There were no colorful flags, no noisy drum music, no brightly dressed royal armor, no crowds of onlookers, just a large warship slid down the slipway in the Königsberg Royal Shipyard under the watchful eyes of several high-ranking generals and a police officer......

The Limerick Naval Treaty, signed and entered into force five years ago, was like a tranquilizer, putting an end to the overheated naval race, but the South American smoke from 1929 to 1930 shattered the fragile international equilibrium, the United States and Britain both began to formulate new capital ship programs, Germany also restarted the construction program of 55,000-ton battleships during this period, and even put forward the crazy idea of designing and building 75,000-ton battleships, and after the formation of the anti-German coalition, Germany, Britain, the United States, and Italy have begun construction of battleships or aircraft carriers that exceed the limits of the treaties, and Ireland's shipbuilding center has also been building a large number of ships, including Confederate-class aircraft carriers, at full capacity. Pen | fun | pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

In May 1933, the clouds of war loomed over Europe again, and under the stimulus of tensions, the great powers turned to the track of war readiness, and nearly 100 aircraft, more than 200 combat vehicles, and more than 400 artillery pieces were manufactured every day in Europe. In Germany, the largest number of call-up notices to reservists must be sent to each mail car to deliver letters, and millions of reservists are required to report to the military station in order to join the active service sequence as quickly as possible after the official ****** has been issued.

War is imminent, and if any side has heavyweight new weapons put into use, it will inevitably increase its chances of victory, and the two Germania-class battleships that were secretly built -- the "Germania" and the "Rhine" -- have also accelerated the construction progress at the urging of the military. The workers of the Königsberg Royal Shipbuilding worked day and night shifts, and the priority supply of various materials and components made it possible for the "Germania" to be launched 26 times earlier, and the second ship "Rhine" will be launched a month later.

Compared to the German-class built and commissioned in the mid-20s, the standard displacement of the Germania-class battleships finally broke through the technical limit of 50,000 tons, reaching an unprecedented 54,400 tons, and the full load displacement was a record 60,900 tons. They are armed with eight MK30 18-inch guns with a diameter of 46 times -- according to American and British standards, this type of naval gun is actually 43 times larger, and the slight difference does not affect its actual combat effectiveness. This heavy artillery developed and manufactured by Krupp fires 1400 kg of ordinary grenades or 1600 kg of armor-piercing shells, and its destructive and penetrating power are greatly improved compared with the 16-inch main gun.

If the outfitting and sea trials in the later period were relatively smooth, the "Germania" and "Rhine" might be able to enter service before the end of 1934, although no one knows what the situation would be like at that time, maybe they will boost the confidence and morale of the German military and civilians, or maybe they will only play a role in icing on the cake, but their existence does increase the confidence of those in power to start a war.

It is worth mentioning that the Germania-class battleships have a full load draft of 12 meters, which means that they will not be able to pass through the Kiel Canal, which has a maximum depth of only 9.9 meters, and can only enter the North Sea through the Øresund and Skagerrak Straits, which to a certain extent restricts their strategic deployment and tactical space.

On this day, hundreds of kilometers away in the Kiel military port, in the German Navy's supreme combat headquarters, a group of gray-haired generals stood in front of the naval battle sand table. The models representing the various detachments and task forces seem to be scattered all over the sandbox, but they are actually a strategic chess game that has been brewing for a long time. The overall strength of the German Navy is comparable to that of the United States Navy, and the equipment technology and combat experience are even better, but the main fleet of the United States is adjacent to the Grand Fleet of the British Commonwealth deployed in Canada, and the two fleets can form a combat power advantage of at least 14 to 10 against the German High Seas Fleet, but the Germans are also not fighting alone, Austria-Hungary, Italy, Ottoman Turkey, and Ireland are all naval powers, if the above four countries can gather the main fleet in one place, Then the Allied Grand Fleet would, in turn, form a significant numerical superiority over the American and British fleets.

The twilight of heroes is an idiom that best describes the German admirals who took part in the Battle of Jutland and a series of important operations that followed. Reinhardt-Scher, who was brave and good at fighting, was in his seventies, and he was powerless to lead his army again. Field Marshal Franz von Hipper, who had previously served as commander of the High Seas Fleet, was unable to perform his duties due to illness, and Admiral Paul Beinke, who had participated in the Battle of Jutland as a detachment commander and had led the German task force in the South American war three years earlier, was now flying his command flag high on the mast of the flagship "Deutschland", but the age of 64 was still a little too old for such an important role as commander of the main fleet - it is widely believed that 55 to 60 years old is the golden age for senior generals.

Standing next to Schell were 69-year-old Admiral Felix Funk, 65-year-old Admiral von Dalvig Zurrichtfils, 64-year-old Admiral Ludwig von Reuth, and 64-year-old Lieutenant General Walter von Kasselingke. The years have left traces of vicissitudes on these resolute faces, but they have not erased the ambition of their youth, they are not afraid of the challenge of powerful opponents, and they are also full of confidence in the combat deployment that brings together the wisdom of everyone.

When the Prussian prince Adalbert, dressed in military uniform, walked into the command hall with a solemn expression, the generals who had been discussing tactical details a moment ago instantly fell silent.

Scheer took an encapsulated document from His Royal Highness the Prince, who was the Inspector General of the Navy, unhurriedly opened it, and took out a piece of hard paper with floral ornaments from it. Glancing at the content above, he raised his head and looked at everyone, neither happy nor sad, and there seemed to be a flame burning in his eyes.

Scheer raised the paper in his hand, and the generals present could clearly see the coat of arms of the Hohenzollern royal family.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is a battle order signed by His Majesty the Emperor, and the offensive will begin tonight."

Everyone looked solemn and held their heads high.

"At midnight, the German Navy will operate ahead of the Army and Air Force, arresting and attacking British ships in the waters of the high seas, intercepting neutral ships bound for Britain, laying mines in British coastal ports and fortifications, and submarine forces will attack enemy targets in British waters. After daybreak, the fleets and air flotillas will launch attacks on targets in Plymouth, Weymouth, Yarmouth, Newcastle, Dundee, the Isle of Man and other targets. ”

In a short sentence, Scheer already announced the way this war is coming: take the initiative!

The huge naval command center, with more than 20 senior generals and nearly 100 staff officers, all focused on Scheer alone. When he finished speaking, the room was so quiet that the ticking of military radios, the rumbling of cars coming and going outside the headquarters, and the roar of ships coming from the harbor were all clearly audible.

"Immediately send a cipher code to the fleets, informing them of the Caesar scheme. The sword is unsheathed, tonight! ”

The officers took their own orders, and the entire command was instantly unfrozen, and it returned to a busy and orderly rhythm.

"Caesar's plan?" Adalbert, who was standing next to Scheer, curled up slightly on his lips and smiled elusively.

Scheer took one last look at the Emperor's signed order, then put it in a file bag, ordered the adjutant to lock it in the filing cabinet, and turned to look at the Prussian prince who was too familiar to be known. Wilhelm II had six sons and one daughter, and three of the four princes, three of whom served in the German navy, were the only one to serve in the German navy, with two lucky ones who wore the crown and the princess who married a wife. Although his abilities are mediocre, his unique background has made his career smooth, and his experience as a naval attache in many countries has also added a lot to his experience.

The code name of the battle plan sometimes pinned on the expectations of the planner, sometimes it was just a symbol, and the "Caesar Plan" seemed to belong to the former, and its code name was approved by the German Crown Prince Wilhelm at a meeting of the General Staff, the tall and thin imperial prince often called himself the German Caesar, and he had successfully conquered Gaul like Caesar, and stood on a historical level comparable to Caesar when he set foot in England and dominate the West.

Schell's authority in the naval field and his indifference to political affairs are recognized by the outside world, which is also an important reason why he successfully defeated Muller to become the new leader of the navy, so whether Adalbert has a prejudice against his brother or not, he does not care at all, and at the moment he only sees the coming big war.

"Nineteen years ago, Germany was in the strategic blockade of the Anglo-French-Russian Entente, and the German Navy defeated the invincible British Navy with extraordinary courage and will, opening up a great strategic situation for Germany; Nineteen years later, our enemies are trying to put a yoke on us with a new Entente, and the German Navy is bound to defeat the British Navy once again, defeating every adversary who dares to challenge Germany...... Therefore, when His Highness meets His Majesty the Emperor, be sure to tell His Majesty that the officers and men of the navy loyal to him are fully prepared, they will be brave and invincible on the battlefield, and they will add new glory to the crown of the Empire with a dazzling victory! ”

Adalbert, who joined the German Navy at the age of 20, was already an out-and-out old navyman, and he smiled politely: "Your Excellency is confident of winning the victory, this is good, very good!" ”

With his hands behind his back, Scheer set his eyes on the great sandbox that encompassed the entire Western world, from the Americas to West Asia: "Whether or not Soviet Russia enters the war, its near-zero naval power is not a concern. The U.S. Navy is far away on the other side of the Atlantic, nearly two-thirds of the British Navy's forces are concentrated on the east coast of Canada, and Japan is even farther away, so nothing can prevent us from crushing the British Home Fleet and escorting combat troops to land in Britain. I believe that will be a repeat of the Battle of Jutland. ”

Adalbert also put his hands behind his back, but his eyes were fixed on Scher: "When I think of the Battle of Jutland, I think of my younger brother, who is known as the genius of Hohenzollern. With his resourcefulness, victory would have been undoubted if he had served the German navy at this time, but he was now the king of Ireland, the patron saint of the Irish, and he had devoted most of his wisdom to Ireland, and the burden of commanding the German navy had fallen on your shoulders......"

Scheer, whose gray hair was no longer visible, replied indifferently: "Everyone has their own mission and responsibility, not to mention that His Majesty Joachim is still our most trusted comrade-in-arms, I think this is enough." ”

(End of chapter)