For the vast majority of Europe, the first half of 1937 was undoubtedly a peaceful and welcoming one. Germany, which has frequently caused turmoil in the European continent in the past few years, has not made any surprising moves for more than ten months; It seems that Hitler was really just a good man who pursued the complete sovereignty of the state and equal treatment among the great powers. Although Spain was in full swing and added to the disharmony of this peaceful and prosperous era of European revival, it was neither a powerful power nor a significant member of an alliance agreement; What is its fate in the future, even France, which directly borders it, does not want to get involved!

During this time, however, the whole of Germany since Hitler did not slack off in the slightest. The political and economic ties between Berlin and Rome were getting closer, and Hitler was trying to strengthen his relationship with Mussolini; Even Sylvia, who was pregnant again under Fang Yan's hard work, held her slightly swollen lower abdomen and attended several banquets hosted by the German authorities to welcome her eldest brother Ziano Jr. to visit. Driven by the powerful forces of Brom and Ziano, Italy has become Germany's second largest trading partner after Britain; Of the 600,000 tonnes of crude oil produced by Libya's oil fields every month, 250,000 tonnes are destined for Germany, which undoubtedly eases the pressure on ****** and strengthens the current sought-after position.

In the Far East, Germany's business with the Nanking government was also booming. Although Falkenhausen had done his best to fight for the interests of his employers, the arms trade was at all times a lucrative business: even in wholesale terms, a single Mauser M1924 rifle with a thousand rounds of ammunition would fetch a whopping 100 marks. In contrast, the profit of metal ore is much smaller. Germany only sent out a few hundred tons of munitions, but in return tens of thousands of tons of various ores; The stocks in the strategic reserve were quickly replenished, which greatly contributed to the preparations for war that Germany was currently in full swing.

In addition to these foreign layouts. Hitler was also constantly strengthening Germany's own strength. A "western wall" stretching from eastern Belgium to the northern foothills of the Alps was beginning to take shape, and although it was far less solid than the Maginot Line on the opposite side and the Liège fortress group on the west bank of the Maas, it could cut off France's actual ties with its Eastern European allies militarily and politically, so as to free up Hitler's hands to solve the problem of the "living space" of the German nation in the vast expanse of Eastern Europe. The army and navy are expanding their armaments and training personnel even more important: this year, the army has received a total budget of 18 billion marks, which is more than five times that of Britain during the same period.

For the German Navy. After the 1935~1936 assault shipbuilding, this year is the time for them to enrich and consolidate this achievement. A large amount of funds have been invested in personnel training and technology research and development, which has supported a solid internal pillar for the combat effectiveness of these newly started ships. The report submitted by Fang Yan also received considerable attention, and although Raeder did not think that the Enig code would be leaked, out of prudence, he still had the spy bureau led by Canaris study a strategy to further protect the secret.

Although the focus of the Navy's development this year is mainly to improve the quality of personnel, under the care of the ******, the Navy Headquarters, which has abundant resources, has allocated 200 million marks for the purchase of new warships, including 10 armored destroyers and 15 Type VII submarines. According to the results of previous war games and the blockade of the waters near Spain. Submarines are a fairly effective auxiliary weapon; If there is enough reconnaissance intelligence to back it up, then its destructive power against enemy sea shipping lines is even stronger than that of gunboats. For this year's purchase order, Brigadier General Dönitz, as the commander of the submarine force, was overjoyed; In less than a year, the combat effectiveness in his hands will reach a new level on the basis of the current one.

On March 26, the No. 2 ship of the Zeppelin-class aircraft carrier also slid off the slipway amid countless hunting flying flags and deafening applause. The ship was named "Richthofen" in honor of the Red Baron, the first ace pilot of the World War and a legendary knight by both warring parties. In response to questions about the German Navy's special commitment to the development of aircraft carriers, the Chief of the General Staff, Admiral Gurze, gave a clear response at a press conference.

Guzawa claimed. The previously built Hipper-class with a standard displacement of 10,000 tons was just an immature test for Germany in the field of aircraft carriers; In the new era after the conclusion of the Anglo-German Naval Agreement. Germany needs to build a regular aircraft carrier with a standard displacement of 23,000 tons to protect its legitimate rights and interests. Guzawa also said that the number of regular aircraft carriers currently in service and under construction in Britain, the United States and Japan is more than the four Zeppelin-class aircraft carriers that Germany has started, so Germany's shipbuilding plan is very reasonable from any angle.

It is late spring in May. The new King George VI will be crowned at Westminster Abbey on the 12th of this month, officially becoming the supreme head of state in a quarter of the world's territory. Compared with the first marriage of the sixty-year-old prince in later generations, the birth of a new king in the British Empire is undoubtedly more concerned by the world. Later, on May 20, a grand parade was held to celebrate the coronation of George VI. It will also be held in Spithead Harbour in the south of the UK; In addition to the members of the British Commonwealth, many other countries will also be invited to send ships to participate in the grand celebration.

As a close neighbor of a big country separated by a strip of water, Germany was invited by Britain to parade. However, to Fang Yan's surprise, the Navy Headquarters actually appointed him as a special observer to take Graff? The Pocket Battle Cruiser of the USS Speese travels to England to participate in a ship parade. Fang Yan was given a special mission during this trip, that is, to take the opportunity to spy on the current situation of the British Royal Navy, including training, combat readiness, and weapons. This is a rare opportunity to get in close contact with an entire navy of another country, and although it is only a few days, those who have a unique eye can undoubtedly see the subtleties of what they see.

After packing up his personal belongings, Fang Yan took the appointment and boarded the deck of the Spee's pocket battle patrol; After getting used to staying on a wide and towering aircraft carrier, and then returning to this kind of gunboat with relatively small surface space, even if he had served on its sister ship for two and a half years, he actually felt a little uncomfortable. However, soon, Fang Yan's little strangeness was dispelled by the joy of meeting his old friend: David, who had been admitted to the Milvik Military Academy in the same class as him, was now serving as the commander of the communications detachment on the Spee. And his military rank has also been promoted to captain, and he can apply to become the captain of a destroyer or submarine.

Amid the laughter and emotion of old friends, the battleship successfully crossed the Strait of Dover after a full day of sailing and entered the central area of the "Aqueduct of His Majesty". At this time, there was only one day left before the opening of the parade, and Spithead Harbour was already full of ships and bunting hunting. Fang Yan looked around, and as far as he could see, there were all victorious battleships with the St. George flag; The towering chimneys and masts clearly show every visitor that the glory of the British Empire is still there, and the majesty is still there!

"The British still have some strength." Rao is Fang Yan did not have a good impression of this old bandit who dominated the sea in the past and regarded the vast deep blue as his inherent thing with an extremely stubborn and paranoid attitude, but he also had to admit that the lineup advantage of the British Navy today compared to the European countries was still much better than before World War I. Twelve battleships and three battlecruisers formed the core pillars of the Empire's sea power, and 15 heavy cruisers and 17 light cruisers effectively defended Britain's special rights and interests around the world. Up to five aircraft carriers will support the fleet, and as the core of future naval warfare, they will be able to support another part of Britain's airspace.

At this time, in the slipway and dock, 5 battleships, 5 cruisers, and 3 aircraft carriers were being built. Anyone who looks at this scene will think that the future of Britain's sea power is still bright, and there will be successors.

"Jonas, do you think we can defeat the British at sea?" David, who was standing beside Fang Yan, suddenly asked a word that was definitely difficult to hear in the current German Navy. It is important to know that the present Anglo-German relations are in a rare good period, and the German Navy is only two years away from completely breaking free from the restrictions of the Treaty of Versailles; Whether in terms of subjective political will or objective military strength, the top echelons of the navy, headed by Raeder, were not prepared for any war with Britain. And even if Fang Yan's mission with the ship was this mission, the naval headquarters was more out of pure intelligence gathering considerations.

Seeing Fang Yan's gaze as he turned his head to gaze, David, who looked calm, said slowly: "My two uncles were both killed in the Battle of Skagerrak (Jutland), and it was because of their will that I chose to pursue a career in the navy. I have always believed that peace between Germany and Great Britain will not last forever, and that when we demand the return of what we have lost, the country will once again be at the forefront of opposition to us. ”

Fang Yan's eyes flashed, and he replied softly, "Now we are already on this path. In the near future, Germany under the Führer's leadership will once again enter the arena with this country. (To be continued.) )