In order to avoid missing the best opportunity, the Workers' Navy General Staff recommended that the launch of Operation Northern Lights should not be later than three days after the British and French landings.
The reason for the late strike is that everyone wants to occupy the moral high ground, especially Deshe, which considers itself a pioneer of civilization.
The illegal invasion of Norway and Switzerland by Britain and France is undoubtedly an arrogant and arrogant violation of sovereignty. Taking action later than them will not lose the initiative.
The General Staff believes that it is very beneficial to implement the plan in January - due to the high latitude of the Nordic region, there is an obvious phenomenon of short days and long nights in winter, and the night length can be as long as eighteen hours.
In this way, the long darkness will provide excellent cover for the transport ship formation transporting the army, and accidental and possible losses will be greatly reduced.
Compared to the Army and Navy surface ships, which are still making full preparations, most of the available submarines have been deployed to the Norwegian Sea or the North Sea. More than twenty U-boats are effective enough to delay the Royal Navy's follow-up operations. .
The Germans are very self-aware - they believe that even if the British and French troops land, the Norwegians will only provide symbolic resistance at most, but they may have higher intensity of resistance when facing the German troops.
At the same time, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also began to write the notes that would be needed at that time, and everything was proceeding in an orderly manner.
December 25th is an important festival in Western tradition. It is the legendary day when Jesus was born.
Even though I am in a foreign land, I still have to go through the festivals in my home country.
It's gray in Nanjing today. Although last night's winter rain stopped early in the morning, the sky is still gloomy and the ground is wet. This cold and damp feeling makes people very uncomfortable.
Like the embassy staff of other Western countries, the Germans also obtained small pine trees suitable for use as Christmas trees early and decorated them with colorful ribbons and mini light bulbs.
However, the difference is that the German Society does not officially regard Christmas as a legal holiday, nor does it highly recommend this traditional festival. However, due to the large number of Catholics and Protestants, it has long acquiesced in its existence. After all, it would be a bit blind to force a ban on this aspect. It means something.
In the official statement, they will not mention the word "Christmas", but the holiday will still be a holiday, and it will be a long holiday connected with the subsequent Neujahr New Year's Day.
On that day, with the blessing of countless grilled sausages and countless bottles of beer, the German diplomats of the embassy spent a comfortable day.
Zhou Changfeng made an appointment with Chris by name the next morning. Because of old acquaintances, the discussion would be easier.
This private meeting was not formal at all, more casual, and the main purpose was just to exchange some information about the upcoming Nordic war.
The Ming Dynasty court was quite contradictory in its cooperation with the German Society. Although the officials in the DPRK knew the principle of distant relations and close attacks, they were very passive. Even the exchange of information was somewhat secretive.
Mingren's attitude made the Germans very helpless. They had finally reached a consensus, but even the most basic cooperation could not be implemented effectively. It really makes people doubt the sincerity of Ming Dynasty.
Still at Tonghui Hotel, an old place suitable for semi-public and semi-private activities, just twenty seconds after Zhou Changfeng sat down, Chris pushed the door open and entered.
This guy is always on time.
"Good morning, why, your face doesn't look good." He asked with a smile.
"I drank a lot yesterday, so I feel a little uncomfortable." Chrissy shrugged indifferently.
"Okay, let's get down to business." Zhou Changfeng pondered for a moment, and then got straight to the point, "Based on multiple sources of information and telecommunications, we (the Metropolitan Governor's Office) estimate that the British and French actions will be launched from the 15th to the 20th. What about you? ?”
"We have made preparations and will always be about three days later than them." Probably because she felt that her answer was too clear, Chris added two more words.
"You are quite honest, it seems that we are not straightforward at all."
"Actually, it's useless just because you know."
"Considering that this will be the first battle after the outbreak of the war, the Royal Navy poses too great a threat to you. Even a tactical victory is meaningless and a strategic failure. We recommend that the main fleet remains stationary. , continue to serve as a fleet to contain the British."
Chrissy shook her head slightly, "How could we forget the lessons of Jutland."
"The British fleet Z is too large, and it will be quite troublesome for us to deal with them, so you can contain them a little bit." Zhou Changfeng said, these are just the attitude of the governor's office.
Because it is very different from history, the size of the Z fleet organized by the Royal Navy is almost three times that of the original plane——
One Nelson-class battleship, HMS Rodney; three Revenge-class battleships, HMS Revenge, Resolve, and HMS Sovereign; and one Queen Elizabeth-class battleship, HMS Warrior.
In addition, there were the battlecruiser Renown, the aircraft carrier Eagle, the anti-aircraft cruiser Grain Goddess, and seven destroyers as a screen force.
The King George V-class battleships are still under construction and naturally cannot participate in the war. However, such a large number of battleships are still a difficult opponent.
Obviously, the British were very determined to defend their interests in the Far East. The Ming Navy, facing a formidable enemy, had to change its plan accordingly.
Many people do have high hopes for the aviation power, but after all, they have not experienced an accurate and effective actual combat test, and no one can guarantee that they can really cause an effective blow to the British fleet.
No one thought that aviation alone could cause a devastating blow to such a huge fleet. That was really too ambitious.
The Metropolitan Government only hopes to weaken this mighty "nation-destroying fleet" with large-scale aviation strikes, and then invest decisive surface forces to annihilate it.
Of course, in front of the TF-58 task force, these are all scum.
Chris couldn't help complaining: "You are really selfish. The British fleet will pose a great threat to our operations. How great would it be if they could all come to you?"
Sister! If the Royal Navy really dares to drag its family halfway across the world to knock on the door of the Ming Dynasty, you might as well be bolder and land directly on the British Isles in one wave.
"How can you say it's selfish? I'm just relaying the court's request. Besides, they must give priority to their own country's interests."
"Are you like those bureaucrats now?"
"Now?" Zhou Changfeng pointed at himself with his index finger, looking suspicious, "Am I any different from before?"
Chrissy nodded and said seriously: "Selfish people will not take the risk of going to that hellish place in Spain."
Zhou Changfeng covered his forehead with a smile and said: "How can there be such a pure person? And to be honest with you, before I left, I even took away the equipment you provided for assistance."
"What equipment?"
"It's that jumping mine. When triggered, it ignites the projectile charge and then detonates at a distance of more than one meter. I caught the eye at a glance. It's very useful. It's an anti-infantry weapon."
"How dare you steal the intellectual product of the German people."
"Stealing? No, no, this is called learning." Zhou Changfeng said nonchalantly: "Besides, I worked so hard for so long and even went to a military prison for several months. It's not too much to take a souvenir."
Chris was choked by these words, and she commented displeasedly: "You are as cunning as other Orientals!"
Interludes are interludes, and the main business must continue.
Interludes are interludes, and the main business must continue.
Then, the two continued to exchange some information.
Zhou Changfeng, who was holding a pen, was writing quickly, and Chrissy opposite was doing the same.
"By the way, a friendly reminder, I see there is a key omission in your paratrooper division." Zhou Changfeng coughed twice and gestured: "It is too risky to airdrop people and weapon boxes separately. Once the landing point deviation is too large, the paratroopers will We have to use pistols to fight the enemy. In this regard, I suggest you learn from the British and equip the paratroopers with new weapon pouches."
Chris on the opposite side changed a pen, thoughtfully, and then mused: "Thank you for your suggestion, I will pass it on, but personally, I still respect the opinions of the soldiers and commanders. "
Zhou Changfeng said "hehe", picked up the wine bottle and poured the wine into a square glass cup.
The cup is very delicate, with the pattern sandwiched between the glass.
"When the breech-loading gun first appeared, weren't there many people who hindered its promotion in the army? I heard that a Prussian general's last words before his death were 'Never use a breech-loading gun during the funeral in his cemetery.' Then. The Austrian generals were very arrogant after seeing the breech-loading guns, saying, 'It is noble to eat with your mouth, never use an enema gun loaded from the back.' Therefore, the soldiers of the army cannot be completely trusted. They also It’s not necessarily all right.”
After Zhou Changfeng finished speaking, he picked up the wine glass and took a long sip. The unique fruity and sour taste of the wine filled his mouth, mixed with the mellow aroma of wine, which was very comfortable.
"Thank you, this suggestion is very pertinent."
"It's just a little effort."
After that, as the dishes were presented one by one, the two parties turned to chatting while eating and drinking.
It was a rare opportunity to have such a free conversation with her, and Zhou Changfeng was so excited that he could talk endlessly.
From customs to academic theories, from sea power to capital, the topics they discussed were unpredictable, and the span of topics was so wide that in some aspects Chris didn’t know how to answer the conversation.
When talking about military off-road vehicles, she proudly declared that the Type 82 bucket truck was the best and unparalleled.
Zhou Changfeng naturally disagreed, but as he was tipsy, he subconsciously boasted without thinking about it: "This is nothing, I have driven a Dongfeng Warrior to a speed of 150..."
His words stopped abruptly.
It was so embarrassing, I accidentally said the wrong thing.
"Ahem, don't take it seriously, that... was just a casual comment."
Chrissy stared at him and said "Yeah".
You can imagine how surprised she is now - a military off-road vehicle that can drive up to 150 kilometers per hour? How much high technology do these Chinese people hide?
Such subconscious words are unlikely to be lies, and Zhou is not a professionally trained agent who would deliberately set a trap.
In this way, the meeting and conversation ended very smoothly, and both parties achieved satisfactory results.
The old year leaves quietly, and the wheel of time slowly passes through the gap between years.
Although Zhu Lingjing also wanted to have an imperial title of her own, in order to show her respect for the still-living Emperor, she announced that she would postpone the change of imperial title for two years.
There is another benefit that comes with this, that is, the new year number can just correspond to the single digits of 41, 42, 43, etc.
The thirty-ninth year of Zhichang arrived unknowingly. Some newspapers and broadcasters in the Ming Dynasty believed that this must be a year full of disputes from beginning to end.
January 10, Berlin.
The heavy snowfall could not conceal the prosperity and splendor of the capital. The white snow on the road was cleared aside in time, allowing traffic to flow smoothly.
With the recently established War Council taking over power, the status and importance of the Ministry of National Defense has become less and less important.
During the four-hour deliberation, all senior generals from the army, navy and air force involved in Operation Northern Lights stated their views in turn and personally guaranteed their accuracy.
At this point, everything seemed to be doomed, and everyone was waiting with bated breath for that moment to arrive.
Lieutenant General Albert, Chief of the Air Force General Staff, instructed all officers in the combat sequence:
"The prelude to modern warfare has been kicked off. Only by carrying out this operation can we protect the interests and security of the German people, and our enemies are trying to destroy it by cutting off the supply of iron ore..."
"The success or failure of the operation depends on the quality of the air force and navy, as well as the determination of the commander. Sea control in the main areas will still be in the hands of the British. We must deal with them with the firmest determination and fearless courage..."
On January 16th, the weather was fine.
The large-scale Royal Navy fleet set sail from the Shetland Islands and many ports on the mainland, including battleships, cruisers, destroyers, landing ships, transport ships...
Hundreds of ships carrying tens of thousands of British and French troops passed through Scapa Flow one after another, and then the North Sea. Looking down from the sky, it looked like a grand armed parade.
After detecting high-frequency telecommunications that were different from the past, the Stasi clearly determined that the British and French had begun taking action, and the intelligence later sent back by the informant also confirmed this.
At the moment they learned the news, the officers of the Workers' Navy General Staff all had bright eyes and excited hearts.
At 8:59 that morning, a telegram was sent from the headquarters to the headquarters of the submarine force in the combat sequence - "The time is suitable for observing the Northern Lights. Please prepare astronomers and observatories."
At the docks of the naval bases in Wilhelmshaven and Kiel, sailors began to enter the submarines one by one.
Behind them was the rising sun, and in front of them was the vast sea. The sunlight reflected the entire blue sea with a twinkling brilliance.
"The condition is good, the oil pipe pressure is stable, and the speed is increased."
"Yes! Comrade Commander!"
"The host sets the speed, corrects the compass, and advances three."
Amidst the roar, two 1,400-horsepower six-cylinder four-stroke diesel engines burst out with strong power, driving the two propellers to rotate at high speed.
One after another, Type VIIB submarines sailed away from the docks or caves, leaving white waves behind.
There is no doubt that the hungry sea wolves have been waiting for a long time.
1. The food settings have been updated. The supply quantity of eggs is wrong. Half of it is missing. It will be corrected tomorrow.
2. Should we write more or less about the war in Europe?
(End of chapter)
