The new book has nearly 200,000 words, friends who like World War II can read it, the book number 1001483, "Recasting the Third Reich: The New Era of Sea Power"

Body:

The majesty of the "monster" as it crossed the trench was so shocking that several officers rose from their positions, and one can even imagine the expression of the British infantry in the face of such a tank.

The 1.5-meter-wide trench could hold off any kind of wheeled vehicle of the German Army, including armored vehicles and motorcycles, and the Russians, French and British had used this method to escape the pursuit of German armored forces.

Now, people see a steel beast that is stronger and faster than its predecessors, and after driving through the trench at a speed of nearly 15 kilometers per hour, the "monster" does not hesitate to rush to the barbed wire fence of the wooden stakes in front of it. With the click of broken stakes, a three-man wide road soon appeared in the barbed wire area, and the next trench and machine-gun fortress were no match for the "monster", and it took less than two minutes to pass through this line.

"Unbelievable!"

The officers, accustomed to seeing the "Stone I" and "Stone II" slowly crawling through each other's positions, never dreamed that the tanks would be able to charge like this, and if they had such a tank unit in their hands at the beginning of the war, the war would have ended with a great victory for Germany.

Pushing walls and climbing hills, the "monster" is as dynamic as its name suggests, and the kind of powerful domineering makes people feel deeply in awe. On the reviewing stand, the officers did not hesitate to give praise to the new tank of the Empire, although they had heard of the "monster" for a long time, but after seeing the performance of this weapon with their own eyes, they still felt sincere pride and pride.

When it came to the front of the big puddle, the "monster" slowed down its speed, and it appeared quite cautious when entering the water, after all, there is always a gap between the theoretical design and the actual situation. The Stone II was designed to wade to a depth of 1.2 meters, but it was often less than 1 meter of water to stop them, and the poor Stone I was often "looking at the river and sighing", knowing that waiting for the sappers to build a bridge during the march was an extremely painful thing.

The maximum wading depth of the "Monster I" design is 1.2 meters like the "Stone II", and the audience, including Tatsuten, sweated a little when they heard that the test was using a 1.1-meter-deep puddle.

Monster I slowly moved downward, its body sinking more and more into the water, and people no longer cared if the mud in the gutter would stain the mighty monster, but whether the machinery inside it would stop working. The exhaust vent installed above the rear of the car is constantly spewing black smoke outward, as if it is the mud at the bottom of the pit, and the speed of the "monster" is getting slower and slower, and it looks like an old man wabbling across the river. When most of the tracks disappeared into the water, the "monster" finally entered the puddle in its entirety, and it was still trying to push forward.

At this time, the three "Stone II" in the back have just begun to "gnaw" the defensive position, and they are still so unhurried after changing their weapons, they can also cross trenches, run over stakes barbed wire, and flatten machine gun fortresses, but after watching the "monster" performance, the "stone" in people's eyes is comparable to a turtle. Of course, the audience's main attention is on the "monster" in the puddle, which is not very large, and the monster has traveled some distance and then started to rise again, and finally slowly climbs ashore.

After all the maneuver tests, the "monster" raised its muzzle triumphantly, and although it was covered in mud by this time, nothing could hide its brilliance.

In the subsequent weapons test, the transformation cars of the "Monster" and "Stone II" demonstrated their power in turn, and Tatsuten and the officers were quite satisfied. However, Chentian cannot approve the mass production of these vehicles for the time being, and they still have one last test left - actual combat.

While the officers were still whispering, the Emperor's bodyguard walked up to the black-clad major, who had been cool from beginning to end.

"Major Manstangin! Your Majesty, please come over! ”

The major, dressed in a black armored uniform, stood up and straightened his hat, and then followed the guard officer to the Kaiser, who was still talking to General Matthew. This was the man who had performed well in the battle of Italy, when his troops were still on the side of the armistice line and he was ordered by the General Staff to return to Berlin alone. Obviously, Chen Tian didn't just ask him to be a spectator.

"Your Majesty!" Mance stood respectfully in front of Chentian.

"Major, what do you think of today's presentation?" Chen Tian said and glanced at the test site in front of the review stand, the tankers had climbed out of the tank and were now inspecting it with the test personnel.

"Almost perfect!" Mance Arena is very high for not being stingy.

"Especially the new tank, right?"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Mance Arena replied earnestly.

"At present, we already have three of these prototypes in our hands, and we also have three of each of the three transformation cars of 'Stone II', and I am going to send them to the battlefield in the United Kingdom for actual combat tests!" Tatsuten looked at Mance Tenin's young face, "I want them to be tested in the best battle, so I need a good commander to command them!" ”

Without much thought, Mance Stein straightened his chest, "Willing to serve!" ”

"We don't have a lot of time, you can pick some elite from your old subordinates to assist you, and in two weeks' time, this force will be on its way to England! When the time comes, I will also transfer an armored battalion from the 8th Army to your command! ”

Tatsu knew that with the current situation, the British might not be able to succumb quickly, but if the British commander used his strengths and avoided his weaknesses and retreated his troops to the mountainous Scotland or northwestern England, then the armored forces would have little room to play.

"Confidence to complete the task!" Manstan's unequivocal command of battalion-sized armored forces is at his disposal.

"Alright, let's start preparing as soon as possible! If you have any requirements, you can go directly to Colonel Hank from the General Staff, and I will ask him to cooperate with you as much as possible! ”

Since then, Chentian also met with the main designers of the "monster", as early as the drawing design stage they had exchanged some opinions, Chentian's "advanced consciousness" gave the designers a lot of "inspiration". For the mistakes made by the predecessors, Chentian has been trying to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past as much as possible, and the "Monster" tank has adopted more simple and practical operation and transmission technology. This time, taking the opportunity of the combat vehicle test, Chen Tian talked to them about some "monster" transformation vehicles that need to be designed, including self-propelled guns and assault guns that will come in handy in the future, and mentioned the concept of tracked armored vehicles for the first time. Although it seems that countries do not have the armor to compete with Germany, it is still necessary to take precautions, after all, there is also the United States on the other side of the world, whose industrial economy far exceeds that of Germany.

With the task entrusted to Mansten, and another young commander who had high expectations, the war on the European continent was subsided, but the German army still had much to do in this world.

With soft sandy beaches, lush vegetation and refreshing sea breezes, Cape Town, a beautiful seaside city, is spending the summer at a leisurely pace when the whole of Europe is covered in snow.

After arriving in Cape Town, the officers and men of the German Expeditionary Force enjoyed the scenery, food and temperature of about 20 degrees, and the fatigue of crossing Africa was dissipated here, and the painful memories left in the endless desert were thrown far into people's minds.

More than 200 years ago, the Dutch established their first colony here, and a century later, the British became the new owners, and as time went on, the British Empire lost its glory, and on the eve of the New Year of 1915, the British rulers fled in panic in the face of the battle-hardened and well-armed German Expeditionary Force and the Turkish Alliance, and surrendered this land rich in diamonds and gold to the European upstart, the mighty German Empire. At this time, the new Kaiser ascended the throne, and the British generously presented a very valuable gift.

In this place with a pleasant climate, wearing a black armored uniform without feeling hot at all, Rommel couldn't help but wonder if he was in Africa or paradise. The young and handsome officer at this time wore the epaulettes of an army major with windproof glasses tied around the collar and three shining medals on his chest - two iron crosses of the first degree and one iron cross of the second degree.

The Iron Cross, 2nd class, records Rommel's campaign in Egypt, when infantry and engineer units risked their lives to erect pontoon bridges over the Suez Canal, Rommel and his armored battalion were the first to break through the British lines, and then take Cairo and sweep across Egypt in half a month. This was the first battle fought by the African Expeditionary Force after entering Africa, and it was also the battle in which the British and the local colonial army resisted the most. After the Battle of Egypt, the young Rommel was recognized and rewarded by his superiors for his bravery and command.

The first Iron Cross of the First Class is a record of the outstanding achievements of the young commander of the armored corps in Sudan. Before Christmas, Rommel led the armored battalion to set off from the Egyptian border with the cooperation of the German army and the Turkish infantry, and it took only two days to drive straight into Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, and the remnants of the British and Egyptian troops who had withdrawn from Egypt into Sudan were taken by surprise, and on the first day after Christmas, Sudan, which had been under Anglo-Egyptian condominium since 1899, officially announced that it was included in the overseas territories of the German Empire.

After leading his troops into British Uganda, Rommel was rewarded and promoted by the War Office. A week later, Mansteen, who was fighting in Italy, was also promoted to major.

The second, the Iron Cross, 1st class, was transferred from Berlin just a few days ago for Rommel leading his troops from Uganda through German East Africa within one month, capturing British Zambia and Zimbabwe and finally entering British South Africa. With the British government already focusing 200 percent on the defense of the homeland, Rommel's troops and friendly forces did not encounter any decent resistance along the way, but poor road conditions and mechanical problems were the worst enemies of the armored forces. The journey of more than 1,000 kilometers was already a miraculous feat for a tank traveling at 2,030 kilometers per hour, during which Rommel had to leave the broken tank armored vehicles to the follow-up infantry units, and by the time they arrived in Cape Town, only 7 of the 18 tanks of the armored battalion were still functioning, and only 11 of the 30 armored vehicles were intact.

Dressed in armored boots, Rommel walked slowly on the sandy beach, his face refreshed by the slightly strong sea breeze, and his wind-blown hair seemed to be enjoying the fresh air.

At this time, the signal soldier came from not far away, and the sea breeze blew the corners of his clothes, and also blew the telegram in his hand.

"Major, a telegram from Berlin!"

Rommel unhurriedly put on his flat military cap and took the telegram from the communications man.

After reading several lines of the telegram, Rommel told the signal soldiers to leave, and then turned to look at the sea to the west, where the remnant sun was slowly sinking.

Summer in South Africa is coming to an end.

A few days later, a small convoy of transports from the German mainland arrived in Cape Town, bringing with them a shipment of reinforcements and supplies, as well as much-needed spare parts for the armored battalion. When the fleet returned, Rommel Hozhan was on the deck of the light cruiser Bella, and he was about to return to Germany, where he had been absent for several months, and a very important new mission awaited him.

On January 27, 1915, representatives of Germany, Austria, Russia, Turkey, and Italy formally signed an armistice agreement in Vienna, and the war that had been burning on the European continent for 183 days (counting from the beginning of Austria-Hungary's declaration of war on Serbia on July 28, 1914) was finally extinguished, and the European pattern had changed dramatically.

The confrontation between the two major military blocs before the war no longer exists, and now the Allies, led by Germany and Austria, dominate the continent. The French army, which was once a first-class army power, was defeated and surrendered, and the land of France is now divided into north and south, and the northern part of France, which is occupied by the German army, is preparing to hold a popular election under the instruction of the German government, and claims to elect a new government of "liberal democracy", the government of the French Republic in control of southern France has expressed a strong but ineffective protest against this, and the French army, which only retains 60,000 troops, has degenerated into a regional armed force, and the navy with only some small offshore ships has completely lost its voice in the Mediterranean.

Serbia, the trigger of the war, was defeated in the face of the powerful Allied forces, but it was still unable to escape the fate of partition, Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria each took the coveted land, and Serbia's history as an independent country is gone.

More than 500,000 Italian soldiers and civilians were killed in less than a month of war, a large number of buildings and facilities were destroyed, countless wealth fell into the pockets of the invaders, and the Italian government, which suffered heavy economic losses, had to pay war reparations of up to 50 billion lire to the Central Powers, while handing over 110,000 square kilometers of land north of Florence to the Allied forces as a "peace guarantee". In addition, the Italian government was only allowed to keep a regular army of no more than 40,000 and was not allowed to own and manufacture aircraft, tanks, and warships of more than 1,000 tons.