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Hersmann, Chloe, and Rathenau walked through two carved doors to a richly furnished study with rows of brown, red, and blue gilded books.

It was here that Hersmann met Mussolini for the first time, with his bulging eyes with an Italian gentleness. There is also an ironic, exaggerated smile that looks a little vulgar. Hersmann felt that the "beloved" Italian leader was a very shrewd politician, and that he had historically joined the world war completely clever and confused.

Standing with the Italian leader was a man younger than Hersmann, who was very handsome in appearance and had a beard. Hersmann, who had met this man in a photograph sent by Stasi's Foreign Intelligence Service, was a big man, one of the four cores of Mussolini's fascist party, and the current commander-in-chief of the national economy. Balbo, the future Italian Marshal of the Air Force, Minister of Aviation and Governor General of Libya.

"Welcome, sir and ma'am." The Italian leaders shook hands with Rathenau, Hersmann and Chloe very warmly. Then he gestured majestically and asked them to sit down. Rathenau sat on the same sofa as the leader himself, and Hersman and Chloe sat in the armchairs opposite them.

Balbo sat in an armchair to Mussolini's right, his eyes on Hersmann from the time Rathenau had just introduced them, and he obviously knew something about Hersmann.

"Let's talk in German, Commander-in-Chief Balbo and I both speak German." The Italian leader spoke to Hersmann in fluent German. He seemed to know that Hersmann did not speak Italian - during the greeting they had just exchanged pleasantries, the leader had some conversations in Italian with Rathenau and Chloe. But when he spoke to Hersmann, he was in German.

"Yes, Your Excellency." "I have a lot to say today, and I wanted Chloe to translate, but now it doesn't seem necessary." ”

Hersmann smiled when he saw Mussolini, and looked very kind. "Just say it. I have invited you today to hear your opinions, and if we can reach a consensus, it will be much easier to work in the future. ”

That's true! Hersmann thought to himself: if the Italian leaders were willing to develop the Italian navy and air force according to their own suggestions. Perhaps the Second World War would have been easier to fight.

As for the Italian Army, Hersmann, who knew later history, did not expect anything at all. Italy's national power is clear, the production of steel and coal is less than that of Japan, and such an industrial base can barely build a decent navy and a once-leading air force in Europe, and can no longer demand anything from their army.

"Leader, then I'll get straight to the point." Hersman took several enlarged photographs from the briefcase he was carrying with him and handed them to Balbo. The future Italian Minister of Aviation took the photo. After looking at it carefully, he handed it to Mussolini again.

"Leader, the first picture is the BMW 101 engine, very good engine...... Brand new design, patented by BMW. Companies in the U.S. and U.K. are ready to buy patent licenses. I think we can include the grant of patents in the amount of damages. ”

Mussolini looked at Hersmann and waited for him to continue.

"Your Excellency, Commander-in-Chief, we hope that at the same time as the sale of patent licenses. Integral output production line. Just like the deal we made with the USSR. ”

"The Soviet Union?" Mussolini was stunned, "You sold this engine to the Soviet Union?" ”

"Yes." "Not only did we sell aircraft engines to the Soviet Union, but we also helped them design new fighters, bombers and torpedo attack aircraft, as well as a light aircraft carrier!" ”

"Aircraft carriers? What aircraft carriers? Mussolini asked.

"Leader," Balbo reminded, "the second picture is of an aircraft carrier. ”

"7,500 tons of 'Lenin'." Hersman explains. "We completed all the designs before the defeat, sold the drawings to the USSR after the Re-N conference, and sent engineers and skilled workers to build the aircraft carrier at the shipyards in Leningrad. Now it is a training ship of the Red Navy of the USSR. In addition, the Soviets hired our men to design a 15,000-ton aircraft carrier, which will be built at the Black Sea shipyard. If you guys Italy need it. We can first give you the technical information of the 'Lenin' as compensation. ”

According to the Washington Naval Treaty, Italy can have a total of 60,000 tons of aircraft carriers, that is, four 15,000-ton aircraft carriers, similar to the historical Japanese Soryu.

Although aircraft carriers of this class cannot adapt to the winds and waves of the North Atlantic, the Italian Navy is actually a "Mediterranean Navy", and this aircraft carrier is the most suitable. If the Italian Navy had four motherships and a relatively strong air force at the outbreak of war, it might have been able to suppress the British Mediterranean Fleet.

Mussolini pondered for a moment, then turned to Balbo and asked, "Do we need it?" ”

Although the Italians won a quota of 60,000 tons of aircraft carriers for themselves at the Washington Naval Conference, they did not think that the Italian Navy really needed aircraft carriers, and it was not until the spring of 1941 that they decided to convert the cruise ship "Roma", which was launched in 1926, into an aircraft carrier, but the aircraft carrier was not finally completed until Italy surrendered.

"I think those drawings won't be expensive." Balborough paused and said, "As for whether aircraft carriers are useful or not, I don't dare to draw conclusions now." ”

Hersman interjected: "Your Excellency, Commander-in-Chief, the conclusion cannot be guessed out of thin air, and experiments should be conducted. ”

"Experiments?" Balbo asked, "How?" ”

"Conduct experiments on striking surface ships from the air." Hersman laughs and says, "The third picture is of a Fokker. The F5 transport aircraft was converted into a torpedo attack aircraft, and the fourth photo shows a naval version of the CL-5 attack aircraft developed by the Baltic company FK-BF. If Italy needs it, we can provide several prototypes for experiments...... However, the CL-5 and Fokker F5 offensive versions produced by the Baltic company FK-BF are not eligible for compensation. ”

"Leader, I support experimentation." Balbo immediately agreed, "I've heard that similar experiments have been conducted in the United States, Great Britain and Japan!" ”

"Okay, then we'll do it too!" Mussolini nodded his head. Since Britain, the United States, and Japan have all played with airplanes and warships, Italy must also play several times. What if the plane could really sink the battleship? This is not to be taken lightly.

"What's on the fifth picture?" Mussolini opened the fifth, and last, photograph of a weapon on it.

"I'll tell you about this," said Val T. Rathenau, smiling, "this is my specialty, a hydroelectric turbine, a key piece of equipment for the construction of a hydroelectric power station." At present, only the United States, Great Britain, France and we, Germany, have mastered this technology in the world. ”

"Hydropower?" Mussolini looked at Balbo. The commander-in-chief of the Italian economy said: "We in Italy are very rich in water resources, more than Germany. ”

"Oh, we finally have one more resource than Germany." The Italian leader said in a self-deprecating tone.

Italy is a country with very poor natural resources, and the resources required for industrialization are very small. This is also one of the reasons for Italy's poor performance in the Second World War - the Italian leader led the country into the war in a hurry, and the reserves of various raw materials were not done well, so after the start of the war, Italy's industrial production encountered great difficulties, and even the fleet was lying on its stomach every day because of the lack of fuel.

So Hersmann must now give the leader a golden finger, lest this Italy will still be a big burden by then.

"My leader, there is actually one more resource in Italy than in Germany." "This is a very important strategic resource, bauxite. ”

Bauxite in Europe is found on the northern shores of the Mediterranean, with Greece, Yugoslavia, Italy, France and Spain all abundant. Germany's bauxite is basically imported, and a lot of it was obtained from Italy during World War II.

"My leader, you need aluminum to build airplanes." Balbo reminded, "And to refine aluminum, you need electricity...... It is made of electrolytic aluminum. ”

"Electrosmelting aluminum from hydropower stations?" Mussolini asked.

"Yes." "It's very economical," Hirschman replied, "and we can sell the equipment for the construction of the aluminium plant to Italy...... Of course, this is not included in the compensation items, and we don't owe you that much compensation, but you can pay it back with aluminum and bauxite. ”

The Italian leader and Balbo looked at each other, then focused on their heads. "Okay, in principle, I agree, let the professionals be responsible for the specific conditions of cooperation."

Helping Italy build hydropower plants and aluminium plants is actually a very big "golden finger". Because electricity and aluminum were very important resources in World War II! Aluminum can be used to produce airplanes, and electricity is not only an important source of power for industry, but also for isotope separation (i.e., the creation of atomic bombs) in the future. Historically, the Manhattan Project in the United States consumed a lot of electricity. If Italy could build a large number of hydroelectric power stations in pre-war times, it would be equivalent to increasing the power generation capacity of the entire Axis camp - although this power did not belong to Germany, Italy could smelt aluminum and possibly copper for Germany, and thus save Germany's electricity resources......

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