After discussing some strategies for the propaganda of the United States, Goebbels immediately bid farewell to Hitler and worked out the details of the corresponding plan overnight. Goebbels already knew how important this work would be for the war, more effective than the addition of a new aircraft carrier force to the Navy, and he was thrilled to finally find his role in the war. Although he does not understand strategy and military affairs, and seems to be able to only become marginalized and silent like Hess, Flick and others, as long as he realizes the guidance and manipulation of people's hearts, he will always be Hitler's indispensable arm!

"Jonas, you stay first." Hitler stretched out his hand and pressed down slightly, signaling that the young man in front of him did not need to leave with Goebbels, and the latter immediately sat back on the sofa with a respectful and responsive gaze. Hitler watched him quietly, and felt more and more that the other party was indeed a little more inexplicable than a few months ago: a hint of closeness and warmth replaced the former solitude, and this may be a direct reflection of his recent change in political attitudes.

"This time, you have made great contributions to the party and the country, and have greatly contributed to the establishment of a new order in Europe, but Marshal Raeder does not see it that way. All your actions are not only contrary to his ideas, but also a flagrant violation of the political ban he has promulgated. Hitler looked at him with a hint of amusement and reminded, "Don't forget, no matter how close your personal relationship with me is, you are still an officer in the navy." ”

Jonas rolled his eyes inwardly, how could he not hear the provocation in Hitler's words? As long as Raeder is still in power, he, an officer who has repeatedly failed in politics, will be the number one target to be guarded against rigidly, and the only way to change the status quo is to completely fall to the Führer and remove Raeder from power. Now, however, Jonas had other plans, and was insensitive to Hitler's seductive questioning.

"Thank you to the Führer for your recognition and care for me!" Jonas's face was full of emotion, and he said, "Everything I do is for you and the country, and as for personal gains and losses, it is not worth caring much about at all." I'm already a rear admiral at the age of 32, and I'm lucky enough to have your favor, so what's not to be satisfied with? What's more, the overall situation of the current war has been decided, and whether or not I will be used by Marshal Raeder to return to the fleet will not change the situation in any way. ”

"Jonas, are you a little too optimistic about the current situation? Indeed, there is no suspense that Germany will win this war, but at the specific operational level, it still requires the all-out efforts of both the army and the navy. ”

Hitler frowned slightly, and then, as if remembering something, suddenly said: "You have not served in the front line for many months, and many situations may not be well understood. In fact, the siege of Britain by our army was not as effective as Comrade Goebbels propagated. In the Channel area, the British Air Force resisted particularly stubbornly, and the losses of the 2nd and 3rd Air Groups of the Army were quite serious, and General Speerer had more than once proposed to reduce the intensity of the fighting with the British. With that, Hitler stood up, took out a document on his desk, and handed it to the young man.

In the past August, the German 2nd and 3rd Air Forces lost a total of 437 aircraft of all types, including 241 fighters and 157 bombers. Combined with the July losses, the total is already approaching 800 aircraft. Although the number of new aircraft received by Army Airlines during the same period was twice that number, the experienced flight crew could not be replenished quickly - the German aircraft were all away from home, and even if the pilot successfully parachuted, he could not return to his own team!

Since the army aviation was unable to seize air supremacy in the English Channel, the offensive mine-sweeping mission of the navy's light ships was also difficult. At present, a large number of new German M-boats and S-boats have not yet been completed, and the navy can only meet the enemy with a force far inferior to that of the opponent; In the past two months, the extent of the minefield in the English Channel has not only not decreased, but has increased by almost 1 times. What made Hitler even more angry was that Britain still had the spare strength to send bombers to attack Calais, Le Havre and other northern French ports on August 23, destroying more than 40 river barges and landing craft! This has led to a lot of concern among the Army generals about the Sea Lion program: How can this situation allow the troops to land safely?

"Judging from the current situation, army aviation alone is no longer able to achieve decisive results on the front line of the strait. So the navy had to take on the important task of cutting Britain off supplies from overseas – and you can see the recent results. Hitler poked his finger at the table and said with a gloomy face, "Last month the Berlin operation ended dismally, and we lost 1 valuable battleship, 1 light fleet carrier, 2 heavy cruisers and 7 overdrives. The two capital ships, the Tirpitz and the Spee, are also scarred, and it will be difficult to strike again this year! ”

"According to the intelligence of the 'Rhine', the British battleship George V and 2 armored aircraft carriers will be commissioned in the near future. This allowed Britain to regain control of a fast long-range strike force that could pose a lethal threat to our side. In the face of such an enemy, we should not be allowed to have any more feelings of underestimating the enemy. Hitler said with a serious expression.

Rhine? That's accurate information. Jonas was slightly startled and quietly remembered the codename. On the other side, the three ships were completed in December, May, and November 1940, and even if the world differed due to changes caused by itself, the time would not fluctuate for more than three months. Considering Hitler's ignorance of the Navy, I am afraid that he was indeed frightened by the defeat in the Danish Channel, coupled with Raeder's push to keep his own power, Hitler felt more and more that the Navy still had a big war to face.

"Honorable Führer, I admire you for your calmness on the eve of victory!" Jonas met his mustache and said, "However, through the unremitting efforts and bloody battles of all the officers and men of the navy, our army has formed an absolute superiority over the British navy. Even if I do not return to the fleet in the future, this Atlantic campaign will inevitably end in a German victory. ”

In the face of Hitler's serious eyes, Jonas explained unhurriedly: "Indeed, judging from the objectives of the campaign, the Berlin operation in early August was a failure. But under the courageous counterattack of our troops, the British also paid a heavy price: 2 battle cruisers and 7 capital cruisers were sunk, and the backbone of the Royal Navy's mobile forces was completely broken. Now even if George V is fully commissioned, it will only be 1 weak ship with 10 356mm guns, and next month we will get 2 Bismarck-class sisters Moltke and Hindenburg. With this in mind, the adversary was no longer able to carry out a lethal volley like the one on the night of August 10. ”

Hitler's eyes flickered, and he was silent, except waved his hand to signal Jonas to continue.

"As for the aircraft carrier, it is essentially just an airfield platform. She was not so much the decisive weapon of naval warfare as the aircraft she carried. And in this field, our army has an unshakable and absolutely strong position. ”

Jonas showed a bit of ridicule on his face, and said lightly: "Britain's skills in the field of aviation are actually not inferior to ours. The British Air Force is world-class in terms of technical capabilities, industrial output, military organization, and the quality of its pilots, as evidenced by the current situation in the skies over the English Channel. However, the British naval carrier-based aircraft were miserable, and they were completely different teams from the air force. ”

"Due to the political strength of the Air Force, the allocation of resources of the British Navy throughout the 30s was rigidly suppressed by the former. While the British Air Force's main fighter has been upgraded from the Hurricane to the Spitfire, the HNA is still using the biplane fighter that is two notches behind; And their attack aircraft are also a weak combination of Skua + Swordfish, which has a generational gap compared with the air force aircraft of the same period. Even if the British were woken up by us after the Battle of Norwegian and began to make every effort to improve the performance of carrier-based aircraft, this would not be an easy catch-up in just about one year. ”

Jonas is confident in making this conclusion. At present, the most likely way for Britain to enhance the combat effectiveness of its naval aviation is to put the Hurricane on board, but this is by no means a simple task that can be accomplished overnight: in order to adapt to taking off and landing on the deck of an aircraft carrier with bumpy and shaky and limited space, the aircraft must make significant changes in the landing gear, wing structure, and fuselage layout. The land-based version of the Hurricane has just launched its second MkII. in June this year, and the overall technology is not yet fully mature, and studying another shipborne model will only cause more problems, making the whole project difficult.

Historically, the Sea Hurricane, modified from the MkII type and equipped with a catapult spool and landing hook, was not declared in service until July 1941; And the MKI. type, due to the limited strength of the airframe, the British modified only 50 of them for use as disposable consumables for catapulting off from merchant ships. In this world line, even if the British were greatly stimulated, the sea hurricane born out of the MkII type could not be significantly advanced.

It is still difficult to produce carrier-based fighters with ready-made blueprints, and it is even more impossible for British carrier-based attack planes that need to start anew. Jonas initially estimates that it will take at least two years for British HNA to completely recover the gap with Germany. However, with the current situation, how could Germany give Britain 2 years? The best thing to do in the face of a potential threat is to act immediately and stifle it at the growth stage!

"In your opinion, the navy's next face to the British is just an armed parade?" Hitler frowned.

"As long as the area of engagement is out of the operational range of British land-based aviation, the British fleet has no chance of victory." Jonas spoke without hesitation, with absolute confidence in his words, "And you know, I also have an identity as a ship designer, and the Zeppelin-class armored aircraft carrier is my work. I can now guarantee that there is absolutely no chance that she will be sunk by the existing carrier-based aircraft of the British. ”

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