doesn't the Air Force have a patent for ramjet technology? We can just use a rocket-assisted ramjet! Anyway, this thing is cheap, has an abnormal flying speed, and can fly at a high enough altitude! More importantly, it is not difficult to modify it for use on ships."

The Persian cat was so angry that he gritted his teeth.

Listening to Bismarck's convincing words, Lütjens twisted his chin and thought carefully. After working in the research field for three months, he now basically understands some technical routines: "It seems... it seems to be okay?"

only……

"Wait, weren't you supposed to be monitoring the scientists? Why are you here telling me about your inventions again? Huh?!"

"Um...this..."

Seeing his captain's face stern, Bismarck, knowing that his work was off-key, immediately lowered his head and started to point his finger at him, trying to get away with it. Lütjens' eyes twitched when he saw this.

"You, well, forget it..." Knowing that his secretary did not like the boring tracking task and had not received relevant training, and that those highly intelligent scientific scums on the opposite side must have been prepared, Lütjens thought about it and came up with no good solution.

"You should continue to observe for a while. The recent rumors have passed a little, and they should be a little impatient." Lütjens thought about it and thought of something randomly: "Oh, last time you said it was heavy water, then this time they bombed Kiel Harbor, will they bomb the heavy water plant next?"

"It's very possible!" Bismarck's ears pricked up instantly: "Captain, our modification work is almost complete. Do you want me to drive the battleship over and shoot down their heavy bombers?"

"Fight, fight, fight, you only know how to fight! The air force bombers have the initiative, and we are not sure when they will bomb!" Lütjens pinched his own ship cat's ear, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. "Besides, they have so many heavy bombers, even if you guys go up together, you are not enough to fight them! Don't say that you have just been repaired and shipped out of the factory, and they bombed you back into the shipyard by heavy bombers! Is entering the channel so fun?"

After spending a long time with Bismarck, Lütjens learned a lot of words that he thought were strange.

"Uh..." Bismarck's ears drooped again when he heard the captain's reasonable words.

but……

"You know what? Although I remember that the Imperial Marshal has made preparations for heavy water, it's better to be safe than sorry!" Lütjens thought for a moment, clenched his fist and slammed his palm: "The current domestic heavy water production capacity will not be able to increase production in a short time even if the Imperial Marshal has fully sponsored Leuna (a German distillation tower heavy water company). Now I have planned to restart the backup graphite pile plan, but the supplier Siemens has been saying that they can't make high-purity graphite, and there are also a group of people in the scientific community who are clamoring that the graphite pile should be discontinued. Bismarck, go to Siemens' factory to check and see if they can produce high-purity graphite!"

"Ah... okay..."

When Bismarck heard that it was another exploratory mission, he felt a little depressed...

----

The German-Swedish border is already at the edge of the majestic Alps.

Father Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who had already sneaked out of Berlin, was hiding near a small town on the border. Like a mouse avoiding an owl, he was furtively observing the activities of the German military and police in the border town from his hiding place.

After the Napoleonic Wars in 1815, the papal forces, who had once tried to stir up trouble but were almost destroyed by Napoleon, came forward to "guarantee" that it would become a permanent neutral country in order to ensure that their interests would not be uprooted again. Over time, this place also became the residence of the darkest side of the upper class in the entire European continent.

For a Christian traitor like him who calls himself a "dissenter" and is loyal to the Pope, this is also a natural refuge for exile.

However, precisely because of this, the border here is always heavily guarded with a large number of military and police deployed all year round under the orders of Hitler himself.

After all, no one would want to have their beloved country overthrown by some unreasonable existence, right? Not to mention, Switzerland is a country without moral integrity (Hitler: I really said this!)

At least in terms of his love for the German nation, Hitler was a fully qualified national leader.

Because of this, Dietrich knew that whether for God or for freedom, he had to flee to Switzerland, and then continue to incite his underground sect outside the safe territory to cause trouble for the Nazi Party that "dared to let God condescend to the country"!

But this is not such an easy thing to do.

"The border defense is really tight, tsk tsk ..."

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was furious as he watched the patrols coming and going in the town through the gap in his hiding place.

I have escaped from Berlin, but I cannot think that I am out of danger. The Gestapo is not just a decoration, they may chase me at any time!

The Alps, towering into the clouds, have thin air, steep cliffs, cold temperatures, and unpredictable weather. Climbing there on foot is a severe challenge even for well-trained professional mountain soldiers, let alone a priest like me.

There are also armed checkpoints stationed at various traffic arteries and intersections. If you charge alone, you will basically die.

There was a humming sound in the distance, and another train pulled into the train station in this small town. Watching the thick smoke from the steam locomotive at the train station in the distance rising into the sunset sky, Father Bonhoeffer's mind began to work again:

"How about... try to board a train... as long as I can get through the tunnel at the border ahead, I'll be free..."

As the sky darkened, Father Bonhoeffer began to feel itchy in his heart, thinking that the Gestapo and the gendarmerie might arrive at any time.

At this moment, a whole squadron of military police, led by several Gestapo agents, were riding in armored vehicles and accompanied by police dogs, rushing along the winding mountain road towards the border town...

-

At night, in the Berlin headquarters of Siemens, Hermann von Siemens, the third-generation patriarch of the Siemens chaebol, was on the phone in his heavily guarded soundproof office. Below him, on the sofas, more than a dozen people were sitting, and judging by their attire and temperament, they were all the company's core executives.

It seems that they have been discussing matters or assigning tasks over the phone for quite some time.

In the night far away, there were faint sounds of barking dogs, but no one could hear them in the well-soundproofed conference room at the consortium headquarters.

A dozen or so senior executives sat upright, just paying attention to the third-generation clan leader who was on the phone. No one knew that a pretty figure had quietly lurked in amid the barking of dogs.

"That is to say, you have already contacted the Polish resistance organization and reached an agreement. Even if the Lacui people really find out that you added impurities to the graphite, we can completely shirk responsibility, right?"

In his own soundproof office, the third-generation Siemens family patriarch spoke about some outrageous topics without any scruples. And judging from the expressions of these high-level confidants below, they almost took this matter for granted!

only……

After great efforts, he finally dodged the corporate security (private) soldiers who were protecting the consortium headquarters and brought dogs with them. He sneaked in with the help of the "Mangekyo Sharingan - Kamui Invisibility and Wall-piercing Technique". As soon as he poked his head out, he instantly heard a shocking piece of news!

The Persian cat was so frightened that it quickly covered its mouth and dared not even breathe.

The boss of Siemens, is he instructing his subordinates to deliberately add impurities to graphite over the phone? !

How could this be? !

This is going to cause trouble!!

Bismarck was well aware that the captain was now planning to restart the graphite nuclear reactor as a backup in case heavy water was insufficient.

But... is this a blatant act of disobeying the order? !

"I know you did this before. Now that this troublesome Lütjens is asking for graphite again, is it still the same?"

Bismarck was so angry that his teeth were itching when he heard this.

What is "Lütjens the trouble"? ! Can't you have a little respect? !

Meanwhile, the Third Generation Patriarch of Siemens continued to hold onto the microphone, and continued to brag about his schemes and intrigues...

Seeing the performance of the Siemens patriarch, the invisible cat was furious and knew that information was hard to come by, so she tiptoed to the phone of the Siemens president, staring at someone who was unaware of the situation while pricking up her pointed cat ears.

Well, you bastard, now that she has found out, you are done for.

However, she moved very quietly, fearing that she would make any noise. Fortunately, as the office of the Siemens president, the floor was covered with thick and luxurious carpets, so no noise was made. The Siemens president and his senior executives were all aware of this.

The call continues...

"...So, President, don't worry. We did this before... No matter how capable Lütjens is, he is just a naval officer. How could he possibly understand electrolytic refining technology? They just believe whatever we say... Isn't our motto to be a technological pioneer and master core technology?"

The person on the other end of the phone spoke with a Czech accent and the tone was not very clear, but with the Persian cat's extraordinary hearing, it was still possible to hear it clearly.

Although she wanted to curse...

"Since you said so, I'm relieved... Then it's settled. Go and mix the graphite with impurities as soon as possible. Don't let those Nazis get it so easily!" Siemens Sandaime chuckled, hung up the phone, then raised his head, looked around, and began his speech:

"Everyone, you all know that we, as businessmen, must not only see the 'immediate benefits'..."

"Britain and the United States have already begun to expand their industries and increase their production capacity, and a large army is just around the corner! But now our country's main forces are all trapped in Russia, and the progress I have learned is not very smooth. Even if we can capture Moscow, don't forget that during the Russian Revolution 20 years ago, one of their leaders, Trotsky, took a senior executive named Leonid Krasin from our Siemens branch in Russia to serve as a minister for those Communists. In the end, the two of them almost let the Russians embark on a 'cooperative' economic route of plundering agricultural products for export... Because of this, I know very well that the real industrial base of the Russians is even far east of the Ural Mountains!"

The third generation of Siemens said proudly - for him, one of the manifestations of the so-called family background is this intricate network of relationships! Even if it is the Red Party country across the street, as long as they can find an insider in the leadership team, they can also get their own executives in as representatives!

However, at this point, Siemens changed the subject and became increasingly angry...

"Now that the war has reached this stage, in order to win over the people, Hitler's government is treating those guys in overalls very well, while taxing us companies in every possible way. Now the tax rate on corporate income has reached nearly 75 percent! What a nobody, an Austrian corporal from a 'log cabin'!!"

"That's right! Why is he so nice to those people?" someone echoed dissatisfiedly.

"Now those D-segment people have plenty of money in their pockets, why don't they pay taxes to these guys!"

"He is only feeling proud now! What's a head of government? He can be replaced whenever he wants! When the Allies come, our Siemens will still be Siemens, and he will be nothing!"

"So the boss was really foresighted at the beginning. He let our Heysmer branch in the Netherlands give the radar-guided anti-aircraft gun technology to the British. Besides, we also have branches in the UK and the US involved in military production. No matter what they do, it has nothing to do with us!"

Everyone burst out laughing.

For a moment, the office of Siemens III was filled with laughter. Bismarck was so angry that he wanted to show up and shoot these despicable capitalists one by one.

However, at this time, the third generation of Siemens waved his hand and suppressed the complacent crowd...

"The Planja Graphite Factory (in the Czech Republic) is now adding impurities to the graphite, and the graphite delivered is definitely substandard. In order to avoid confusion at that time, I plan to move the headquarters to Munich tomorrow on the pretext of defending against air raids! Even if something happens, they can delay trouble for a while. This time is enough for us to respond! Even if we retreat, we will still have time."

"But there is another thing that needs to be done... I remember that in 1940, there were two people, one was called (Georg) Joss and the other was called (William) Hanle. They filed a patent at that time, which showed that high-purity graphite could be made by carbonizing starch and sugar - fortunately, this technology was not taken seriously at that time. But it is better to be safe than sorry - and this technology is not difficult, and killing people to silence them is useless."

Siemens twisted his chin, his eyes revealing a shrewd look: "Someone come up with a way to buy out this patent for me! Whoever wants to adopt this method will be blocked by us with the patent and royalties!"

"This is not difficult. I'll do it tomorrow!" An executive stood up and took on the task.

"Okay, if everyone has nothing else to do, we'll stop here today! Everyone get ready, we'll move tomorrow!"

Siemens waved his hand, ending the conspiracy-filled night talk. The executives packed up their bags, stood up, and walked out of the door one by one.

And seeing that the third generation of Siemens also left the conference room from the side door and walked into his own private lounge with Xiao Mi following closely behind, the invisible Uchi Persian cat gritted his teeth and couldn't help but spit secretly. With a change of mind, he also left the magnificent Siemens Berlin headquarters.

PS: By the way, Krasin is also connected to the British MI6 and is suspected to be a triple agent...

Chapter 773: Thorough Investigation of Siemens

"What did you say?! Did Siemens deliberately add impurities to graphite?!"

The Admiralty building at midnight was startled by Lütjens' sudden roar!

"Yes, I heard everything! Not only have they colluded with the underground organization in Poland, but some of their words even involve treason!"