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"Your Majesty, are you really going to put the H-44 class battleship into service?"

In the main hall of the solemn and luxurious Charlottenburg Palace, the Secretary of State of the Navy, Raeder, said to the figure of the head of the army with doubts: "The standard displacement of this ship is as high as 64,000 tons, and the full load displacement will exceed 75,000 tons, and the strong power of 210,000 horsepower gives it an ultra-high speed of more than 32 knots, which is not much better than the cruisers in service in the Empire." And in terms of firepower, it will be armed with 9 monstrous 500mm L45 cannons, which is undoubtedly the largest caliber long-barreled cannon ever built! This series of performance indicators will make its cost climb all the way compared to our 38,000-ton battleship, and the final price is expected to reach 250 million marks. And our newly built 35,000-ton fleet armored aircraft carrier, which is fully equipped with 120 carrier-based aircraft, will cost only 120 million marks. Even if the latter will have a lot of exceedances in daily maintenance and personnel expenses, the cost performance of choosing a fleet aircraft carrier is undoubtedly much stronger than this super battleship. ”

Qing Ying's eyes showed a bit of emotion, and said, "General, I also know this. Yet, we must build something that embodies the Empire's position in the world; Only in this way can the people inspire patriotic fervor and devotion in this visible and tangible pride, and nothing is better than a battleship forged with strength and majesty. You also want to see the gratifying sight of aspiring young people in the empire volunteering to join the navy when this battleship appears in the recruitment poster, right? ”

Raeder's mind was spinning. In the end, he chose to die down. There was no further dispute with the Emperor on this issue. As an old man who served in the Navy for a full forty years. He knew that Qingying had made an epic contribution to the German Navy, no matter how much praise he could have made. Compared with Tirpitz's exploits, Qingying's role was even surpassed in some aspects, and if he had not been at the helm and leading in the field of specific shipbuilding for decades, the German Navy would never have the heyday of today's technical dominance!

"In addition, the purpose of building this giant battleship is the same as the five 38,000-ton conventional battleships planned before, that is, to make all countries think that we still use battleships as the core of naval warfare, so that they can make corresponding response strategies." Qingying paused. Then he added, "Up to now, the British have started construction of five King George V-class battleships, and the Americans have built two new North Carolina-class and four South Dakota-class battleships, all based on the butterfly effect caused by our previous actions." If we throw out the plans for these 6 H-44 class battleships, they will not have all the strength to react? In this way, the result is clearly much better than having the United States and Britain devote these resources to aviation. We only need to complete the symbolic 2 battleships, and the other 4 will all be built into giant aircraft carriers of the same tonnage; Although the two ships are very different in size, they will not be discovered by the outside world during the construction of strict secrecy. ”

Raeder Gong claims to be. According to his original idea, all these six giant ships were turned into aircraft carriers. However, Qingying's consideration is also completely meritorious. From the comprehensive consideration of potential benefits and inputs, he also agreed with the other party's wishes. Not to mention. The current German Navy is also well positioned to make such a huge investment. Thanks to the rapid growth of the German economy in the two decades after the war, the navy's share of funding has also risen: even with the air force, the purchasing power of the German navy in 1933 was nearly four times that of 1912. That's why the ambitious "Z" plan was carried out, knowing that the 24 large fleet armored aircraft carriers were not just built and equipped with aircraft: the personnel expenses of the more than 3,500 crew members, including nearly 200 pilots for each aircraft carrier, would be a staggering figure every month. The battleship of the same tonnage has only 1,700 crews, and there are no pilots with super high salaries, and the daily expenses of both sides are obviously not at the same level. In addition, for each new aircraft carrier built, the German Navy must also equip it with 100%~150% spare aircraft and crew members, so as to replenish the combat losses in time, and the cost of this part is also extremely huge!

Qing Ying swept his gaze to the desk calendar, and the date on it was already February 1934. Franklin? Roosevelt would be a year old as president, and the U.S. economy, spurred by his New Deal, had picked up again from its 1932 trough. In 1932, the national income of the United States, which had been hit by five years of economic crisis, fell sharply from $70.4 billion in 1927 to $46.1 billion, a drop of more than one-third, and almost no different from Germany's $45.3 billion. By 1933, the U.S. economy had rebounded significantly from its previous base, and after removing the depreciation of the dollar, it still grew by 8%; However, the German economy has shrunk exports due to the construction of tariff barriers by various countries, and the economic growth rate of the German economy has been lower than that of the United States for the first time in 20 years. This situation is also expected by Qingying: Previously, Germany's foreign trade was originally the core pillar of its economic growth, and it was able to achieve a huge trade surplus every year.

"We can't afford to give the enemies of the Empire much time to breathe. If France is determined to rearm and continue to regard Germany as the number one imaginary enemy, as it did at the beginning of this century, we should strike early and settle the Western problem once and for all. After pondering for a long time, Qingying's voice echoed faintly in the hall again, "The General Staff has reached a consensus with the Vienna side and formulated a yellow plan to sweep Western Europe; The Air Force will also fully cooperate with this operation, and it is expected that France will be completely crushed within a month. And then, it is up to the Navy to provoke the main beam of the war. In the face of the fleets of the British and Americans. The Navy should have a realistic battle plan, right? ”

Raeder was stunned. Although he was convinced of Germany's victory in the war on the Western Front. But it was never considered that the Army and Air Force would be able to bring France to its knees in one month! Seeing Qingying's calm face, Raider was more than 50% sure of this matter. He pondered for a moment, and then spoke: "According to the plan drawn up by the navy before, it is to enter the North Atlantic Ocean from the military port of Trafford Fortress in West Iceland as a fulcrum, destroy the British sea lines of communication, and wait for an opportunity to fight a decisive battle with the British main fleet. If France can be quickly defeated by the army, then the situation will undoubtedly be more favorable. In addition to Iceland, we can use the French port in the Bay of Biscay to break into the Atlantic; And it's not just closer to the UK's maritime shipping lines. Supplies such as shells and fuel could also be transported by land, and their effect on the British sea lines was even greater than that of the Trafford Fortress that hung overseas! ”

Raeder continued: "In addition to this, the conquest of France will allow us to exert direct influence on neighboring Spain to uproot Gibraltar, the hub where Britain has been entrenched on the European continent for more than two hundred years. Once this strategic objective was achieved, the combined fleet of Austria-Hungary and Italy would be able to rush out of the Mediterranean from the west and join the German Navy in the North Atlantic, and the situation would be decisive! The Austro-Hungarian Navy followed the design of the Empire almost in its entirety, and all its ships were fully ready for front-line use; The performance of Italian battleships is also quite superior, and the four Veneto-class battleships they plan for this year are fully worth our expectations. After getting the help of these two forces. The overall strength of the High Seas Fleet will be increased by at least one-third; It can be said that we have won the naval battle in the North Atlantic. As for the Indian Ocean theater of operations. The Turks' fleet was also fully competent, with 3 old and new battleships, 4 cruisers, and 12 destroyers, although not worth mentioning in Europe, but they were also unrivalled in the Indian Ocean, where there was a power vacuum. ”

Hearing Raeder's in-depth analysis of the strategy, Qingying raised his eyebrows slightly, and his evaluation of him in his heart couldn't help but raise another level. He nodded slightly and said, "Very good, the navy will formulate a new combat strategy in the direction you just now." After the army had overcome the resistance on the French mainland, the main force of the fleet was ready to enter the French ports and station. In addition, the Navy should make contact with the counterparts on the other side of the world, and hope that they will take into account their own vital interests and the sincere friendship with Germany for twenty years, and launch an attack in the Pacific Ocean at the same time as the United States has entered the war. ”

Qingying has always had no doubts about the attitude that Japan will choose in the dispute between Germany and the United States. In addition to the almost irreconcilable contradictions between Japan and the United States on the Asian issue, the geographical position of Germany and the United States is also a key factor in Japan's choice to ride in the German tank. Although the Pacific Ocean is vast, Japan and the United States are truly facing each other across the sea. With Hawaii and the South Philippines as fulcrums, it is easy for the United States to threaten Japan in the western part of the ocean. Although Germany also has colonies in Southeast Asia, its core territory is far away in Europe, and it is undoubtedly far more difficult for its power to be projected into the Far East than the United States. In this case, it was clear that a long-distance and close attack would be the ideal option for Japan: once the United States was defeated, Japan would become the only hegemon in the Pacific region, and there would be no hindrance to further westward expansion. And if it were to join the side of the United States, even if it completely occupied Germany's colonies in East Asia, Japan would always be under the shadow of the American threat, and its every move would depend on the faces of others. In contrast, it is clear that Japan will not have a second option. (The novel "Reborn Second Empire" will have more fresh content on the official WeChat platform, and there will also be a 100% lottery gift for everyone!) Open WeChat now, click on the "+" sign in the upper right corner "Add Friends", search for the official account "ddxiaoshuo" and follow, hurry up! (To be continued......)

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