"Your Excellency, the results that can be determined at present are the sinking of one aircraft carrier, four battleships, including one 'Nelson' class and one French rebel 'Lorraine', three light cruisers, and four destroyers, and the circumstances of heavy damage and medium damage are unknown.

Our losses were: the sinking of the aircraft carrier 'Eagle', the sinking of the aircraft carrier 'Sparrowhawk', the sinking of the battleship 'Count Cavour', the sinking of the heavy cruiser 'Zara', the heavy damage of the battleship 'Caesar', and the creation of the battleship 'Veneto' in the ......"

In a very lavishly furnished office in the Palazzo Medici, Hans. Colonel-General Jeshunek reported to Field Marshal Hersmann the losses and results of the "Battle of the Eastern Mediterranean", closed the folder, and said with a smile: "Rudolph. Feng. Lieutenant Heinsberg-Hersmann has been contacted, and he is in very good condition and has just returned to the port of Taranto with the heavy cruiser 'Bora'. In yesterday's battle, he scored 3 more results, and now 8 have been shot down. ”

Hersman's slightly frowning brow loosened, and he laughed: "This is an unprecedented victory, an unprecedented victory for us and for Italy!" ”

For Germany, the victory, of course, was unprecedented! 4 British battleships and 1 British aircraft carrier were sunk, and two or three hundred British planes were shot down. And its own losses are nothing more than a hundred or dozens of aircraft and dozens of crew members. A hundred or dozens of aircraft are not a problem at all, but only two or three days of production. The loss of a few dozen crew members is a bit distressing, but Germany now has more than 1,500 pilots (including about 700 pilots) graduating from flight schools every month to join the training groups of combat units. The average monthly loss was just over 100 men, so the Luftwaffe's pilot corps was growing rapidly, and the loss of a few dozen was a drop in the bucket.

On the Italian side, the losses were not small. Not only did the two aircraft carriers that could accompany the fleet sink, but they also suffered no small losses in the night battle with the British fleet in the early hours of January 16!

Cunningham's ambush was quite successful, and the 6 Italian battleships did not pay attention to the "Rodney" and the other 4 battleships behind the "Rodney" at first. Until the 9 16-inch guns of the "Rodney" were launched. The "Rodney" also lived up to expectations, and in five salvos destroyed one of the turrets of the "Veneto" and penetrated the bow oil depot.

Cunningham had been really unlucky lately, though, just when Admiral Compioni, the commander of the Italian naval fleet, wanted to retreat. The 381mm shells fired by the battleships Veneto and the Litorio hit the "Resolve" one after another, and one of them directly pierced the ammunition depot of the "Resolve", causing the ammunition to detonate, and the 30,000-ton battleship was immediately beaten into a royal salute and sank into the sea with thousands of officers and men.

The Italians were so uplifted that Admiral Campioni was determined to continue the attack. He ordered four old battleships to entangle with the four British battleships that formed the artillery column, and he himself commanded two Veneto-class ships, four light cruisers, and eight destroyers to besiege the "Rodney". As a result, it was soon discovered that the "Rodney" could not turn, so it went around the back of the "Rodney" to attack, and sank the ship in less than 30 minutes!

At this time, four British "Queen Elizabeth" class also achieved a result, sinking the 23,000-ton battleship "Count Cavour".

However, in the face of 2 "Veneto" and 2 "Doria" and 1 "Caesar", Cunningham did not dare to fight, so he had to flee with his tail between his legs. Admiral Campioni did not pursue, but retreated contentedly - he had the record of sinking two battleships, one of which was still one of the "seven great warships of the world", the "Nelson" class, which was enough to make the Italian Navy raise its eyebrows.

"It's a pity that two motherships were lost!" Hersmann's brows couldn't help but wrinkle at this time, the loss of one or two old battleships was in Hersman's plan - the four old battleships of the Italians were probably the weakest battleships in World War II, and they could only bully the heavy cruisers, and they had to flee when they encountered the British and American battleships.

But the loss of 2 aircraft carriers made Hersman frown, although without these two aircraft carriers, the battle in the Mediterranean was not impossible to fight. However, it was not very convenient after all, and it was necessary to deploy a large number of shore-based aviation units in Benghazi and Tubruk to support the activities of the surface fleet.

And in the "Iron Hammer" plan, those two aircraft carriers are just to bomb Malta and cover the main fleet. Theoretically, it was supposed to act together with the main fleet, and it was simply impossible to be sunk by the British......

"Marshal."

While Hersman was a little annoyed, his adjutant, Lieutenant Colonel Schnetz, walked briskly into the office and saluted Hersman. "The Italian leader invites you to the Palazzo Venezia, there will be a grand celebration today, and the Italian leader wants you to attend."

……

"1 battleship, 2 aircraft carriers for 4 British battleships, 1 aircraft carrier, 1 of which is the 'Nelson' class, and also captured the strategic Malta! Marshal Hersmann, you are not only a field marshal, but also a naval marshal! I thank you on behalf of the Italian people, and I would like to award you the rank of Marshal of the Italian Navy! ”

At the Palazzo Venezia, Hersmann met an Italian leader who was dancing with excitement. Mussolini was clearly pleased with the outcome of the naval battle...... This is the greatest victory that the Kingdom of Italy has achieved since entering the war!

"This is a decisive victory!" Count Ciano, Italy's foreign minister, wearing a white air force uniform, was also on the side. "The sea supremacy in the Mediterranean now belongs to Germany and Italy, and victory in the war is just around the corner!"

Hersmann knew that the count had not been very supportive of Italy's entry into the war, because Italy was not prepared for war at all. But the record of sinking 4 British battleships and 1 aircraft carrier clearly made Ziano see the possibility of victory.

"Prime Minister, Earl," said Hersman, with a serious expression, to the two men, "the war has not yet been won. If we had not had the morale of the Eagle and Sparrowhawk, the victory in the Mediterranean would have been set, and the British would most likely have begun to retreat. But now, General Rommel's Afrika Army is needed! ”

"I'm sure Marshal Rommel will emerge victorious." Mussolini nodded. He was also annoyed by the loss of two aircraft carriers and had already ordered Anzu to be dismissed. The rank of Admiral Aquino also demoted him to colonel.

"Prime Minister, we also need to seize Crete," Hersman told Mussolini, "and this is necessary to reduce the pressure on the North African battlefield." ”

The seizure of Crete had nothing to do with the war in North Africa, but was intended to accompany Hald's Balkan operations. However, in order to continue to use the Italian navy, Hersmann still has to involve North Africa.

"Capture Crete?" Mussolini asked, "Do you still need a navy?" ”

"Of course!" "With the loss of aircraft carriers, more shore-based aviation must be deployed," Hersman said. In addition, considering the elite British defenders of Crete, I suggested that the German troops be mobilized for the landing. ”

"But the British still have two aircraft carriers in ......the Mediterranean," said Count Ziano.

"They're not a problem," Hersman said, "at least not in the Mediterranean." But when they retreat into the Indian Ocean, it's two big troubles. ”

Indian Ocean?

Mussolini and Ziano looked at each other. The two of them didn't think about India or anything at all, and the Roman Empire didn't include India.

"So Italy needs to restore its carrier fleet as soon as possible," Hersman continued, "and the King and the Count of Savoy can be refitted, and if construction starts now, it could be completed in 18 months." ”

The Kings and the Count of Savoy are two 50,000-ton cruise ships, of which the King has also won the Blue Ribbon Award, which is faster than the Bremen.

When Italy entered the world war, the Italian Navy wanted to convert them into aircraft carriers, but Mussolini was reluctant, so the two luxury cruise ships have been lying in the harbor.

However, Hersman is now proposing to refit the two ships, not for the purpose of the Radiance and the Ark Royal, but to send them together to the Pacific theater if necessary......

"Alright then," Mussolini gritted his teeth, now that the Germans were the bosses, there was no way to go on without them in the Mediterranean. "The modification work will begin immediately, and it will certainly be completed by the beginning of 1943. In addition, we will start construction of two aircraft carriers with a capacity of 15,000-20,000 tons. ”

Hersman nodded with satisfaction, and added, "At least 10 escort aircraft carriers need to be urgently refitted, and 10,000 to 20,000 tons of transport ships need to be refitted." There is no need for hangars, just take deck tethered carrier-based aircraft. This will definitely be completed within 12 months, and in the future it will be used to cover the Persian Gulf-Red Sea route. ”

"No problem," Mussolini replied with a smile, "we have a lot of such merchant ships that can be refitted, it's easy." ”

The Persian Gulf-Red Sea route was a route for oil from the Middle East to Europe, after Germany took control of the Middle East. The British Royal Navy will definitely use India as a large base to sabotage the Persian Gulf-Red Sea route.

And the navies of Italy and France will be used to escort ships, and of course they will need to escort aircraft carriers.

"Besides......" thought to Hersman, "it's Gibraltar!" He looked at Mussolini, "Prime Minister, the capture of Gibraltar is the only way for the Italian and French navies to break out of the Mediterranean and join the German navy and then attack the British mainland." Now it's time to think about taking it! (To be continued.) )