Tyranny of Steel

Word reached Heian-kyō shortly after the Japanese Defeat in Borneo. Itami was understandably quite glum after hearing that she had already lost a theatre of combat after merely three months of warfare. As a result, she had quickly responded to the incident by reinforcing her position in both Southern Korea and the Philippines. Which she felt would be the next region to suffer a German invasion.

Another month came and passed, as the fighting in Korea continued, and yet during this time, an invasion never came to the Philippines. Instead, the German Empire had taken a step back, and fortified their position in the South China Sea. With the Philippines cut off from the rest of the Japanese Empire, Berengar had no plans to rush an invasion.

Instead, he began to ferry troops from the Indian Empire to Borneo, along with more regiments of the Royal Majapahit Army. Until now, Dharya had stayed out of the war, at least as far as combat was concerned. Instead, he provided logistical support and raw materials to his German allies.

However, with the victory in Borneo, Dharya decided now was the time to win some glory for his own Empire, and thus he had declared war on Japan the day after the Battle of Borneo was decided. As a result, a hundred thousand fresh soldiers from the Indian Empire were now moving towards Borneo, and Phuket, where they, along with their Majapahit allies, would invade the Philippines. 

With the Indians getting involved in the conflict, Berengar no longer needed to send his own troops to the South China Sea. Instead, he began ferrying his divisions north towards Korea, to make a complete and total push against the fortified Japanese defenses. The Kaiser expected that within a month, Korea would fall in its entirety back into Joseon hands. From there, it was a simple matter of laying siege to the Japanese Mainland. 

In the mean time, the 6th and 8th carrier strike groups had returned to their respective ports to rearm and refuel. Hans was currently standing on board the SMS Osterreich's deck as he gazed upon the newest acquisition that his Carrier Wing had been gifted. 

Two new aircraft were replacing the older Ta 152 Fighter Interceptors and Ju 87 Stuka Torpedo bombers. The Kufstein Royal Armory had truly outdone themselves as they managed to produce an entire Carrier Wings' worth of the latest generation fighters. What was supposed to take six months to a year had been accomplished in half the minimum estimated time frame. 

The Ta 183/III Jet fighters were sitting on board the deck of the carrier as Hans walked over and touched the hull of the new aircraft he had been issued. He was utterly astonished by the latest creation of the fatherland, which the deck crew was currently painting his particular jet red, white, and black. 

Hans climbed into the cockpit of the fighter, and looked at the controls, which were more advanced than his previous turbojet powered fighter-interceptor. Not only were the avionics vastly improved over the old design, but there was an extra button on the joystick. Which Hans suspected was the controls for the missile system he saw hanging off the wings. 

The Ta-183 jet fighter that the Germans employed in this world was far more advanced than the prototype design the Nazis had come up with at the end of the second world war in Berengar's past life. 

If one were to classify this aircraft by the previous world's standards, it would be considered a Generation 2+ Jet. The only reason it wasn't considered a generation three jet was because the design lacked supersonic flight, as it was not equipped with afterburners. 

Aside from the Ta-183 Jet fighters, there was another design that was simultaneously developed alongside it. The Ar 234 was a Jet powered bomber that was small and lightweight when compared to larger designs.

In the second World War of Berengar's past life, these bombers saw limited use at the end of the war as a reconnaissance aircraft. However, Berengar had been inspired by the design, and modified it for a single purpose. To be used on board carriers as an anti-ship bomber. 

The Ar-234s that were stationed on board the SMS Osterreich could carry either 1500 kg worth of bombs, or multiple torpedos within its bay. And while this was impressive enough on its own, these bombers were also equipped with a far more deadly weapon.

On top of each of the Ar-234s was a single V-1 cruise missile. Which could be launched at an enemy target while mid flight. Naturally, Berengar intended for these missiles to take out Japanese ships. These bombers were not only fast enough to evade Japanese Anti-Aircraft weaponry, but they could also launch a lethal strike against an enemy vessel from two hundred and forty kilometers away. 

To put it simply, even if the Imperial Japanese Navy was five times its current size, a single German carrier strike group armed with these bombers would be capable of annihilating it. However, even though only one CSG was currently armed with these most advanced weapons, Berengar intended to replace the air wings aboard each carrier with these new jet-powered aircraft by the end of the war, thus giving Germany the ability to own the world's oceans. 

Hans could only smile as he thought about just how much of an advantage the Reich would have over any opponent it may face in the future. While Japan had struggled to produce wooden aircraft, Germany was now capable of mass manufacturing jet fighters and bombers. 

The next generation of flight had come as quickly as the previous one had disappeared. With this first foray into Jet technology, the Luftwaffe would continue to develop and produce new jet aircraft to replace their current propeller designs. 

However, what was most certain was the fact that these jet fighters and bombers on board the SMS Osterreich would be the first of such technology to wage war in this world. Something that Hans took pride in. 

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Shortly after inspecting the new aircraft, Hans was called back into the section of the ship where he and his fellow pilots resided. The Wing Commander had an announcement he wanted to make, and as a captain of his own squadron, Hans was standing beside him. 

The Commander gazed upon his pilots. Some of them were experienced veterans by now, and others were fresh replacements for those who had been lost in the war. Either way, they all had wide smiles on their faces as they were discussing among themselves the newest aircraft that they would be first in the entire Luftwaffe to fly. However, the commander did not seem pleased, and thus was quick to give his thoughts.

"By now you have all seen the new aircraft our carrier wing has been assigned to fly. I won't lie to you. We are being used as guinea pigs to test the latest equipment, and we now have limited time to get accustomed to these new so-called jets before we are sent to war in them.

Though our superiors deny it, I have no doubt that you can thank the Crimson Prince for our newest upgrades. As the greatest flying ace in the Reich, and the son of the Kaiser, he has undoubtedly caught the eye of the Air Marshal, who seems to think our wing is the best test subjects in the entire Luftwaffe. 

So, once we have finished loading these new planes onboard the carrier, I want each and every one of you to become as acquainted with them as possible over the next few weeks. That means no shore leave, especially you Haywire! From now until the moment we depart, you all will be logging in as many flight hours as you can possibly achieve. That is all. Dismissed!"

Despite the commander's harsh words, the rest of the air wing seemed ecstatic to test the newest equipment. Things had been rather stale since they had begun patrolling the South China Sea. With Borneo now back in the hands of the Majapahit Empire, and the invasion of the Philippines still quite some time away, these men had not seen combat in some time. Though that was about to change soon enough. 

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