Chapter 131 Doomsday Technology? February 22, 1943, Monday. On the 8th day after the Italian fleet set sail from the mainland, Germany and the United States officially signed an official-led trade agreement in Berlin. It was called the "largest foreign order in history" by the U.S. government. The total contract The price is as high as 96 billion U.S. dollars, which is approximately 240 billion Reichsmarks. The areas involved include more than ten major projects and more than 200 small projects, such as aviation and communication to optical instruments. The contracts involved in the agreement are to be completed within seven years, all in cash in US dollars. Settlement. Once the news was disclosed by the media, the response caused around the world was comparable to that of a super hurricane. Some analysts commented that this order will allow the United States to continue to accelerate on the military fast track. The order and the implicit assistance behind the order will quickly improve the actual combat skills of the US military in land and air. Some people also believe that this astronomical amount of international trade will bring unprecedented vitality to the German economy. Germany's military industry, shipbuilding and related technologies will not shrink because of the end of the European War, and may even usher in a second golden development. Expect. Regarding this heavyweight incident, most neutral countries looked up with envy and covet. Japan and Italy, which were at war with the United States, unanimously expressed heavy regrets - because Germany had already stated that it would take reciprocal measures against the belligerents. The "cash and carry" policy, coupled with the fact that the Steel Axis Agreement was no longer substantively binding, the two governments ultimately did not adopt diplomatic attacks or more confrontational measures. Rome and Tokyo successively sent heavyweight representatives to Berlin for trade negotiations. , in order to introduce the technology that the country urgently needs, especially the radar system that can greatly improve combat efficiency in a short period of time. The German government did not directly reject the requests of the two countries, but just when U.S. Vice President Wallace returned with the delegation, The next day, the German Chancellery issued an announcement: Prime Minister Hans Rogen will go to the Alps for vacation, and state affairs will be handled by Deputy Prime Minister Speer and cabinet ministers. Naturally, Italy and Japan's trade requests encountered "slow processing and slow action," but they could only watch as the Germans processed large orders with the U.S. government with the same efficiency as usual. In late February alone, two large fleets departed from Germany for North America, and the two mixed fleets of the German Navy with aircraft carriers and heavy cruisers as the core also "happened" to be active on the routes of these two fleets, leading to the intention to The Italian cruisers and submarines used it as a defensive weapon, but ultimately failed to make any achievements in the North Atlantic waters with which they were not familiar. On the other hand, the Italian Expeditionary Fleet, which has attracted worldwide attention, is also continuing their long and boring voyage: on February 24, the fleet rounded the Cape of Good Hope; on February 26, the accompanying supply ship sailed into Port Elizabeth, South Africa to replenish food and fresh water; On March 4, the fleet sailed through the Strait of Madagascar, during which a reconnaissance aircraft with the French military logo flew over the fleet at low altitude, and the escorting destroyer fired a warning, which caused a diplomatic dispute between Italy and France; on March 10, the fleet arrived in the Arabian Sea - About 12 days further than traveling directly through the Suez Canal. During this period, due to an unexpected attack by US bombers from Saudi Arabia, the dredging project of the Suez Canal was delayed again, and it is not expected to be dredged until late March. In the Pacific, the U.S. military intended to seize the initiative before the Italian fleet arrived on the battlefield, and began to launch offensives against Japanese strongholds and sea and air bases in the direction of the Solomon Islands and Mariana Islands from the end of February. However, the Japanese combined fleet's "fishing" failed, and the two Each attack was just one step away, failing to seriously damage the main force of the U.S. Navy, especially several large aircraft carriers, which kept the decisive naval battle in an increasingly critical state. At this point in the battle, it is particularly exciting! The smell of gunpowder smoke fills the Pacific Ocean, but in the Bavarian countryside at the northern foot of the Alps, German Chancellor Hans Rogen enjoys the natural and fresh air with peace of mind. Of course, vacation does not mean doing nothing. He gave up unique leisure activities such as mountain climbing and skiing, and chose a castle-style hotel with a unique scenery to ponder the things he was interested in, including some that seemed boring or unbelievable. Science and technology projects. "If possible, I would like to hold an exchange meeting for the empire's most outstanding military technical experts, engineers and top scholars in related fields, so that they can enhance mutual understanding, especially breakthroughs and development ideas in each other's fields, thereby broadening everyone's horizons . We can also use this opportunity to award medals and awards to them, encourage them to continue to engage in their own research and inventions with eclectic thinking, and provide them with opportunities for high government funding!¡± Logan and his rival drinking buddy Ernst Udet, who had been together all year round, each sat in a comfortable posture on a wicker chair. On such a sunny late winter day, although the two of them did not drink heavily, they could still talk casually. Have fun chatting. Smoking a big cigar, Udet said: "Hey, I completely agree with this! The times are developing so fast. I feel like I am almost being eliminated. It is time to make way for young people!" It has been a long time since I quit smoking. For a while, ?Gen drank tea alone: ??"Young people are often too frivolous, and they need seniors like you to guide them! Besides, how many people can understand the principles of these technologies? I can't!" "I am now It¡¯s getting harder and harder to understand!¡± Udet lamented, ¡°The development of technology has exceeded my imagination ¨C people really have to grow old!¡± Logan smiled and shook his head. He knew that in a sober state, Under the circumstances, Udet is still a relatively modest person. After a few sips of strong wine, the issues of age and years are immediately forgotten. He is no less than a young man in arm wrestling, car racing, and even attracting the opposite sex. "Well, take the designs of these jet bombers as an example. Except for Heinkel's, which is more in line with normal ideas, the rest are all extremely bizarre. What's even more frightening is that the doctors can make them become something beyond imagination. "Assault weapon!" Udet's feelings came from the stack of words, data and line drawings in his hand. In the early stage, technical efforts were concentrated on the development of jet fighters, while the design of standard jet technology in the fields of bombing and transportation was postponed. , now that me262 has successfully entered the mass production stage, those temporarily shelved designs have been put back in front of the decision-makers of the Ministry of Aviation. After preliminary review by the Ministry of Aviation, seventeen design plans were submitted to Logan at the same time. For this decision-maker with a future vision, what Udet described as "the most extraordinary thing" is still a relatively conventional single-engine design. It is designed with a twin-engine jet aircraft, but the working principle of the jet engine is essentially different from that of the piston engine, so there is a big difference in configuration. What really makes him curious are those mysterious and magical "doomsday technologies". As the Prime Minister of the country, he naturally has access to the most core military secrets. However, he did not find any traces of "flying saucers" and "rotor jets". Considering that time has just entered 1943, those ultra-era designs are probably the product of the war - which is exactly what it is called "Doomsday"! It is unrealistic to artificially create an atmosphere at the end of the war. At present, it seems that only by increasing technical exchanges and providing top-down technical guidance can there be a certain chance of stimulating "historical factors". Thinking of this, Logan said: "There is no limit to imagination. The key is that some designs cannot be realized with our current technical level!" Udet smoked freely: "But, can imagination transcend the laws of nature? ? Take the plan I 'shot' last week as an example. I really can't understand why anyone would try to install a jet engine on a glider without a tail!" "Oh?" Logan couldn't help but wonder, "Who is it? "The design of Gota Company?" Udet replied disapprovingly. Logan had no impression of this name, and was not sure that their design was an unprecedented "flying wing aircraft." And Gota Company, whose full name is Gota Vehicle Manufacturing Company, has made minor achievements in the aviation field, and its representative work The go-242 is a medium-sized assault glider between the dfs-232 and the "Giant". Due to its excellent cost performance and ideal combat performance, it has become one of the main equipment of the German airborne troops in the late war. ¡°I also want to see that whimsical design plan!¡± Logan said in a seemingly casual tone. "Hey, you are indeed interested in these novel things!" Udet said, "I will send someone to your office when I get back to Berlin!" To use a common saying: Urgent or not, it is there, no matter One less stroke. Logan still agreed in a casual manner, sorting out in his mind the new weapons that were in line with historical development trends and could be realized ahead of schedule - ranging from nuclear bombs and nuclear-powered ships to assault rifles and night vision equipment. Some of them required large investments. Some are small skills that can make a big difference. At the end of the Pacific War, the world entered the era of peaceful competition. The "Cold War" pattern may not appear as it is, but overt and covert competition is unavoidable. This explains why even if the economic strength of Europe under the leadership of Germany has increased, in order to It is also very difficult to overtake the United States in one go. In this case, those military technologies with leading advantages are particularly important! "By the way, I received a report from Dr. von Braun last week, saying that important breakthroughs have been made in the research of A-4 and A-5 rockets, but the project requires more capital investment. His preliminary budget is 30 million Reichsmarks - every year! " "Oh! 30 million" After listening to Udet's words, Logan realized that it was time to make adjustments in the early stage of the me-262 project. Reaching 58 million Reichsmarks, it is not an exaggeration to say that this jet fighter was built with money. In comparison, the support for the rocket project led by Dr. von Braun was pitiful. The reason why Logan made such a decision was mainly due to the fact that the Third Reich spent huge sums of money in history.The company developed rockets and actually launched about 15,000 v1 and 3,000 v2, but it only caused a certain amount of psychological pressure on the opponent, and the tactical and strategic effects were mediocre. With limited military investment, it is not wise to cast a net everywhere. []