In the not spacious seafaring bridge, Fang Yan met Colonel Norman, the captain of the aircraft carrier Hipper. Pen "Fun" Pavilion www.biquge.info

"Jonas ...... No, General Brom, I didn't expect you to arrive so soon. Norman, who was in his fifties, said with a look of consternation on his face and a somewhat complicated mood. Although at noon today, Norman had received a notice of appointment from the fleet command, and preparations had been made for Fang Yan's arrival; However, this did not mean that he was completely indifferent to this appointment in his heart, and accepted the situation of Fang Yan suddenly parachuting above his head and becoming his direct boss like a machine.

You must know that at the beginning of 1936, Norman watched Fang Yan, who had just been promoted to major, come to serve on the Hipper, and followed General Bome and himself desperately to absorb all kinds of knowledge. It's only been a few years, and that little major has become the youngest admiral in the history of the world's navy except for the king, and now he is about to become the commander of the newly formed 2nd Air Force, directly commanding himself!

Seeing Norman's strange look that couldn't help but show, Fang Yan knew what the reason was with his knees. He returned a standard military salute to the other and said, "Colonel Norman, it's an honor to work with you again." Because I did a little work, I was promoted to brigadier general by the Führer's mistakenly love; The appointment of me as commander by Marshal Raeder this time really made me feel a great responsibility, and I did not dare to slack off in the slightest. Therefore, I sincerely hope that you will help me to speak out about my mistakes with your experience. All for Germany! ”

Hearing Fang Yan's sincere words, the strange discomfort in Norman's heart gradually faded, and was replaced by a warm and warm feeling. Norman's face became solemn, and he said solemnly: "As you wish, General." I will always do everything I can for the sake of my country and the Navy. He paused, and then asked Fang Yan, "Are you planning to rest on the warship tonight?" If that were the case, I would immediately have the sailors clear the commander's quarters. Since I really didn't expect you to come tonight, this work has not yet been done, so you may need to wait ten minutes. Fang Yan smiled and said, "Then I'll bother you." I want to adapt to my new role as soon as possible. ”

As the first aircraft carrier built by the German Navy, the Hippers was designed with the fleet flagship in mind. Before the beginning of 1939, when the Zeppelin had not yet fully formed its combat effectiveness, the commander of the air fleet, Bermay, also gave orders on this ship. During that time, although Fang Yan had walked to the commander's cabin many times to call Bo Mei, he had never pushed open the hatch to find out; This time, he could finally step into it in the open.

The space in the command cabin is not large, and it can even be said that it is a little cramped: a single bed takes up almost a third of the space, and with the separation of bedside cupboards, wooden chairs, and desks, the entire lounge is reduced to a half-meter-wide central aisle. However, these ordinary furnishings are very reasonable and compact. Fang Yan was alone, and he only felt that whether he was lying down to recuperate, meditate, or read a book, he didn't feel any discomfort. The cabin side is close to the sea, and the ocean can be clearly seen through the porthole, which is obviously more relaxing for the occupants than those fully enclosed cabins that are completely opaque.

"No wonder everyone is quite a captain and commander, this kind of comfortable single room is completely incomparable even if it is a colonel-level officer's cabin......" With full of heartfelt emotion, Fang Yanhe's clothes covered the brand-new futon on the bed.

At 6:30 a.m. the next morning, Fang Yan sat up on time according to the living time on the warship, and after breakfast, he immediately began to conduct a comprehensive inspection of all departments of the ship. Although Fang Yan had no intention of doubting Captain Norman's ability to control his subordinates, he had the obligation to understand the man-machine run-in of the warships under his command. Fang Yan clearly understood that only by knowing all these situations in his heart could he try his best to make up for the shortcomings of experience in not commanding a warship alone, and give appropriate orders in future battles.

The Hippert-class light aircraft carrier has a full complement of more than 2,000 officers and men, divided into 10 detachments and 13 different departments. In addition to the conventional departments of navigation, guns, engines, maintenance, communications, radar, logistics, security and espionage, there is also the vital aviation. In the first few days of the new year, Fang Yan focused on inspecting the operation of the latter. From the hangar maintenance before the aircraft sortie, the elevator operation, the deck planning, the central command and dispatch, to the rapid release of the aircraft group, to the search for the enemy after the sortie, and finally the return to the ship for recovery, Fang Yan made the most detailed assessment possible.

At this time, Norman, who was following Fang Yan, really felt Fang Yan's super high attainments in the field of carrier-based aviation; Whenever he finished observing the exercise, the young brigadier general was always able to point out the shining points and flaws of the relevant troops, and immediately put forward practical and feasible measures to make up for the existing problems. In the end, Norman had to admit in his heart: In terms of the field of carrier-based aviation operations alone, this young man is indeed suitable to be his boss!

In addition to aviation, an offensive department that has a fundamental impact on the war situation, Fang Yan also focused on the three departments of defensive damage management (damage control), firefighting, and ammunition depot management.

As a time-traveler familiar with the history of World War II, Fang Yan can be said to know better than anyone else the importance of these three departments to the survival of aircraft carriers: the aircraft carriers of the United States and Japan are both positive and negative examples of damage management. A total of 31 planes full of fuel bombs survived the explosion, and the Shinano, with a displacement of 2.5 times, was tragically sunk after eating only four torpedoes. Especially for the Hipper-class light aircraft carriers, which are not well armored and defended, excellent damage management and prevention are more useful than relying on armor to save their lives most of the time.

What made Fang Yan feel relieved was that due to the early formation of the two Hipper-class aircraft carriers, most of the officers and men on the ships were veteran sailors who had served for more than three years. These people are proficient, if not proficient, in their professional field. Judging from Fang Yan's eyes, the personnel of these two ships were basically quite well trained, and they were enough to give full play to the combat effectiveness of the equipment itself. Watching the steel warhawks transform into various attack maneuvers in the air, and finally return safely on the deck, Fang Yan's confidence also rose. Although this kind of temporary training outside the port is far from being able to reflect the actual combat situation, the proficiency of the personnel of the ship's aviation department is already an indisputable fact.

During the slightly intense training of the German Navy officers and men in preparation for war, the time for the operation of the Weser River exercise was also approaching day by day. (To be continued.) )