Iron Cross

As if seeing through everyone's doubts, Hoffman explained: "Of course I can't create more submarines, but if I find some bases for them, I can greatly reduce the time they spend on the road, which can be made up for by increasing attendance rates. Quantity gap.”

Everyone's eyes suddenly lit up, this was a good idea.

He pointed to two places on the map and said, "I plan to turn these two islands into naval bases."

Dönitz took a look and saw that one was the Azores Islands in the mid-Atlantic and the other was the Cape Verde Islands in the mid-Atlantic off the coast of West Africa. He immediately began to think. Redel said anxiously: "Führer, this all belongs to Portugal... and Portugal is currently a neutral country."

"I know. But I also know that Portugal is the sovereign state of Brazil. Brazil actually dared to declare war on us and Italy in August. Do you believe that there was no instigation from Portugal behind this? What's more, Portugal has always been flirting with Britain and the United States, and also trafficked I have tolerated them for a long time because they have given us high-priced goods," said Hoffman angrily. "However, I don't want to attack Portugal unless it is absolutely necessary. Maybe we can find a suitable way to persuade or win them over - such as the Portuguese colonies. Mozambique is closely connected with South Africa, can we consider giving them some advantages in the colony? "

Portugal is actually not innocent. Historically, in the second half of 1943, they leased the Azores Islands to Britain and the United States. Of course, that was also because Britain and the United States had an absolute advantage in sea power. If they wanted to seize it, Portugal could only stretch out their hands. Just go with the flow.

Everyone was silent. Although Portugal was neutral, it was clear to everyone that it favored Britain and the United States. The head of state must have considered such a statement. Redel did not want to cause trouble, not to mention that Dönitz had been silent. On the contrary, he was a little tempted - especially The Azores Islands are located in the middle of the North Atlantic shipping routes. Their location is particularly important. If a navy and air force base can be established on it, and it has aircraft and submarine caverns, it will directly strangle the British and American shipping routes.

"These two places will become our important bases. While solving them, I will not forget the other two places. One is Malta and the other is Gibraltar. These are strategic points that must be controlled." Speaking of which, Hoff Mann smiled, "No matter what Spain's attitude is, I believe Gibraltar will be in our hands. If we control Gibraltar, maybe Portugal will become more obedient..."

Everyone laughed knowingly.

Dönitz thought for a moment and thought that Hoffman's proposal was right. If supplies and air power help could be obtained nearby the Azores, the Sea Wolves would not need to return to France frequently for supplies, thus achieving improved utilization. The attendance rate makes up for the shortcomings in the number of ships.

He immediately asked: "Führer, when do you think you can take down this place?"

"Before June... we may need to arrange a careful plan, which can combine seizing the island, landing, breaking diplomatic relations, etc." Hoffman thought for a moment, then turned to ask Redel, "Let Tirpitz Has the order been issued to prepare for dispatch?"

"It has been issued and is currently undergoing final maintenance and upkeep. It can be dispatched as soon as the time is up." Redel replied respectfully, "This operation is commanded by Admiral William Marshall, and the operation code is 'Tsunami'. It will be assembled All the Imperial North Atlantic surface ships, including Tirpitz and Graf Zeppelin, were put into action."

"Including the Gneisenau?"

"It is not included for the time being, because the ship is not expected to complete all repair work until the end of January, and then there will be a sea trial process. I am afraid it will be late."

In February 1942, the entire bow of the Gneisenau, which was under repair, was destroyed by a British explosion. After emergency repairs, the ammunition and gun barrels were removed and transferred to the reserve for overhaul. Historically, the ship was eventually dismantled and used as a blocking ship. However, when Hoffmann changed his attitude and ordered Seydlitz to be built, Georg The Neisenau was also given the opportunity to undergo thorough repairs at Raeder's repeated requests. Its 283mm turret was replaced with the 380mm twin turret used by the Bismarck-class battleships. The bow was also extended by 10 meters and all 105mm turrets were replaced. and 150mm artillery were all replaced by 22 128mm high-level dual-purpose artillery. After this modernization that did not involve the power system, the tonnage of Gneisenau increased from 31,000 tons to 33,000 tons, and the full-load displacement was nearly 40,000 tons.

Hoffman nodded: "If it's not good, don't force it. One more Seydlitz is fine. Now the British naval power has been severely damaged. Its main battleships and aircraft carriers have been restrained in the Pacific and have not yet returned. The gap in strength between the two sides is minimal. I hope The navy seizes the time to fight and win. In addition, it must remember to retain the crew and captain - Plan Z is a large-scale shipbuilding project, which can take as little as 2 years and as many as 3-4 years to see success. Experienced officers and soldiers can It is not so easy to cultivate. I hope you will take this matter to your heart."

When saying this, both Britain and Germany misjudged each other's strength: Britain did not know that Tirpitz was about to dispatch, nor did it know that the Zeppelin aircraft carrier had been built, while Germany did not know that the three battleships sent for reinforcements from the United States had coordinated A group of transport ships arrived in England.

After Lütjens died following the sinking of the battleship Bismarck, Krank, who was recognized as the second most capable commanding officer of the German Navy, was unable to escape in the Mediterranean. The fleet commander was temporarily in labor. Someone originally recommended the command to Hoffmann. Admiral Otto Siriax of Operation Thunder-Serbrus became the commander, but more people firmly opposed it. Firstly, because Siriax was critical of others and had poor interpersonal relationships; secondly, because at Serbulus During the operation, after the Scharnhorst hit a mine, he changed to other warships and rushed on. He did not follow the German Navy's tradition of "sinking with the ship." Although the Scharnhorst was okay in the end, his "escape" behavior But it caused a fierce backlash within the Navy - even if Hoffman thought his approach was reasonable, he could not forcefully insert a commander who was not loved by his subordinates. Therefore, it is repeatedly emphasized to preserve the vitality before the action begins.

"Can I convey this instruction internally?"

"Yes, this should be communicated to every soldier."

"Considering that the tsunami operation involves many warships and takes a long time, would you consider me personally commanding it?"

Hoffman shook his head: "You have to give others opportunities and let them grow up. The aircraft carrier combat command has communicated with the Japanese observer group in advance. They will participate in the whole process and help us accumulate experience. The most important thing is to combine logistics and operations. Implement the planned things as soon as possible, and then think about the implementation of Plan Z, the budget and the reasonable allocation of personnel.”

"Yes! Head of state."

"Finally, I need four extra large submarines."

Dönitz is also very interested in the extra-large submarine, but like Hoffman, he only has Japan's I-400 drawings at hand and no design drawings of his own. Redel has always been concerned about the development of surface ships. When he saw the total length of 122 meters, with a surface displacement of 3,550 tons, an underwater displacement of 6,560 tons, a maximum range of 33,000 nautical miles/16 knots, and data that can be deployed anywhere in the world, he felt that he was breathless - is this a cruiser or a submarine? ?

"Modify it as soon as possible according to the Japanese drawings. My requirement is that the underwater displacement is 7,000-8,000 tons. At the same time, the design must be more reasonable and sturdy. The diving depth must be more than 400 meters. The bridge and command tower of a ship like the I-400 are not located on the deck. The weird layout in the middle is too ugly. After all, we don’t fight through aircraft like Japan. We will carry more valuable and powerful weapons-such as the rockets at the Peenemünde base, which are our strategic strike force." Huo. Fuman thought for a while and said, "Let's make a budget of 100 million first. I hope to see the first submarine completed before February 1945."

"Yes, Führer." Dönitz agreed happily.

"What other thoughts do you have on Plan Z? If there are no issues of principle, it will be passed."

Everyone was stunned. Before the discussion started, the head of state let him go? Where's the money? Where are the supplies? Everyone looked at each other, not knowing what to say.

Redl no longer dared to calculate how much military expenditures were needed: the calculation just now showed that the total number of warships alone exceeded 5 billion marks, and he could guarantee that with the consistent style of major shipyards, these costs would at least increase. With an expansion coefficient of 20%, if we take into account the supporting personnel, aircraft, materials, and consumed supplies and fuel, even doubling it may not be enough. Except for submarines, which can use a little bit of the normal budget, the rest are all additional expenses - of course, war There is no such thing as a "normal budget" during this period. Productivity is more important than money, and money is just a number. He knew the inside story. 90% of the empire's annual revenue was spent on military or related expenses. Military expenditures rose sharply from 17 billion in the 1938/39 fiscal year (the navy was exactly 1.7 billion, accounting for 10%) to 1942 / More than 110 billion in 43 years, and the number of people directly serving the military exceeds 8 million (the capitation fee is not enough). It is difficult for the finance to tap such a huge potential.

Seeing that everyone was silent, Hoffman asked: "Do you have an opinion on the model or the quantity?"

"This..." Reider hesitated, "To be honest, except for battleships, this is far beyond the shipbuilding plan I can think of. We are very grateful to the head of state for attaching great importance to the navy, but there is a problem... …funding?”

"I will take care of the money - this is the unshirkable responsibility of the head of the empire." Hoffman glanced at everyone, "Your task is to design warships well, train talents well, select officers well, and formulate combat plans good."

"Yes!" Several navy admirals stood upright one by one.

"General Keitel has good news for the Navy, let's ask him to tell it."