Father of France

Chapter 264 The Debate on Naval Strategy
France eventually agreed to merge with the British and American occupied territories. When the news reached Moscow, Beria rushed to the Kremlin to report the grim situation to Stalin: "General Secretary, it seems that our efforts to maintain the integrity of Germany have failed, and the United States is determined to divide Germany."

Starting in April, the Soviets will inspect all American documents passing through the Soviet-occupied zone, as well as all items other than cargo and personal baggage.

The Soviet Union began imposing a series of ground transportation restrictions on Berlin, hoping to use this countermeasure to put pressure on the United States.

However, in retrospect, the United States ignored the Soviet Union's warnings and, along with Britain and France, announced monetary reforms in their occupied territories. This was a significant move to implement the Marshall Plan in the West and severely divide Germany.

*Snap!* Stalin lit his pipe, immersing himself in a cloud of smoke, and after a long pause, said, “We must prepare for a world war. Imperialism now believes it has military superiority and can no longer conceal its hostility toward the proletarian motherland. We must admit that Churchill’s instigation has been effective, and Truman is far less wise than Roosevelt. We must be prepared militarily.”

No sooner had Stalin finished speaking than Defense Minister Bulganin immediately replied, "We plan to build a fully mechanized armed force within ten years. Currently, only the Soviet Red Army is our reliable reliance in countering imperialism. It is not an exaggeration to emphasize military construction."

The Soviet tank armies have now completed full mechanized warfare, but the construction of motorized infantry divisions is far from complete, and the Ministry of Defense estimates that it will take at least five to ten years to complete.

"We must speed things up, and the progress of the nuclear weapons must be accelerated," Stalin said coldly. In the several conflicts between the United States and the Soviet Union after the war, the United States relied on its nuclear weapons to act recklessly and disregarded Soviet opposition. Ultimately, this was because the United States believed it could control the world.

"At the same time, we must prepare for confrontation. This time we can no longer swallow our anger. West Berlin is in the heart of our occupied territory, and transportation is under the control of the Great Red Army, which is a geographical advantage for us. Taking countermeasures would be the best option."

Bulganin and Beria both nodded in agreement, saying in turn, "This is an advantage. Should we do it now or not?"

"Once the Americans officially announce it, we will retaliate on the grounds of opposing the division of Germany," Stalin said after a long pause. He felt this was the most suitable place for the Soviet Union to retaliate.

Koeman had just disembarked in Marseille and bought a newspaper with news about the merger of the French-occupied and British-occupied territories and the upcoming currency reform in Germany.

The Berlin Crisis! Koeman raised an eyebrow, knowing that this was the trigger for the Berlin Crisis, and that the Soviet Union should now prepare countermeasures.

However, Stalin may not have had a proper understanding of Britain's and the United States' current air superiority, and he could not have imagined that Britain and the United States could support all the expenses of a city with nearly two million people with just transport planes.

It must be said that the United States is truly powerful today. This power was felt by the great Eastern power in the Korean War a few years later. The United States was able to open a passage to escape from Chosin Reservoir purely with its industrial strength. This was almost beyond the understanding of the great Eastern power. How could it be so fast?

The air corridors laid out by Britain and the United States during the Berlin Crisis greatly increased the confidence of Western countries in confronting the Soviet Union.

Of course, it wasn't all good. Britain and the United States believed that their air superiority had been greatly enhanced during the Berlin Crisis, and after the Berlin Crisis, they invested a lot of resources to strengthen their air forces, hoping to use their air superiority to suppress the Soviet Union.

As a result, the version was updated, and various missiles began to produce results. Britain and the United States had accumulated a bunch of bombers, but they had no ability to survive in the face of surface-to-air missiles.

The United States, being a large and powerful nation, is not significantly affected; at worst, it can simultaneously develop missiles. Britain, on the other hand, is a thing of the past. It cut back on the Royal Navy to make way for the Air Force, and its hard-won bomber fleet has become a has-been.

Sunk costs directly impacted the speed of military modernization in the UK, delaying a large number of military projects.

"What are you looking at?" Ava Gardner asked softly as she leaned closer to Koman, who was holding a newspaper and frowning.

"A major crisis is imminent," Koeman said, putting down his newspaper. Another victim of the Berlin crisis was, of course, Chiang Kai-shek. While the United States and the Soviet Union were locked in a power struggle in Berlin, Chiang Kai-shek had created a huge mess, and by the time the Berlin crisis ended, it was too late for any miracle.

"So mysterious," Ava Gardner muttered, rolling her eyes at Koman, taking it as her man plotting some scheme again. "If there really is a crisis, can't Britain, the US, and France deter the Soviet Union?"

"What Britain and France? We're fighting in Southeast Asia." Koeman thought to himself, "You really think highly of France. France doesn't have a strategic air force at all right now, and they're still hoping that Bach's team will fill that gap. As for Britain, they're involved in the Indo-Pakistani war in South Asia and the Israeli-Palestinian war to some extent."

Are a large number of British officers directing operations in Pakistan and Jordan while simultaneously pursuing air superiority with the US in Berlin? The US is not in a big problem, but can Britain withstand this kind of attrition?
The Bader Aircraft Company was located in Marseille, a suggestion made by Koeman. Although a great victory was achieved there, Koeman still felt somewhat guilty, as they were all French. With this in mind, placing the Bader team in Marseille was a form of compensation.

The Bard Corporation's factory itself is unremarkable, but the first impression upon entering is indescribable. The entire factory's interior space is so vast that it loses its sense of scale, resembling an indoor city. There's a faint smell of metal and machine oil in the air, the temperature is moderate, and the ventilation is excellent. Overhead are dense steel frames and bright lights, while underfoot is solid ground, with construction vehicles moving about.

Koeman didn't immediately return to Paris; instead, he came here to check on the progress of the regional jet. The fuselage, wings, tail, and other major components were stationary in their fixed positions. He didn't know for the time being how far along this highly anticipated aircraft was.

"Major Koman, are you here to check on the progress?" Chief Designer Bard, upon learning of Koman's arrival, put down his work and appeared. "Are you urging us to speed up the development?"

"Absolutely not. Safety first." Koeman vehemently denied it, adding that many industries in the world can be summarized by scientific formulas, which can then be applied to manufacturing.

However, this is not the whole story. The aviation industry is, in fact, an experience-based rather than a science-based industry. Strictly mathematically speaking, engineers know how to design aircraft that can fly at high altitudes, but mathematical formulas cannot explain the generation of aerodynamic lift.

The United States, quite confidently, abandoned the idea of ​​building a hypersonic wind tunnel in the 21st century and instead used computer simulations. As a result, it failed to build hypersonic missiles and its sixth-generation fighter jet was delayed. Meanwhile, the Eastern superpower that honestly built wind tunnels has already produced finished products.

As it turns out, this thing can only function as a wind tunnel; it's simply beyond the capabilities of a supercomputer.

Human understanding of aerospace is actually built upon a series of empirical formulas. These formulas are derived from data modeling accumulated through wind tunnel experiments and real aircraft test flights of numerous model aircraft, rather than possessing a complete theoretical system like other disciplines.

Therefore, in this kind of industry, how could Coman dare to put pressure on it to speed up the process? It's not something that can be pressured; putting pressure on it would most likely result in an accident.

This response pleased Bader. Germany had made extensive use of wind tunnel technology during the war, not only in aircraft manufacturing but also in rocket launches, accumulating a wealth of data.

However, this valuable data now belongs to Washington and Moscow, and Bard's team now has to start from scratch.

Koeman came here to shower the team with compliments, using encouraging words and adding some francs to boost morale, before heading to the station to return to Paris. He came decisively and left just as quickly.

During my vacation back home, I happened to be there when several hot topics came up, including Philippe de Gaulle's promotion to lieutenant. His design for an aircraft carrier with an angled flight deck and light-assisted navigation has been widely recognized by the French Navy, and Philippe de Gaulle has become a rising star in the French aircraft carrier movement.

Koeman believed that this was entirely due to Philippe de Gaulle's own talent and had absolutely nothing to do with General de Gaulle, the French national hero and founder of Free France.

The reason they are called aircraft carrier proponents is that in the late 19th century, France decided on what was later summarized as the air-submarine-fast attack craft strategy. According to this strategy, the core of the French Navy's development was to build a green-water navy to safeguard its maritime rights in coastal waters, including the Mediterranean.

Aircraft carriers, from any perspective, have nothing to do with the air-submarine fast attack route, which is currently represented by submarines.

"This?" When Coman met Martin and heard him mention the current policy dispute within the French Navy, he thought to himself, "How come I encounter this kind of thing in every country?" At least he knew that China and the Soviet Union had both had such policy disputes.

In the Soviet Red Navy, the voices of the aircraft carrier faction were long suppressed by the submarine faction. As for the problem of the major Eastern power, it was very simple: it was mainly due to a lack of funds.

No money? This can actually explain the current debate over the direction of the French Navy. The navy is not a military branch that is quick, efficient, or cost-effective.

However, Koeman remained confident, believing that "Captain Philippe de Gaulle's voice is enough to make the Ministry of Defense and the government take it seriously."

“Of course, we all know the reason.” Martin agreed. The reason was naturally Captain Philippe de Gaulle, the son of General de Gaulle, and there was no other reason.

The first Middle East war devolved into a situation that Israel least wanted, proceeding in a war of attrition. Israel's idea of ​​counterattacking Egypt was good, but it failed.

(End of this chapter)