The Rise of the Empire

Some people may ask, if the prince raises the firepower of the High Seas Fleet, is there any chance to change this situation? This can only be said that the situation on the battlefield will be better, but it is difficult to make up for the strategic disadvantage. From the perspective of the sea, not long after the war started, Italy, which was originally a member of the Allied Powers, suddenly turned against the water! This made the allied navy, which was originally dominant in the Mediterranean direction, immediately become at a disadvantage! Italy plus the Austro-Hungarian fleet is enough to suppress the French. If Italy does not turn against the water, Britain will inevitably allocate part of its forces to take care of the Mediterranean, and the overall strategic situation will be much better. But what about the result? Can't say.

Another problem is the intervention of the United States. If the United States does not intervene, after Germany solves the Eastern Front, let alone whether it can be pushed to Paris, at least there should be a chance for peace talks if the Western Front remains as it was before the war. It depends on whether the German high-level can give up! But if the United States intervenes, the Germans really have nothing to jump for! Whether on land or at sea! Simply relying on Germany and Austria to defeat the navies of Britain, the United States, France and Italy is a dream come true!

Because the maritime environment of World War I was so hopeless, the prince hoped that Germany would confront other countries as late as possible, delaying the time for naval competition. Then I hope that Russia and Japan will fight worse, so that Russia will end earlier in World War I. At the same time, what I hope most is that the Kaiser and his group of generals can see the situation clearly as soon as possible, and don't provoke the US emperor. It is enough to make some money on the Eastern Front. Just accept it when you see it! That's all the Prince can think of right now.

Prince Ruprecht firmly believes that the future Admiral of the Navy will not give up the High Seas Fleet in his heart because of his few words, and there is no need to give up. The traverser believes that at least the size of the High Seas Fleet in the future should be at least stable. While suppressing Russia, ensure the safety of its own coastline. After the advent of the fearless era, great construction is affirmed. Before the fearless, it is enough to suppress Maozi and France at the same time. If you want to win the first battle, it depends on the army. The money you save is to develop the army well, get more reserves, first turn the hair over, and then tie the Western Front is the kingly way!

Although he couldn't convince his opponent, but at the same time, his words were not in vain. After all, there were many issues worthy of Tirpitz's careful consideration. For example, what if the world besieged Germany? For another example, if there is a war, how will the German navy play its role? No matter how bad it is, at least consider how the German navy will fight if the British don't come. Stop squatting at home, okay? If it wasn't for lack of time, then the traversers would definitely encourage the Minister of the Navy to build more fast battleships and submarines. The former can at least increase the strategic mobility of the German fleet, while the latter is a deadly noose around the throat of the British!

The atmosphere was a bit dignified, and it seemed that the meeting between myself and Tirpitz might end badly. For this reason, the prince needs to change the topic and stop worrying about whether the navy needs to start building now. It is no longer entangled with the issues of practicality and deterrence. Let's talk about things that everyone cares about, such as the issue of ships, such as the tactical issues of naval engagement. Um.

"I always think that it is very meaningless to be too entangled in cruisers and battleships! Because with the development of technology, the line between cruisers and battleships has begun to blur, and it used to be necessary to use 14-inch or even 18-inch armor to block it. The large-caliber artillery shells of China can now be defended with 7-inch to 9-inch hardened armor. I think you should have seen the test of the Admiralty. You should understand it very well.”

The prince pointed to the model in the living room and said. "I can guarantee that the 6-inch hardened armor of the new battleship plus the coal bunker at the back and the innermost 3-inch sloping dome armor can completely block the attacks of all current naval guns! Then tell me, the defensive advantage of battleships is greater than that of cruisers. How many can you have in front of you?"

"You mean to say that the times have changed, so the design thinking should also change, too entangled in the fact that the armor thickness of the battleship has limited meaning,

Your design should take into account the needs of fleet decisive battles and ocean colony cruises, right? Tirpitz's eyes lit up. Although Tirpitz thinks that battleships are more important, he also attaches great importance to the cruiser type. After all, a powerful fleet is also a balanced fleet! If there is a battleship that can simultaneously If it replaces battleships and cruisers, that is naturally the best!

"That's right, the 11-inch gun can penetrate the armor of most old-fashioned battleships, and after using the new mechanical loading equipment, the maximum rate of fire of this gun reaches 2 rounds per minute! Even with only two guns, its unit The number of shells fired within the time is still not weaker than those battleships equipped with 4 main guns! Coupled with the large number of rapid-fire guns, the amount of firepower projected is not weaker than those battleships with a larger tonnage than them!" The prince's face was full Proud, this is a warship that has gathered the great achievements of the times. Can you stop boasting a few words?

"But it's still a little smaller. It would be even better if we could mount four 11-inch guns!" Tirpitz's regret broke the atmosphere again, making the prince very dissatisfied!

"We still have a better plan, equipped with more main guns, larger caliber secondary guns, better protection, and larger tonnage. You will be satisfied after reading it, but the Ministry of the Navy will not pay the bill!" Lu Precht also has regrets in his heart, my Rurik 2, my secondary main gun! That's it!

"This is really a sad thing. However, if possible, your design can be used as an alternative for the next level of warships. The thinking you have shown through this level of warships is eye-catching. This The thinking is good for us to do the most with the least money!" Tirpitz affirmed the prince's words. Nobody likes being able to do more with as little money as possible!

"So in the future, let's not be obsessed with the terms of battleships and cruisers. The most important thing is to see whether these battleships can take on their responsibilities. If they can confront the opponent's capital ship, then the mission of the battleship has been completed. If they can catch up The cruiser is suitable for ocean-going activities, so the mission of the cruiser is completed. We need a large-scale cruiser to perform two tasks at the same time! Munich is just the beginning!" The prince began to look forward to the future!

This is not fooling around. The pre-dreadnought period was the time when the role between armored cruisers and battleships was the least clear. A battleship equipped with 240MM artillery could be called a battleship (such as the German Kaiser-class pre-dreadnought). And those with 10-inch guns can be called cruisers (such as Garibaldi and Rurik 2)! Battleships may be smaller in tonnage than cruisers. For example, the cruiser Qiangsheng, which started construction in 1894, has a displacement of up to 14,000 tons! The Centurion second-class battleship of the same period had a displacement of just over 10,000! The Dignity class is only as heavy as it!

There is indeed a gap in armor thickness, but it is useless. The difference between your 14-inch hardened armor and 9-inch hardened armor is not that big in actual combat, and almost none of them will be penetrated. Didn't Japan's 10,000-ton cruisers smash the Russian battleships on the battle line? And the cruiser itself has a speed advantage.

It can be said that as long as the armor-piercing bullets are immature, the armored cruiser can undertake all the tasks of the battleships of the same period. In the pre-dreadnought era, a large number of cruisers is king! A speed of 20 knots is a bar! Absolutely can not be lower! By the time of World War I, if there were overseas ports, at least they could break diplomatic relations. What can Qian Wuwei do? Being cannon fodder is slow!

In fact, this trend was still the same before the First World War. As far as the quality of the British shells is concerned, you can basically survive the First World War with a 10-inch steel plate and an 18-degree tilt! (The premise is that the green bullets don’t come out in advance.) If you use key defense and slanted armor, it is also possible to get a fast battleship early in the Dreadnought period. As long as the speed is not so BT, 27 knots is too high, 24 to 25 knots is enough. Then the fully high-speed German fleet will definitely be more difficult than in history! Run into Betty aggressive like fire, run into Jericho turn into wind. Think about it and feel it!

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