Raeder's expression was full of confusion and helplessness, and he said, "According to my original plan, I only gave Jonas a medal and not a promotion; So I could logically appoint him as the captain of a converted aircraft carrier, and wait until he was 35 years old before considering letting him take charge of a large capital ship with the rank of colonel. Pen × fun × Pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 info, however, the Führer's intervention completely bankrupted my plan. Now that Jonas is a brigadier general, it is not in accordance with the law to even command the Tirpitz. But if you directly let him command a small fleet, it seems too hasty. Aside from his age, I have never heard of a fleet commander who has not been the captain of a large warship! Jonas had absolutely no experience of commanding a capital warship on his own, so how could he command a fleet? ”

"So Erich, are you going to transfer General Brom to the headquarters as a civilian worker?" Schniwenger asked. Raeder shook his head when he heard this: "Although there are suitable positions for Jonas in the General Staff, Operations Department, Armament Bureau, and Navy Yard, and his own quality is fully competent, it seems too wasteful to transfer Jonas to these departments. ”

"Jonas is a very lacking talent in the field of carrier-based aviation, and a commander like Herman (Bermay), who only became an aircraft carrier fleet in 1936, does not have the deep insight of air and sea warfare that Jonas has. Therefore, it would be more beneficial for Jonas to stay in the front line of the fleet than to put him in a civilian position. In the last operation, Jonas played an important role as the chief of staff of the fleet: without his determination and adaptability, our aircraft carrier fleet would never have been able to carry out the fantastic surprise attack on Scapa Bay. Raeder said.

Schnewenger pondered for a while, and the solemnity on his face gradually relaxed, and he said: "In that case, let's simply appoint General Brom as the commander of a detachment. ”

Seeing the stunned look on Raeder's face, Schwinnigg smiled and stopped his questioning with a gesture: "Erich, please let me finish speaking." This time, all five aircraft carriers of our army will be dispatched, and we can organize the three Hipper-class light aircraft carriers into a separate air force, with General Brom as the commander. The benefits of this are threefold: first, the warship was originally his design, and every component unit is clear to him. This will largely avoid the problem of the commander not being familiar with the situation of the warships under his command, so that he can make the right decision in the battle that is most suitable for the current state of his strength. ”

"Second, General Brom is an elite who is good at the use of carrier-based aviation, and if he can serve as the commander of the air force, he will definitely be able to fully display his deep understanding of this branch of the army. If General Bome were to become conformist, General Brom would be able to remedy it. Schnywinger stretched out his third finger and said unhurriedly: "In the end, due to the difference in rank, General Brom must be under the orders of General Bome, the commander of the air fleet. With the latter at the helm, the risk of General Brom becoming commander was bound to be minimized. ”

Raeder rubbed his chin with his right hand, and his heart was already a little moved. In order to ensure the combat effectiveness of the fleet, several aircraft carriers of the German Navy were used in a centralized manner; Under the control of the veteran Bomei, Fang Yan, as his subordinate, can be controlled by his immediate boss in action, even if he makes a mistake that is young or impulsive. And as long as this most worrying problem is solved, Fang Yan will have no worries about holding a front-line position that is in line with his military rank. After five or six years of training, Fang Yan may not be able to wear the rear admiral's gold-braid epaulette and become a fleet commander who can truly take charge of himself!

"If this is the case, I will now summon Jonas into the fleet to listen to orders. Today is only half a month before the start of the campaign, and he must thoroughly understand the equipment and personnel of the battleships under his command in advance. Raedel muttered as if to himself, and before he knew it, he made a decision. For Fang Yan, a young man who has brought countless miracles to the German Navy, Raeder has always had great expectations: since he can use a surprise attack by carrier-based aircraft to severely damage the British home fleet, this time may not completely rewrite the maritime fate of Britain and Germany!

In the early morning of January 1, 1940, when most of Europe was still immersed in the afterglow of the New Year's holiday, Fang Yan had already arrived at Raeder's desk in military uniform. Facing Raeder's serious inquiry, Fang Yan pondered for two minutes before giving a positive answer with a firm gaze. Although Fang Yan was a little surprised by Raeder's appointment to him, he was already ready to go to the front line when he participated in the formulation of the plan for the "Weser River Exercise".

Although the position of commander of the air fleet is extremely challenging, Fang Yan's successive promotions in the past ten years have been based on constantly challenging himself, and there is no subjective rejection of this. As for the situation that the Hipper-class aircraft carriers are nowhere near as strong as the Zeppelin-class, and there is only a 25-millimeter-thick steel plate on the top of and around the command tower to defend against fragments, and its safety factor is even lower than that of the Z-type armored destroyers; Fang Yan thought to himself that his luck should not be bad enough to directly "hit the jackpot". Profiting from the life and death of the country, Fang Yan gritted his teeth, and also made up his mind to avoid it because of misfortune.

At noon that day, Fang Yan went home to say goodbye to Sylvia and several children, and then took a plane with Raeder's letter of appointment and went straight to Wilhelmshaven, 600 kilometers away. As a senior officer in the navy, there were already logistics personnel who had prepared several new sets of daily necessities for Fang Yan, which was enough for him to devote all his energy to military affairs. Feeling that the task was urgent, Fang Yan did not choose to rest in the spacious and comfortable dormitory of the general on the shore after arriving in Wilhelmshaven; Accompanied by the adjutant, he drove directly to the pier and boarded the light aircraft carrier Hipper, located at berth 13, along the gangway.

The moon is bright and the stars are scarce, and the sea breeze is cold and quiet. The 220-meter-by-26-meter main flight deck of the Hippert was empty, with only a few figures floating and swaying. However, Fang Yan's face was calm, and he continued to walk towards the navigation bridge on the right side of the deck. According to the daily routine of the German Navy warships, after 7 o'clock in the evening is a free rest time, and if they are anchored in the port and do not go to sea for a long time, not only will the work and rest time be relaxed, but more than half of the sailors will be transferred to the shore, and only some personnel need to be kept on the ship to maintain their daily work.

The German Navy's top brass recognized this phenomenon. You know, with the exception of the marine engineering department, the average sailor of the German Navy was on duty for a full 80 hours a week, almost 56% more than the 56 hours of sailors in other countries. When there is no specific task, it is clear that the tight string of soldiers needs to be relaxed. (To be continued.) )