In order to obtain a more advantageous strategic location and secure the transportation lines of raw materials, the German General Staff was planning an attack on Denmark and Norway, and the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy was one of the main planners of this operation.

About a third of the iron ore raw material for German steel mills comes from northern Europe, but about 70 percent of it is imported into Germany via the Norwegian port of Narvik when the ports of the Gulf of Bodinia freeze in winter. The waterway from the North Sea to the Norwegian Sea was the only way for the German fleet to break through the British naval blockade and enter the North Atlantic.

According to the latest intelligence, the British Navy is trying to invade Norway and begin a large-scale mine-laying operation in the Norwegian waterways. Although Norway was a neutral country, the actions of the British clearly violated the fundamental interests of Germany. Wilhelm II was hesitant to invade Denmark and Norway, saying that an invasion of neutral countries would tarnish Germany's image, and he hoped to use diplomacy to force Denmark and Norway to agree to the German presence in these countries and the use of their military bases.

This is obviously not possible through peaceful means.

When there were signs that the Anglo-French forces were preparing to land in Norway, and that the increasing activity of British warships along the Norwegian coast was likely to take further action, the German emperor, who had been vacillating, finally decided to send troops to invade the neutral countries of Northern Europe, which the Germans regarded as relatives.

It was only when there were signs that Churchill's Admiralty was preparing for further action that he made up his mind to invade the neutral Nordic countries.

"The British, who have been looking at the rise of Germany with hatred, have jumped out again this time in a vain attempt to weaken the German Empire through a war, to return us to the old ways of falling apart, and we must not allow the damned British to succeed!" Wilhelm II said angrily that Queen Victoria's grandson seemed to be resentful of the hostility of the British hierarchy towards Germany. No doubt. If the British succeeded in occupying Norway, German industrial production would be severely attacked.

After halting the Soviet offensive, the German General Staff turned its attention back to the Western Front, and as a prelude to the attack on France, Germany had to clear the threat from the north. According to the plan, after the occupation of Denmark. Norway is separated from Germany by the Strait of Skagerrak, and the British would have to walk a day and a half by sea.

In this world, the German navy is stronger than the British, and in fact the German invasion of Norway will not be in much trouble, and the British side will not take a huge risk of having the navy engage the German navy in a decisive naval battle in the Norwegian Sea.

Austria-Hungary was prepared to send two mountain divisions to accompany the German military campaign in Norway, but of course, the campaign would not be launched immediately. With the onset of winter, the war on the entire Eastern Front came to a standstill, as it had been during World War I. Although the current level of science and technology and industry has made great progress compared to the period of the First World War. However, it is still difficult for humans to overcome the difficulties caused by natural phenomena such as severe cold and snow.

The clearing and dredging of the Suez channel was finally completed, and the Austro-Hungarian Eastern Mediterranean Fleet was conducting minesweeping operations in the Red Sea. The British not only blocked and blew up the Suez Canal channel during their retreat, but also laid several minefields on the Red Sea, and the waters were still fraught with danger.

The Austro-Hungarian Navy formed a new Far Eastern task force in the country, which was formed by Vilmots. Admiral Yankel served as commander of the fleet, which included the 1st and 4th air fleets, the 3rd battlefleet, and the 4th, 7th, 9th, and 11th cruisers. These included four aircraft carriers, two battleships, two heavy cruisers, eight light cruisers and 16 destroyers, as well as 38 submarines of the 4th Submarine Wing. At the same time, there are more than 30 auxiliary vessels.

This is equivalent to almost half of the naval strength of the Austro-Hungarian Navy, and it can also be seen from this that Austria-Hungary strategically attached importance to the Indian Ocean and the Far East.

The Chinese fleet will act together with the Austro-Hungarian fleet, and with the completion of the repair and refit works of the two battleships, the power system of the battleships "Dinghai" and "Jinghai" has increased by 50 percent, and the total power has reached 180,000 horsepower, which is capable of propelling this class of 42,000 tons of warships at a speed of 30 knots. Due to the fact that the development of the planned 150-mm anti-aircraft is still not completed. The secondary guns of the two "Zhenhai" class battleships of the Chinese Navy were dismantled and replaced with eight twin 127-mm high-level dual-purpose guns, and eight single-mounted Ansaldo 90-mm anti-aircraft guns, as well as 16 quadruple 40-mm Islaya anti-aircraft guns and 24 twin 20-mm anti-aircraft guns, and their anti-aircraft firepower was greatly enhanced.

The Chinese fleet consisted of two aircraft carriers, two battleships and four cruisers. In addition, the Austro-Hungarian Navy presented the Chinese side with 8 destroyers of the "Island" class, as well as 12 auxiliary vessels. Although its size was half smaller than that of the Austro-Hungarian Far Eastern Fleet, its actual combat power, according to assessments, was almost close to the level of the Italian fleet.

Before the war, Britain sent to the Far East a Z fleet consisting of two Revenge-class battleships and the battlecruiser Prestige, the aircraft carrier Invincible, and six destroyers, which Yankel was to deal with. According to intelligence, the Japanese Navy also sent a "southern fleet" to Malacca, including two aircraft carriers, at the request of the British.

In fact, both Britain and the United States had insufficient naval forces in the Far East, the American Far East Fleet in the Philippines had four old battleships built during the First World War, and the British Z Fleet was not at all an opponent of the Austro-Hungarian fleet, and even the Chinese fleet was able to destroy them, and the opponent of the Austro-Hungarian Far East Fleet was mainly the combined Japanese fleet.

On November 22, the Austro-Hungarian Far East Fleet marched through the Suez Canal and into the Red Sea. After half a year of fighting, the German-Austrian forces had completely controlled both sides of the Red Sea. The Austro-Hungarian Army Aviation in Egypt and Sinai sent dozens of fighter planes to the fleet for air patrols, and nearly 450 fighters from the two air divisions were also on standby, ready to deal with the unexpected.

Due to the increasing range of the planes, it is still possible for bombers taking off from the British-controlled Sudan, Saudi Arabia and other places to bomb the fleets entering the Red Sea. In fact, the Austro-Hungarian military was a little too careful, the British air force in the Middle East was not strong, and it was not equipped with medium and long-range bombers at all. But at this time, no one dares to take it lightly.

On 26 November, the mighty Far East Fleet, under the protection of the German-Austrian Army Air Force in Egypt, Sinai, and Aden, as well as in Somalia, sailed safely through the Gulf of Suez and the Red Sea into the port of Aden for replenishment and rest.

Now the difficult question before the Austro-Hungarian naval command is to enter the Persian Gulf first or go straight to the Far East? (To be continued......) R1292