The Rise of the Third Reich

In the early morning of October 14, 1939, at the Admiralty, Whitehall Street, London.

The main members of the British Cabinet are now gathered in the Admiralty meeting room, and staff officers of the Admiralty are constantly coming in and out, telling the first sea lord Pound the latest war reports.

The war report is somewhat unexpected. The most powerful battlecruiser of the British Empire, the "Hood", has not been able to sink the German "Scharnhorst"... at least not yet!

The "Scharnhorst" was hit by at least 8 15-inch shells, 7 8-inch shells, and 4 to 5 torpedoes. But it can still escape at a speed of more than 20 knots.

Although the "Hood" suffered much less damage than the "Scharnhorst", it can only sail to the British mainland at a speed of less than 15 knots. And because the rudder was broken, it can only be towed by a destroyer to change direction. In addition, the fire on the "Hood" also caused great damage, and there was a torpedo hole in the middle of the ship that needed to be repaired. It seems that this huge ship, which once brought a lot of honor to the British Empire, will have to stay in the dock for several months.

In other words, even if the "Scharnhorst" was finally sunk, the British Empire would lack a main battleship capable of attacking the German commerce raiding fleet in the Atlantic for several months.

If the Germans sent the "Gleisenau", a ship of the same class as the "Scharnhorst", and two "Seydlitz" class aircraft carriers to the Atlantic together. Then the British Empire's overseas transportation lines would really be interrupted...

"Ladies and Gentlemen! We can't hesitate any longer!" Winston Churchill was probably the only minister in this conference room who didn't look too depressed. "We must take decisive action to occupy the Faroe Islands and Iceland. Only in this way can we prevent the German commerce raiding fleet from entering the Atlantic again!" The Navy Minister said solemnly, "Gentlemen, the British Empire has no choice! The Hood will take at least a few months to repair, and the Ark Royal does not have carrier-based aircraft that can fight against the Fokker Zero. Before the Hood is repaired and the new carrier-based aircraft is successfully developed, we can only use slower battleships to block the Danish Strait (between Iceland and Greenland) and the Norwegian Sea (between Iceland, Norway and the British Isles). Therefore, we must occupy Iceland and the Faroe Islands, and if possible, Norway should be occupied as well!" Chamberlain was shocked by Churchill's proposal. This is to lead the British Empire to an unforgivable path! Iceland and the Faroe Islands are not the Danish mainland, but only affiliated territories. It is not so eye-catching to occupy them. But Norway is a sovereign and independent country, and it is also a member of the "Nordic Good People Group" (good intentions group). If you occupy it, all of Europe will regard the British Empire as a bad guy. Moreover, there is also Sweden! Sweden's military industry is very strong. If this country stands on the side of Germany, the disadvantages of Britain and France in the field of industrial production will be magnified to the point where it is difficult to make up for it.

"Prime Minister, we should consider occupying Norway," said Ironside, the chief of the Imperial General Staff. "Not only because occupying Norway can completely block the German Navy's passage into the Atlantic Ocean, but also cut off Germany's iron ore import channel in winter. Germany needs to import 11 million tons of iron ore from Sweden every year. In winter, these iron ores must be transported by rail to the Norwegian port of Narvik, and then shipped to Germany. If we occupy Norway, Germany's industrial production will suffer a major blow!"

Chamberlain took a breath. Occupying Norway can be considered, but it must be done with caution!

"Are we capable of occupying there now?" Chamberlain asked, "How many naval forces can be deployed? How many ground forces are prepared to be deployed? If Germany sends troops to rescue, are we sure we can win? In addition, is it possible that Sweden will completely turn to Germany? These are all things to consider. We can't act rashly without a complete plan." "There will be a complete plan!" Churchill said immediately, "The navy is not a problem. We still have many available battleships, and we can also import F2A Buffalo aircraft from the United States to equip the 'Royal Ark'. This is a very advanced fighter, enough to fight against the Fokker Zero. At the same time, we can put Hurricane fighters and Spitfire fighters on board. Of course, this will take several months to improve." Imperial Chief of Staff Ironside added: "We can let France provide part of the ground forces landing in Norway. They have the best army and can defeat the Germans." "Okay, as long as the problems of carrier-based aircraft and ground forces are solved, we can consider occupying Norway." Chamberlain couldn't stand the pressure from Churchill-the latter was the leader of the Conservative Party's war faction. He thought for a moment and said, "Then what we need to do now is to occupy Iceland and the Faroe Islands..."

"The navy can accomplish these two tasks immediately," Churchill said, "our people are already there, and they can be occupied at the command!"

Several British warships have now entered the ports of Iceland and the Faroe Islands in accordance with the provisions of the Maritime Neutrality Convention and are ready to occupy them at any time. In addition, the Admiralty has also formulated a follow-up plan to deploy radar-equipped escort ships, heavy cruisers, destroyers and submarines in Iceland and the Faroe Islands, and to deploy bombers and torpedo attack aircraft and Hurricane fighters at the airports in Iceland and the Faroe Islands (the number of Spitfires is too small, so Hurricane can only be used to make up the number).

"Prime Minister, we must occupy it immediately!" Churchill emphasized again. "The whereabouts of the German aircraft carrier 'Seidlitz' are currently unknown. Once it returns to Germany, it will not attack with another aircraft carrier next time. At that time the Atlantic route will be cut off!"

Now the British have also discovered how powerful the aircraft carrier "Seidlitz" is in breaking up battles. This aircraft carrier runs too fast and is difficult to catch up with. Moreover, its efficiency in breaking traffic is so high that 9 Fokker 99s can blow up 3 transport ships at a time. If the Germans use dual aircraft carriers to attack, they can carry at least 30 Fokker 99s, which means they can blow up 10 at a time. A convoy will be destroyed after a few bombings...

Of course, it is a stupid way for the Germans to use battleships to "make up the damage". If they use submarines to "make up the damage", then the British Empire's maritime transportation lines will be destroyed this time!

"Then occupy Iceland and the Faroe Islands!" Chamberlain finally made up his mind. "In addition, the injured 'Scharnhorst' must be destroyed!" the British Prime Minister said through gritted teeth. "For it, our 'Hood' will have to stay in the dock for several months, and the 'London' was severely damaged. (To put it nicely, it was actually scrapped), the Exeter sank... If it were returned to Germany unharmed, then the whole world would know: the British Empire has lost its sea power! "

…

"Where is the Scharnhorst?"

In the general staff of Zossen, Marshal Hessmann once again asked about the navy.

According to the current structure of the German Wehrmacht, the army does not have its own staff and general headquarters. The general staff actually serves as the army staff, and the commander-in-chief of the army concurrently serves as the defense minister. Although the Air Force has its own general headquarters and staff, the General Staff is still the superior of the Air Force.

However, the German Navy has a long history, and its inheritance was not interrupted during the Weimar period. It is self-contained (the Air Force is derived from the German Army). Now the General Staff cannot govern the navy.

Therefore, Hessmann's experience in later generations was difficult to use in the German Navy. Otherwise, the battleship "Scharnhorst" would not be in this situation.

"It has entered the territorial waters of Portugal, which is the territorial waters of the Azores Islands belonging to Portugal... It will dock in Porto Heroes for simple repairs." Deputy Chief of General Staff Infantry General Halder replied. "Under the Treaty of Maritime Neutrality, it can stay in Heroes for a period of time."

"It's useless!" Hessmann shook his head. "If it's an Italian port, what can we hope for? What's the use of Portugal? The Scharnhorst is finished! These idiots in the navy..."

Hessmann couldn't understand why Germany, which had the most outstanding army and air force generals, could have a group of unintelligent naval generals?

How could they think of using battleships to last up damage to merchant ships? Why not contact the sub? They have 10 ocean-going submarines of more than 1,000 tons there. These are the best breakers. Why do they use these submarines to set up an ambush against the "Hood"?

"Marshal, in fact, the 'Scharnhorst' has completed its mission, and its sacrifice is very valuable." Halder said the words wholesale from Redel, "Because the 'Hood' was severely damaged, at least It took 6 months to repair. During these 6 months, no British battleship could catch up with the "Gleisenau", "Seidlitz" and "Sekt". The battleship 'Bismarck' will be put into service in the next month, which has enough firepower to fight against the 'Hood', and the 'Tirpitz' will also be put into service in the third quarter of 2040. It is also a very ideal aircraft carrier that can cut off Britain’s maritime transportation lines as long as it is in service.”

In this time and space, the construction of the "Bismarck" and "Tirpitz" was started several months earlier, so the time for service can also be several months earlier. According to the plan, the "Bismarck" will be commissioned before May 1940, and the "Tirpitz" will be commissioned in August 1940.

The hull of the first ship of "Aircraft B" has been 85% completed. According to the plan, it will be launched before August 1940 and then outfitted. It will be delivered in January 1942 at the latest. Since this class of aircraft carrier is the third aircraft carrier built independently by Germany, if you count the "Lenin" and "Karl Marx" built in cooperation with the Soviet Union, the "Graf Zeppelin" is the fifth aircraft carrier designed by German engineers and Directed the construction of aircraft carriers. Its design and layout are much better than the historical "Graf Zeppelin". Its standard displacement has reached 30,000 tons. It has a double hangar layout and can carry 82 aircraft (of which 12 are in reserve). It can be used to break traffic. It’s really a killing blow!

Hessmann gave a wry smile, and was about to say a few sarcastic words about the Navy when his former adjutant, now the Second Operations Officer of the General Staff (equivalent to the Director of the Second Operations Division), Colonel Hans Speidel, opened the door and walked in. office.

"Marshal! The British have invaded Iceland and the Faroe Islands!"