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Leap, a stroke of genius that shakes the world Chapter 132: Resign yourself to fate

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    Chapter 132 Resigned to fate "Saipan! Saipan! The United States has launched a landing operation on Saipan!" Lorraine Hedlink, deputy secretary-general and military attach¨¦ of the German Chancellery, hurriedly broke into the Prime Minister's Office. It was approaching lunch time.  Mr. Hans Rogan is looking at the aircraft design drawings of Gota Company attentively.  It was a flying-wing aircraft that looked quite special, that is, an unconventional aircraft without a tail. The aerodynamics had already been proven on gliders, but it was still quite rare to be applied to powered aircraft.  Such a novel design was thrown into the trash can earlier by the German Aviation Minister Ernst Udet, who had rich flight experience. After all, there was no prospect of it in the short term and it cost a lot. Such a project would be useless in peacetime.  It's hard to get on the horse.  "Saipan?" Logan turned the globe half a circle. The small island is located at the southern end of the Mariana Islands, about 2,300 kilometers away from Tokyo. It is an outer support point of the Japanese homeland warning circle.  The island was under Spanish rule from the mid-16th century to the end of the 19th century, a German colony from 1899 to 1914, occupied by Japan in 1914, and officially transferred to Japan in 1920.  Hess and Schacht had plans to take back those Pacific islands that once belonged to the empire but were deprived of control due to the defeat of the war. When they were German Chancellors, Hess and Schacht had plans to take back the islands. However, due to various reasons, no one has actually restored their rule so far.  There are many, and only a few are strategically important!  As an active colonel of the German Navy, Heidelink was very interested in such an important battle of such a scale, and even couldn't contain his excitement: "According to the intelligence we obtained, the U.S. military dispatched the entire main force of the Pacific Fleet this time, including the newly commissioned  Essex-class aircraft carriers and South Dakota-class battleships, and invested tens of thousands of Army and Marine Corps soldiers! When the Japanese main fleet still has relatively complete combat effectiveness, the Americans chose to launch such a long-distance large-scale landing operation.  The courage is really surprising! ""Occupying Saipan is not the real purpose of their operation, right?" From a historical perspective, Logan's first reaction was to air attack the British Empire's transit point in Japan.  After losing almost all its overseas colonies before the collapse, only Canada, Australia and New Zealand, the die-hard brothers, still respected the King of Britain as their nominal monarch, but the strategic and economic ties were no longer as close as before.  In this case, the United States could only fight the Japanese army in the Pacific direction. The Philippines and the Mariana Islands were occupied by the Japanese army in 1941 or early 1942. If it intended to use strategic bombing to weaken Japan's war potential  , the US military must regain the air base within the bomber combat radius.  In the time and space where Logan lived, because Germany defeated the United Kingdom, the Japanese army did not desperately attack Pearl Harbor. Instead, they adopted a more gradual strategy. After capturing the Southeast Asian colonies originally belonging to the United Kingdom and the Netherlands and the U.S. Philippines,  Take advantage of distance to gradually encroach on U.S. colonies and military bases in the Western Pacific.  For more than a year, although the Japanese Combined Fleet and the U.S. Pacific Fleet were each looking for opportunities to accomplish their goals in one battle, they did not dare to be too aggressive. Coupled with some accidental factors, the Pacific strategic map in early 1943 was different from that in late 1941.  There are only very subtle changes from time to time.  The only strategic factor that can be called a change is the rapid increase in the strength of the U.S. Navy and Air Force with the support of strong industry.  In comparison, the Japanese Army was trapped in the Chinese battlefield and could not extricate itself, and its investment in personnel and materials continued to increase. The Navy only had two large warships in service in 1942. Although the number of Air Force fighters had increased, none of them were truly effective.  new fighter jets are launched.  "Given the geographical location of Saipan, Japan will definitely not give up easily. I think the Japanese fleet must be rushing to Saipan at this time. This will be a wonderful and decisive battle!" Heidelink said in a strong voice  The emotions of the onlookers said, "This may become the Battle of Jutland in the Pacific!" Logan turned from the globe: "Which side do you think will win?" "The strength is almost the same, both sides can win.  Chance!" Heidelink quickly replied, "But I personally think the Japanese fleet will win this time because the mentality of the United States is somewhat unbalanced due to the impact of Italy's participation in the war!" As a well-known super "magic stick",  Logan would not easily assert when he was unsure. He said ambiguously: "I personally hope that the United States can win this battle. After all, in the two important naval battles last year, the United States suffered minor defeats. If they lose again, they will  It is very likely that the strategic initiative in the Pacific will be handed over Within two years, the Japanese will consolidate their advantages in the Western Pacific and the Eastern Pacific. This is not good news for the Asian people oppressed by the Japanese occupiers!  Heidelink hesitated: "Asian affairs are quite complicated and difficult!" Since the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union had withdrawn from the war,Moreover, the strength of these two countries that originally had a large say in Asia has been weakened to the point where they only exert influence in the region. The pattern of Asia is indeed very different from people's traditional understanding.  Logan smiled and said: "Thank you for reminding me!" Heidelink thought he had made a mistake and stood at attention quickly: "You are too polite! I will report to you without stopping for a moment if I have any news, so I won't disturb your work now!"  Logan looked at his watch, "Oh, it's almost lunch time! Is the Secretary of Defense in the office today?" "Yes!" the Navy colonel replied quickly.  "Okay, go ahead!" After saying that, Logan left the unfinished drawings on his desk and left his room.  Passing through the corridor, we soon came to the office of Defense Minister Redl. The hard-working Admiral still maintained the routine of a sailor. He went to bed early and got up early. His work and life were as meticulous as cleaning the deck of a battleship.  After knocking on the door and getting a "come in" response, Logan pushed the door open and entered. Redel, who had white hair covering most of his head, was leaning over the board by the window, seemingly still calculating some technologies of the new ship.  index.  Entering peacetime, the workload of the Minister of Defense seems to have decreased. However, driven by inertial thinking and the international situation, Germany's armaments have not slowed down. The Army and Air Force have accelerated the research and development of new generation equipment, and the Navy has a huge shipbuilding plan.  It is both exciting and troublesome.  "I wonder if I would be lucky enough to have lunch with you at noon!" Logan said jokingly.  "Oh, it's your Excellency the Prime Minister!" Reidel straightened up quickly, "Of course, of course!" Logan glanced at the precise line drawing on the drawing board: "Corrected SP level?" "Well, baseline drainage adjustment  When it reaches 7,000 tons, according to your suggestion, space for rocket weapons has been reserved amidships, the number of torpedo launch tubes has been reduced accordingly, and a seaplane catapult has been added!" Reidel's answer showed the old navy's view of the ship!  familiarity.  "Oh, that's just my personal opinion!" Logan laughed. This kind of light cruiser was originally designed to perform break-up missions or serve as a destroyer leader. However, with the adjustment of national strategy, their expected role has also changed.  Big changes.  Redel took off his military cap from the coat hook and patted it habitually: "Your ideas are always very prophetic!" Logan made a "please" gesture, and the two of them went one after another.  After leaving the door, re-crossing the corridor, I quickly came to the restaurant - when there was no special reception, senior staff, mid-level staff and ordinary staff all ate in the same hall. There were no signs to divide the areas, but according to tradition  , the ministerial heads have the most illuminated window seats, the military officers working in the Prime Minister's Office and the department heads sit in the middle, and the secretaries sit near the door. The tables and chairs are exactly the same, and there is no ranking.  .  As usual, people stood up spontaneously to pay tribute to the Prime Minister and the Minister of Defense. Rogan walked by with a smile on his face, while Redel still maintained his rigorous and serious expression.  After sitting down, Logan ordered a set of mutton chops. Redel chose a different one as usual and placed his military cap neatly aside.  "What do you think of the Battle of Saipan?" Logan asked in a low voice while waiting for the food. He knew that the Secretary of Defense at least got the news at the same time as him - even half a beat in the morning.  Without thinking, Redel gave a very philosophical answer: "It doesn't matter who wins or loses. What matters is who wins and who loses!" Logan smiled knowingly. This is the advantage of sitting on the mountain and watching the tiger fight.  No matter which party is hit hard, they may seek help from themselves. If it involves national interests or even the survival of the nation, they may be willing to accept even the highest price.  "Which side do you think will win?" Reidel asked.  "Colonel Heidelink said he thought Japan would win!" Logan said.  Redel did not ask further questions, but instead expressed his preference in a roundabout way: "If the United Fleet wins, it will be more beneficial to us! Even if the United States insists on not letting us enter the Pacific, it will use other aspects to  Seek our assistance - although the Tiger tank is expensive, it is still unmatched in land combat!" The waiter quickly brought the meals for the two of them. Ordinary work meals do not have the complicated process and careful attention to the staple food.  , vegetables, soup and bread, plus coffee and seasonal fruits at most.  Logan picked up the knife and fork and didn't wait for the waiter to completely walk away: "If that's the case, we have to find a way to curb Japan's comprehensive expansion!" "You mean to rearm Russia and directly confront Japan across the border in South Asia?  "Raider held up the knife and fork and thought for a moment, "It's indeed a bit tricky!" "It will also affect our operations in Saudi Arabia!" Logan added.  These questions?It's like a headless ball of thread, the more you try to untie it, the harder it becomes. Redel said: "But it's too late to interfere now, I can only wait for the result!" Logan took out a knife to cut the meat: "Look at the Americans.  Good luck! If you're lucky, compete peacefully with us. If you're not lucky, let's watch us compete with Japan!  When walking in the forest, if you have to choose between encountering a bear or a wolf, although both animals are dangerous, the character of the wolf is obviously more dangerous!¡± []
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