World War: Battleship Arms Dealers

The German expert team arrived at the "Oasis" base on the morning of November 3, 1912.

Three SUVs, kicking up dust, drove through the gate, and six people got out. The leader was Otto Kohler, in his forties, not tall but wiry, with a hooked nose, deep-set eyes, and a sharp gaze.

Chen Feng and all his staff lined up to welcome him along the track.

"Dr. Kohler, welcome to Lanfang," Chen Feng said in fluent German.

Kohler was visibly taken aback for a moment, then extended his hand: "Mr. Chen, your German is very good."

"I've studied some." Chen Feng shook hands with him, feeling the strength of the other's hand. "This is our technical director, Zhao Tianxiang, and this is our chief engineer, Master Ma..."

After the introduction, Kohler got straight to the point: "We have limited time, three months. Show us your facilities and aircraft."

Chen Feng led them on a tour. In the hangar, the Swift-I and two Blélio XI aircraft were parked side by side. In the workshop, engineers were processing parts for the Swift-II. In the classroom, trainees were attending a theory class.

The Germans observed very carefully, occasionally exchanging whispered conversations in German. Chen Feng understood some of it:

"The craftsmanship is rough, but the design concept is advanced..."

"The airfoil shape is very unique; I've never seen anything like it before..."

"The engine is too old..."

After the tour, Kohler sat down in the conference room and got straight to the point: "Mr. Chen, we have received instructions from Berlin to provide you with aviation technology consultation. However, the scope of the consultation is limited: it will not involve military technology or the latest German research results."

"I understand." Chen Feng nodded. "We mainly need help in three areas: engine improvement, structural optimization, and flight training."

"Sure," Kohler said, "but I have a question: where did you get these aircraft blueprints from?"

Here we go again. Chen Feng was prepared: "We designed it ourselves. We drew on advanced European concepts and combined them with our actual conditions."

"Design it yourself?" a young engineer behind Kohler couldn't help but interject. "But some of these aerodynamic designs... our institute is still just working on them on paper!"

Chen Feng smiled and said, "Perhaps it's because we are not bound by tradition and dare to think and act."

Kohler gave him a deep look but didn't press the matter further. The conversation then turned to specific technical issues.

The German experts were very efficient. They started working the very next day.

Engine expert Hans Fischer plunged into the workshop and disassembled Blériot's engine from top to bottom—which made Master Ma wince in pain, but he dared not say a word.

"The cylinder casting quality is terrible, there are too many impurities in the material," Fisher said in broken English. "The piston rings don't seal well, the valve clearance is wrong. And this carburetor... it's practically an antique."

"Can it be changed?" Chen Feng asked.

"It can be improved, but the effect will be limited." Fisher shrugged. "It would be better to replace it with a new engine. We at Daimler have aircraft engines with 80 horsepower and light weight."

"price?"

"Three thousand pounds per unit."

Chen Feng quickly calculated that it was enough to build half an airplane. But then he thought about the cause of Lin Guodong's death...

"Buy two units. Also, we need the technical documentation to learn how to maintain them."

"We can provide the data, but not the core technology."

"Can."

Structural expert Karl Muller was more interested in the "Swift-I". He measured every dimension, drew countless sketches, and finally approached Chen Feng:

"Mr. Chen, the designer of this aircraft is a genius. The wing loading, center of gravity position, tail efficiency... are all very reasonable. But—"

He pointed to the junction of the fuselage and wings: "The strength here is insufficient. It might break if we perform high-G maneuvers."

Chen Feng's heart tightened: "How much overload?"

"Based on my calculations, anything beyond 3G carries risks."

3G is three times the acceleration due to gravity. You can achieve that by making a sharp turn.

"How can it be improved?"

"We need to reinforce this section, and we need to change the connection method here," Muller drew on the blueprints. "I can redesign it for you, but it will take time."

"How long will it take?"

"A plan can be produced in two weeks and revised within a month."

"Okay." Chen Feng immediately made the decision. "Master Ma, you will take two apprentices and have them learn from Mr. Muller throughout the entire process. They must understand the reasoning behind every change."

"yes!"

What surprised Chen Feng the most was the aerodynamics expert Erich Wolff. This PhD in his early thirties was full of praise for the "Swift's" airfoil and spent three consecutive days in the wind tunnel—if that rudimentary device made of fans and smoke pipes could be called a wind tunnel.

"The lift coefficient is 15 percent higher than conventional airfoils! And the drag is lower!" Wolf was as excited as a child. "Mr. Chen, how did you come up with this shape?"

"It was developed through experimentation," Chen Feng said vaguely. "Dr. Wolff, we want to design a new aircraft specifically for dive bombing. Do you have any suggestions?"

"Dive bombing?" Wolf was taken aback. "What do you mean?"

Chen Feng spread out simplified blueprints of the Ju 87 "Stuka"—only the aerodynamic shape was drawn, not the specific structure.

"This kind of aircraft needs to be able to dive from high altitudes at a near-vertical angle, accurately drop bombs, and then recover. It needs exceptionally good low-speed maneuverability, an exceptionally robust structure, and also... this."

He pointed to the nose section on the drawing: "A sound-emitting device is installed here, which will emit a shriek when diving, creating psychological deterrence."

Wolf's eyes widened: "A vertical dive? That would cause immense G-forces! The pilot would experience blackouts, even fainting! And recovery requires altitude, which is too dangerous!"

"That's why we need expert guidance," Chen Feng said sincerely. "We need to design a wing that can withstand high G-forces, efficient speed brakes, and... the measures you just mentioned to prevent pilots from fainting."

Wolf stared at the blueprints for a long time, then looked up: "I'll participate in this project. But I must point out that the German military is also researching similar concepts, but hasn't succeeded yet. It's extremely difficult."

"We know," Chen Feng said, "but we want to give it a try."

"Why? You don't even have decent fighter jets yet, why are you building bombers first?"

Chen Feng walked to the window and looked at the planes training on the runway outside: "Because we need a weapon that can deter the enemy. Fighter jets can only shoot down other planes, but bombers can shoot down ground targets, ports, and... warships."

He spoke the last two words very softly, but Wolf understood them.

"You want to use airplanes to attack warships?"

"Perhaps in the future," Chen Feng turned around, "but for now, it's enough to let the enemy know that we have this capability."

Wolff paused for a moment, then nodded. "Okay. I'll help you. But I need to make a copy of all the research data to take back to Germany."

"Sure." Chen Feng readily agreed—after all, these are things the Germans will develop decades from now, so giving them to them in advance is no problem.

The addition of German experts has led to a rapid improvement in the base's technological level.

The engine has been replaced with a new one, increasing power by 30% and significantly improving reliability. The structure has been reinforced, raising the overload limit from 3G to 5G. The performance of the Swift-I has been significantly improved: the maximum speed has increased from 130 to 150 kilometers per hour, and the rate of climb has increased from 3.5 to 5 meters per second.

More importantly, Chen Feng learned systematic R&D methods from the Germans: how to conduct static tests, how to conduct fatigue tests, and how to establish data archives.