Early the next morning, a convoy entered the port of Hamburg. A huge battleship on the dock was already on fire, wisps of black smoke were rising from the chimney, and it was about to set sail.

"It's ...... Battleship! Lieutenant Colonel, are we going to Africa on this giant ship? Mrs. Monica asked in amazement as she looked at the giant ship on the docks.

"Well, it's the Gneisenau, which was damaged by a British bomber last autumn and has only just been repaired!" Skorzny said with some excitement, "When the telegram first came from the Berlin headquarters, I didn't believe it, but I didn't expect them to actually send this battleship!" ”

"It seems that they really want us to be able to complete this mission successfully!" Baron Weidenbeyler sighed, "Even those war maniacs in the War Office are tired of this war!" ”

By 1945, there were very few large German surface warships left, and the few that were left could only stay in dock for long periods of time due to Allied bombing. The fact that the only remaining Gnaisenau was able to assist in the "Hercules" plan shows the importance that the Third Reich attached to this operation.

Battleship Gneisenau: standard displacement, 31000 tons, full load displacement 37,000 tons. The total length is 231 meters, the width of the ship is 30 meters, the draft is nearly 9 meters, the crew is more than 1,600 people, and the carrier-based aircraft: 3. Maximum speed: 31.5 knots, cruising speed: 15 knots.

two triple 283 mm guns in the bow and one stern; 12 150-mm secondary guns, 14 twin 105-mm anti-aircraft guns, 16 twin 37-mm anti-aircraft guns, 2 triple 533-mm torpedo tubes.

Qin Lun looked at the giant battleship in front of him and licked his lips, he liked this big toy. Growing up, he didn't own many toys, and the violent events he experienced in his life made him even more fond of the grandeur, cruelty and coldness of the war plane.

The Gneisenau was one of two Scharnhorst-class battleships of the Third Reich, and its sister ship, the Scharnhorst, was sunk two years ago.

When the Third Reich launched the war, in fact, the navy had not completed the shipbuilding program, there were not many large surface warships, and its strength was far behind its main rival, England.

It was precisely because the German Navy did not have the strength to engage in a decisive naval battle with the British that the German Navy's combat objectives were mainly naval sabotage warfare. For this purpose of operation, the two battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau were designed with speed as the first element and protection as the second, and sacrificed part of their firepower for this.

With a top speed of 31 knots, Gneisenau was about the same as light cruisers and destroyers, and was able to break through the interception of the British fleet and enter the Atlantic Ocean to carry out a sabotage battle against the Allies.

"Lieutenant Colonel, why don't we go to Africa by submarine? Even if Gneisenau could break through the interception of the English fleet, its target was too big, and it might not be able to come back if it went out. When the time comes, the British Navy will be like a pack of wolves on its way home. Captain Bock asked worriedly.

"Captain, you didn't take into account the speed of the U-boat, we have less than eight days left now. Britain blocked the English Channel, and we had to make a detour to Africa through the North Sea, first into the Atlantic, and then to Morocco in Africa! "It will take at least 10 days at the speed of the submarine, and we will not be able to catch up with the summit meeting of the Allies." ”

When everyone heard this, they also smiled bitterly. The African front of the Third Reich had been completely abandoned, and the colonies of Tunisia and Algeria in Germany and Italy had been lost. If these two strategic locations were still there, they could have flown to Africa and then to Morocco by land through Guò.

Different from Qin Lun's original time and space, at this time, Moscow and Transcaucasia in the Soviet Union were all occupied by Germany, and the main force of the Soviet army withdrew across the Ural Mountains. With large swathes of Soviet territory, especially the oil fields of the Transcaucasia, the Third Reich was much more abundant than it had been. The only embarrassment was the lack of manpower, and many of the German troops on the battlefield were boy scouts under the age of 18.

The Soviet Union, on the other hand, lost its European coastline and a large number of people on European soil, and was much weaker than it had been in the original time and space. The aid of the Central Powers could only go to the Far East, and after the attrition across Siberia, the Soviet Union often had to accumulate materials for half a year before launching an Eastern Offensive, which basically did not pose much threat to the Third Reich.

As for the Western Front in Europe, Britain and the United States finally recovered France with great effort, advancing the front to Belgium and Luxembourg.

However, because the casualties of the American army were more than ten times greater than those of the original time and space, the wave of domestic anti-war was surging. Coupled with the fact that they have won the Asian theater of operations, the momentum for this war is rapidly fading.

By the time the war had been fought, Japan had been defeated by the Axis powers, Italy was dying, and with or without them, in fact only the Third Reich was left alone. And the Allies were equally exhausted and locked in a stalemate on both the eastern and western fronts.

Unlike in the past, the Axis powers were now seeking an honorable end to the war, while the Allies were intent on gathering strength for a final decisive battle that would shatter the last hard shell of the Third Reich.

Both sides are well aware that this war has reached its final stage, and if it cannot be ended within 45 years, then it is very likely that both sides will choose to make peace.

Although the intention of starting the war was different, the Third Reich, including the Führer, also knew that this would be the best outcome for Germany. The Allies abandoned the communist Soviet Union and only focused on the liberation of France and Central and Southern Europe, while the Axis powers had to abandon Japan in the East.

Viewed from afar, the Gneisenau is as well-proportioned and delicate as a work of art. When you get closer, the hull of the ship that is more than 200 meters long and the bridge like the Empire State Building gives people a strong sense of oppression.

After boarding the battleship, Qin Lun and others, under the leadership of German sailors, were arranged in the officer quarters. German battleships paid more attention to the living environment of sailors, and an officer's cabin was arranged for only four people, with a separate lavatory.

At the beginning of the ship, everyone was very interested, watching everywhere on the battleship. Even when measuring water ripples, there are often a few rangers around. The beautiful scenery of the sunset over the sea on the evening of the first day caused everyone to cheer and scream.

It's a pity that the good times didn't last long, after the battleship entered the Atlantic, some of the personnel of the Einsatzgruppen began to get seasick, Qin Lun and Grant, as well as Lin Feng among the special forces, fell at the same time.

"Gross!" Qin Lun swung his legs, walked out of the bathroom, and threw himself on the bed. On his top bunk, Grant stared at the ceiling with the same pale face and counted the stars.

"You two are too exaggerated, haven't you ever been out on the ocean?" Baron Weidenbeyler touched his mustache and looked at the two murderers with disdain.

Qin Lun glanced at Grant weakly, they had really never been on a boat. The Earth Federation where they are located has long eliminated the old century means of transportation such as airplanes and sea ships, and the short-distance is a magnetic levitation vehicle, and the long-distance is a teleportation orbit. How could those two high-tech things have such a violent sense of shock.

Before the Law Body had not adapted to this kind of turbulence, their Apostolic Soul Seal could not get rid of the current state of vertigo.

"Woo~~" On the third day of the journey, as a sharp alarm sounded on the battleship, the shouts and noises of sailors were heard outside the cabin. In addition to Qin Lun and Grant, Weidenbeylor and Captain Bock immediately ran out of the cabin to check on the situation.

"Boom, boom, boom" was accompanied by a deafening sound of cannons, and several of the apostles on the battleship also ushered in their most painful period. The continuous bumps and shocks almost made Qin Lun dizzy, and he had the illusion of fluttering immortals.

Luckily, the first battle of the Gneisenau was not long, and the cabin soon calmed down, and the footsteps of Weidenbeyler and Bock were heard again.

"It's spectacular!" The baron said with some excitement, "I thought that the battle of sails under William I was already the most exciting naval battle in the world. I didn't expect the artillery battle of the Iron Age to be even more terrifying, this is simply the boxing of the Iron Behemoth! ”

William I...... How long did this vampire baron live! Qin Lun, who was lying on the bed, rolled his eyes and fell asleep dizzily.

When the journey entered the fifth day, the law body adjusted to seasickness, and the vertigo state in the death list finally disappeared, and Qin Lun and Grant were able to get out of the cabin.

"It's a pity we didn't get to see that naval battle!" Qin Lun said to Grant regretfully.

"yes, what a pity!" Grant shrugged his shoulders noncommittally, his curiosity was not as strong as Qin Lun's.

The naval battle the day before yesterday was very short, and the rear admiral of Gneisenau did not entangle too much with the British fleet that rushed to intercept it, but the original route took a detour a little more.

"Second Lieutenant Gerthard, you mountain eagle has finally flown off its bed!" Behind Qin Lun came the sound of Lady Monica's laughter.

"Good morning, ma'am!" Qin Lun said indifferently, his light gray pupils staring at Skorzny behind her, "Lieutenant Colonel, how long do we have to get to Casablanca?" ”

"Tomorrow, tomorrow afternoon we will be in the target area, and then the captain will use the three seaplanes on the battleship to bring the main members of the Einsatzgruppen and the weapons and equipment ashore. As for the special forces of one squadron, they went ashore in small boats, and all of them were able to conduct frogman training. Skorzny said cautiously.

In the afternoon of the next day, a black horizon appeared in front of the battleship. Qin Lun disassembled his Kark98 sniper rifle and put it in the suitcase, took one last look at the Gneisenau in the sunset, and bent down to get into the seaplane.

Although the Gneisenau had broken through the British fleet's interception, two powerful fleets were now in hot pursuit. After this separation, it may be the last time he will see this beautiful and powerful battleship.