Transmigrated as the Crown Prince

"Oh, so many high-rise buildings!" The sky above Chicago was clear today. The bombardier on the German bomber at an altitude of 10,000 meters looked down at the city below through the sight, and couldn't help but sigh. Although German bombers are generally equipped with radar sights, optical sights have not been completely eliminated.

As mentioned earlier, Chicago was burned to the ground by a sudden fire 70 years ago. In the aftermath of the tragedy, money, food, clothing, and other items flowed into Chicago from around the world. With help from all parties, Chicagoans began to rebuild their homes at breakneck speed while reflecting on the fire. How to prevent the fire from happening again has become the primary consideration. After several debates, it was finally decided to replace the original wooden structure houses with reinforced concrete to reduce the chance of fire. The steel-based design concept laid the foundation for the emergence of skyscrapers.

In 1885, the world's first skyscraper, the Home Insurance Building, was built in Chicago. It was 42 meters high and divided into ten floors. Human architecture officially entered the skyscraper era. This building also marked the rise of the "Chicago School of Architecture".

At the beginning, many scholars fiercely criticized this type of building for lacking historical tradition, cultural heritage, and being unworthy of elegance. But it is undeniable that these high-rise buildings also meet the architectural needs of rapid economic development. With the development of economy, the tide of modern architecture is unstoppable. The architecture of the Chicago School also led to the rapid development of the construction industry.

In terms of layout, the skyscrapers built in later countries are almost copies of the Chicago School. Chicago is known as the "hometown of skyscrapers."

"That should be the Futures Exchange Building."

This skyscraper was completed in 1930. Its height (approximately 184 meters) made it the tallest building in Chicago for more than 30 years until the completion of the Lake Center Tower in 1968 (approximately 196 meters). And it's not just any tall building, this building is considered a masterpiece of Art Deco design. The building itself is rich in artistic decoration, with sculptures and large stone carvings, especially the three-story-high goddess statue in the atrium. The building has long been a popular tourist attraction in downtown Chicago and has been featured in many movies set in Chicago.

"Get ready to drop the bomb!"

The bomb bay door of the bomber slowly opened, revealing the neatly arranged aerial bombs inside. Vice President Truman did not completely guess that this time the German bombers carried not only napalm bombs, but also the more terrifying thermite bombs.

The crosshair in the sight was firmly locked on the futures exchange building below. As the bombardier pressed the bomb release switch, dense bombs instantly filled the entire sky, roaring and hitting the ground 10,000 meters below.

Of course, there is no way a bomb dropped at this height would be accurate. If it really hit, it would be a matter of luck.

boom! boom! boom!

With the sound of explosions one after another, small mushroom clouds rose from the ground.

Only 50 ME-264D and 10 B-3E-264D dropped bombs in the urban area flying over the suburban industrial area. Although all workers in the industrial area have been evacuated, the machinery and equipment will not be moved for a while.

As dense bombs fell, dense explosions sounded, and factory buildings were destroyed in the explosions. A group of 200 ME-264D bombers dropped more than a thousand tons of napalm and thermite bombs, and the large industrial area was almost completely destroyed.

Chicago's industrial area is dominated by Douglas Aircraft Company (which produces military transport aircraft) and Pratt \u0026 Whitney Company (which produces aircraft engines). Many Western companies like to be named after their founders’ family surnames. The founder of Douglas Aircraft Company was Donald Douglas. Although he was not a pilot, Douglas was a heavyweight aviation star with his wisdom, personality and management skills. The perfect combination has allowed him to be at the forefront of aviation for almost forty years.

As for the Pratt \u0026 Whitney Company, it is quite interesting. There are two "Pratt \u0026 Whitney Company (Pratt \u0026 Whitney)" in the United States. One is founded by Francis Pratt and Amos Whitney in 1860. They are the earliest advocates and practitioners of the interchangeable standard system for mechanical equipment parts. It contributed valuable technical foundation, measurement methods and standard systems to industrialized production many years later.

Another company, Pratt \u0026 Whitney, was founded by Frederick Rentschler in 1925. Rentschler has a very high seniority and status in the American aviation industry and is known as "the man who made the U.S. military fly."

In 1925, because the design concept was inconsistent with that of his old employer, Rentschler resigned from his original company and approached Pratt \u0026 Whitney Machine Tool Company to elaborate on the idea of ​​manufacturing air-cooled aircraft engines. Pratt \u0026 Whitney Machine Tool Company immediately decided to authorize the use rights of the "Pratt \u0026 Whitney" trademark to Rentschler to carry out engine research and development work, and also gave Rentschler a large amount of initial capital.

On December 24, 1925, Pratt \u0026 Whitney's first air-cooled engine, the R1340 "Wasp", came out. This is an engine that has been called "changing the American aviation industry." In 1929, the U.S. Navy arranged for two aircraft carriers, the USS Saratoga and the USS Lexington, to carry 200 carrier-based aircraft equipped with "Wasps" and "Hornets" for large-scale exercises. A total of 2,100 sorties and 6,000 flying hours were flown in three months. Pratt \u0026 Whitney's engines did not experience any malfunctions, so much so that the chaplain aboard the "Saratoga" specially wrote a letter of thanks: thank you for these "trustworthy engines."

During World War II in the original time and space, Pratt \u0026 Whitney and its authorized cooperative factories produced a total of 363,619 engines with a total power of 3.8 billion horsepower (50% of the power required by the US military), providing power for more than 70 aircraft models, becoming the largest piston engine manufacturer in the United States. business.

"Oh God!" Rentschler almost fainted when he heard the news that Chicago's industrial area had been bombed. Although there are branches in other cities, Chicago's industrial area is the largest production base of Pratt \u0026 Whitney. The damage caused by this bombing is simply immeasurable! Factories can be rebuilt and destroyed parts can be re-produced, but that takes time. And even if it is rebuilt, who can guarantee that the Germans will not come again? ! If the Germans continue to bomb industrial areas in other cities, his "Pratt \u0026 Whitney" company will be completely destroyed!

"These useless guys!" Rentschler gasped and cursed fiercely. As for who he is scolding, I am afraid only he himself knows.

Just then his son Little Rentschler hurried in. "Father, I just got the news. Congress decided to cut 40% of the Army Aviation aircraft production funding. Commander Arnold will only leave P-51 fighter jets and B-17 bombers in production!"