The cups and plates were removed from a dining table, and a large map was impromptuly laid out. Xiang Xiaoqiang was having a heated discussion with Dönitz's map and demonstrating it with matchsticks. Not only naval officers were surrounding him, but many army officers were also gathered around, showing great interest.
Look enthusiastically.
Xiang Xiaoqiang just said that he advocated building one less battleship and more submarines. He was purely trying to get Dönitz to talk. Now that he has started talking to Dönitz "naturally", his attitude has turned 180 degrees.
, almost turned against others, and kept advocating that submarines have no future. At least, Germany has no future in developing submarines, and the development of surface ships is the way to go.
...Nonsense, Raeder is here. He said that submarines are good. If he accidentally conveys Raeder's point of view and is as focused on submarines as Dönitz, then the bait of "dealing with capital ships" just thrown out
What else is there for?
It's just that Dönizrang was extremely depressed, and he didn't understand why this Ming general changed his views all of a sudden.
Dönitz arranged a dozen long matches into a fleet formation, then broke a few more matches, and used short matches to form a concave surface in front of the "fleet", wrapping it up like a baggage.
Xiang Xiaoqiang could tell at a glance that this was Dönitz's classic original work: wolf pack tactics.
"General, please take a look," Dönitz said, pointing to the long match and then the short match. "Suppose this is the enemy's transport fleet, and this one is a reconnaissance curtain composed of U-boats. Eight to ten
U-boats, depending on weather conditions, are ten to fifteen nautical miles apart from each other, thus forming a large net 150 nautical miles wide. Once the enemy fleet sails into this net, it is likely to be discovered by our U-boats
.
"The first discovered U-boat kept in contact with the fleet while contacting other U-boats in this net. In this way, within ten hours, at least four to six U-boats would be close to the fleet. During the day, this
Several U-boats maintained the furthest visual contact with the convoy and tried their best to keep up with the convoy. At night, several U-boats could boldly approach the convoy, even rush into the convoy and attack the cargo ships with torpedoes. In the dark night
The submarine's low profile makes it difficult to spot.
"According to estimates, there are three to four U-boats, which can make the escorting destroyers of a merchant fleet focus on one thing and the other. And once a merchant ship is hit by a torpedo, the enemy escort ship will have to give priority to rescuing people, and our U-boats can take the opportunity to expand
Result. In this way, if several U-boats attack a fleet at the same time, compared with only one U-boat attacking a merchant fleet, the performance of each U-boat will definitely be much higher."
After finishing his conversation, Xiang Xiaoqiang looked at Raeder. Raeder also shook his head slightly. Xiang Xiaoqiang smiled and said:
"General Dönitz, in this net of yours, the distance between boats is ten to fifteen nautical miles, which is ten to twenty thousand meters. The submarine's command tower is so low, can it be seen that far?"
Denitz said:
"It's just that the distance between the two boats is ten to fifteen nautical miles. Each U-boat doesn't need to see that far, it only needs to see half the distance. If the weather is not particularly bad, it's okay for the U-boat to observe the situation 10,000 meters away.
questionable."
Xiang Xiaoqiang asked sharply:
"What if it's night?"
Dönitz remained calm and said calmly:
"We can only try our luck at night. There is no way around it. The earth does not revolve around us, and even the best tactics will have shortcomings."
"Well, yes, no matter how good the tactics are, there will be shortcomings." Xiang Xiaoqiang nodded, and then drew the North Atlantic on the map. "One of your wolf packs is one hundred and fifty nautical miles wide, but the North Atlantic is wide enough."
It is more than a thousand nautical miles wide, and there is no place that cannot be used as a shipping route. How many packs of such wolves are needed?"
Xiang Xiaoqiang almost clearly regarded Britain as an imaginary enemy. The generals present looked at each other, which seemed quite unnatural. In fact, although Hitler claimed all day long that he would not be an enemy of Britain, at least the German navy understood that if
If there is another war, Britain will still be Germany's enemy. The goal of the German navy is still to break into the North Atlantic and attack Britain's lines of communication.
Dönitz raised his head from the map, glanced at Xiaoqiang, tapped the North Atlantic a few times with a match, and said lightly:
"I only need eight to ten of these 'wolf packs' to blockade the North Atlantic and cut off the enemy's lifeline. I'm talking about a 100% cutoff. It won't be like the last war."
Although Raeder had already heard Dönitz's lion speak loudly, but when he said this in front of so many army generals and foreign representatives, Raeder still frowned.
Xiang Xiaoqiang said in surprise:
"Eight to ten? Doesn't that mean we need nearly a hundred submarines?"
Dönitz made even more shocking remarks:
"No, 100 U-boats are not enough. If you want to maintain 100 U-boats on the ocean all year round, you must have at least 300 U-boats. 100 of them are hunting on the ocean, 100 are being repaired at the base, and 100 are traveling between the base and the mission.
Between regions... It sounds like a lot, but as long as Germany can guarantee me 300 U-boats, I can guarantee that Germany wins the war."
Xiang Xiaoqiang's face turned pale with shock:
"General Dönitz! 300 submarines! For your country!...Do you know how many submarines our Ming Dynasty has now? Less than 100!...Uh...the number of submarines your country currently has...should be
Is it still in the single digits?"
Denitz stared at the map, lowered his head and said nothing after a moment:
"Sir, this is a submarine, not a large warship. Even in Germany, as long as we shift the focus of shipbuilding from large surface ships to U-boats, it will be very realistic to have 300 submarines by 1946 or 1947."
Xiang Xiaoqiang chuckled and said:
"General, I'm not a naval officer, so I don't know how to talk nonsense... But, aren't we just having fun, drinking and chatting, it's not a military meeting anyway... General Redel is also here, and there are so many gentlemen from the navy.
Any one of you here knows a lot more than me. Haha, I just said what I thought in my heart. If I said it wrong, I think everyone won’t laugh at me...Well, I think, Germany is really not suitable
To develop submarines, you still have to take the right path and get a few capital ships in a down-to-earth manner, and you can't always think about winning by cleverness."
Xiang Xiaoqiang's words were uneasy and well-meaning, but they spoke to the hearts of Redel and several naval generals. The generals around him nodded frequently, and there was a quiet "ja...ja..." sound.
…
"Huh?" Dönitz looked depressed, raised his head and asked with a frown, "General, you clearly said just now that you also hope that your country's navy will build fewer capital ships and more submarines. Why now..."
"Ah? Ah, this..." Xiang Xiaoqiang coughed, avoided Dönitz's questioning gaze, stared at the map, and said seriously, "...that's it, first of all, the national conditions of each country are different. Our Ming Dynasty is now
Our surface fleet is already very powerful, and can basically protect our sea lines of communication, and can also attack the Japanese... ahem, enemy fleets... So, with a solid foundation, we can develop some submarines. This,
Ah, it plays a certain supporting role.
"As for your country's navy, it can be said that the basic framework has not been set up, and there is not a single usable capital ship. If we now put aside surface ships and spend ten years building hundreds of submarines, then
Such a navy is too...too deformed. And if your country spends these ten years on the right path of building a surface fleet, then by 1946 or 47, Germany will have a navy that is not even as powerful as the United Kingdom.
A fleet that dares to be underestimated.
"Moreover, the average quality of your warships is higher than that of the British. As we all know, generally older naval powers, such as the British and our Ming Dynasty, always have a large proportion of old ships in their fleets. Keep them for use.
Yes, it is a bit outdated; scrap it, it has not yet reached the end of its lifespan, which is a pity. So it is left as it is. But like Germany, all new ones can be built. With Germany's first-class industrial technology and design capabilities, every time one is built
, they must all be the most advanced in the world. I am very confident about this.
"Another point is that our Ming Dynasty is suitable for using submarines, but your country is not suitable. Our Ming Dynasty's imaginary naval enemy, whether it is the Manchus or Qing Dynasties, or... or Japan, its maritime transportation lines will definitely be from our Ming Dynasty
passed within their sphere of influence. We stopped in front of them. First, their fleet left the port and headed south, all along the long coastline of our country.
"The coasts are mainly Zhejiang, Fujian, and Guangdong. There are many good ports on the coastlines of these three places. We can set up a submarine base in any port. From any port to the enemy's main route, it only takes three
Four hundred nautical miles, it is very convenient to attack. As for the South China Sea, Siam, Sumatra, and the Strait of Malacca, further south, they are all our sphere of influence. We have military ports, so it is convenient to attack.
"Strategically speaking, submarines are a weapon that has the advantage of being very economical. A low-cost submarine can theoretically sink an expensive battleship. But the disadvantage is that it is inefficient. The speed of a submarine is very low.
The maximum speed on the water is only a dozen knots, which is only equivalent to an ironclad ship at the end of the last century. It is also low in stature and has a narrow field of vision, making it difficult to find targets. In addition, its seaworthiness is very poor. It is small and light, just like a
It's just like an empty can. As long as the waves on the sea surface are bigger, it will have to spend all its energy fighting the sea.
"But these shortcomings of submarines are destined not to be suitable for Germany, but they are destined to be suitable for us. As I said just now, our Ming Dynasty is in front of Japan's shipping line, and its strategic position is very good. From Japan's departure port to the Indian Ocean, this long road
, there are our naval bases everywhere. Moreover, there are many islands and straits along the way, and there are many places that must pass through. This determines: First, our submarines do not need to go to the open sea, and we do not need to have a special '100' like you do.
A submarine travels between the base and the mission area. Second, we can place the submarines in several key places, which will definitely intercept the enemy fleet. In this way, even if we only have 100 submarines, we will be better than your 300.
submarines are more efficient.
"As for Germany, it is located behind the British shipping line, and its strategic position is very unfavorable. If the submarine wants to intercept, it must first find a way to bypass Britain and protrude from the North Sea. Only when it reaches the North Atlantic can it enter the enemy's shipping line.
, can start the 'hunting'. For a submarine of several hundred tons, the range is too large, and it is difficult to search extensively for that little fuel. Moreover, the Atlantic Ocean is a vast expanse, and there is no sure way. Merchant fleets can move towards it at will.
If you move a few minutes higher to the north or a few minutes to the south, your wolves will not be able to see you, let alone at night.
"Another very important point is that your submarine's activity area is the North Atlantic, and the North Atlantic is one of the worst sea areas on earth. Stormy seas are the norm. The combat effectiveness of a small thing like a submarine in a violent storm is zero. Don't say that.
It is almost impossible to fight and find targets. But for us, our activity areas are in the Western Pacific and the Eastern Indian Ocean, and mainly near the equator. The sea conditions in these sea areas are often very good, and the waves are generally calm, which is very suitable for submarine activities.
.
"So, you need 300 submarines to cut off the enemy's throat, and even if we only use submarines, 100 will be enough. To sum up, we are naturally suitable for using submarines, but you are naturally not suitable. This
Maybe it’s God’s arrangement.”
…
After Xiang Xiaoqiang finished speaking, the surroundings fell into silence. He looked around proudly and found that not only the army officers, but also the naval officers also nodded in agreement.
Xiang Xiaoqiang knew in his heart that when he said this big trick just now, he used a few tricks in the middle. He relied on his experience in World War II and these people did not, so he concealed all the advantages to the submarine. The most critical one
, the practice of World War II proved that even if there are many difficulties, even if Germany uses submarines in the North Atlantic, it can almost break Britain's neck in the end.
The reason why it was not cut off was that in the later stages of the war, the Allies' anti-submarine technology was so advanced that a large number of long-range aircraft equipped with airborne radars and searchlights lined up and flew on the bow of the U-boat day and night. Finally, they
The U-boat was so heavy that it didn't even dare to get out of the water, so it was basically impossible to survive.
But having said that, if Germany had the 300 submarines Dönitz said in the early stages of the war, Britain would not be able to wait for the day when anti-submarine technology developed. The actual situation is that by the time the war started in 1939, Germany only had more than 50 submarines.
Just a ship.
Seeing Dönitz's face as stern as a slate, Xiang Xiaoqiang secretly complained in his heart: Now Dönitz has been offended. Redel must learn what he said from Hitler when he goes back. Hitler is obsessed with large water surfaces.
As for the ship, Dönitz's future might be affected now.
―But it doesn't matter. Dönitz is a man who wants to realize his submarine ambitions. If Germany can't accept it, there will be a chance to recruit him to the Ming Dynasty in the future. Of course, this is just a chance. Although Xiang Xiaoqiang admires Dönitz, but
At present, the Ming Dynasty does not have a very urgent need for such talents. The Ming Dynasty's number one enemy is the Manchu and Qing Dynasties, mainly land warfare. A war with Japan is still out of the question.
And even if the Ming Dynasty blockades Japan, it will not rely as much on submarines as Germany does. Yes, Germany relies on submarines instead. But with what I said just now, they were led into a ditch by themselves.
No way, the more Hitler covets Ming's two or three treaty ships, the more room he has for bargaining. With this big bargaining chip, Guderian will definitely have to work for Ming. And not only him, he will definitely have to do it.
Get a lot of talent.
In addition, it seems that the design of Germany's Bismarck class is almost finished at this time, right? Xiang Xiaoqiang remembers that construction started in July this year. The Bismarck class was called "a masterpiece in the history of shipbuilding" at this time. If we can talk about it,
A complete set of design drawings, and the Ming Dynasty also comes to board one, then there will be no "Nagato-class" in the Western Pacific.