Chapter 284 Battleship Bismarck and Cruiser Prinz Eugen

Putting aside his personal political stance, the mustache was definitely at the peak of his life before the start of Operation Barbarossa.

People who don't know his life trajectory must find it hard to imagine how a failed student of the Academy of Fine Arts, a street urchin in Vienna, a German corporal in World War I, and a civilian political spy in the Weimar Republic could become the leader of a country under the tide of the times.

Although the Sea Lion Plan against Britain ultimately failed, it at least provided a strategic camouflage for Operation Barbarossa. After all, Dalinzi still doesn't believe that the "allies" will choose to fight on two fronts.

This unprecedented achievement has made no one in the Third Reich dare to oppose his orders.

After persuading Baumann to retreat lightly, the mustache looked at the army leaders in front of him. Invisible pressure spread in the conference room, and a lieutenant general even had a drop of cold sweat from his temples.

Finally, he set his sights on the Wehrmacht generals headed by Chief of the General Staff Halder and Army Commander-in-Chief Brauchitsch.

In terms of the ability to lead troops to fight, the Junker military nobles are definitely the best in the field.

Since the war began, the Wehrmacht has never lost a battle, and has even exceeded its mission more than once. Currently, no one in the whole of Europe can match it.

But as subordinates, their performance is substandard most of the time.

These generals with distinct personalities are not only difficult to manage, but sometimes they also show an attitude that they will not obey the orders of the king when they are away from home.

Thinking of this, the mustache's eyes became sharper.

"Everyone, are the pre-war preparations of the three army groups going smoothly?"

"In a week, the troops will move east as planned. I don't want any problems with logistics and supplies. You should know what Operation Barbarossa means to the empire."

"By the way, how are the lollipops prepared?"

Since the late 19th century, Germany's chemical industry has been very developed and once became the country's pillar industry.

Even in an era when bread sold for 500,000 Reichsmarks, the country's pharmaceutical industry was still thriving and not greatly affected.

After 1926, the streets of the Weimar Republic were full of all kinds of legal lollipops, and the production of many categories ranked first in the world.

The civilians were in a mess, and it was obvious that the army must be the hardest hit area.

When Germany attacked France three times last year, Manstein and Guderian formulated the famous sickle plan in order to bypass the indestructible Maginot Line.

The focus of this combat plan is to avoid the north where the Allies are heavily guarded, so as not to let the war develop into a protracted war that is time-consuming, expensive and labor-intensive.

After all, the British and French brothers have already dug through the center of the earth and built high-level fortresses. Only a fool would go head-on.

The specific arrangements of the sickle plan are actually not complicated. There are even only three arrows as marks on the strategic situation map.

Simply put, it is to let the armored forces cross the Ardennes Heights at lightning speed and head straight for the French border city of Sedan.

As long as we speed up and defeat the second-rate troops defending on the other side of the river before the enemy reacts, cut off the enemy's supply line and cut off France in half, the victory of the war can be basically guaranteed.

There are two difficulties in this plan. The first is whether the armored forces can cross the Ardennes at full speed.

The terrain there is a hilly plateau with tall trees, dense forests and many swamps. It is not the first choice for the mechanized advancement of the large army.

Another point is the physical problem. If we want to achieve the goal of cutting off the enemy's supply line, all soldiers must work day and night to ensure the marching speed, which means that they cannot rest for several days and nights.

What to do? Eat lollipops.

At that time, Guderian's armored army followed the energy agent notice and marched all night with lollipops.

When they arrived at Se, the soldiers had not slept for three days. Even so, it was not the limit of the German army. They even had the energy to rush to the Atlantic coastline.

This Operation Barbarossa was more brutal than Operation Scythe. After all, the depth of the opponent's territory was extremely exaggerated. If sufficient stocks are not prepared, it is estimated that most of the front-line soldiers will not be able to withstand such high-intensity combat.

After hearing the question from his leader, Chief of the General Staff Halder stepped forward and answered:

"Report to the Führer, we have prepared tens of millions of lollipops, which have been distributed to the army group."

"If the front-line troops need it, all German soldiers will rely on their strong willpower to stay awake day and night and always maintain a strong fighting spirit."

"We also paid a deposit to the Temmler Candy Factory in advance. Now the other party's daily output has exceeded one million, and it can provide energy supplies to the three army groups on the front line at any time."

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After dealing with the work of the army, the mustache turned his attention to Lei Buqian and Deng Bufu.

Compared with the army generals, the two naval commanders under his command are not fuel-saving lamps, and they will start open and secret struggles if they are not careful.

Although the focus of the offensive in the next few months is on the "allies" in the east, the navy's own war of breaking trade with Britain will still continue.

Daiying is surrounded by the sea. As long as we can use the existing forces to attack the enemy's transport ships, we can cut off the enemy's supply of strategic materials such as oil.

Once it becomes an isolated island, the enemy will be helpless in the face of material shortages, and the balance of victory will inevitably tilt towards us.

What's more, after the Barbarossa Plan started, Britain was likely to provide various military supplies to the bear. Fatty Qiu was a man who wanted to drag the whole world into the water.

"In the next period of time, I need you to continue to lead the team to attack the transport ships in the Atlantic. But you must remember that the principle of all actions must be to preserve strength."

"The Zeppelin aircraft carrier will be completed in a few months, and the research and development of new destroyers and submarines is also very rapid. As long as we wait for another year, the Imperial Navy will inevitably have earth-shaking changes."

Because the mustache knew Raeder very well and knew that the other party was sometimes more utilitarian in the execution of tasks, he also specially painted a pie for the Admiral of the Navy.

"It is not impossible for the Navy to participate in this Barbarossa Operation. I am negotiating with Franco and Pétain recently. We have a high probability of requesting military communication, and then it will be the time for the Navy to show its power."

In the early stage of the Barbarossa Plan, Raeder once proposed to occupy Gibraltar as soon as possible.

In this way, Italy can be supported to occupy the Suez Canal, so that the control of the entire Mediterranean will fall into the hands of the Axis Powers.

By then, as long as Turkey is forced to join the axis, Germany can launch an attack on the Caucasus region from an unexpected position, and Dalinzi can only watch the fire in the backyard.

Hearing the words of his leader, Raeder's eyes were burning with a strong desire to fight.

"Führer! I will resolutely execute your orders! Under your leadership, the navy boys will definitely defeat the damn British Royal Navy!"

Since the end of the Battle of Jutland, the entire German Navy has never had any decent results.

In order to revive the glory of the past, Raeder submitted a military expansion plan code-named "Plan Z" to the little mustache in March 1938.

Its core demand is very simple, that is, to "rebuild the high seas fleet" and form an armed force that can fight the British Royal Navy head-on in the Atlantic.

The project includes four advanced aircraft carriers. In order to achieve this goal, the little mustache also specially sent senior naval officials to Japan to learn the construction experience of the Akagi.

There are also ten battleships that are heavier, faster, and more powerful than the existing warships in the world today. The legendary H class is one of the plans.

The remaining share was divided into ten battlecruisers, five heavy cruisers, sixteen light cruisers, sixty-eight destroyers and two hundred and forty-nine submarines.

The entire "Z Plan" is expected to take ten years.

Facts have proved one thing, the navy is really not a branch of the military that ordinary people can afford.

Even if the German III plus five, it can't build such a large fleet, and a large part of the ships in the above plan have not even been designed.

In addition, the mustache did not fulfill his promise and launched the war six years in advance, causing the Z plan to be suspended after only one-third of it was completed.

Although Raeder failed, Dönitz saw an opportunity to rise.

When the German III officially went to war with Britain and France, he, who was still a naval captain, secretly submitted a plan of "attaching importance to U-boats" and "trade blockade" to his boss.

In Dönitz's plan, he applied to purchase 300 advanced submarines for the troops as quickly as possible.

In this way, they can attack transport ships in the Atlantic in groups, thereby achieving a decisive victory in naval battles.

Of course, the mustache did not agree directly, but just made a perfunctory promise.

Dönitz's behavior also completely angered Raeder. The other party frequently reported to the head of state, which made him, the naval marshal, look very ugly.

From then on, the two gradually drifted apart and gradually had the intention of parting ways.

This was a theoretical disagreement in military strategy and tactics. Raeder advocated cannons and giant ships + aircraft carriers for reconnaissance, and emphasized the concentration of forces to lead Britain in a decisive battle at sea.

Dönitz believed that priority resources should be used on the cutting edge, emphasizing comprehensive planning and protracted operations.

In fact, both of them were a bit extreme. The naval battles during World War II were coordinated operations of various warships, and special formations were used to perform special tasks and sneak attacks.

Decisive battle?

Forget it. A single type of arms often has fatal weaknesses. The navy of a major power must take a moderate and peaceful path to have a way out.

The most rational tactic should be to use submarines to block the enemy's shipping system, while using large surface fleets and aviation forces to threaten the opponent's anti-submarine forces.

After reaching a verbal agreement with his own head of state, Raeder looked at Dönitz with a provocative look.

In terms of combat performance alone, his fleet is indeed no match for the enemy's submarine force.

They killed the Royal Oak and the Courageous, the former is a battleship with merit, and the latter is the world's first aircraft carrier destroyed in actual combat.

While attacking the British Navy, the submarine fleet did not spare the transport ships passing by, and the total tonnage destroyed was more than ten times that of the surface fleet.

This number is still growing rapidly with the increase in the number of submarines.

On the other hand, due to the concealment and radar technology of their own surface fleet, their efficiency in attacking transport ships is not very high.

The final record is indeed quite good. They also sank many British transport ships and even killed the Glorious aircraft carrier, but their own losses are not small at all.

The heavy cruiser Admiral Hipper was damaged and is now squatting in the port of Brest for recuperation.

The battleship Count Spee had a more tragic ending. It was forced to sink by the enemy.

The situation of the two sisters Gneisenau and Scharnhorst was not very good either. The long-term war left them with many hidden injuries.

However, the above disadvantages were not important. Who let their boss like big and thick pipes, and always had an inexplicable preference for giant weapons.

As long as the head of state is willing to invest money, the strength and record of the surface fleet will sooner or later surpass Dönitz's submarines.

Looking at the somewhat proud Raeder, the corners of the mustache slightly raised an arc.

Since the last conversation with Goering, he has begun to try to change his style of doing things. At present, the effect seems to be quite good. At least the navy has been trained into the shape he wants.

"By the way, where are the battleship Bismarck and the cruiser Prince Eugen at present? Have they successfully passed through the Danish Strait and entered the Atlantic Ocean?"

"That is the treasure of our German Empire. There must be no mistakes."

Unlike the original plot, because the North China Front Army suffered a heavy bombing by the Eighth Route Army Air Division 1 in Zhongtiao Mountain, the book sent messengers to collect various data of British fighters in the middle of the battle.

Faced with the sudden rise of the Eighth Route Army, the mustache showed a rare strong interest.

There was clear intelligence before that the other side was equipped with a large number of French infantry weapons.

Now there are two fighters, the Spitfire and the Hurricane, which makes it difficult for him not to think of some special possibilities.

It’s a pity that Huanghe’s Mars factory leaves no trace at all, and its security and concealment are unique. Spies all over the world can only return with hatred.

However, during the period of waiting for intelligence, the departure time of the Bismarck battleship and the Prince Eugen heavy cruiser was successfully delayed.

Facing the inquiry of his own leader, Raeder glanced at Dönitz confidently, and then stepped forward to report his work.

"Don't worry, Führer. I have arranged three destroyers to accompany us this time. Even if we encounter an unbeatable fleet, they can evacuate the battlefield with their high mobility."

"I also gave a special order to the port of Brest, asking them to set out immediately for support when necessary."

The mustache nodded with satisfaction, and then he said to Dönitz beside him:

"If necessary, I hope your submarine force can provide timely support, and the overall situation is the most important."

The next chapter starts, giving the Persian cat a grand funeral