At the beginning of August, the weather in Hamburg, Germany, was still sunny and hot, and hundreds of workers were sweating and working in an open field in the western part of the city. They built houses on scaffolding connected by steel pipes, and the shouts of the personnel were mixed with the roar of the machinery, although the sound of the scene was confused and dusty, but it presented an orderly, tense and enthusiastic construction scene.

"General Brom, I really feel like I'm on your thief ship now." Zeitzler wiped the beads of sweat oozing from his forehead, and complained to Fang Yan in a bitter tone, "The navy applied for the formation of a marine corps, but it didn't even prepare the barracks in advance, isn't this a pit man?" It doesn't matter if there are no facilities, as long as the personnel and materials are prepared, and the work can be carried out as soon as possible according to the plan drawings; But the Navy was not even prepared for this! In the end, we were asked to find a place, find personnel, and find materials to build a barracks by ourselves, which is simply unbelievable! ”

Fang Yan didn't care at all, smiled and patted Zeitzler on the shoulder and said, "Oh, my dear Kurt, isn't this military camp already built now?" At the current pace, it will be completed in less than mid-September. It just so happens that the weapons and equipment of the Marine Corps also need time to be produced, and if the troops are assembled now, I will not be able to get those heavy equipment, and the morale of the officers and men will be lowered. In addition, we can also take advantage of the opportunity to extend the recruitment period for army officers, and perhaps young colonels and lieutenants with outstanding abilities will come to serve. ”

Hearing these words, Zeitzler's already somewhat depressed face became darker. As Fang Yan frankly admitted, this so-called Marine Corps not only has no barracks to stay, but even weapons and equipment are nowhere to be found. A few days ago, the young man entrusted his uncle W. Ert to temporarily insert a group of troops in the army's production sequence to first manufacture and deliver weapons for the navy's more than 2,000 people.

Although these 2,000 men are only a drop in the ocean compared to the millions of people in the army, the former's weapons list has a large number of armored transport vehicles, self-propelled guns, and other heavy equipment that requires a lot of man-hours. As a result, the delivery of these weapons can only be delayed until a few weeks later.

"That is, you, General Brom, can put these things into practice. If someone else had been replaced, who would have taken the first step in the preparations for the formation of an army? Zeitzler shook his head and pouted as he looked at the crowd of people working on the construction site in front of him.

At this time, they were on the border of the Brom-Fox shipyard, which was originally intended for the third phase of the new steelmaking plant next year. It was with Fang Yan's intervention that his father, Rudolph, gave up the land as a place for the Marines. And these construction workers were also organized by the Brom family, the largest snake in Hamburg. If it weren't for that, the Marines wouldn't even be able to determine a place to stay, let alone the subsequent so-called expansion and development!

The more Zeitzler thought about it, the more speechless he became, and some doubts vaguely surfaced in his mind. Judging from the current situation, the formation of this Marine Corps is too exaggerated - not only is there no budget for equipment, but even the location of the station has not been determined in advance, and it is completely blank. No matter how you look at it, this does not seem to be the behavior of the well-organized group of the navy, but rather the personal actions of the young man in front of him.

Thinking of this, Zeitzler couldn't help but feel deeply worried: If this is the case, then wouldn't he have wasted most of his time in the next half a year in vain, and how could he get to know the officers and soldiers at the grassroots level and lay the foundation for future promotion?

Facing Zeitzler's suspicious eyes, Fang Yan was a little weak-hearted, but he obviously couldn't show any timidity, and said with a smile: "Reliable Kurt, don't be nervous. You know, the Navy has placed orders for thousands of landing craft and minesweepers, and dozens of new ones are being built at the shipyard next door, so the Navy just doesn't have the money to implement all aspects of Marine Corps formation, including leasing land and building new barracks. It just so happened that I still had some property relations in my family, so I took the initiative to step forward and help the navy to cover this gap first. Rest assured, when the barracks are completed, I guarantee that 2,000 non-commissioned officers and infantry will come here one by one to report and listen to orders. ”

After receiving the assurance of the young man in front of him, the suspicious look in Zeitzler's eyes gradually faded. After a pause, Zeitzler thought of something again, pointed to the construction site in front of him and asked: "Even if this is the case, why do the workers only build barracks where the troops live, but not the corresponding training ground?" The Marine Corps is very different from the port garrison in that it must be trained day and night in a well-equipped professional field. Since the family behind you has taken on so many tasks, it is not enough to even have enough money to build a training ground, right? ”

Fang Yan smiled, but kept this answer: "When the troops are gathered in the future, you will naturally understand." ”

After inspecting the construction site, Zeitzler left the site with Fang Yan depressed. The two drove into the side entrance of the nearby Brom-Fox shipyard in a limousine and stopped a few minutes later in front of a three-story building. This is also the temporary office location provided by Fang Yan for the "Marine Corps Command" by using the resources in his hands, and Zeitzler has not complained about it for this reason.

Walking into the spacious but empty office, Zeitzler handed a document from the table to Fang Yan's hand, and said with a somewhat serious expression: "Now, there is still a problem with the formation of the Marine Corps, that is, the recruitment of officers is far from going as smoothly as we expected. ”

Fang Yan had just turned the first page, and Zeitzler had already explained its contents: "After five days of open recruitment, only 12 lieutenants and 1 colonel took the initiative to apply and were willing to join the service sequence of the Navy. Although the Army Command has issued an order not to prevent the demobilized officers under its command from defecting to the Navy, the vast majority of people still regard the Army as their home and are unwilling to join the Marine Corps, where the future is uncertain. ”

Fang Yan flipped through the resume information of the recruited officer in his hand, nodded and said, "I know this." Of the more than 5,000 officers in the 15 reserve divisions that have been dismantled by the Army, only a very small number can be used by us. The young officers are full of vigor and confidence that they will be able to return to the army in the future and make meritorious contributions. Even if the Army did close its doors to them, they would prefer to throw themselves under the SS flag. First, the SS was developing rapidly, and there was clear room for growth in both the armed forces and the police, and second, their worldview was shaped by the National Socialist Party, and their fanatical worship of the Führer made them have an innate belief in the SS as a Führer lineage. ”

"Uh......" Zeitzler originally had a lot of bitter water to pour, and he couldn't help but be stunned after hearing Fang Yan's words. Zeitzler clearly remembers that when he visited his home more than a week ago, he said nothing at all, when he appeared confident, claiming that it was easier to choose 180 out of a 5,000-strong officer corps than to drink water. Just lying at home, there are countless people lining up to apply. Why is it that only a few days have passed now, and the hexagram has changed so quickly?

Also, in a bland and overlooking tone, which one is sung when he says that "the worldview of young officers is shaped by the National Socialist Party"? Zeitzler was dumbfounded: Aren't you yourself the most typical young officer who grew up in New Germany, and who has composed an ode to the Führer that will last down to the world!

Fang Yan didn't seem to notice Zeitzler's strange face at all, and continued to say unhurriedly: "And the officers in their prime, these people are the precious backbone of the army, and no matter how much the General Staff cuts them, they will not be cut on their heads. At the same time as the old unit number is abolished, they will inevitably be transferred to other posts in the army. Therefore, the people we can recruit are basically only about 55 years old, and there is still a lot of financial pressure on the old officers. ”

"These people are veterans of the last big war and have long since retired from active duty. It was only because of the resumption of fighting and the severe shortage of officers in the rapidly expanding Wehrmacht that they were re-called up to fill vacancies in the second-line reserves. Now that the troops are demobilized and disbanded, they can only go back to their hometown to bask in the sun with a one-month salary subsidy, and there are a few people who do not want to unload their armor, so they want to try their luck in the navy. Fang Yan said.

"You're right. Of the 13 officers who have now voluntarily applied to serve in the Navy, none of them are under the age of 50. Moreover, their resumes are basically not shining, and their abilities and potential are very worrying. Zeitzler finally got a chance to talk, and his words were full of heartache, "In the current situation, how can the Marines become an elite sword?" This is completely different from what you told me at the beginning! ”

"I lied to you at the beginning. If not, how can I get help from your talent? Fang Yan admitted with a smile that no matter his tone or expression, he couldn't see a trace of guilt at all.

Zeitzler didn't expect the other party to admit it so cheekily, his round face was blue and white for a while, and even there were faint green tendons on his forehead. Seeing this, Fang Yan smiled and waved his hand, and said leisurely: "Don't worry." Since I dare to do this, I must be fully sure. In the case of the officer shortage, I have another layer of insurance, and that is to pick up the pearls that the Army has abandoned for political reasons. ”

"Since the Führer came to power, a considerable number of front-line officers in the Army have voluntarily resigned or been ordered to retire because of their opposition to the National Socialist movement and the leadership of the Party. Although many of them were re-drafted with the outbreak of war, they are now marginalized because of their victory. And what I want is for them to serve in the Marine Corps. Fang Yan spoke slowly, and there was no longer the frivolity on his face, "This matter requires us to take the initiative, and only by showing them the position of the navy will they gladly agree." ”