Is this about to break out of the Mediterranean and towards the Atlantic?

It doesn't sound like it's true.

Mussolini and his son-in-law, Count Ziano, looked at each other, and Count Ziano said: "Your Excellency, since we have lost two aircraft carriers, the capture of Gibraltar is impossible at the present time, unless Spain joins our side in the war. ”

Air cover is indispensable if Gibraltar is to be captured from the sea. But Gibraltar is more than 1,200 kilometers from the Italian island of Sardinia. Even the combat radius of the Fokker Zero was not enough to cover from Sardinia to Gibraltar, so it was necessary to provide air cover with carrier-based aircraft.

"Then let Spain join!" Hersman said lightly, "Franco's regime was brought down by our two countries, and we have the ability to get him out of power!" ”

For Spain, Hersmann was not as eloquent as Hitler in history. And Germany is not preparing the Barbarossa plan now, and it is not a piece of cake to invade Spain?

"But...... Spain, after all, is our friend. Count Ziano said with some embarrassment.

"Spain is your friend of Italy!" Hersmann corrected, "but not a friend of Germany. Because Spain is a fascist country, and we Germany are socialist countries. ”

There is no concept of "fascist Germany" in this space-time, because Germany and the Soviet Union have always called each other "comrades and brothers of socialism" in public. Moreover, Germany is also a socialist democracy with a multi-party parliamentary democracy, and there will be a general election in Germany this year, in 1941, during which time Hitler is preparing to run for re-election.

"Of course, we in Germany do not want to use force to force Spain, that is only a last resort." Hersman suddenly smiled slightly, his tone had softened, "We obviously have other means to get Spain into the war. ”

The use of force to attack Spain was actually meant to be told to Franco through the mouths of the Italians. Since it was Italy that played a leading role in the intervention in the Spanish Civil War, Mussolini and Franco were very close. He will definitely relay the words of the "German god of war" Hersmann to Franco.

"Marshal," reminded Count Ziano in a low voice with a smile on his face, "in fact, Marshal Franco has long mentioned the conditions for participating in the war. ”

Franco's conditions were not entirely clear to Hersmann, since contacts with Spain were the responsibility of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. But Hersmann knew the most crucial of all things: to prove that Germany could win the war!

As long as this condition is met, everything else is negotiable. Because there is no risk for Spain to enter the war on the side of the winner, no matter how much the benefit is better than nothing, and Spain cannot afford to offend the future world hegemon.

"I think the present situation meets all the conditions for Spain to enter the war."

Hersman gritted his teeth and smiled: "Didn't we just have a historic and decisive victory?" The British Mediterranean fleet was defeated, losing 4 battleships and 1 aircraft carrier. Now, the sea control of the Mediterranean belongs to Germany and Italy. Britain will soon lose the Middle East and North Africa, and then India. The defeat of Britain was already doomed, and the prospect of victory for Germany and Italy was beyond doubt! ”

If the useless Italian Navy had not lost two valuable aircraft carriers, then the victory in the "naval battle of the Eastern Mediterranean" would indeed have been historic and decisive. But after the Italians lost two motherships, the success of the victory was greatly insufficient.

In the Mediterranean after the "Battle of the Eastern Mediterranean", Britain had 4 battleships and 2 carriers, while Italy had 5 battleships but no aircraft carriers, and at first glance Italy seemed to have little advantage.

"But it's hard for us to prove it." Count Ziano said with some embarrassment. "You can't do this with propaganda, because the British do propaganda too."

After a sea battle, it was naturally a big blow from the propaganda departments of the participating countries, and Mussolini was certainly good at bragging, but Churchill's skills in this area were not weak. It is difficult to distinguish between Lao Mo and Qiu Fat Man compared to bragging.

"We can fight an advertising campaign." Hersman already had a way to deal with it.

"Advertising ...... Battle? Mussolini glared and asked, "Is it advertising or real war?" ”

"Both," Hersman explained with a smile, "advertising and campaigns are the same thing. ”

"One thing? How? ”

"Speeches in newspapers, on the radio, and at mass meetings, as well as invitations to the navies of various neutral nations." "Tell everyone where we're going to attack," Hersman said in a very serious tone, and then invite naval observers and war correspondents from neutral nations to visit the site...... In this way, we will be able to openly demonstrate the strength of German and Italian naval and air forces in front of the whole world. ”

Is it possible to fight like this? Mussolini was stunned and stunned, "Marshal, don't we need the suddenness of the battle?" ”

"For the overwhelming side, it doesn't matter if there is suddenness or not." Hersman replied.

Count Ziano asked with some skepticism: "Do we really have absolute superiority?" ”

5 Italian battleships against 4 British battleships and 2 British aircraft carriers, no matter how you look at it, the British side is stronger.

"Of course!" Hersmann said with great certainty that "in the just-concluded 'Eastern Mediterranean Campaign', it was not the surface fleet but the aircraft that really played a decisive role." Of the 4 battleships and 1 aircraft carrier lost by the British, 2 battleships and 1 aircraft carrier were sunk by aircraft, while the other 2 battleships were also heavily damaged. And it was not carrier-based aircraft that achieved such results, but shore-based aviation. Shore-based aviation is the main force in the eastern Mediterranean theater, and the shore-based aviation deployed by our two countries in the Mediterranean theater has an overwhelming advantage. ”

"The long-range air strike force, consisting of the Fokker Zero, Ju88 and S.M.79, played a decisive role in the 'naval battle in the Eastern Mediterranean,'" Hersman said. And we have a lot of these aircraft, and at the moment the monthly production of the Fokker Zero has exceeded 150 units, and more than 50 fighter squadrons of the Luftwaffe and naval aviation are equipped with such aircraft. And the monthly production of Ju88 is more than 200 units, and the squadron of bombers equipped exceeds 100 units. Your S.M.79 also has a monthly production of more than 100 aircraft, and more than 50 squadrons are equipped. In the Eastern Mediterranean Campaign, we have actually used only a fraction of our air power, and in future operations we can commit more shore-based aviation to ensure another defeat of the British Mediterranean Fleet in front of journalists and naval observers. ”

At present, the monthly production of various aircraft in Germany is about 1,500 aircraft, which is converted to 18,000 aircraft per year, which is 50% more than the same period in history. In fact, it's not too much, it's just shoulder-to-shoulder compared to the UK.

However, because of the high and low combination of the BF-109 and the Fokker Zero, the loss of the aircraft and pilots was much smaller than in history. In the skies over Belgium, the North Sea and the English Channel, and the northwestern waters of Ireland, the Luftwaffe and naval aviation were all in the lead. Therefore, Germany will be able to draw more forces to strengthen the Mediterranean theater.

In addition, Italy is now gradually aware of the great role of the S.M.79 in anti-ship warfare, so it has also begun to increase the production of the anti-ship S.M.79 (which existed before the war). The bomber squadron, which had previously been equipped with S.M.79, also began to be transformed into a torpedo squadron under the training of German instructors.

So in the Mediterranean theater, the superiority of Germany and Italy was indeed overwhelming!

"If, in the face of our great superiority, the British abandon Crete without a fight," Hersman smiled mockingly, "then all will recognize the prospect of victory for both of our countries." Spain and France will definitely join us soon, so that our chances of winning are even better. If the British dare to reinforce Crete with the Mediterranean fleet, then we will wipe them all out there! ”

"So where are we going to fight an advertising war?" Mussolini thought about it for a long time, and also felt that Hersmann's opinion was more reasonable.

Hersmann is the "God of War", even the Italian Navy can defeat the British Royal Navy in his hands! What other reason did Mussolini have for not believing Hersmann?

"Crete!" "Just make an announcement at today's mass celebration," Hersman said. Tell everyone that our next step is to attack Crete, and in a month we will do it. Let the whole world come and see the invincible sea and air superiority of our two countries! ”

……

"What? Mussolini publicly announced at a mass rally in Rome that he was going to attack Crete next month? ”

British Prime Minister Winston Churchill was well informed, and he knew it on the night of the day Mussolini announced that he would attack Crete.

"Yes, Prime Minister," Eden, who had just become Foreign Secretary, told Churchill, "because Mussolini said it in public, the diplomats in Rome heard it with their own ears." He claimed control of the Mediterranean, and said that the Royal Navy had lost a few days ago, that it was no longer a formidable maritime power, and that it was only a matter of time before it was completely withdrawn from the Mediterranean (Mussolini was talking about getting out). He also said that after Italy took full control of the Mediterranean, the German and Italian navies would come together to attack the British mainland......"

"This is the most ridiculous lie I've ever heard in my life!" Churchill frowned and looked at Alexander the Admiralty and Marshal Pound, the First Sea Lord. "Two, I think the Mediterranean Fleet has the strength to crush the Italian attack, right?" (To be continued.) )