Although the cost of construction was high, the defeat of the "Battle of the Lands" and the "Battle of the Celtic Sea" in World War I was too great a stimulus to the whole country, and the German nation, which was bent on revenge, would never let go of the idea of overpowering the enemy in the navy. Therefore, the cost of the "Großdeutsch" class battleships was very staggering, and the budget cost of the lead ship "Großdeutsch" alone amounted to 980 million Reichsmarks. Although the cost of the second ship, the Nietzsche, was reduced to 620 million Reichsmarks, it was still too expensive. The "Großdeutsch" class battleship project occupied more than 60% of the raw materials, 50% of the capital and 70% of the skilled workers of the German Navy's shipbuilding program at that time. In the eyes of some critics, this fanaticism in Germany from top to bottom is simply the act of a madman. In order to cope with the possible invasion of the British Navy, the German political axe not only fell into a frenzy in naval equipment, but also in the army, Strassel complied with Hitler's last wish and decided to form more mechanized corps and build 2,000 new "Tiger" tanks. In the Air Force, he ordered the purchase of 30,000 new combat aircraft of various types. Any aspect of Germany's aggressive military expansion plan seemed far beyond the capacity of the German economy and industry at the time, but the Germans miraculously did it! On the one hand, the reason for this achievement is due to the outstanding organizational skills and iron skills of the late Chancellor Hitler, the leaders of the German National Socialist Party headed by the current Chancellor Strassel, and the generals of the German Wehrmacht, and on the other hand, the dedication and wisdom of the German people at that time, and the unity and cooperation of the whole country, which finally made the "Great Germany" class super battleships gallop on the ocean as the glory of the German nation!

Now, the "Großdeutschland", the flagship of the German High Seas Fleet, was heading north from Wilhelmshaven to attack Norway.

The war on the European continent has put Norway, a small coastal country in northern Europe, in a dilemma, and it does not dare to offend any of the belligerents. Although most Norwegians have a natural affinity for countries such as Britain and France, they fear the aggressive threat of war from Germany. The Norwegians did not want to get involved in this war, but in reality this was a fantasy.

Norway's strategic position has made it impossible to ignore either of the warring parties.

Norway has a very important strategic location on the European continent, with a 1,000-nautical-mile north-south hidden waterway between the coastal islands and the mainland along the long Norwegian coastline from Egerson to North Cape, known as the "Norwegian Waterway". It has been a major maritime communication route for Norway since the days of Viking, and if it were used by Germany, German naval vessels could cross the Skagerrak Strait and follow the Norwegian waterway north, then break through the North Atlantic at the right time. If the Germans had simply occupied Norway, not only would they have formed a flank encirclement of the British naval home fleet base in Scapa Flow, but it would have been much easier and safer for submarines or surface ships to depart from Norwegian ports to disrupt British sea lines of communication than from German home bases. Norway also concerns the strategic material that Germany urgently needs to wage the war – "iron". Germany imports 15 million tonnes of iron ore a year, of which 11 million tonnes comes from Scandinavia in Northern Europe, mainly Sweden, followed by Norway. The iron ore is shipped from Swedish ports to Germany via the Baltic Sea in the summer, and in the winter when the Baltic Sea freezes, the iron ore has to be transported from the northern Norwegian port of Narvik to Germany via the Norwegian waterways, and the winter route accounts for 41% of the total annual iron ore shipments.

The German Navy has always had its eye on Norway, and although the strength of the German Navy is no longer what it used to be, it is still quite difficult to safely sail the landing force hundreds of nautical miles to the Norwegian coast under the nose of the still quite powerful Home Fleet of the British Royal Navy. In order to gain superiority in naval warfare, after the start of the war, according to the plan previously formulated, the German Navy dispatched a large number of submarines and surface assault ships to sabotage British Atlantic shipping, in order to cut off the lifeline of this maritime power.

In the face of the threat of the German navy, the British Admiralty Churchill submitted a memorandum to the cabinet meeting shortly after the start of the war, stating that the only way to give full play to the superiority of the British navy and deal a more significant blow to Germany was to suspend Germany's import of ore from northern Scandinavia and cut off its shipping route to the Atlantic. At this time, the Soviet invasion of Finland provided Britain with an excellent pretext, and after negotiations, Britain and France decided to occupy Narvik in Norway with six or eight French and British divisions, and to provide military assistance to Finland so that the passing troops could occupy the mines in northern Sweden "above board". At the same time, the British Foreign Secretary also announced to the Norwegian and Swedish ambassadors in London the intention of the United Kingdom to ban the shipment of iron ore to Germany. French Prime Minister Daladier also firmly advocated marching into northern Norway as soon as possible in order to achieve the goal of containing the German army on the Western Front from launching an attack on France.

The German Navy continued to receive a great deal of intelligence about British and French intentions in North Scandinavia, and Raeder realized that Britain would ignore Norway's neutrality, while the Norwegian authorities were ambiguous. When it became increasingly clear that Britain intended to lay mines in the Norwegian waterways, Strassel believed that Norway had in fact fallen to Britain and that the Germans had to strike first.

On March 1, 1940, the German Navy General Headquarters received the final order from the German High Command to implement the "Vikings" plan, that is, to invade Norway and Denmark. According to the plan, the entire surface ship force of the German Navy and most of the submarines would cross the sea to cover the landing of the land forces in extremely dispersed landing sites, some of which were nearly 1,000 nautical miles from German bases, at great risk of being attacked by the main forces of the British Navy. The German Navy General Command quickly formed 5 battle groups for the "Vikings" program. The 1st Battle Group went to Narvik, including the newly commissioned super battleship "Großdeutsch", the multipurpose light battleships "Scharnhorst" and "Gneisenau", the aircraft carrier "Zeppelin", 12 destroyers and 6,000 soldiers; The 2nd Battle Group went to Trondheim and included the multipurpose light battleship "Bismarck", the heavy cruiser "Admiral Hipper", 8 destroyers and 3,500 men; The 3rd battle group went to Bergen, including the multipurpose light battleships "Hindenburg", the heavy cruisers "Prince Eugen", the light cruisers "Cologne" and "Königsberg", 5 destroyers, 12 torpedo boats and 4,000 men; The 4th battle group went to Kristiansand and Arendal and included the multipurpose light battleship "Tirpitz", the light cruiser "Karlsruhe", 6 destroyers, 14 torpedo boats and 3,000 men; The 5th battle group went to Oslo and included the multipurpose light battleships "Blucher" and "Lützov", the heavy cruiser "Lufthansa", the light cruiser "Emden", 6 destroyers, 16 torpedo boats and 3,000 men.

According to the predetermined plan, the German troops were to land simultaneously at various port landing points on the Norwegian coast from north to south in the early morning of April 9, 1940. After the army forces landed by surprise and stabilized their positions, the navy set up a sea supply line to transport supplies by sea through the Kattegat Strait or the Skagerrak Strait to the southern Norwegian port of Oslo. To protect this supply line, the German Army also had to occupy Denmark, while the Navy was tasked with capturing the port of Copenhagen and the Great Belle. Not only was the shipping route a fairly short distance, but its proximity to air bases in northern Germany made it difficult for the British Navy to operate in this sea zone.

The German war machine was in full swing, and the real war was about to begin.

Seeing the new national flag, designed by the late Chancellor Hitler himself, fluttering high on the mast of the "Großdeutsches", the corners of Ruprecht I's eyes were a little moist.

When Hitler was alive, he didn't have any affection for this man, but after Hitler's death, he somehow missed this slightly neurotic and excellent politician.

Had it not been for Hitler's National Socialist Party, which had reunited the German people, he would have never imagined that Germany would have achieved what it is today, and would have dared to speak out to Britain and France in such a face-to-face manner.

Now, although the war of revenge he had longed for had begun, somehow the feeling of unease in the heart of Ruprecht I was growing.

"If the Norwegians want to resist, the 'Großdeutschland' will destroy Oslo with devastating artillery fire." Raeder looked at the "Big Germany" that was getting smaller and said with confidence.

"Hopefully the Norwegians will make a wise choice, so it's good for all of us." Strassel said calmly.

"The Russians have not yet captured all of Finland." Ruprecht I turned to Strassel and said, "I think the only way to attack Sweden is to let our army do it." ”

According to the plan of action agreed with the Soviet military, the Germans were to launch an operation against Norway at the same time as the Soviet attack on Finland.

For Sweden, which was sandwiched between Finland and Norway, the Germans originally planned to divide it up with the Soviet Union, but now judging from the progress of the Soviet army, the task of defeating Sweden is only to be completed by the German army.

"A detailed battle plan has been drawn up, please rest assured, Your Majesty." The Chief of the General Staff, General Halder, said, "The occupation of Sweden by the German [***] team is worth it, even if it costs something." As he spoke, his gaze fell on Raeder, "I'm sure the officers and men of the German Navy will be very happy, won't they?" ”

"That's right." Reddell smiled and nodded.

"I suppose the British will act this time, right?" Ruprecht I watched the battleship "Großdeutschland" disappear into the distant mist, and whispered.

"According to our intelligence, the main forces of the British fleet were not dispatched." "If the British dare to release their lions, the 'Big Germany' will tear them to shreds." ”

By this time Ruprecht I could no longer hear it, and on the "Großdeutsch", the commander of the fleet, Admiral Lütjens, was also using similar words to inspire the officers and men on board.

“…… If the Norwegians are not going to surrender, we will show them the power of the guns of the 'Big Germany'! We will destroy all the ships of the Norwegian Navy and turn their coastal batteries and fortresses into rubble! No object can withstand even a single salvo from the 'Großdeutschland'! Not in the past, not now, and not in the future! ”

“…… For three hundred years, only the German Navy could have challenged the British Navy so face-to-face! ...... 'Großdeutschland' is a real unsinkable fortress at sea! There may be fears that those 'lions' of the British will come to us for trouble, and here I will tell you all that the British are coming, and only the fate of destruction awaits them! ……”

Rütjans's speech was met with thunderous applause from the crew, and after completing his morale-boosting speech, Lütjans returned to the command tower and began to focus on the upcoming operation.

As a veteran admiral, he certainly understood that no more exciting speech would be as good as a real victory.

He also knew that while the Germans were aggressively invading Norway, the British must have been drawing up plans for the Norwegian war.

"The British knew that after the dispatch of the 'Großdeutschland', they would definitely dispatch the main force of the home fleet." This was stated by the Chief of Staff of the Fleet, Rear Admiral Scholz.

"That's exactly what we wanted." "As long as we can sink one or two 'lions', the British Navy will lose the will to fight, and we will win this war." ”

"Yes! The British have always had high hopes for these 'lions'. Schultz sighed and said, "This is a contest between 'lions' and 'dinosaurs'!" ”

After listening to the conversation between Lütjans and Scholz, Rear Admiral Lindemann, the captain of the "Big Germany", couldn't help but nod secretly.

Indeed, for the British battleships of the "Lion" class, the "Greater Germany" was a complete dinosaur.

According to the "London Naval Treaty" agreed upon by Britain, the United States, France, and China, in an additional clause, it was stipulated that the four countries that signed the treaty, the United States, Britain, France, and China, could build battleships with a standard displacement of no more than 70,000 tons and equipped with 16-inch guns without signing the treaty. The British realized then that if they did not agree to the treaty, their new battleship would have the smallest caliber of its main guns among the new capital ships of the great powers. And it is very likely that I will not sign a treaty. Therefore, in 1937, Britain began to pre-develop the next generation of battleships. Intelligence from the British showed that the new battleships of the United States and the United States would be equipped with guns of more than 16 inches, so the pace of development was accelerated.

After Britain confirmed that it would not sign the London Naval Treaty, the British Admiralty decided to build ships in accordance with the "Additional Provisions of the London Naval Treaty." Britain then joined several naval powers, including France, the United States and China, in making public statements that it would build capital ships in accordance with the additional clause. Britain has also expressed with the United States the desire to reduce the 70,000 tons in the additional clause to 50,000 tons. This is the result of many considerations by the British. First of all, previous pre-studies showed that with a standard displacement of 50,000 tons, the British themselves were able to design a battleship with a 16-inch gun that achieved a good balance of firepower, protection, and speed. Secondly, limiting the displacement to 50,000 tons can prevent other countries that have not signed treaties, such as Germany and Italy, from building battleships that exceed the standard. Of course, there are also political and financial considerations. However, the development of events did not give the British such an opportunity, and after learning of the plans of the super-battleships and the German plan to revitalize the navy, the British decisively began the construction of their own super-battleships, that is, the "Lion" class battleships.

The "Lion" class battleships had a standard displacement of 83,500 tons and were equipped with three powerful quadruple 18-inch (460 mm) 52 times diameter main guns, and the "Lion" class battleships were built in total, and the first two "Lion" and "Brute" were built on July 4 and June 1, 1939 respectively in Vickers? Armstrong's shipyard in Newcastle and Kemer in Birkenhead? Laird shipyard construction completed. The third Conqueror was completed in Clydebank in August, and the fourth Furious Drinker was completed at Fairfield Shipyard in Glasgow.

The four Lion-class battleships formed the main force of the British Royal Fleet, and became a symbol of the revival of the British Imperial Navy, which once dominated the world but was wiped out in the "Battle of the Raillands" and the "Battle of the Celtic Sea". Coupled with the "Admiral"-class battleships built by Britain after World War I, in the eyes of many, the British Imperial Navy has restored and maintained its former glory. Although the naval plans of Germany and Italy were a considerable threat to the British Navy, the British Navy was confident that it would maintain its maritime superiority without relying on foreign aid (the navies of the United States, France, and China).

In addition to maintaining great vigilance against the navy in the Far East, the British kept their eyes on Germany, and the quiet rise of the German navy did not escape the eyes of the British. After Germany built six 30,000-ton "Scharnhorst" class multipurpose light battleships, the British Navy did not take the German Navy seriously, until one day, the huge and majestic figure of the battleship "Greater Germany" suddenly appeared in front of the dumbfounded British.

From 30,000 tons to 170,000 tons, it took a lot of brains for the British to figure out what the Germans were thinking in their heads, and why they would build something similar.

It is hoped that the enemy's "numerical superiority" will be offset by "superiority in single-ship combat," and in this understanding, there is actually no difference between Germany and the original

(To be continued)