Chapter 156 Returning to the World Map In the 1940s, the Norfolk Naval Port on the east coast of the United States was only a "potential stock" among the many naval bases in the United States. Although the hardware facilities and strategic location are not as good as the San Diego Naval Base on the West Coast, the famous U.S. Naval Aviation was born here, and the location and natural conditions of the base in Norfolk Harbor are also quite ideal. In early 1943, the headquarters of the Atlantic Fleet had been relocated here. However, due to the fierce fighting in the Pacific War, most of the U.S. naval forces were concentrated in the Pacific region. Most of the more than 100 ships under the jurisdiction of the Atlantic Fleet were destroyers or smaller. Fortunately, they only need to guard against the theoretical possibility of attack by the Italian Navy in the waters near the homeland, while the German Navy guarding the Strait of Gibraltar is closely monitoring the movements of the Italian Home Fleet. As compensation for Germany¡¯s concession on regional issues, the top two liaison officers of the ¡°Transnational Intelligence Department¡± will be appointed by German personnel for the first two terms. They will be appointed every five years. Starting from the third term, personnel from both sides will alternate. Although he is nominally the highest liaison officer, his functions and powers are closer to those of the "Joint Chiefs of Staff". Not only can he have access to the highest-level information provided by both parties, but he will also make recommendations on this information to the highest military decision-making bodies of Germany and the United States. Therefore, after the first top liaison officer was determined to be a German personnel, many senior officers within the Wehrmacht recommended themselves, and the Ministry of National Defense also solicited recommendations from the commanders-in-chief of each service. Since the formation of the Joint Staff was still classified, the top military and political leaders made decisions through internal meetings: German Admiral Karl D?nitz, Commander-in-Chief of the Submarine Forces, won the appointment with a narrow margin. The strictness and rigidity of the Germans and the unrestrainedness of the Americans are a naturally contradictory pair. Judging from the situation of German volunteers in the U.S. Army, the differences in culture, habits and personality have indeed brought certain difficulties to the relationship between the soldiers of both sides. difficulties. In an organization like the "Transnational Intelligence Department" that has both military and external appeals, personnel from both sides had reservations at the beginning. They did not say a word more, and were afraid that the other party might misunderstand their meaning. Therefore, in the process of the torrent appeared to be extremely cautious. In the process of contact, both sides realized that there were many blind spots and misunderstandings in the vision of a single country. Since the Japanese army seized Qingdao and the South Pacific Islands during World War I, the Germans have been completely expelled from the Pacific region in the following twenty years. Although they have returned to their former dominance in the past two years, they have made great changes in the Pacific pattern. The changes seem not to be as comprehensive and thorough as those studied by Americans. By the same token, the United States, which has been stuck in isolationism for a long time, not only lacks influence on European affairs, but also does not fully understand other European countries except the United Kingdom. In 1940, they mistakenly overestimated the French; in 1941, they mistakenly underestimated the Soviets; in 1942, they mistakenly underestimated the Germans; in 1943, it was the turn of the Italians to draw conclusions. The staff had a headache for a while. They finally came to the conclusion that the Italian army was unable to fight. This was indeed the right conclusion. However, when they received information from the Germans a few months later about the Italian military strength, especially the Italian When receiving detailed information from the Navy, I am afraid that I will have to sweat over my original judgment. The Italians did not take full advantage of the "vacuum" of the U.S. Navy in the Atlantic, but sent their precious fleet to the distant Pacific to participate in the war. This is entirely due to the "superior wisdom" of the Italian leader and his main staff. If that situation is true, appeared, even if Germany intervened, the U.S. government would have to pay a large sum of money. Compared with the main fleets of the United States and Japan that are fighting fiercely in the Central Pacific, the German sea and air forces are very weak, and they have a dominant position in the ocean of aircraft carriers. As the era gradually emerged, there was not even a single light aircraft carrier in its regular composition. Regardless of offense and defense, it seemed that it was not enough to demonstrate Germany's status as a major power, nor was it enough to take advantage of the unique geographical advantages of the Marshall Islands as the "Springboard of the South Pacific" - Germany During the Second Empire, it was a German protectorate. During World War I, it was occupied by the Japanese army. After the war, it was placed under the jurisdiction of Japan by the League of Nations. It was not until 1942 that Germany and Japan signed the "Hamburg Agreement" that the Marshall Islands was re-established. It was an overseas territory assigned to Germany and therefore escaped the invasion of the Pacific War. In fact, after more than 20 years of development by the Japanese occupiers, Majuro now not only has a port with excellent conditions, but also has an airport and coastal defense fortress built nearby. Although the Japanese army dismantled a large amount of artillery equipment before moving to the defense, the European War has just ended. These are the things the German team lacks most. The 11-inch coastal heavy artillery has arrived with the fleet, and workers are busy placing them in the best-positioned forts. In addition, a land-based radar base station has also been established. As long as the engineering force expands the size of the airport, long-range reconnaissance aircraft and bombers will be stationed one after another. It won't be long before this place will become a large naval base comparable to Manila, Saipan and even Pearl Harbor. In today's German Pacific Cruiser Fleet, the flagship "Graf Graf Spee" is the successor to the German-Italian ship of the same name.It was the third German battleship to bear this name after the captured HMS Prince of Wales was sunk in battle and converted into a battleship and sold to the United States. However, today the "Graf Graf Speyer" is only half of German origin. When it was captured on the slipway of the British shipyard, its hull completion degree was close to 70%. After being launched, it was towed back to Kiel, Germany. The shipyard is undergoing subsequent construction. In the UK, it is called the Uganda-class light cruiser. Its original design displacement was 9,000 tons. After redesign and modernization by the German shipyard, the standard displacement had increased to 10,500 tons when it was launched. It is equipped with a four-seat triple-mounted German-made 6 inch naval gun, equipped with an auxiliary diesel engine, with a maximum speed of 33 knots and an endurance of 11,000 nautical miles at a cruising speed of 15 knots. In addition, the ship is also equipped with air and sea search radars and new fire control radars. It has good air defense and sea combat capabilities. However, it is also called the "most expensive ship in history" in the German Navy because it is equipped with a large number of new equipment. Light cruiser". The light cruiser "Karlsruhe" is a surface ship with 95% British origin. It originally belonged to the British Southampton-class light cruiser. In 1941, it was transferred to the German Navy as war compensation. In 1942 It has undergone modern upgrades and modifications. Its biggest feature is the installation of four triple-mounted naval guns. Its combat effectiveness is second to none among the many light cruisers of the British Royal Navy. After adding radar equipment and adding anti-aircraft weapons, it is suitable for going to any place on this planet. The corner performs patrol, security and combat missions.