Bismarck

"...So, not only did you destroy the prison, beat up the gendarmes, and quarreled with the marshal, but you also alarmed the Fuehrer!?..."

Top probably would never have thought that Lütjens would actually fall out with Reger directly, and bring Lindemann and Bonte with him, and even bring the matter to the Führer... The Führer actually supported Lütjens.

Top could only be thankful that his heart was in good condition and he didn't get a heart attack. I'm just a colonel, why should I be so irritated... I really don't understand the world of you generals...

"So, Tirpitz and Zeppelin also..."

"Yes, our three ships now form a new fleet, and in a few days we will go to Brest, France to set up defense and attack the British there."

Top wiped the sweat off his forehead, smiled bitterly, and then shook his head helplessly. The entire German Navy relied on these three new warships, but in the end, all three warships had a falling out with the Admiral.

What combat power does the mainland have? Can we still count on the ships Shane and Gnai, which will be refitted at least until the end of January next year?

Maybe he should be thankful that he only had a falling out with the marshal and not with Germany...

"I know you were promoted by Regel, I don't think Regel would bother you for this matter. After all, you were an unknown person before the news of the ship girl was exposed." The captain also smiled bitterly. Who could have known that it would turn out like this...

At the same time, the four captains all looked in the direction of the four ship girls on the other side. Eugen, who was frightened by the unscrupulous sisters before, was now completely coaxed by the three smiling sisters. Now the four girls were standing in a circle, talking and laughing. Because of Eugen's arrival, Tizi got rid of the title of the youngest, so she was actually the happiest, and she also turned over and became a sister.

Looking at it this way, the close relationship between the ship girls, especially Eugen's carefree smile, in the eyes of these four "old" men who have experienced life and death, personnel changes, and are deeply involved in politics for many years, actually have an inexplicable feeling of healing...?

The men looked at each other and laughed.

Try not to bring political things into their world if possible.

Toph made his decision.

--

Top had a simple dinner and then left. It was the captain who sent him away. Also leaving with him was Eugen, who was apologized to and "bribed" by the three sisters with a lot of food, clothes, and toys. He was so happy that he seemed a little reluctant to leave.

"The future for us is almost hopeless. Redel is narrow-minded and has a strong desire for control, so you should go back early while there are few people around. If someone tells them that you have a close relationship with us, it will probably affect your future..." Lütjens said with a smile.

In fact, with his status, he is only second to Reger. After all, he is the Atlantic commander in charge of three cutting-edge warships and an admiral, so this statement is mostly a joke.

Perhaps it was to avoid suspicion? When Top got off the ship, the captain, Lindemann, and Bonte did not see him off.

Although Top did not express anything, the careful Persian cat still saw Top take a deep look towards the captain's room after he got off the ship...

but...

"You three haven't finished what you did this afternoon yet, and you actually ganged up to bully others. Now, review your actions! Compare the military discipline regulations with what you did this afternoon, and write them down for me! Only when you write them sincerely can we approve it!!"

The three frightened ship girls turned around and saw that Lütjens's face was already cold and frosted, and Bonte and Lindemann on both sides also looked depressed...

Then these three panicked completely...

We surrender!

Woo.

--

Top is not part of the Atlantic Fleet and has a lot of things to do.

The next day, Top took his Prince Eugen and a group of graduates from the Naval Academy to go out to sea for training.

Meanwhile, Lütjens, Bonte, Lindemann, Bismarck, Zeppelin and Tizi were also planning the next battle plan. Well, Tizi didn't count, a certain homebody hamster was now dozing off on the side. The promise to remodel later was also forgotten, saying that nothing is bigger than sleeping... Oh, and eating.

The three battleships are organized as the Atlantic Fleet, but they are still in Germany. The British Home Fleet now has two high-speed battleships (after the Hood modification, it has battleship-level combat power), one battlecruiser, and three regular ships. Moreover, almost all the islands in the relevant sea areas are under the control of the British - Greenland - Iceland - the British Empire (the actual English name is the United Kingdom). The initials of these places are just a natural island chain defense line! The GIUK defense line that surrounded the German Navy in World War II and trapped the Soviet Navy in the Cold War!!!

So, how to break into the Atlantic Ocean is a big problem...

Because of the falling out with Raeder, the German Navy Atlantic Fleet can now apply for very few resources, and sometimes even has to get intelligence from the Air Force. Although Zeppelin can get things from the Air Force and re-equip 110 carrier-based aircraft squadrons and pilots, the sea operations are too far away from the German occupied areas, so basically they still have to rely on themselves...

Lütjens even put a lot of thought into it and used a lot of connections to ask the shipyard to vacate some rooms on the three warships while they were being repaired, and install several machine tools in the name of "expedition-specific maintenance workshops", intending to enhance the maintenance capabilities of the three warships as much as possible when they were operating independently.

Moreover, there are no large warships stationed in Germany now, and according to the previous order from the mustache, the Persian cat must remain in the country for other uses.

so...

"Well, if Bismarck stays in the mainland, he can at least tie down a high-speed battleship and an aircraft carrier! In this way, the British will not be able to concentrate their forces to capture us." Lindemann and Bonte looked at each other and nodded.

"I expect them to have at most one high-speed battleship and one battlecruiser, plus two aircraft carriers this time, right?" Zeppelin used a ruler and compass to measure on the nautical chart. "There are three waterways from Norway to the Atlantic Ocean: the Shetland-Faroe Islands are too close to the UK's Scapa Flow and the patrol force is too strong, so we don't consider them. The only ones left are the Denmark Strait between Iceland and Greenland, and the Shetland-Iceland waterway. The theoretical total width of these two waterways is thousands of kilometers, with Iceland in the middle. With the size of the British fast fleet, they can't block these two waterways at the same time."

"Besides, it is early October now. Our estimated date of departure is around October 15th, and we are expected to arrive there after October 19th or 20th..." Lindman calculated the time and chuckled, "It will be the polar night in the Arctic at this time. By that time, even in Iceland, which is on the edge of the Arctic Circle, the daytime will only be about six hours. In this way, their efficiency in using aircraft will probably be much lower..."

"Then, what remains is to use operations research to determine the probability of the British using a fleet to intercept. Although the British will definitely find a way to send more troops to patrol north and east of Iceland, and even Jan Mayen Island - especially their cruisers!" Bonte supported his chin with his hand and said, "The Denmark Strait is farther away from Scapa Flow, about 1,500 kilometers. But now it is estimated that large areas of floating ice have begun to appear there, and if affected by the floating ice, the navigable width of the Denmark Strait is only about 100 kilometers. I wonder if we can bypass the British patrol ships..."

"If we take the Iceland-Faroe Islands route, although the sea is wider, the latitude here is further south than the Denmark Strait, so the daytime will be longer. Moreover, the Faroe Waterway is no more than 1000 kilometers away from the British mainland, and the British fleet can arrive there in one day by sailing from Scapa Flow. Moreover, the distance between Iceland and the Faroe Islands is less than kilometers, and the combat radius of the air force base on the island can completely block the strait! The air threat will be more serious..." Zeppelin said with a frown.

"By the way, does the British have troops stationed on Jan Mayen Island now?" Lütjens asked his secretary ship.

A secretary flipped through the documents in his hand and answered his admiral's question: "Not yet. According to the report sent by the intelligence department, the Icelandic underground anti-British guerrillas we funded have caused some trouble for the British. Now they don't have enough troops to control Jan Mayen Island. Of course, our current troops are not enough, so it is still deserted."

"It's good that there's no one there!" Lütjens breathed a sigh of relief. Jan Mayen Island is located 600 kilometers north of Iceland and 500 kilometers east of Greenland, directly guarding the entrance and exit of the Arctic Ocean. Although the climate is extremely harsh, it is one of the two major cold sources in the entire northern hemisphere (the other is the Siberia region of the Soviet Union). The climate here directly affects the cold current conditions of the entire North Atlantic and even the North American continent. ----More importantly, this is the entrance and exit of the Arctic Ocean, which can directly threaten the route from Norway to the Danish Strait!

There is no enemy here for the time being, which is great news.

However, if the British are on high alert, it will be a tough battle to break out anyway...right?

Everyone's brows were furrowed, except...

"I say, there's no need to think too much about this problem, right? We have to fight a battle on the way to break out anyway." As expected of being the captain of Tirpitz, Lindemann's heartless appearance is a perfect match for Tirpitz!

"What do you mean?" Bonte, Bismarck and Zeppelin all looked confused, but Bismarck saw that Lütjens's face began to turn from gloomy to bright.

"This question is very simple. Since we can't avoid being discovered no matter where we go, let's choose a place where it is most difficult for them to intercept us!" As he spoke, Lindemann waved his hand, and the two-color pencil in his hand drew a big arrow at the location of the Danish Strait.

As Lindman explained, everyone understood and began to express their opinions:

"This place is closer to the North Pole. Their air force's combat efficiency will decrease under the influence of the polar night!"

"Besides, this place is farther from Scapa Flow and the Faroe Islands. Even if the British have long-range reconnaissance aircraft, they can't mobilize too many troops to attack!"

"Even if the British have deployed a large number of troops here, we will probably be discovered and intercepted no matter which route we take, so we just need to find a place where the British are least able to exert their strength!"

"Yes! The most important thing is that this place is the farthest from the British mainland!!" Finally, even Lütjens spoke up: "Combat effectiveness decreases exponentially with increasing distance, so this is already the most disadvantageous place for the British! Not to mention that there are guerrillas in Iceland. If we want to break out, this is the place with the highest probability of breaking out!!"

"Well! Let's break through from here!" Everyone nodded vigorously - as for the hamster in the corner who was muttering "so noisy", it had been ignored by everyone.

"Well, let's do this! We'll write out the plan and send it to the Supreme Command for reporting! We still have more than ten days to prepare, so everyone should adjust their status. In addition to Bismarck, Zeppelin and Tirpitz should take advantage of these few days to strengthen the training of sailors and pilots. We will set sail on the 15th! ----Operation code: Danube Exercise!!!"

"Yes!!" Lütjens responded with four loud replies and the muttering of a hamster in the corner who was covering his ears with an impatient look on his face...

ps: While the battle plan was being formulated, the transaction also began~

Recommend "Hell Paradise Plan", Synopsis: For various reasons, the devil can raise his own demons through the malice in people's hearts. And for various reasons, Ronin became a devil. "I only want to raise cute and beautiful demons! So those who are not beautiful girls should die, don't fall and cause trouble for me!" In this way, Ronin, an unruly devil, constantly expanded his evil (queen) demon (palace) guards on the journey.

I will take the second test tomorrow. I hope you will pass it... Believe in Persian cats and you will have eternal life! I don't pray for snow and wind.

Chapter 290: Secret Departure

That night, Lütjens reported the plan to Hitler overnight and obtained the Führer's approval as quickly as possible. Thus, the "Danube Exercise" was officially launched, bypassing the position of Admiral of the Navy.

According to the task allocation of the breakout operation, Lütjens will lead Tirpitz and Zeppelin to sea, head to Norway in the North Sea, refuel in Bergen, then bypass the Denmark Strait of Iceland, and circle back to Brest from the Atlantic Ocean.

This operation mainly relied on the high speed and high maneuverability of Zeppelin and Tirpitz to break through the blockade, leaving the British main battleships far behind. The only thing to worry about were the aircraft carriers. Therefore, as long as Zeppelin could suppress the British aircraft carriers, breaking through would basically not be a problem - in the North Sea.

As for the Atlantic Ocean, with Zeppelin's search capability, Lütjens was fully confident that he could avoid them before the British discovered them.

Since Bismarck was going to take part in the top-secret operation of the Führer's visit to the Soviet Union in a few days, she naturally could not participate in this breakout, so she could only reluctantly send her captain to the Zeppelin, and the gunnery chief was appointed as the temporary captain.

"You have to obey Hyde's orders, do you understand?" Lütjens still warned her worriedly even after boarding the Zeppelin, fearing that she would cause trouble.

"I understand. After all, the gunner is one of us. I won't go against him." Bismarck nodded hurriedly while packing Lütjens' luggage.

"The space above the Zeppelin is a little bigger than mine." Bismarck looked around the captain's room and said with some "jealousy".

"More than a little, look at your room, it's much smaller." Zeppelin appeared at the door at some point and said lazily.

"Although it's small, it's comfortable to live in. Do you have any objections?" Bismarck snorted.

"What's there to argue about?" Lütjens came out and said with a smile.

Bismarck has been often arrogant towards Zeppelin ever since he "shamelessly" let him take the blame last time. In addition, Zeppelin would tease the cat intentionally or unintentionally, so the two of them often quarreled, and Lütjens was helpless.

"Remember to take good care of the commander, otherwise I will beat you when I come back." Bismarck said before getting off the ship.

"My sister, don't forget, you only have 150,000 horsepower, but I have 200,000." Zeppelin smiled brightly.

"My armor is 20,000 tons, and yours is just a thin-skinned dumpling..."

"What are dumplings?" Zeppelin asked puzzledly.

"A kind of food. You can ask Bismarck to take you to eat it later." Lütjens said with a smile.

"No, I'm leaving, Captain." Bismarck waved his hand and was about to walk down the gangway, then suddenly remembered something, turned back, and hugged his captain in front of everyone.

There were many crew members working on the Zeppelin deck at this time. Many people who witnessed this scene were silent for a while, shocked by Bismarck's behavior. The perpetrator himself went down to the dock with a mischievous smile, leaving Lütjens rubbing his nose awkwardly. Well, this ship will also leave its legend...

As soon as Bismarck got off the ship, cheers and whistles immediately arose.

By the evening of the next day, all preparations were completed. Under the setting sun, the two warships ate and drank their fill, fired up the boilers, and untied the cables. When the sun was completely below the sea level, with the roar of the engines, Tirpitz and Zeppelin left the dock one after another and sailed into the vast ocean.

"Take care of yourself--!"

Bismarck stood on the dock and shouted at their backs, and her response was two long blasts of the whistle.

-------

On the afternoon of the third day after the Zeppelin formation left, the Bismarck started its boilers and the crew began to make final preparations before sailing. They knew they were going to sea, but no one knew the specific actions, not even the department heads. Only the gunnery chief and Bismarck knew what would happen.

"Captain Hyde, are you ready? Our guests will be here soon," Bismarck said with a teasing smile to the gunner.

"If I had known that the captain appointed me as acting captain to do this, I would not have accepted it!" Captain Hyde, the former gunnery chief, said regretfully.

Although the title of captain sounds good, the responsibilities and tasks are also great, such as the reception later. If Lütjens is here, I can definitely go and rest, but...

He spent ten minutes just looking at his outfit in the mirror.

"Bismarck, it doesn't matter if I'm like this, right?" Hyde asked.

"It doesn't matter. I'm not as formal as you." Bismarck complained.

"It's okay for you, but I'm very nervous..."

"What's there to be nervous about... Wait, it's coming? It's coming!"

"Coming? Are there still people on your deck?"

"Not yet, broadcast now, everyone return to the cabin!" Bismarck said as the ship-wide broadcast sounded.

"All personnel, all personnel, including the armed guards, return to their respective cabins. I repeat, all return to their respective cabins!"

Soon the decks were cleared.

Bismarck welcomed his important guest, the head of the German Empire, Hitler.

There were no flowers and applause, no welcoming crowds, and no media coverage. Hitler came to Germany's most powerful battleship in an extremely secret way. Even the sailors on the Bismarck did not know that the Führer had come that night. They were strictly restricted from going on deck and only learned the news after they went out to sea.

"Hello, Führer." The only people greeting him at the gangway were Bismarck and temporary Captain Hyde, both in military uniforms.

"Hello." Hitler nodded happily. He first shook hands with Hyde, then turned to Bismarck and patted her shoulder.

"Führer, welcome to the battleship Bismarck." Bismarck said with a smile, "Please follow me, we will go to the conference room first."

"Okay, everyone follow me!"

Hitler and his entourage were brought to the conference room, and only then did Heide discover who was among the people who came this time: Field Marshal Keitel, Chief of the Supreme Command, Foreign Minister Ribbentrop, civil engineer Speer - to provide an assessment of the Soviet Union's infrastructure, Schulenburg - head of the Gestapo, responsible for intelligence assessment, Kaltenbronner - head of the Nazi Security Main Office, responsible for security and confidentiality), as well as a large group of industrial, economic, and foreign trade leaders or representatives.

Including Hitler, the level of this visiting delegation was very high.

"Führer, please take a rest first. In order to keep it confidential, Captain Hyde and I will go to the bridge and then we will set out to sea," said Bismarck.

"Don't worry about us, just go ahead." Hitler nodded in agreement.

"Yes."

That night, Bismarck quietly left Wilhelmshaven without anyone noticing.

ps: The name of the volume has been changed, and a new volume "Fateful Rhine Exercise" has begun~

Chapter 291: The Führer meets Bismarck!

"Bismarck, was there anything wrong with my performance just now?" Hyde asked as they walked.

"No problem." Bismarck burst out laughing.

"That's good. I was so nervous." Hyde wiped the sweat off his face and said with a wry smile, "This is the first time I've met the Führer in this way."

"Hahaha, Hyde, be more confident, you performed very well."

"I'm not really suited to being a captain. Hey, get out first."