On a Saturday in late May 1918, a small banquet was held in the apartment where Hersman and Chloe lived. It's a celebration of Carl. Haushofer was promoted to major general and honorably retired from the German Army - with the exception of Hersmann, an officer who had done a few great things, most of the officers of the Second German Reich who did not have a big man as their father, and it was very difficult to become a general.

For example, Hesman's father, who is still a lieutenant colonel at a large age, went to the Western Front with the army after the battle on the Eastern Front was basically over, and continued to command his infantry battalion to squat in the trenches. In late April, he had someone write back to Hersman saying that he had been blinded by poison gas on the battlefield - temporarily blind and now recuperating from his wounds. Odya, the Jewish stepmother of Hersman, thought that her husband had become a blind old man, and she cried tears on the spot.

Hersman took great pains to tell her that it was only a temporary blindness caused by a low concentration of mustard gas (a few hours of smoking in a gas mask can also cause a certain degree of poisoning) that burned the cornea and iris, and that she could regain her sight after a period of recuperation. However, Odeya was still not at ease, so she handed Margaret over to Hersmann to take care of, and went to Belgium to visit the old Hersman by herself. And Margaret and Hersman's secretary Rosenberg dated a few times, but there was no spark of love.

At this moment, Margaret and Chloe were preparing a banquet meal in the spacious, steaming kitchen. Delicious broth, fragrant marinated pork knuckles, cod from the Gulf of Riga, and fresh vegetables – such a meal is a dream for most Germans these days, but it is not difficult for Hersmann, who has a rough road.

The meal was ready, and the invited guests—mostly officers and their companions—arrived one after another, chatting, enjoying beer, wine, and coffee in Chloe's spacious living room. But the feast had not yet begun, for Hersmann and Haushofer were nowhere to be found.

Chloe and Margaret had no choice but to go out and greet the guests with Matha of Haushofer, who had already arrived.

"Why haven't you come yet?" Margaret was a little anxious and muttered in a low voice, "If you don't come again, the food will be cold." ”

"The lieutenant colonel called just now, saying that he met two friends in Koenig Square, and they will come back later, and two more people will have a meal, is there enough food?" Martha said to Margaret. Although her husband became a major general and was able to stay away from the battlefield, Mrs. Haushofer still looked a little sad.

"There are enough dishes, and we prepare a lot, unless the appetite of the visitor is particularly large." Margaret half-jokingly said, "I don't think Ludwig will bring back two fat men, right?" ”

After a few more moments, the door to the apartment opened. Ludwig. Feng. Hersman and Carr. Haushofer returned, with two young men of Hirschmann's age, one of whom had a rectangular face and very straight features, and looked very spirited. He wore a field-gray military uniform, carried the rank of lieutenant on his shoulders, and had a row of medals on his chest. Chloe and Margaret looked at this man and felt familiar, as if they had seen them somewhere.

The other guest, who arrived with Hersman, was older than the lieutenant, with large eyes, nose, and mouth, but a face that seemed to be unable to let go of the large features. He laughed a little slyly, and looked slippery. He was not a soldier, he wore a very well-made suit and carried a briefcase in his hand, as if he were the manager of a large company.

Hersman seemed to be in a good mood, he first pointed to the lieutenant, and said in a cheerful tone: "He is Herman the Iron Man!" I had been friends with Grosslichfeld from the time we were back, and this time he had come back to Berlin to pick up the Blue Max, and His Majesty the Kaiser would personally honour him! ”

Hearing the name of "Iron Man Herman", many women present, including Hersman's sister Margaret, screamed, as if they had met some idol star.

Herman the Iron Man is Herman. Goring! The future commander of the Nazi Luftwaffe is fat, but now he is not fat, and he is also a famous star in Germany...... Militarism. Celebrities, of course, are all at war, not singing. The ace pilots of this level are all German stars, and their photos can be sold for money.

Like Hersmann, Göring was a graduate of the Grosslichfeld Military Academy, a year younger than Hersmann, who was not a member of the same class. Haushofer had been taught, and they knew each other in the military academy.

When Goering, who had returned to Berlin to wait for the award, heard that Haushofer was going to be promoted to major general, he went to the Grand General Staff to watch Haushofer's promotion ceremony. At the ceremony, he met Hersmann, who had already received the rank of lieutenant colonel and a blue Max - an army officer had much more difficulty with a blue Max than a pilot. Goering was astonished and went up to talk to Hersmann. And Hersmann, of course, would not give up the opportunity to make friends with Goering, so he took him home for dinner.

"This gentleman is also our hero of Germany, although he is not yet German." After several of the ladies at the scene stopped screaming, Hersman pointed at the young man in the suit. "He was the author of the Falk-style disaster, Anthony . . Mr. Falk! ”

Anthony. Fokker, the founder of the Fokker Aircraft Company and one of the most prominent aircraft designers of the First World War, developed the "synchronous machine gun" that allowed a bullet to pass through the propeller without hitting the blade. Relying on this invention, the Fokker fighter became a famous star in air combat, causing the planes of Britain, France, and other countries to suffer heavy losses, causing a terrifying "Fokker disaster."

Anthony. It is no accident that Falk appeared at the Hersman house. Major-General Haushofer will be engaged in the new job he will take on after retiring from the army. Cal. Haushofer is now retiring from active service, in fact, in order to carry out the "Dark Saber Project" in the "Gray Plan" to preserve the vitality of the German military industry.

After retiring from active service, Karl. Haushofer will chair a "non-military body" called the Industrial Promotion Council. The main responsibility of this "non-military institution" was to help the German military industry through the difficult post-war period.

And after synthesizing all kinds of intelligence, the Great General Staff predicted that the aviation industry would be in the most difficult situation after the defeat of Germany. Because the Air Force is a new branch of the military, technological progress is extremely fast. This also means that the backwardness and obsolescence of aviation weapons is also extremely fast. If the German aviation industry is halted for ten years, Germany may fall behind forever in the air - this is of course the unanimous view of the German military and the military leadership of the Entente at the moment, but the development of history has been greatly deviated.

For a long time after the war, the aviation industry had the peculiar phenomenon of civilian technology surpassing military technology. State-of-the-art technology is often used in civilian aircraft and then military aircraft. This gave Germany the opportunity to develop civil aircraft construction in order to maintain the level of the aviation industry.

But Hersman doesn't tell anyone in advance what will happen in the 20s and 30s, and no one believes it.

Moreover, it would be very beneficial for Germany's future to preserve the vitality of Germany's best aircraft and aircraft engine factories, such as Fokker Aircraft Factory, Bavarian Engine Building AG and Albatros Aircraft Factory, and to finance the construction of new aircraft factories in Riga to produce advanced civil and military aircraft.

So, Anthony. Focker, one of the most outstanding aircraft designers, was invited from the aircraft factory in Schwerin to Berlin to work with Karl Brown. Haushofer discusses the possibility of relocating the Fokker aircraft factory to Riga after the war. And just as he was preparing for Berlin, he happened to meet Haushofer's promotion to major general, so he was invited to a celebratory banquet.

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