"Mr. Lieutenant Colonel, everyone knows that it is not difficult to enter the Mediterranean Sea from the Atlantic. The www.biquge.info sea flows from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean, and submarines can turn off their engines and float into them with no one ...... them" spoke to Major Eberhardt Gott, chief of operations at the Submarine Fleet Command and chief of staff of Dönitz, with whom he worked until the end of World War II.

"And let's not forget that Italy is an ally of Germany, it is enough to have them in the Mediterranean, they will control the Mediterranean, at least Sicily can help them achieve this. So......" Major Goth shrugged his shoulders and said regretfully, "I don't think it matters to be free to enter and exit the Strait of Gibraltar. However, I am interested in how Mr. Lieutenant Colonel knew that submarines could enter and exit the Strait of Gibraltar freely? ”

Major Gott's remarks made Lee Kong-wing notice that he was a clever German who was very good at bargaining. He didn't think the Gibraltar Current was of much value when he asked this question, and even Dönitz probably already knew how to get a submarine into the Mediterranean, but judging from Dönitz's reaction just now, he seemed to be very interested in it, which gave him some hope.

"Looks like I'm overthinking." Li Kongrong pushed the boat down the river to buy the pass, and he smiled: "Since it doesn't have much value, there is no need to mention it." Hehe, today's steak is good, I haven't eaten such a delicious steak for a long time. ”

Li Kongrong picked up the knife and fork and began to eat, Lin Zhun, who followed him everywhere, also politely greeted the Germans, and also began to eat, Major Gott, who had just spoken, was a little surprised by the reaction of the Chinese, and at this time, seeing that Li Kongrong did not want to discuss that issue anymore, he and Dönitz immediately looked at each other - although entering and leaving Gibraltar is not too important, if the submarine force can master this secret, especially leaving the Mediterranean, it is also a very meaningful thing.

"Ahem......" Dönitz coughed lightly, and he had just stuffed a new napkin. Lee, I do have some interest in how submarines can freely enter and exit that strait, so why can't we talk as freely as we used to? ”

"Of course." Li Kongrong also put down his knife and fork, and the smile on his face was even worse, "Mr. Colonel, I am very happy to talk to you about submarines, submarines are almost all my life, although I am a diplomatic military attaché, but I hate politics, I just want to drive a submarine to soar above the ocean without restraint, but this is difficult to achieve, at least now there is very little hope." During my few months in the hospital, the situation outside seems to have changed drastically, which is really sad. ”

Li Kongrong said a bunch of strategic nonsense, and Dönitz only frowned, he coughed again, and replied: "Politics is not what officers should pay attention to, I really hope that there will never be politics in our conversation." ”

"Yes, I want to too." Li Kongrong agreed, and he added: "But I have to hope that Mr. Colonel will be able to transfer a submarine to my colleagues for internship in accordance with the contract we signed with the Admiralty before." So that I would not be urged by telegram after telegram at home, nor would I be surrounded by naval cadets in Germany, who might think that I am God and can solve all the problems they face, but I am not at all. ”

After communicating for so long, Li Kongrong put forward his own request for the second time, the first time was to buy those two Type 1 submarines, but it was unsuccessful, and Dönitz was unwilling to sell them. His outspokenness did not surprise Dönitz, he was surprised not to mention this Dönitz.

"Li, I didn't receive an order from the Admiralty to transfer submarines to you for training!" Dönitz told the truth, "and the submarine school also has only six training boats, and now the use is very tight......"

"But I remember that the contract has been explicitly agreed to by the Ministry of the Navy, and I think there must be a way to adjust it." Li Kongrong said: "It's just that we are now going to be arranged in the Fransburg Merchant Marine School, which is very inconvenient!" Colonel, we could have used the training boat on your rest day, but now we have to ask for a special submarine for our training. ”

It was Dönitz's idea to place the Chinese at the Merchant Marine School in northern Fransburg, in order to keep them from knowing the submarine force and to reduce the attention of the Japanese. After Li Kongrong finished speaking, he didn't reply, but Major Gott, who had just spoken, opened his mouth, and he said: "Mr. Lieutenant Colonel, these are all orders from the Admiralty, and the Colonel and the Submarine Command do not know about it. ”

"But Vice Admiral Bastian of the Admiralty explained to me that the Submarine Command did not agree." Lee Kong-young began to get serious. After he finished speaking to Major Gott, he looked at Dönitz and said, "Colonel, I think that the Admiralty of your country should keep its previous promise and allocate a training boat for the use of my colleagues and subordinates, for which we have paid special training funds, and that there is no war between China and Germany, and I do not think that these admissions have any reason for non-compliance, which is dishonorable." ”

Li Kongrong looked at Dönitz seriously, and Dönitz also looked at him. Procedurally, this matter has nothing to do with him, but in fact it is he who opposes the transfer of training boats to the Chinese Navy's trainees in Germany. The Admiralty simply did not prepare to deliver the two simplified Type 7 submarines under construction, based on the fact that China and Japan were at war.

The two looked at each other at the table for a while, and after a long time, Dönitz nodded, and he said, "Li, I will arrange this matter, but not now." You have not completed the most basic training, and it is not appropriate to transfer training boats now. ”

Dönitz took a step back, and Li Kongrong also took a step back, and he said, "Yes, I understand this too, but I hope you can give me a moment." When can I finish my basic training in Francsburg? When can on-board training start? How long can we use that training boat? ”

A barrage of questions came out of Li Kongrong's mouth, and he no longer regarded this place as a restaurant, and seemed to go back to the submarine order negotiations a few months ago, and began to ask some questions clearly.

"Probably in ......" Of course, Dönitz did not know the course schedule on the Fransburg side, and he asked his chief of staff before he said: "It should be in February next year, and the basic training will take six weeks, and then it will be on the boat." The contract stipulates that you can use the shipyard to deliver new submarines. But I don't think it's realistic, with the arrangement of the submarine school, you can use it for a maximum of one semester, that is, five months, and you must return it by August, which is enough for you. ”

One word after another came out of Dönitz's mouth, and Li Kongrong and Lin Zhun were greatly relieved. Although the submarine has not yet arrived, this is the most direct commitment.

"Lee, you are at war with Japan, what do you think two submarines without bases can do?" Dönitz did not promise the above conditions because of his access to the Strait of Gibraltar, although he was interested in how the submarine could get out of the Mediterranean. He simply believes that failure to fulfill his promises is a dishonorable act that damages his own honor and that of the Navy. Now, since everyone talked face-to-face without any worries, he asked his thoughts by the way.

"I don't know what they can do, but one group has a group of plays, and two ships have two of them." Li Kongrong said, "If the Japanese Navy has the slightest samurai demeanor, then we should be allowed to go to the battlefield, and then each of us will fight as best we can, and the victory or defeat depends on our fate, and life and death will be in the sky." But I obviously overestimated them, they would only play some shady tricks behind their backs, and in this respect they were exactly the same as their teacher, the Royal Navy.

-- They think that something called sonar can frighten us, but it doesn't actually work. The acoustic-electric exchange system is not sensitive enough, it can detect targets at most a few hundred meters away, and it can only be aimed in one direction, that is, directly in front of the destroyer, as long as we avoid this searchlight pillar-like thing, then we can hunt freely. ”

As before, once excited, something would pop out of Li Kongrong's mouth that made Dönitz extremely concerned, and this time he was talking about the sonar of the British. Major Gott, who heard this for the first time, immediately asked, "Lieutenant Colonel, are you telling the truth?" The British considered the submarine to be obsolete, and that new type of detector, they say, could search for a submarine several kilometers away. ”

"Whoever believes is a fool!" Li Kongrong replied categorically, "If Britain, which holds the world's sea power and relies entirely on merchant ships to maintain trade and production, is really not worried about submarines, then why did they list submarine warfare as an independent treaty in last year's naval agreement?" They're scared! Fearing that submarines would sink merchant ships on a large scale like in the last war, leaving Britain without overseas supplies. ”

Last year's naval treaty was the 1936 Naval Treaty, signed only by Britain, the United States and France. Seeing that Li Kongrong used this as a refutation of the uselessness theory of submarines that Britain had hyped up, Dönitz and Gort smiled heartily, they liked this refutation too much!

"Lee, tell me about the strait." Dönitz wasted no time in interjecting that he wanted to know what Li Kongrong knew.

"Yes, Strait, I know." Li Kongrong didn't say anything about this matter at this time, and now that the atmosphere is harmonious, whether or not to give the submarine is completely in Dönitz's thoughts, and it will not be very effective to make things difficult for him on such a minor issue. So after a little thought, he said: "Don't ask where the news came from, you can verify the authenticity of the news." ”

He then took out a pen and asked the waiter for a piece of paper, on which he drew a sketch of the Strait of Gibraltar and held it up: "Everyone knows that the waters of the Atlantic Ocean flow into the Mediterranean Sea continuously, and it is very simple for a submarine to enter the Mediterranean, as long as it dives to a depth of about 70 meters, and then follows the current, those currents are about four knots per hour, and it will bring the submarine into the Mediterranean.

It seems simple, but there are also a lot of risks, and the hydrographic data under the strait is only known to the British, so I think submarines should vigorously develop sonar. It's hard to detect submarines, but it's easy to detect undersea mountains. I think that for some important ports, especially military ports, it is necessary to use submarines equipped with sonar to probe and find out the flaws. ”

Li Kongrong unconsciously diverted the topic, but he immediately corrected it. "Everybody knows about the currents in the Strait of Gibraltar, but no one knows why they happen," he said. Some people have found that this kind of current is called density flow. ”

"Density flow?" Major Gort seemed to be interested in the word.

"Yes. The Mediterranean Sea is closed and evaporates vigorously, so the sea water has high salinity and low sea level, and the Atlantic sea level is high, and the sea water naturally flows from the Atlantic Ocean into the Mediterranean. But density flows are characterized by compensating flows, and the denser and heavier Mediterranean waters also flow into the Atlantic Ocean at the same time. In the eyes of ordinary people, it is not difficult for a submarine to enter the Mediterranean, but it is very difficult to get out, and the Mediterranean Sea is like a rat trap ......" Li Kongrong smiled and said the word Dönitz described in his memoirs - a rat trap, he was very opposed to sending submarines into the Mediterranean, because it was easy to go in, but it was impossible to get out, and it was too dangerous for submarines to go out of the strait against the current.

"Lee, do you mean that there is a current in the opposite direction below the current flowing towards the Mediterranean? It flows from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic? "Dönitz's head is about to shine, although the Mediterranean is in charge of the Italian Navy, but the Italian Navy's submarines can also sneak out of Gibraltar and go to the Atlantic to break diplomatic relations - he thinks that to blockade Britain, at least 300 submarines are needed, but he now has only 30.

"Exactly, Mr. Colonel." Li Kongrong smiled and nodded. "This is not a special case. This is also the case in the Turkish Straits, where the upper layer is where the water from the Black Sea flows into the Mediterranean, and the lower layer is where the salty and heavy waters of the Mediterranean Sea flow into the Black Sea. There is also the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which connects the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean, and the Strait of Hormuz, which connects the Arabian Sea and the Persian Gulf. ”

"Then ......" Dönitz and Major Gott said in unison, and the two looked at each other or Dönitz spoke, and he said, "Lee, how many meters below the surface of the sea of Gibraltar is the current of the Mediterranean Sea flowing into the Atlantic?" ”

The topic has finally reached the point. Since ocean currents are divided into upper and lower layers, how deep do they demarcate?

"One hundred and twenty-five meters!" Li Kongrong smiled before speaking in Dönitz's expectation.

"Are you sure?" Dönitz breathed a sigh of relief - the Type 2 submarine had a depth of only 80 meters, but the Type 7 submarine had a depth of 200 meters. As for the submarines of the Italian Navy, he learned that the depth is 100 meters, but if Italy knows that adding 40 to 50 meters of depth will allow submarines to freely enter and exit the Mediterranean, they will definitely find a way to increase the depth of these tens of meters, and even if they can't do it, Germany can help them do it.

"Absolutely sure!" Li Kongrong glanced at Lin Zhun and said without pause: "Our people used to be in Greenway......

Li Kongrong had already discussed the routine with Lin Zhun in advance, and Li Kongrong kicked him under the table just now, and now seeing Li Kongrong talking about the key point, Lin Zhun immediately slapped a heavy 'cough cough ......', which seemed to suddenly wake up Li Kongrong immediately stopped, and he said: "This is the case, I fully guarantee this, with the honor of an officer." ”