By the time the last shovel of dirt with snow was covered on top of the pit where the gold was buried, Cullen and the others' noses were already frozen to the ground. In the near future, this wealth would contribute to the construction of the German Empire. As for the remaining half a ton of gold, more than 100 commandos will carry 5 kilograms each and drop them along the way to residential houses or street corners to prove the greed of human nature for wealth.

"We all know the place of burial, so I solemnly remind you that you must keep this secret closely. No one who was captured by the British should divulge the place where the gold was hidden, otherwise it would tarnish the honor of the German soldiers! Cullen glanced at everyone, these were German soldiers who valued honor more than life, but he still sternly reminded everyone, "Before I came, my superiors promised that after the battle of England was over, a quarter of this gold would be used as a reward for our commando team, which is already a lot of wealth!" Be content, I don't want anyone to try to monopolize this gold, so that even if he escapes to any corner of the world, we will capture him! Do you understand? ”

"Understood!" Everyone replied in unison that they had not joined the commando team for money, but with the reward promised by their superiors, their families could live a good life after the war.

"Alright! Let's go inside the house now! Heavy snow will soon bury the traces we have left behind, and it is believed that we will take them out with a large army before the snow melts! Cullen glanced around, it was already dawn, snow still covered the world, and the area around the farm was so quiet that there was no one to be seen.

White smoke was rising from the chimney of the house not far away, and it seemed that the farmer's family was eagerly preparing breakfast.

In the Atlantic, two fleets of different nationalities and sizes are adrift in this blizzard.

With a severely reduced British special fleet, Churchill reluctantly embarked on his way home. The Americans took most of the battleships, and now the only dreadnought battleships in his hands were the "Utah" and "Florida", which, according to Churchill's own evaluation, were typical American battleships that were "inferior in firepower to British battleships, inferior in armor to German battleships, specialized in bullying the army and the navies of weak countries, and had a first-class escape speed."

However, this does not mean that the level of American ship designers is low, but has to do with the geographical location of the United States and its competitors. The naval forces of the Pacific and the Americas, with the exception of the newly emerging Japanese navy, are the colonial fleets of some European countries, and these fleets are generally dominated by extremely fast cruisers and auxiliary cruisers, and the Americans designed this Florida-class battleship to deal with the cruisers in the sphere of influence. Before the defeat of the British Navy, the US Navy had never thought of getting its hands on Europe.

In addition to the USS Utah and the USS Florida, this special fleet contained four armored battleships with white paint peeling, and the members of the once glorious "Great White Fleet" were already behind the dreadnoughts, with speeds of no more than 18 knots, four 11-inch or 12-inch guns per ship's two main turrets, weak armor, and antiquated structures, which the British intended only to use as gunboats on the opposite shore.

As for the other eight cruisers, 16 destroyers, and seven submarines in the fleet, which could be used for escort, raid, and harassment, Churchill felt that they might be able to play a greater role than battleships. At present, the biggest "burden" to the fleet is the 40 transport ships full of munitions. He was not worried about the main German battleship, Churchill, according to his intelligence, except for Hipper's two battleships and a light cruiser still cruising in the Atlantic, most of the German surface ships had already been put into preparation for landing in England, and he felt that those elusive German submarines were the biggest enemies of this fleet on the way home. Fortunately, the bad weather had largely limited the use of German submarines, and with the fact that he, the former Admiralty-Chancellor, had personally intervened, Churchill was convinced that the ships could safely return to British mainland and that now was the best time to do so.

After breakfast, Hipper, on his flagship, the Elector, waited for Dönitz and other submarine captains to arrive. This morning he will convene a military conference for the purpose of the combat deployment of the British special fleet from the United States, and he has the authority to command all German warships in the Atlantic region by order of the German Admiralty. Hipper's plan is similar to the previous ambush of the French fleet, that is, to use battleship and submarine tactics to deal with the mixed formation led by Churchill, but this time the first, second and third submarine formations in the Atlantic will all draw submarines to participate in the operation, and it is expected that as many as 70 submarines will participate in the battle, which will be a veritable "wolf pack".

From the air, the gray battleship has been covered with a layer of white snowflakes, the snowy sea has lost its usual color, from time to time there are "petite, smooth-skinned" submarines appear near the fleet of two large and one small three battleships, these black elves swim happily in the waves, and soon more than a dozen submarines gather next to the battleship according to the plan.

When Lieutenant Colonel Dönitz walked into the conference room, all eyes were drawn to the blue Max medal on his body, and it was well known that the darling of the Imperial Navy's submarine forces had some close personal relations with the new crown prince, which also meant that he had an infinitely bright future.

"General, it's a pleasure to see you again!" Dönitz walked up to Hippert and gave a military salute, and Hipper got up to greet him.

"I haven't seen you for a long time, but the lieutenant colonel is still so bright! The dynamism of young people is truly enviable! Looking at the twenty-something formation commander in front of him, Hipper was sincerely envious, in the German Navy, such an achievement at such a young age, Dönitz was the first in a hundred years.

After greeting the other generals one by one, Dönitz took a seat directly across from Hipper. Hipper's platoon was occupied by the commanders of the raid fleet, while Dönitz's platoon consisted of Lieutenant Colonel Himmar, commander of the 1st Atlantic Submarine Formation, Lieutenant Colonel Berhard, commander of the 3rd Atlantic Submarine Formation, and some other submarine captains who had already come to join the raiding fleet.

"Gentlemen, let us begin by a moment of silence in memory of the 25 German citizens who died on board the ocean freighter Hill!" Hipper said in a gloomy tone, and the generals in the conference room immediately bowed their heads in silence.

After a while, Hipper continued:

"Here, I wish you all a Merry Christmas! Due to the needs of the war, we will probably have to spend Christmas in battle this year! Everyone, please send my most sincere condolences to every officer and soldier in the fleet for me! ”

Although it was Christmas Eve in one more day, there was not much festive atmosphere in the fleet, and Hipper's words could be regarded as a recognition and comfort to everyone for their dedication and hard work.

"But this year, we're likely to have a very, very big Christmas dinner! The return of the British Special Fleet was delayed due to some unexpected circumstances, namely, the Japanese fleet as we know it to have forced into the continental United States, and the 'Hill' incident yesterday. According to the report sent back by our spies in Washington, now that the United States and Britain have negotiated and resolved the above two problems, the Americans have temporarily detained a part of the warships of the British special fleet, and the exact number is not yet known. According to the current speculation, the remaining British battleships have restarted! ”

The officers looked a little impatient for this "Christmas feast", since the reckless French fleet was annihilated by the combined efforts of the German assault fleet and submarine formations, they had not seen enemy surface warships for a long time, but a dozen British submarines appeared in the Atlantic zone from time to time. On one occasion, a German submarine and a British submarine surfaced at a short distance, and the two submarines were identified only after greeting each other, and after a rush of shelling, the two submarines dived into the water separately. When German merchant ships sailed to the Atlantic route, clearing the remnants of British submarines and cruisers became another important task for the German naval forces in the Atlantic region, in addition to blocking the British route.

"Is the general's plan the same as the last time we dealt with the French fleet, with our submarine force arranging an ambush circle and the raiding fleet being responsible for dealing with the fish that slipped through the net?" Lieutenant Colonel Marr asked cautiously, he did not have the slightest sense of superiority in front of a veteran navy like Hipper, after all, in this era, the submarine force was only a junior in the navy compared to the main surface ships.

"Yes, the two operations were basically the same tactically!" Hipper confirmed his speculation, "Compared with the French fleet we ambushed last time, there are not many veterans with complex sailors and skilled skills in this British fleet, and they are all new to the new battleship, and they are still very unskilled in the handling of the battleship, in this case, the maneuverability, firing speed, and firing accuracy of their warship are very limited, and it is estimated that the intensity of the battle will not be too large." The downside is that this time the British fleet is much larger, and they are not coming directly at us, on the contrary, they are doing everything possible to avoid our resistance, so searching for traces of that fleet is the key to the success of this operation! ”

"Will we be able to get information on the type and number of warships of that British fleet before the battle?" Himar asked again.

"As soon as the U.S. fleet returns to Norfolk Naval Harbor, our spies will send the intelligence back home. Counting backwards, we can know how many warships are left in the British special fleet! What is certain is that the size of that fleet has been greatly reduced! "Hipper, apparently, is still relatively relieved about the efficiency of German spies, and it is impossible for the American fleet to keep swimming on the sea for no reason," in this case, our submarine forces will spread a wide net and conduct surveillance and search in the sea areas where the British fleet may pass, so that the probability of discovering the British fleet will be greatly increased! ”

"Your Excellency, I'm sorry I can't fully approve of this approach. First, the British fleet could choose an unconventional route, in which case we would most likely miss them; Second, the submarine deployment area is very large, and our submarine is too slow, in this weather condition, even if the submarine is sailing on the surface of the sea, the speed of the submarine is less than 12 knots, once a submarine discovers the British fleet, it is difficult for other submarines to concentrate in a short time to deploy an ambush circle! ”

The commander of the 3rd submarine group, Lieutenant Colonel Berhard, put forward his opinion to be able to become the commander of the submarine formation, and all three lieutenant colonels were bold and careful people. If there were enough German cruisers and destroyers nearby, they could also tow the submarine quickly, but unfortunately the only German surface warships in the Atlantic Ocean were the two battleships and one cruiser here in Hipper, and there were two submarine supply ships that could not be considered battleships but had high speed and some armament.

Hipper's plan still needs to be improved, which is the main reason why he invited everyone to the meeting today, and while he was still thinking about it, Dönitz also spoke:

"General, can our spies find out the intended route of that fleet from the British Admiralty?"

"I'll ask the Admiralty and the Intelligence Department to do their best to cooperate on this point! But the commander of that British fleet was Churchill, a very cunning old fox! Presumably he will do everything he can to avoid us, and it is not impossible to change the scheduled route! As a veteran admiral, Hipper was very familiar with the British admirals, and since the beginning of the shipbuilding race, the British Navy has been studied as an imaginary enemy within the German Navy. Jerlid was captured, Betty was killed, Fisher was trapped in Plymouth, and now Churchill was the only pillar of the British Navy.

"In that case, we still have to be prepared to search for ourselves! If we had two seaplane carriers in our hands, the reconnaissance range they provided could form a huge area 400 nautical miles long and 200 nautical miles wide, and at least 70 or 80 submarine guards! Berhard said with a look of regret.

"The use of seaplane carriers is carried out with great importance to sea conditions! In weather like today, there is no way for a seaplane to take off for reconnaissance! But I'm thinking that if we can get the submarine to carry one or two seaplanes, then our submarine forces will have a much wider field of vision! ”

Outside the window is a fantastic view of the sea and snow, and Dönitz makes a dreamy proposal. Most people didn't care about it, and only one of the humble captains in the room was interested, and he silently kept the idea to heart. After a long time, when Chen Tian saw this research plan, he immediately approved his application. Because in World War II in the world before him, Yamamoto Isoroku, the mastermind of the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, had his eyes on another strategic target - the Panama Canal long before the attack on Pearl Harbor. The Panama Canal under the control of the United States is the "lifeline" of the United States Navy, and the necessary place for liaison between the Pacific Fleet and the Atlantic Fleet. However, the Panama Canal is more than 8,000 nautical miles away from the Japanese mainland, and it is heavily guarded by the US military, in order to paralyze the Panama Canal, after thinking for a long time, Yamamoto finally came up with a bold plan - to build a diving aircraft carrier and implement "submarine mobile operations with an underwater aircraft carrier group as the main body."

The only Japanese navy that loaded the aircraft into submarines and carried out combat missions was carried out during World War II. At the beginning of World War II, the Japanese Navy conducted tests on the "I" 51 submarine to carry aircraft. Subsequently, the Japanese Navy conducted tests on the "I-21" and "I-5" submarines, and finally achieved success. Although the navies of the United States, Britain, France and other countries have also made similar attempts, France has designed a "giant whale" diving aircraft carrier with a displacement of 2,800 tons, but it has not been carried out. Japan's Type A and Type B submarines can carry a variety of aircraft. The Japanese Navy used aircraft carried in submarines for a wide range of combat purposes. The "Zero" small water reconnaissance plane, which took off from this submarine, flew directly to Oregon in the US mainland to carry out bombing missions. It was the only attack on the continental United States by Japanese aircraft in World War II. However, with Japan's repeated defeats in the Pacific theater, these submarines and their carrier-based aircraft were all used to defend the Japanese mainland, and the Japanese also lost the opportunity to stage a "sneak attack on Pearl Harbor" from the water.

Dönitz suddenly remembered something, "Is the home port of the British special fleet planned to be Plymouth Harbour?" ”

"We don't have any information yet! However, judging from the geographical location and defense situation of the current military ports in the United Kingdom, it should be the most suitable there! Hipper dragged his chin and thought for a while, "If we want to counterattack our landing from the sea, ports such as Liverpool, Belfast, Glasgow, and Edinburgh are too far away, and some smaller military ports are too weak in anti-submarine and anti-surprise capabilities." ”

"It is common sense to assume that the British special fleet could follow the New York-Liverpool route for a while, and then turn south near Ireland; Or take the New York-London route and turn straight into Plymouth Harbour after entering the English Channel; Or sail on a non-fixed course between these two routes. If you were the commander of the British fleet, what would you choose? ”

After Hipper's words, everyone fell into thought. Had it not been for the victory in the naval battle in September, the German raiding fleet might have really had to evade the British encirclement and interception of the fleet.

On the far side of the Atlantic, Churchill and his generals were also discussing the route of the fleet.

"No, we shouldn't have taken a fixed route! Shark-like German submarines are waiting there! With just one torpedo, the munitions we use to equip a division will go to the sky! Commodore Jobitty, a Canadian citizen, objected loudly to the suggestion made by several British officers, and since the outbreak of the war, one-tenth of the Canadian volunteers who had gone to war on British soil and their ships had been buried under the torpedoes of German submarines, and the Canadians hated and feared German submarines. The Canadians controlled one-third of the British special fleet, the British made up half of the ships, and the rest were volunteers recruited from Australia and New Zealand. Originally, Churchill also wanted to recruit some American sailors, but the U.S. government strictly forbade American citizens to participate in the fleet.

The British have their own opinions, "But general, those 40 freighters can't stand the toss!" It would be better to choose the nearest straight route and take advantage of the darkness to pass through the area where German submarines are frequented! ”

"Don't forget, half of the merchant ships that were recently sunk in the Atlantic were lost after nightfall!" The Canadian, who did not budge, had a duty to do his best to ensure the safety of those Canadian sailors, despite the fact that Canada was one of the most loyal Dominions of Great Britain.

"The sea conditions are already very bad now, and if we enter a non-fixed route, we can't even guarantee a speed of 10 knots!"

"Alright, alright! Stop arguing! Churchill waved his hand impatiently, he had come to these people just to hear if they had any better opinions, but now it had become a fierce internal debate, and he knew that it would be better to make up his own mind.

"I decided, take the New York-Liverpool route, the fleet will enter the port of Liverpool first, the transport ships will stay in Liverpool to unload, and the other warships will go to Plymouth from there! Let's do it seriously, and those who disobey the order will be dealt with by military law! "After receiving the authorization of the Admiralty, Churchill reverted back to the former imposing Churchill.