"Future customers?" Dr. Eisenberg was stunned and stunned, "Lieutenant Colonel, are we going to sell aircraft carriers?" I'm afraid it's not easy, right? ”

The international arms trade has always been about politics, and if it was the German Empire before World War I, of course, it would sell whatever it wanted, and other countries would not dare to control it. But now the Baltic Republic is probably already in a big trouble to build a small aircraft carrier of 7,500 tons on its own, and it will have to be sold out...... Who would dare to buy it?

"We don't sell ships, we sell technology!" Hersman explained with a smile, "Doctor, you just have to build and build a light aircraft carrier with international advanced level." The FK-BF consortium led by Mr. Fokker then came up with aircraft that could take off and land on the aircraft carrier, including carrier-based fighters, carrier-based bombers, and carrier-based torpedo attack aircraft. In this way, we have proved the advanced nature of German technology, and then there will be a big cooperation project. ”

What Hersman said sounded a little new in 1919, but it is all too common in the international arms trade and cooperation in the 21st century. Both the US imperialists and Russia like to play this trick, taking a drawing and fooling people all over the world, and asking others to pay for the development of new weapons in cooperation with them. In fact, it is to use other people's money to save your own technology!

And Hersman is now playing with such an idea! He knew that the naval aviation of the Third Reich was a big coffee table in history, and although two aircraft carriers were started, none of them could be put into service until the defeat. Not only the tragedy of the aircraft carrier, but also the aircraft attacking the ship is also a tragedy.

In World War II, the Luftwaffe was not weak in air combat, ground bombing, and attack. But as soon as they arrived at sea, the Germans caught blindness, let alone the defeat of the British Home Fleet, and even the British Mediterranean Fleet could not be contained...... If the air force of the Japanese Combined Fleet is changed to the Mediterranean, even if it can't overthrow the British Mediterranean Fleet (which is really unlikely), it will be able to fight a close match, right?

The reason why the Luftwaffe was so ineffective in naval operations, in addition to the fact that Ge Fatzi did not pay attention to it, was probably because it was bound by the "Versailles Treaty" for a long time after World War I, which made it impossible for Germany to accumulate naval aviation technology at all.

Historically, countries such as the United States, Japan, and the United Kingdom, which have relatively strong naval aviation, did not become fat in one bite. Rather, it was accumulated step by step, and it took more than 20 years to create a powerful naval aviation unit.

Including aircraft carriers, carrier-based aircraft, carrier-based aircraft pilots, armor-piercing bombs, airborne torpedoes, and various tactics of attacking ships and seeking the enemy at sea, all need to have a process of accumulation and perfection.

Looking at the performance of Germany in World War II, the weakest is definitely naval aviation (which is not available at all). Therefore, in line with the idea of making up for what is missing, the first technology tree that Hersman clicked on was naval aviation.

It is not to build a huge aircraft carrier formation in one step, but only to have the technology of HNA to climb step by step and not to fall behind. The first is to build a training aircraft carrier with little technical difficulty and investment. Then find a way to cooperate with Italy or the Soviet Union to further develop the relevant technology.

"Lieutenant Colonel, then the cost of this experimental aircraft carrier ......" Dr. Eisenberg looked at the "Work Plan" in his hand and asked, "If I remember correctly, the Courland Defense Force does not have a navy at the moment, right?" ”

The Courland Defense Forces not only did not have a navy, they did not even have an independent air force, but only a small army air force. After all, this "little East Germany" is still a fledgling agricultural country, and its economy is still very difficult.

"It is true that the Courland Defense Forces do not have a navy, and the cost of building this aircraft carrier is paid for by the Economic Promotion Corporation and the Industrial Council."

This "test aircraft carrier" has no armor and no weapons, and the construction cost will naturally not be too high, and one or two million gold marks should be enough. The proceeds from the resale of Russian and Hungarian antiques in the past two years by the Economic Promotion Company alone will make one.

And with this ship, Hersmann will be able to fool the USSR and Italy into joint development......

"At the same time as the construction of aircraft carriers, the research and development of carrier-based aircraft must also keep up." Hersman continued. The 1920 Work Plan did not mention the development of carrier-based aircraft, but it did propose the establishment of an aeronautical committee attached to the Industrial Promotion Committee.

"The research and development of carrier-based aircraft is mainly the responsibility of the Aviation Committee." Hersman paused, "But this project is a naval and air cooperation, and the Aviation Committee should work together with Julius Caesar's shipyard and the navy." Colonel Raeder, why don't you join the Aviation Committee as well? ”

The distinction between the navy and the air force was a common problem between Germany and Italy in World War II. The Nazi and fascist air forces tended to limit naval aviation, holding all the aircraft in their hands, seriously suppressing the development of naval aviation. On the contrary, Japan, which did not have an independent air force, developed a very powerful naval aviation. And Hersman now wants to pull Raeder into the Aviation Committee, the purpose is to cultivate a group of naval aviation talents in advance.

"What? Want me to join the Aviation Committee? His skin was tanned, his appearance was very dignified, and he looked like an old-school navy figure, and he was stunned when he heard this, "But I can't fly a plane!" ”

"Actually, I won't," said Hersman, who was also about to be a member of the Aviation Committee, half-jokingly, "let's learn together, Mr. Falk said flying an airplane is easy to learn." ”

Anthony. Fokker also said: "It's very easy to learn, much easier than driving a boat." ”

"Really?" "Then I'll get more naval officers to learn how to fly an airplane." ”

Now the unemployment problem of German naval officers is worse than that of the army! Isn't learning to fly an airplane and getting an errand in an airline in the future also a way out?

"Okay," Hirschman replied with a smile, "the pilots and crews of the carrier-based aircraft on this experimental aircraft carrier will be handled by the Navy people." ”

"Okay, thank you." Raeder laughed, "You've solved some of our problems. ”

At least three or four hundred naval officers and non-commissioned officers will be able to find work now! Hersmann said in his heart: These people will become the aircraft carrier faction of the German Navy in the future, right?

……

The first Roermond Armaments Conference lasted all day and ended at dark. In addition to moving Julius Caesar's shipyard to Courland, investing in the construction of the experimental aircraft carrier "Riga," and setting up an aviation committee, the key issues discussed were how to keep a number of large German companies engaged in the military industry from going bankrupt, and the methods were nothing more than moving factories abroad, providing low-interest loans, and transforming into civilian production.

Hirschmann did not say anything more - the Germans had done well in history about similar things, and there was no need for Hirschmann to add anything. As for cooperation with Soviet Russia, in 1920 it was at best negotiations and preliminary preparations, and it was estimated that it would not be carried out on a large scale until after 1921. In Hersmann's memory, the Soviet Union's New Economic Policy was introduced in 1921, after which the Soviet Union's finances and economy improved significantly, and it was possible to cooperate with Germany on a large scale.

――――

The first one is offered, and then a wave of collections is frantically requested.