After contacting Admiral Canaris, who was in charge of intelligence, on April 13, 1939, the German naval hierarchy finally approved Fang Yan's plan for a surprise attack on Scarpa Bay. By Kurt? The Bureau of Naval Operations, led by Frick, began to make comprehensive improvements on the basis of Fang Yan's plan, so as to be meticulous in every detail. At the same time, preparations began: pilots not only began to learn how to identify ships of all levels of the British Navy, but also significantly increased their training to attack stationary targets in specific environments.

A few days later, on April 18, the German Navy welcomed another heavyweight battleship: the battleship Bismarck, which had been in the making for nearly four years, was finally completed just in time for Hitler's birthday, and replaced the Deutsche Pocket Cruiser as the flagship of the Ocean Fleet. Although this giant ship with a standard displacement of 45,600 tons is not the protagonist of future naval warfare, its completion and inclusion in the list will undoubtedly make the German Navy a balanced force with complete ships and combat power. At this point, the reborn Ocean Fleet no longer had to fear encountering the British capital ships head-on; In front of the Bismarck's 9 450mm cannons, no opponent is her one-in-one enemy!

In order to disguise the amazing firepower of this super battleship as much as possible, as soon as the Bismarck completed the final turret hoisting work, Raeder ordered her to enter the Baltic Sea under the protection of four destroyers, and live a nearly isolated run-in life together with the two Zeppelin-class aircraft carriers that arrived in advance. In this case, Fang Yan also had no chance to witness this warship of the same name from the historical plane for the time being, and he could only rely on his inherent knowledge of gunboats to slightly reverie her supreme demeanor.

However, a lot of gossip about the new German battleships still reached the ears of Britain, France and other countries one after another with the entry into service of the Bismarck. Both London and Paris watched with suspicion the concealed actions of the German navy. And more and more feel that the opponent's newly completed battleship has some ulterior secrets.

One of the most suspicious is her firepower. According to information published by the German Navy, the Bismarck-class is armed with 9 improved 380-mm SKL/45 guns; However, according to the photos she took of the launch two years ago, the diameter of the main gun seat is close to half the width of the deck, which really does not look like that of a normal triple 380mm main turret. The senior admirals of Britain and France suspected that the Germans had concealed information about the main guns: either they had concealed the double diameter of the barrel, or they were not even 15-inch in caliber. Consider that the word "improved" itself is a vague signal that can be used in all ways. The British and French had every reason to believe that the Germans were hiding eccentrics!

Considering that the battleships of this class of the Germans were very likely to be equipped with more than 15-inch guns, Western countries, feeling the urgency, have accelerated their own battleship construction plans. Because the main guns of the George V class, which began construction two years ago, are the smallest in caliber, Britain is also in the mood to maintain its maritime superiority; This time, they gritted their teeth and threw out an order for 5 "Lion" class battleships.

For the British Empire, which was on the verge of death, the cost of building its own warships today was far lower than that of its peers in the world, but the Treasury still felt angry about the extravagance. At this time, more than 1.2 million people in the UK were still unemployed, and the economic pressure was still very severe; In order to balance the budget, the Ministry of Finance, which is stretched thin, has resolutely cut the expansion plan of the two "Grudge" class fleet aircraft carriers, which were originally scheduled to start construction this year. The four Radiant-class aircraft carriers that have already started construction have also slowed down the pace of construction because of the tilt of steel and workers towards the battleships. It won't be long before this proves to be a tragic decision that has plunged both the Royal Navy and the British Empire into the abyss of disaster.

On the northern shore of the Mediterranean, France and Italy also participated in the naval arms race before the war because of their mutual traction with the European continent and with each other. Among them, France has started the construction of two "Clemenceau" class battleships enlarged from the Richelieu class, while Italy is also preparing funds and steel for two new "Veneto" class battleships. Although most of them did not have the opportunity to indulge in the vast deep blue, for Germany, France and Italy focused their efforts on the navy. It's already the scene they are most happy to see.

As the core of the storm that set off a new round of capital ship competition, the expansion of the German Navy is not far behind. On the day of the commissioning of the Bismarck. Hitler announced the abrogation of the Anglo-German Naval Agreement signed in 1935 on the grounds that Britain had unilaterally given military guarantees to Poland, which meant that the size of the German navy would no longer be capped at 35% of the British ceiling. A fleet expansion plan, codenamed "Z", was immediately put into effect, and its grandeur shocked everyone who saw it.

According to the provisions of Plan Z. Over the next eight years, Germany will build more than 700 ships, including 12 battleships and eight aircraft carriers, at an estimated total cost of more than 33 billion marks. Considering that it is the younger brother of the Brom-Foss shipyard who is currently in charge of the German economy, and that Raeder is the only active field marshal in the Wehrmacht and has a good friendship with Führer Hitler; In the eyes of anyone in the game, today's German Navy has ushered in the most ideal era of development since its founding!

However. Fang Yan knew better than anyone that the Navy's Plan Z was just a seemingly wonderful flower in the mirror. The war in Europe could not have dragged on until 1946, when Hitler had promised Raeder: for even if Hitler had not been to reclaim the Polish Corridor and the conquest of the living space in the East, Germany's present economic situation would not have been able to hold out in peace for so long.

According to Walter's personal remarks to his family, Germany's current wartime economy could only last for another year and a half at most; Only by relying on external plundering to feed back can we solve the current dangerous situation of frenzied financial debts and the collapse of the capital chain at the root. Although Germany annexed Austria and Czechoslovakia in succession within a year, the flesh and blood of these two small countries were not enough to meet the needs of the German Tyrannosaurus rex. In fact, since more than 10 million of these two countries are Germanic, accounting for more than 60% of the total population annexed by Germany, this further reduces German incomes. After all, Berlin can't be so ruthless with these compatriots!

Once Germany launched a war to meet its own economic needs, the army's military operations against Poland, France, North Africa, the Balkans, and the Soviet Union would consume a lot of manpower and material resources, and the resources left for the construction of the navy would not be able to meet the expected needs. Because of this, Fang Yan did not deliberately play any role in this seemingly significant military expansion plan. The only request he made was that he wanted to put the aircraft carrier in the highest priority construction order. Fang Yan had a corresponding consideration in his heart: since the construction time of the aircraft carrier was shorter than that of the battleship, even if the construction started in the spring of 1939, which was already very late, it was expected to form a complete combat strength before 1943.

For Fang Yan's innocuous and small request, the German naval top brass had no objections, and the beginning of Plan Z was implemented with Fang Yan's script. On the Navy's procurement list this year, two large fleet aircraft carriers are impressively at the top of the list. The Brom-Forss shipyard, which is best at building large clippers, took on the task, and they already have the experience to complete the two ships as quickly as possible.

On the morning of April 20, Hitler's 50th birthday celebration began in Berlin. The grand celebration is no less than the Diamond Jubilee event on the 60th anniversary of Queen Victoria's accession to the throne of the United Kingdom. Looking down from the air, I saw that the entire city of Berlin was shrouded in a flaming red flag, like the immensity of the waves. And in the wide Parisian square and the Boulevard Linden, the armed forces in strong gear have long been lined up and standing; They will pass through the magnificent Brandenburg Gate and be inspected by Supreme Commander Adolf Hitler in front of the viewing platform.

Fang Yan and a group of admirals stood beside the viewing platform, and as far as the eye could see, there was a dense crowd of exciting soldiers and civilians; Although he had already fully understood the darkness and barbarism of the National Socialist Party, under the influence of the excitement and joy around him, he could not help but have a little passionate resonance. The overwhelming red flag, the solemn officers and soldiers on review, the shining steel gun leather boots, and the dense oblique arms of the forest all show the world the unity and domineering spirit of this nation. Hitler, located in the middle of the viewing platform, was as trustworthy and awe-inspiring as the shining sun: in just 11 months, he actually rewrote the map of Germany three times, and achieved a dazzling and great success without bloodshed!

The military music was loud, the footsteps were loud, and the German armed forces on the golden iron horse poured through the front of the viewing platform, gradually accumulating the atmosphere of the scene to the highest point of boiling. In addition to the flag-bearers of infantry and honor guards, mechanized heavy weapons such as tanks, armored vehicles, and towed artillery were also unveiled, arousing the pride and excitement of the surrounding people. Isn't it the sweat and dedication of their daily toil, but reluctant to enjoy exquisite food, just to buy these weapons and equipment that can defend the dignity and will of the nation, and to provide material support to the most beloved army?

In the mechanized corps that rumbled past the viewing platform, several tanks caught the eye of Hitler and several army generals. Their size and gun specifications greatly exceed those of the Bobcat tanks, which are currently relied on by the Army. Thinking of Guderian's plan for a 20-ton tank, Hitler's eyes suddenly flashed with a bright light of implicit anticipation. (To be continued.) )