It's raining in Iceland tonight, and there are strong winds and waves in the surrounding seas.

Comrade Stalin's desk also had a report on the weather in Iceland that had just been sent to him -- I believe that Hitler, Chamberlain, Daladier, and US President Roosevelt were now concerned about the weather in Iceland.

"It looks like the Icelandic people are going out with umbrellas tonight," said Joseph. Stalin said with some concern, "Comrade Kuznetsov, this is a very serious problem, isn't it?" ”

Stalin looked up at the very handsome and very young People's Commissar of the Navy and Commander-in-Chief of the Red Navy, who was only 37 years old this year, standing across from his desk. Gerasimovich. Kuznetsov.

The 37-year-old commander-in-chief of the Red Navy was, of course, a beneficiary of the "Great Purge" in the Soviet Union, and all the old qualifications in the Red Navy had already been purged, so it was Kuznetsov's turn to get lucky. However, Kuznetsov did not become the commander-in-chief of the Red Navy by luck, he was still very proficient in the navy and naval aviation business.

Upon learning that the German "Scharnhorst" and "Seydlitz" had left Wilhelmshaven, he immediately realized that the German fleet was about to break through to the Atlantic. And this incident is likely to change the course of the war on the Western Front!

If the Royal Navy is ultimately unable to eliminate the "Scharnhorst" and "Seydlitz", then there will be big problems with British sea communications. If Britain could not import raw materials and food from overseas, the British Empire would soon have to bow to Germany.

This means that the war on the Western Front will most likely end in a few weeks!

"Yes, Comrade General Secretary," Kuznetsov said, "bad weather in Iceland is very favorable for the Germans. He paused, and added, "If the weather is calm around Iceland these days, it will be more beneficial to Germany." ”

"Good weather?" Stalin was somewhat incomprehensible.

"Of course, if the weather is good, German submarines will be all over the waters of the Iceland-Faroe Islands." Kuznetsov explained that "then there will be a situation in which battleships, aircraft and submarines work together." If one of the 'Hood' and the 'Ark Royal' had been sunk or severely damaged by a German submarine, the British would have had no choice but to sue for peace. ”

"So serious?" Stalin's thick eyebrows tightened and he looked at Kuznetsov, "Aren't the British claiming to be the hegemon of the sea?" ”

"But most of their battleships and aircraft carriers were old and outdated, with only the Hood and Ark Royale having high speeds. Moreover, these two ships had to cooperate in battle, and without one of them it would be impossible to restrain the 'Scharnhorst' and the 'Seydlitz'. As for the cutting-edge battleships and aircraft carriers of the British, they could not be commissioned until June 40 at the earliest. If the UK's sea transport is interrupted for 7 months...... As you know, Comrade General Secretary, Great Britain is an island country, which is not self-sufficient in all important raw materials, except for coal, and is also heavily dependent on imports for food. ”

Stalin nodded, his expression becoming more solemn, "So is it possible for the British to lose the 'Hood' or the 'Ark Royal' now?" ”

"The Hood should not be, it is a sturdy battle cruiser, but the Ark Royal is not easy to say, as long as a few 250-kilogram armor-piercing shells fall on its deck, even if it does not sink, it will take two or three months to repair."

"I see!" Stalin waved his hand and let Kuznetsov out of his office, and then he picked up the hotline on his desk to call Voroshilov, the People's Commissar of Defense.

Now it is necessary to urge the Belarusian and Ukrainian fronts - the war with Poland must end as soon as possible! And at the same time to avoid conflict with Germany...... If Britain loses in a few weeks, then the two socialist countries, the USSR and Germany, should join forces to rule the world.

This is a great victory for socialism!

……

October 8, 1939, 6 p.m. German time, North Sea, southwest of Shetland Islands.

The weather was very bad, the sea was raining heavily, the wind and waves were very strong, and there were at least level 5 sea conditions. "Scharnhorst" and "Seydlitz" passed through the constantly rising waves, and the light cruiser "Leipzig" opened the way ahead.

In such a climate, naturally there will be no British planes to bomb it, and the threat of submarines is minimized. Just sail carefully and you should be in Icelandic waters tomorrow morning.

In the officer's cabin of the "Seydlitz", the captain of the "Seydlitz" flight group, Adolf Adolf. Major Garland, lying in bed reading. Because of the bad weather, the flight team did not have a flight mission, and everyone hurried to rest.

Sleeping on his top bunk was Heinrich, the aviation staff officer of the "Seydlitz". Lieutenant Colonel Weiss. Lieutenant Colonel Weiss was a full-fledged naval pilot, having graduated from the Flensburg-Morwick Naval School at the end of the last World War. Not long after graduating, he encountered a revolution and defeat, then was laid off by the Navy, learned to fly an airplane in peacetime, and got a job flying an airplane at Lufthansa. After Germany was re-armed, he was recalled, became a naval pilot, and was later sent to study in Japan.

"Adolf, did you fight the British fighters? How do they perform? Lieutenant Colonel Weiss leaned back on the bed and asked his Air Force colleague in the lower bunk.

"Very good, about the same as the BF-109," Adolf said. "It's supposed to be a Spitfire, but that plane shouldn't be on their carrier." ”

"But you knocked it down anyway."

"It's a matter of tactics and pilot technique," Adolf. Garland said, "The performance of the aircraft is like that a rookie can never beat a veteran." ”

"Performance?" Heinrich. Lieutenant Colonel Weiss asked, "Their 'Spitfire' is about the same as our Fokker Zero?" ”

"Each has its own merits." Adolph. Aland replied, "It's a tough opponent, and we'd better avoid it." ”

"Then I'm not worried," Heinrich. Weiss smiled, "The performance of the British's carrier-based aircraft is relatively poor, because the design is too conservative. But the British don't have to worry too much about us, after all, we only have 9 Fokker 99s, which is too few. ”

Nine Fokker 99s were enough to scout or bomb transports, but they were not enough to deal with the British fleet.

Adolph. Garland nodded approvingly, "yes, if there are 50 Fokker 99s, we will at least have a chance to take out the 'Ark Royal'." ”

"This time it's not without chance," said Heinrich. Weiss lowered his voice, "Our Navy has its own plan!" ”

"Oh?" Major Garland closed the book in his hand, "What are you going to do?" ”

"Submarine!" Heinrich. "Ten large ocean-going submarines are already lurking in the middle of the Atlantic," Weiss said. If the Hood and the Ark Royal catch up, the submarine will have a chance to sneak attack! ”

……

"Is the weather bad?" As soon as the pale and tired British Prime Minister saw Churchill in good spirits, he immediately asked in a hoarse voice, "Our meteorologists say that the rain and winds will last for a few days, and it seems that we will not be able to catch them, right?" ”

"Nor can it be said that there is no chance at all," Churchill replied. "Meteorologists aren't necessarily right."

It's just that the chances are not great, because the sea around the Iceland-Faroe Islands is very vast, and it will be difficult to find the German fleet if it cannot be searched by aircraft. Besides, the weather is bad now, and visibility is reduced even during the day, let alone at night?

"Even if they break into the Atlantic, we can't help it!" Churchill went on to say, "Now that all the ships have been alerted and are moving away from the nearby waters at full speed, a large convoy of aircraft carriers and battleships will be organized." ”

"But the Germans still have a 'Scharnhorst' and 'Seydlitz' class," Chamberlain said with some frustration, "and they will soon enter the Atlantic, and what shall we do then?" Equip a transport fleet with two battleships and two aircraft carriers? ”

"It has to be this way!" Churchill said, "The British Empire must defend her course, and that is our life." The transportation plan had to be overhauled, with neutral ships concentrating cargo to the United States and then returning to the United Kingdom via the North Atlantic route. There can be hundreds or more transports in a single fleet! ”

The British Admiralty Lord paused, suddenly took a sharp breath, and said, "Actually, we have another way!" ”

"Something else?" Chamberlain hesitantly asked, "Summation?" ”

"No!" Churchill said in a resolute tone, "The British Empire cannot sue for peace, the Empire must win, or she will fall!" ”

"But how are we going to win?" Chamberlain said bitterly, "The Hood and the Ark Royal cannot deal with twice as many German fast battleships and aircraft carriers!" ”

"Iceland and the Faroe Islands!"

"What?" Chamberlain looked at Churchill, "Winston, you want ......"

"Occupy Iceland and the Faroe Islands!" Churchill gritted his teeth and said, "So that we can deploy our planes there, and if the weather is good, the German fleet will not be able to pass through the layers of Iceland, the Faroe Islands, the Shetland Islands, and the Onik Islands." ”

"But Iceland and the Faroe Islands belong to Denmark, and Denmark is a neutral country!"

"What about neutrals?" Churchill shrugged. "Compared to the world hegemony of the British Empire, Denmark's neutrality is nothing at all! Prime Minister, do you want to be a sinner who breaks the hegemony of the Empire? ”

His face was serious, and he looked at Churchill with great imposingness, "Given the current situation, we should immediately occupy Iceland and the Faroe Islands!" (To be continued.) )