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

On the vast sea with turbulent waves and undercurrents, the originally calm atmosphere was broken by deafening sounds of "Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!"

Not long after, the German battleships that were leisurely wandering on the sea like sea monsters adjusted their gun positions and pointed their black muzzles towards the port. Then, one shell after another, with tremendous force, whistled through the sky and whistled towards the port.

The moment the shells hit the ground, they exploded with devastating force. The strong impact of the explosion spread rapidly around like a surging wave, making the entire earth tremble violently as if it had suffered a violent earthquake, as if it was vulnerable to this terrifying force. The power displayed by the 406mm naval gun was really frightening. Every time it fired, it was like a prehistoric beast with bared fangs and claws releasing its violent power. Its ferocity was obvious and daunting.

The commanders of the Italian and French fleets standing by, witnessing the astonishingly powerful bombardment of the German battleships, couldn't help but reveal envy on their faces, and the desire in their eyes almost overflowed.

"It's so powerful." Admiral Darlan stood on the bridge of his own fleet, his eyes fixed on the explosion area in the distance where flames were rising one after another. His face was full of unspeakable envy, and he kept thinking in his heart, how great it would be if his own fleet could also have such powerful firepower.

In fact, the Italian and French fleets originally had powerful weapons and equipment such as the 406mm naval guns, but they were deceived by the British army with some tricks and sweet words. As a result, these powerful naval guns were sent to the British Isles. As a result, the maximum caliber of the naval guns they are equipped with now is only 380mm. Naturally, there is a big gap in firepower intensity compared with the German naval guns, and they appear much inferior.

Not to mention the Italian fleet next to them. Due to their weak industrial base and backward shipbuilding technology, they simply had no ability to manufacture large-caliber naval guns like 406mm. So when they saw the German naval guns looking so majestic and powerful, they were so envious that their eyes widened and their saliva almost flowed down. They were so greedy in their hearts.

"Twelve battleships, the German army has a very deep foundation." Lieutenant General Jean Sur stared at the shocking bombardment scene in front of him, and sighed sincerely, with envy on his face. You know, in peacetime, with such a number of battleships, the navy's strength is second only to the Royal Navy. The German army has not revealed these hidden assets until now, which is enough to show that they have great ambitions. They want to rely on such a strong naval force to occupy an important position in this complicated war, and then realize their more ambitious strategic plans.

Of course, the Italian and French fleets did not just stand there and watch. They had already ordered a batch of warships. Although the number ordered was much smaller than that of the German army, it could at least alleviate the shortage of French warships to a certain extent and add some help to subsequent operations so that they would not be too weak in naval battles.

Fortunately, the Italian and French fleets did not choose to just sit there and watch, especially the French fleet, which was full of anger. After all, it was Cannen who led the team and attacked their port unexpectedly. This was a great humiliation for the French, and they had long remembered this hatred. Now that they finally got the chance to retaliate, they naturally would not be polite to the other side. When they fired, they were so ruthless that the shells poured towards the port like dense raindrops, as if they wanted to vent all the humiliation they had suffered before through the shells.

It's quite interesting to think about it. Before, everyone was an ally, and they would cooperate with each other and deal with some situations together. But with the changing situation and the conflict of interests, they became enemies in a blink of an eye. However, this is a common situation in Europe. After all, the historical grievances between European countries are really complicated, especially between Britain and France. Over the past few hundred years, the wars have been intermittent and endless. It is not an exaggeration to say that they are feuds. Therefore, once there are contradictions and differences between the two sides, the hostility is really unambiguous and there is no sympathy at all.

During this fierce bombardment, the French army's performance was indeed slightly better than the German army's hit rate, but it was only slightly better, and the overall gap was not too big. The performance of the Italian fleet was really terrible. They basically didn't hit the target when they fired. The shells were like headless flies, flying around in the air without any clue, and then disappeared without a trace. The low hit rate made people shake their heads, which was really embarrassing.

At the beginning, watching the shells explode continuously in the harbor, the flames soaring into the sky and the thick smoke billowing, it seemed that the results of the battle were quite good, and everyone was slightly relieved, thinking that the attack was going well. But before they could be happy for long, trouble came. The coastal defense artillery on the harbor side was not a pushover and soon launched a fierce counterattack.

The power of the coastal defense gun should not be underestimated. Even if the shells just flew past, the impact and destructive power generated could cause huge damage to the battleship, as if it was slapped hard by an invisible giant hand, leaving shocking scars on the battleship's hull, which made people feel frightened and terrified.

Fortunately, the main force responsible for firing this time was the German battleships. Relying on their relatively strong protective armor and the sailors' skilled operating skills and flexible evasive movements, the German battleships finally withstood most of the attacks from the coastal defense artillery, so that the damage suffered by the Italian and French fleets was not particularly serious overall. This was a blessing in disguise.

Marshal Raeder stood on the command ship, looking at the two battleships of his own from afar. They were hit by the coastal artillery, and were emitting thick smoke. The hulls were also obviously damaged. The muscles on his face could not help but twitch, and his face was full of distress. After all, these battleships were the treasures of the German Navy. They consumed a lot of manpower, material resources, and financial resources, and were carefully built and run-in for a long time before they were put into this war. Now seeing them being hit so hard, it was like a piece of flesh and blood was cut off. Don't mention how uncomfortable it was.

However, Admiral Raeder knew very well that if he could successfully capture the Port of Alexandria, the benefits that could be gained in the future would be considerable, both in terms of strategic significance and in terms of resource acquisition. Compared with these potential benefits, the damage to the two battleships seemed barely acceptable. Thinking of this, he gritted his teeth and secretly made up his mind that he had to continue the attack and must not give up halfway because of this loss. At this moment, an idea suddenly flashed through Admiral Raeder's mind, if only he had a few aircraft carriers at hand. You know, the carrier-based aircraft on the aircraft carrier can take off and fight. Facing the troublesome coastal defense guns in the port, launching an air strike by carrier-based aircraft is undoubtedly a very good way to deal with it. For a moment, Admiral Raeder's attitude towards aircraft carriers actually changed. Before, he always felt that aircraft carriers did not have much practical use. They were just an embellishment in the naval combat system, so he never paid much attention to them and did not work hard to develop aircraft carrier forces.

But the situation is completely different now. Facing the powerful and tightly defended coastal defense artillery at the port, it is difficult to cause substantial damage to it by relying on conventional naval guns. After much thought, it seems that only by launching an air strike and relying on the air power of carrier-based aircraft can we really cause effective damage to the opponent and have a chance to break through the defense of the coastal defense artillery, thereby creating favorable conditions for taking the port.

"Marshal, two battleships have already come under fire. Should we stop firing first?" Vice Admiral Lütjens looked at the two battleships that were seriously damaged and in a worrying condition, frowned, and asked with a worried look on his face. He thought that if the fighting continued, who knows how many battleships would be damaged, and the losses would probably become greater and greater. So he still hoped that the marshal could think carefully and suspend the attack first to avoid more losses.

Unexpectedly, Marshal Raeder pondered for a moment, his eyes revealing an unshakable firmness, and then rejected his proposal without hesitation, saying in a steady and serious tone: "No, continue the attack, we must put some pressure on the port, otherwise it will be difficult to take the port."

Hearing this, Vice Admiral Lütjens was silent for a moment. Although he still felt a little distressed for the two injured battleships, after all, they were also important forces of the German Navy. Seeing them in such a state, he felt uncomfortable. But after thinking carefully, he felt that what the marshal said was indeed quite reasonable. After all, if the attack was stopped now, all the previous efforts would be in vain. The shells consumed, the manpower and material resources invested, and the offensive momentum created by the battleships risking their guns would all be in vain, and there would be no hope of taking the port.

"Don't feel bad about the two battleships. Once we take over the port, we can get ten more such battleships, and then we can equip them with some aircraft carriers." Marshal Raeder seemed to see what Vice Admiral Lütjens was thinking. He walked up to him, patted him gently on the shoulder, and comforted him earnestly, trying to get him to take a long-term view and not just focus on the losses in front of him, but to see the greater benefits that could be brought about by taking over the port and the subsequent development prospects.

"Aircraft carrier?" Vice Admiral Lütjens couldn't help but blurt out. As soon as he finished speaking, his eyes widened instantly, full of surprise and expectation. Suddenly, his eyes lit up, as if he saw a ray of hope in the darkness.

You know, before this, Admiral Raeder strictly prohibited anyone from talking about aircraft carriers in front of him. In the entire navy, aircraft carriers are like a taboo topic. Everyone carefully avoids it and dares not touch it easily, for fear of offending the marshal.

Although the German army spent a lot of manpower, material resources and financial resources to build an aircraft carrier, the condition of this aircraft carrier was really ridiculous. Compared with the mainstream aircraft carriers in the world at that time, it was simply a world of difference.

Take the unique configuration of this aircraft carrier for example. Most people would be surprised to hear about it. Have you ever seen a normal aircraft carrier equipped with naval guns? But this German aircraft carrier is equipped with naval guns. This peculiar design makes it more like a battleship than an aircraft carrier in terms of function and appearance, which completely deviates from the core feature of aircraft carriers that rely on carrier-based aircraft for combat.

The more critical and more difficult problem is that the issue of the aircraft carrier's surrender has reached a deadlock and caused great trouble. If an aircraft carrier wants to exert its due power in naval battles, carrier-based aircraft are indispensable, but it is precisely in the configuration of carrier-based aircraft that an irreconcilable contradiction arises with the air force.

The Air Force was very tough and firmly disagreed with allocating fighters and pilots to the Navy. They believed that all fighters with flying capabilities should be managed and deployed by the Air Force, and that air combat power must be firmly in their hands and must not be dispersed to the Navy, as if this was their "territory" that could not be violated.

But the Navy naturally couldn't easily agree. After all, for the Navy, if there were no carrier-based aircraft, then this so-called aircraft carrier would be just an empty shell and could not play the role it should play, so building it would lose its meaning. Both sides had their own positions and considerations, and neither side was willing to make concessions. As a result, the relationship between the two sides became extremely tense, like two taut strings that were ready to explode at any time.

Therefore, if the Navy wants to truly own an aircraft carrier that can be put into actual combat and exert strong combat effectiveness, it will face considerable obstacles. Not only does it have to find a way to get past Marshal Raeder, but it also has to find a way to resolve the sharp contradiction between itself and the Air Force.

But who could have thought that Admiral Raeder would actually soften his attitude towards aircraft carriers? He actually gave in. This was beyond Lieutenant General Lütjens's expectations. The aircraft carrier combat force that he had originally thought was hopeless and unattainable now seemed to have a possibility of realization. This sudden change made him surprised and happy, and ignited new expectations in his heart. (End of this chapter)