Anti-Japanese War: The whole world is a base vehicle

Chapter 175 The jealous Italian Navy!

"Is this a German battleship?" Admiral Darlan, commander of the French fleet, widened his eyes and said in confusion.

He stood on the bridge, looking at the majestic German battleships in the distance, his face full of disbelief. If it weren't for the familiar shape of the other side's battleships, with the distinctive features of the old German battleships in World War I, he would really think that the British fleet was coming. This scene was really shocking.

The fact that the Germans had so many battleships was beyond his imagination.

No wonder the Germans suddenly lost interest in the warships of their French Navy. Originally, Darlan thought that the Germans were playing hard to get, thinking that the other party would definitely still be thinking about the French fleet and would use some tricks to seize these warships at any time. Who knew that they really didn't like them.

Thinking back to the time when he was defeated, Darlan did seriously consider the British advice.

At that time, the British proposed that the French Navy should send all its warships to the ports of the British Isles and then join forces with the British Royal Fleet to deal with the Germans.

At that time, the Germans did show a strong interest in the French fleet, as if they were determined to win it. This made the French Navy nervous and always guard against possible actions by the German army.

Who knew that before long, the Germans stopped paying attention to the French fleet and never mentioned anything about their navy again, as if they had completely forgotten about it.

This confused the French Navy. Everyone was confused and was still wondering what the Germans were doing. Were they secretly planning some conspiracy or preparing for a sneak attack? For this reason, the French fleet did not dare to let down its guard.

Now, seeing the powerful lineup of more than ten German battleships, Darlan and his men finally understood that the Germans really looked down on their own warships. Just based on this spectacular scene, it was the French Navy's turn to drool with envy.

At least Lieutenant General Jean Sur, who was standing beside him, was also full of questions and stood there with a puzzled look on his face.

He was also very curious, how did the Germans do it?
Is it possible that warships are being produced in secret? But when did this start?
You know, building a warship is not an easy task. It requires a lot of manpower, material resources and financial resources.

Also, when did the Germans become so rich?
Apart from anything else, the funds required to build these more than ten battleships are a considerable sum. Judging from the currently available information, the German army does not seem to have excess military spending. According to common sense, it cannot support the construction of such a large-scale battleships.

Moreover, it was basically impossible to build so many warships in secret, at least it was impossible to hide it from the British Empire's extremely tight intelligence network that spanned the globe.

But from the information we have received so far, it seems that the British did not know that the Germans had such a trick before. This is very interesting. The whole thing exudes a mysterious atmosphere and makes people feel confused. For a moment, Lieutenant General Jean Sur fell into deep thought, frowning, thinking about various possibilities in his mind, trying to solve this puzzling mystery.

"With so many battleships, I'm afraid the situation in Europe will change completely." Admiral Darlan stood there, looking at the majestic German battleships in the distance, his face full of emotion and his tone with a hint of helplessness and worry.

After all, the sudden emergence of such a powerful maritime force will inevitably break the original balance of maritime power, and thus bring about earth-shaking changes in the situation in the whole of Europe.

Hearing this, Lieutenant General Jean Sur nodded, acknowledging his statement.

He also knew very well that the German army now had so many battleships, which was like dropping a blockbuster bomb into a calm lake. The ripples it would create would affect all aspects of Europe, and would rewrite the struggle for control of the sea and the strategic layout of land operations.

"Do you think we should agree to the Germans' conditions?" Suddenly, Admiral Darlan seemed to have thought of something, turned his head and looked at Lieutenant General Jean Sur, with a hint of confusion in his eyes, and asked.

He was very conflicted. On the one hand, he felt that the German army was now powerful and perhaps agreeing to their conditions would gain some benefits for the French Navy; but on the other hand, he was worried that doing so would put France in a more passive position.

Lieutenant General Sur replied calmly: "Do you think we are still qualified to negotiate now?" As soon as he said this, Admiral Darlan was silent.

Yes, now they really have no qualifications to negotiate. Relying on these battleships, the German army has already occupied a great advantage at sea, and the French navy is now much weaker than before. In this case, how can they have any say in negotiations with the Germans? It is just wishful thinking.

But Admiral Darlan was still somewhat unwilling in his heart. He had dedicated his entire life to the French Navy, and his only wish was to make the French Navy stronger and restore its former glory.

"It would be great if we could find out the origins of these warships. They definitely did not appear for no reason." Darlan looked at the battleships in front of him, his eyes showing a hint of envy, and his tone was full of desire. He thought that if he could find out where these German warships came from, maybe the French Navy could learn from them and find ways to strengthen itself.

After all, the sudden defeat of France led to many changes. First, a French aircraft carrier went to South America and never came back. It was an important naval combat force, and it was really sad to lose it.

In addition, some warships followed the British to the British Isles, and the originally complete French naval force was dispersed and weakened. Therefore, the French naval strength is still very weak. When facing such a powerful German fleet, it seems a little powerless. It is no wonder that Admiral Darlan is so eager to strengthen the navy's strength.

If the French Navy wants to increase its strength, it has to build warships. This is the most direct and effective way for it.

But the current situation is very tricky, because France was defeated. According to the relevant post-war agreements, all of France's income must be used to repay war reparations and various debts first, which has reduced the funds allocated to the military. Take the navy as an example. It is not easy to maintain basic daily expenses and ensure that warships can sail normally and personnel can operate normally. There is no extra money to expand the fleet and enhance the navy's strength. In this case, it is basically a fantasy to want to achieve these goals, just like a castle in the air. It looks beautiful, but there is no basis for realization.

"Admiral, how are we going to pay?" Lieutenant General Jean Sur shook his head helplessly. He was well aware of the reality and was not optimistic about Darlan's plan to increase the navy's strength and build warships. After all, as the saying goes, a good cook cannot cook without rice. Without money, everything is just empty talk and all the beautiful ideas cannot be implemented.

However, seeing Darlan's determined and eager look, Lieutenant General Sur couldn't refuse directly. After all, Admiral Darlan was wholeheartedly devoted to the development of the French Navy. Everyone could see his sincerity and determination. He didn't want to dampen his enthusiasm too much, so he could only give a tactful hint, hoping that Darlan could calm down and recognize the current reality.

"You are right. Although there are difficulties, there are solutions. Moreover, they are just some ordinary warships. I believe they are not that expensive." Admiral Darlan understood the meaning of Vice Admiral Jean Sur's words, but he did not stop there. Instead, he thought about it and said so. In his opinion, although difficulties do exist, we cannot give up just because of difficulties. There are always more solutions than difficulties.

Moreover, he felt that it was not necessary to build large and expensive warships like the German battleships. It should not cost too much money to just build some ordinary warships to expand the fleet. This plan could still be tried. Maybe it could really bring a glimmer of hope to the development of the French Navy. So he did not want to give up this idea easily, and he was already thinking about how to raise funds and advance this plan.

In fact, it was not only Darlan who had this idea. Even the Italian navy next to him was envious and jealous of the German army's majestic battleships.

At first, when they learned that the German Navy was about to arrive in the Mediterranean, they were full of curiosity and wondered how the Germans did it. After all, the situation around the Mediterranean is complicated, and all forces are watching. It is not an easy task for the German army to quietly deploy naval forces.

However, the Germans assured them solemnly that as long as the Italian Navy was willing to send troops to rescue the French fleet trapped in the port of Oran, the Germans would definitely give them a big gift.

When the Italians first heard this, they were skeptical, thinking that the Germans were fooling them and that this was impossible.

Who would have thought that seeing so many German warships with their own eyes would be such a shocking scene. The Italian Navy was immediately delighted and felt that the Germans seemed quite reliable. This time, they were sure to get the big gift.

Especially Arturo Ricciardi, who led the team, was extremely excited, his eyes were shining.

He was now looking forward to what the gift from the Germans would be, and secretly thought that it would be even better if it was a battleship.

After all, for the Italian Navy, battleships are very lacking. In naval battles, the status of battleships is crucial. With it, the combat effectiveness and deterrence of the fleet can be greatly enhanced.

It's not that Italy can't build a battleship, they do have a certain shipbuilding capability, but they just don't have the money. The cost of building a battleship is not ordinary expensive, the high cost is beyond imagination, the funds spent on a battleship can support several divisions.

According to Italian standards, it would take the expenditure of at least ten divisions to equal the cost of building a battleship. This was really unaffordable for Italy, whose military expenditure was not abundant. That is why they did not build so many battleships. They could only watch helplessly as the German army had so many battleships, and they were very envious. Now they were hoping that the Germans would fulfill their promise and give them a satisfactory gift.

Of course, they were also very curious about where the Germans got so many warships. After all, the Italian Navy had been dealing with the Germans for a long time, and they knew very well how poor the Germans were in the past.

Back then, in their eyes, the Germans were just little brothers following behind them, not developed in any aspect, economically tight, and without strong financial resources.

Although the Germans gradually turned around after some development, they did not become extremely rich.

But now so many warships are clearly displayed before our eyes, which is enough to show that the Germans have really become rich and have a solid financial foundation, otherwise how could they come up with so many battleships at once.

As the saying goes, I am afraid that my brothers are having a hard life, and I am also afraid that my brothers are driving a Land Rover.

Now that the German army has suddenly sent out so many battleships, the Italian Navy is feeling a little jealous.

They looked at the powerful German fleet with great envy, thinking how great it would be if they could also own so many battleships.

The Italian Navy has always considered the Mediterranean Sea as its own exclusive territory, and felt that this area should be controlled by them and that they are the protagonists of this area.

Although the British Empire has been the undisputed overlord of this region in recent years, and the British Royal Fleet has been running rampant here, firmly controlling various rights and interests at sea, the Italian Navy has always been holding back a strong desire, thinking that as long as there is a suitable opportunity, it can still make a challenge, and perhaps it can seize control of the Mediterranean and become the real master of this sea area.

Isn’t the opportunity here now?
The German army appeared in the Mediterranean with many battleships. The Italian Navy felt that this might be a rare opportunity. If they could follow the German army and take advantage of the German army's momentum to compete with the British army, they might be able to rewrite the situation in the Mediterranean. At that time, they would be able to hold their heads high and show their prowess on the Mediterranean stage. So everyone began to plan in their minds and prepare to seize this opportunity.

Of course, if you want to dominate this sea area, you naturally need more warships. As for where to get the warships?
We will have to rely on the German army in front of us.

(End of this chapter)