German Red Prince

Page 154

Airborne troops are not the same as other army units. The training period for airborne troops is much longer than that of other infantry, and the cost is too high for Germany to bear.

In the end, gliders helped the German army solve this problem. The biggest problem to be solved in airborne operations is that the airdrop must be carried out without making any noise. Gliders are perfect for this. These aircraft, which rely on wind power to glide, can land silently on the ground without being detected.

At that time, 42 gliders carrying 493 paratroopers were deployed to the fortress. Once they reached a suitable distance, the gliders disconnected their towing ropes and silently swooped down from a height of over 2000 meters, slowly approaching the fortress. The defenders were completely unaware of the enemy's approach.

Using gliders also minimized the risk of soldiers losing their way due to wind direction and other factors. At the time, four German special forces squads landed on the bridge, on the side of the gun emplacement, and on the grass on the top of the bunker, all in relatively critical positions. By the time the defenders discovered them, it was too late.

The German army gained the initiative in the confrontation, capturing key transportation points and providing favorable conditions for subsequent ground troops to advance into the heart of Belgium.

The German paratroopers became famous overnight because of this battle, and glider warfare became a classic tactic. Inspired by this battle, military powers such as the United States, Britain, and the Soviet Union began to develop their own military glider units.

It was only 1928, the early stages of the airborne forces, and these novel tactics could still be imitated and used. Gliders did have many advantages, at least in the early stages of World War II. The German-made DFS.230 glider was used for nearly ten years, which was enough to prove its superiority.

However, Thorne had a lot on his mind. He didn't want to put too much effort into gliders. After all, if this tactic was really that good, why wasn't it used in later generations?

Gliders also have many drawbacks. On the one hand, gliders have a slow flight speed and poor maneuverability, making them easy targets once exposed. On the other hand, gliders are mostly made of cheap and lightweight materials such as wood and canvas.

These are essentially disposable items that don't need to be very expensive or sturdy; they just need to be functional. So once they are discovered by the enemy, artillery fire can easily destroy or penetrate them. As a result, the people inside the aircraft will not receive any effective protection. Usually, a single shell will wipe out the entire crew of an aircraft.

Furthermore, gliders are very dangerous to land. Gliders are never in a calm landing environment. In the face of enemy fire, it is already difficult to escape by turning left and right. It is difficult to pay attention to attitude when landing, and there is simply no time to adjust.

Few planes land safely; there is usually some impact. If they are unlucky, they may crash into a tree or a house. The thin skin and fragile frame cannot withstand such a large impact, and injuries or fatalities to passengers and damage to equipment are inevitable.

During the Battle of Sicily in July 1943, due to the powerful artillery of the Axis powers, only 12 of the more than 130 Allied military gliders landed at their designated locations. The other gliders either crashed into the sea or got lost outside the battlefield. Therefore, apart from being used for surprise attacks, the casualty rate of gliders in frontal combat was still very high.

In addition to these, the armies of various countries also came up with many ways to prevent gliders from entering those key areas. The Germans were very good at creating and inventing, and installed a "new weapon" called "Rommel asparagus" in the flat areas of the western defense line.

It is a wooden pole that stands on the ground, about 3 meters high, with a landmine placed at the top or connected by wire. Once this is installed, it will be very difficult for a glider to break through, and it will often be smashed to pieces.

In the early stages of the war, gliders had many advantages. However, due to their numerous shortcomings and the increasing number of anti-glider methods, military gliders were no longer valued. With the improvement of paratrooper training levels and the development of parachute technology, the advantages of parachute landing became more and more obvious. As a result, gliders, which were slow, had poor survivability, and low reliability, gradually faded from the historical stage.

The future of gliders is not very far off, but in this era when airborne operations are still nonexistent, military gliders obviously have more advantages than disadvantages in the early stages. Therefore, Thorne still agrees with adopting gliders, but this does not mean that he will not put aside other research.

Airborne troops need to be equipped with transport planes and helicopters.

312. Vehicle Selection

In later generations, cases of using gliders for airdrops became very rare. In most cases, transport planes or helicopters were used directly, so it is clear that these two types of vehicles have a very promising future.

Thorne not only needs to consider the present stage, but more importantly, the future. Gliders can still maintain their advantage for a while, but the future is uncertain. Therefore, he is considering starting to research transport planes and helicopters now.

Transport planes are considered large vehicles. During the war, bombers were among the largest aircraft besides airships.

Transport aircraft can carry a large number of soldiers for mobile operations. On the battlefield of the future, speed is of the essence, and all countries are striving in the same direction: to transport soldiers or supplies to designated locations in the shortest possible time.

To achieve this, a large-capacity and high-speed vehicle is essential. In later generations, it was common to see a large truck carrying a dozen cars speeding along highways, and during military mobilizations, trains were used to transport several tanks and hundreds of soldiers to the front lines.

Although these traditional modes of transportation have increased in speed, they still have many limitations. The ground conditions are complex, and if a road is not built or a railway is not laid, the assigned task cannot be completed in a timely manner.

How to ignore these difficulties and gather soldiers and weapons carrying the mission of war thousands of miles away overnight, or descend from the sky with lightning speed? The miracle that can be achieved is by transport planes specially designed for air transport.

Transport aircraft did not play a significant role during the war, as tactical concepts at the time had not yet changed and remained relatively traditional, resulting in slow development of transport aircraft.

The development of transport aircraft was truly spurred by the post-war period. After the war, a large number of military aircraft were no longer needed. However, dismantling them on the spot was certainly not cost-effective, so many European countries began to sell these aircraft and convert them for civilian use. A large portion of the aircraft were sold to aviation flying clubs, while others were acquired by airlines, which then began to develop dedicated transport aircraft based on these acquisitions.

The war spurred the rapid development of airplanes. Their speed gave them a significant advantage over conventional transportation, making them more convenient for transport. When Thorne visited the United States, there were many passenger planes there, which, although they couldn't accommodate many people, were still a very luxurious mode of transportation.

在现在的德国也有不少飞机用作于运输，1919年,德国在Ju-10强击机的基础上,改制出世界上第架专门用于运输的机型福克F13F-13，这种飞机机舱较为宽敞,可容纳4名乘客,并设有沙发和藤椅,客舱前面的驾驶舱可容纳2名飞行员。

As a civilian aircraft, this transport plane can carry people and deliver various types of mail. At the same time, it can also perform military liaison missions and transport the wounded and sick.

However, this transport plane was still too small for Thorne, and could only carry less than ten people. Thorne's idea was to use the transport plane to directly deliver some large equipment to the enemy's rear for strikes in conjunction with the infantry, so the capacity had to be large.

Historically, in August 1921, the Royal Air Force began equipping itself with the Vernon military transport aircraft developed by Vickers, which could carry 12 soldiers. It was the world's first aircraft designed specifically for transporting troops, and a total of 55 were produced.

However, the United States has made the best development of transport aircraft. On February 8, 1933, Boeing and Douglas launched the 247D and DC-2 transport aircraft. As civilian transport aircraft, these aircraft have made great improvements in structure, performance and comfort. As soon as they were launched, they received a large number of orders from various airlines, marking the birth of modern transport aircraft.

Thorne was working towards these goals: future transport aircraft should be more specialized and larger. Of course, the current level of technology could not achieve what the future would. In the future, the American C-17 transport aircraft could take off carrying nearly 900 people at once, which is certainly impossible with the current level of technology. Thorne was already quite satisfied with being able to carry 20 soldiers at a time.

If we're talking about the most famous German transport plane during World War II, it has to be the renowned Ju-52. The Ju-52 was active on many battlefields throughout the war and was also known as "Aunt Junkers".

The fact that the three-engine Ju-52 could conduct flight tests in the Alps is enough to prove its high-altitude flight capabilities. Although this aircraft was adapted into reconnaissance, ambulance, and minesweeping aircraft during World War II, it was mainly used for transport and was an important aircraft for the German airborne forces. German paratroopers launched one raid after another on it.

Contrary to its impressive combat record, the Ju52 suffered heavy losses in every actual battle. In the battle for the airport in the Netherlands and Belgium, the fierce counterattacks from the Dutch and Belgian forces were very difficult for the Ju52 to handle, especially the small-caliber 20mm cannon, which was very effective against the low-flying, slow-moving Ju52. After the war, it was estimated that two-thirds of the Ju52s failed to return to base.

The casualty ratio was so low that it was truly unbelievable; every battle was a hard-fought one. However, the German propaganda machine exaggerated the effectiveness of these special operations, and it is an undeniable fact that the Germans did achieve a final tactical victory.

In subsequent transport missions in the Mediterranean and the airborne operations on Crete, the Ju 52 proved unsuitable for such missions, with a persistently high loss rate, and production began to fall behind the rate of losses.

The German army originally intended the Ju-52 as a transitional aircraft, but under the pressure of war, it became the main transport aircraft and was forced to participate in some special operations missions, becoming the aluminum alloy coffins of the paratroopers. In particular, during the Battle of Crete, a large number of paratroopers were killed inside the aircraft.

In addition, it was modified for use in many other aircraft types. This was due to the German military's lack of large aircraft. Large aircraft were a weakness for Germany. After the Ju-52, Germany also developed the Me 323 transport aircraft with six engines. It could carry more than 20 tons of cargo, which greatly exceeded the Ju-52. However, due to its huge size, it was very slow and was often attacked by fighters.

Compared to German transport aircraft, Thorne actually preferred the transport aircraft developed by the United States during World War II. The wealthy Americans developed many things that were robust and durable. The C-47 and C-54 transport aircraft built by the United States were the true "kings of the skies".

The C-47 was produced in more than 10,000 units during World War II. With its good flight performance, it became the main military transport aircraft in World War II. The fuselage could withstand multiple hits from anti-aircraft guns. There were C-47s that returned to base with only half a rudder left and the fuselage riddled with bullet holes. Their performance fully met the requirements of the original design.

So at this point, Thorne also had to try his best to find a solution. After all, he had already brought over Boeing's talent, and Germany's technological level in this timeline was still among the world's best, even surpassing that of the United States. With his own suggestions, there shouldn't be any major problems.

As for helicopters, Thorne wasn't worried. He had a savior in his own hands: a man named Sikorsky who had recently registered an aviation engineering company in Mainz.

313. Recent Developments in Berlin (New book released, thank you for your support)

Berlin has been quite lively lately, the city seems much more active than before. I wonder what Wilhelm II is thinking. Previously, the Berlin government cracked down on small and medium-sized parties, and apart from a few established major parties, the other small parties had almost no room to survive.

But recently, for some reason, small and medium-sized political parties that were once severely cracked down on have become active again, and there are more and more politicians on the streets. In some pubs, there are more and more "politicians" talking eloquently. That kind of vibrant and competitive atmosphere has appeared in the streets and alleys of Berlin.

The crackdown didn't show much of a problem before, but now that things have relaxed, this terrifying aspect has become apparent. The streets are full of "gentlemen" discussing current affairs, and it seems like you're outdated if you don't talk about politics. Various political groups have sprung up like mushrooms after rain.

Adolf, who had been staying in Berlin, couldn't understand the situation at all. What was Wilhelm II thinking? Why was he relaxing the political environment now? If this had been done a few years ago, who knows how many people would be in jail.

He could only think of one explanation: William had begun to be wary of those old political parties and had started to distrust these so-called patriarchs of the empire.

Centre Party, Reichstag Party, and others were the pillars of the German Empire, occupying key positions in the government. Wilhelm was a stubborn and suspicious man, and it is estimated that the existence of these parties made him feel threatened. Perhaps the aging Wilhelm feared that his power would be undermined again, so he began to relax political restrictions, allowing a large number of small and medium-sized parties to flood into the parliament, thus dispersing power.

After years of elite development, these major parties have become private armies for certain core government tasks. A political party represents the will of a particular government official, not the will of the emperor.

As William's health deteriorated, he became increasingly worried about Tirpitz. This man had once lifted him to the pinnacle of power, and could just as easily bring him down. Tirpitz's most glorious golden age had garnered him supporters across various political parties. If William went against the will of the majority, Tirpitz would have no choice but to step into the limelight, and the crown would fall on his head.

The influx of various small and medium-sized political parties into Parliament can significantly weaken the government, diluting its power and making it difficult to pass proposals. Eventually, power will naturally return to Wilhelm II's hands, and he can also support certain emerging small and medium-sized parties and cultivate his own personal army.

However, the influx of a large number of small and medium-sized parties has led to a dramatic decline in the overall capacity of Congress. As mentioned before, most of these small and medium-sized parties are street politicians. Some of them may have been small shop owners before, and the next day they became the leaders of a party. These people have very low political literacy, and traditional, educated politicians look down on them.

At this time, several established political parties united to fight against these so-called "political upstarts." However, their unity only aroused William's resentment. As mentioned before, William II believed that these parties had become the parties of certain people, and now it seems that this is indeed the case. Otherwise, why would these people be so emotional?

Anyway, this commotion created chaos in the entire Berlin political scene, and Adolf was particularly affected. These smaller parties didn't go to cafes or upscale restaurants to campaign; they preferred to go to beer halls to follow the mass line.

Most of the people here are ordinary citizens with relatively low spending power, which suits their tastes perfectly. Adolf's beer hall usually has a large number of customers, so it naturally became the main stronghold of these political parties. However, Thorne had previously instructed that all political parties except their own were prohibited from entering. This was Thorne's base in Berlin, so how could he allow others to come and snatch people away?

However, this naturally aroused the dissatisfaction of those political parties, who would often come to cause trouble. Adolf did not have enough time and energy to deal with these matters, so he could only ask the Gestapo and the Stasi to handle them. After several such incidents, the number of people coming to cause trouble decreased significantly.

Since Goebbels went to Frankfurt, Adolf has been handling all the party affairs in Berlin. He has to run businesses throughout Berlin and manage the party organization in the Berlin area, which puts a lot of pressure on him. With Goebbels around, the two of them can share the burden and handle things very quickly.

Now Goebbels had gone to Frankfurt to organize the Labor Party, and this pretext used by the DK to mislead the public was very successful. This allowed Adolf to openly carry out propaganda in Berlin. The construction of party organizations in the Prussian region was also very important, as it would affect the subsequent German revolution.

Only by accumulating sufficient strength in the Prussian region could the entire German Revolution proceed smoothly. For this reason, Adolf rejected Goebbels' recommendation. Compared to the party representative in the northern Rhineland, he was more concerned about the development of the Berlin party organization, and he did not trust anyone else to do this.

Recently, Adolf discovered a rather influential political party. Compared to those street politicians, this party has quite a background. It was formed by the merger of the National Socialist Workers' Party and the German National Workers' Party. Adolf didn't know the predecessor of the National Socialist Party, but this party had existed for some time, and he didn't know who its sponsors were. He always felt that it had some connection with the Unity of Germany Party.

The National Workers' Party is also a notorious extremist party in the Berlin area. The fact that these two parties merged some time ago is quite big news. Both parties are more or less extreme, and now that they have merged, it's hard to know what will happen in the future.

Following the last legal crisis in Berlin, these extreme political parties were severely cracked down on. Moreover, these two parties, which are actually left-leaning in nature, should have been severely punished, but instead, they have grown strong and formed considerable influence. This is clearly because they have someone backing them up.

Previously, most of their arguments were critical of the government, but now they have changed their tune and are fully promoting German reunification. These people even have their own armed forces and march in the streets every day with a flag. Adolf's intuition told him that these people were very dangerous. If they were allowed to take control of the government, it would be a disaster for the entire German nation.

Conservative and xenophobic, it's hard to imagine they were once a workers' party. The change of direction is too fast. The Berlin authorities are clearly brewing a conspiracy. Now it's a matter of who can act faster. The German economy has been in a slump for a long time, and the call for reunification is getting louder and louder. This war seems inevitable.

Adolf reported the recent situation to Thorne, wondering if the Kingdom of the Rhine was ready. He had heard that a group of people had been sent to the navy not long ago, hoping that a cannon shot would bring socialism to Germany.

314. Contact the Fleet (New book released)

The Imperial German Navy, also known as the High Seas Fleet, was the largest and arguably the most powerful navy in the world. In the Battle of Jutland, it defeated the British Empire's Hundred Years' Fleet, thus becoming the world's strongest navy.

However, the composition of the High Seas Fleet is slightly different from other modern navies. Although the High Seas Fleet has now established its dominant position, it is not the same size as the British Royal Navy before the World War.

The High Seas Fleet possessed the world's largest fleet of battleships, and the Imperial German Navy was one of the few navies in the world to possess aircraft carriers.

The Imperial Navy had bases all over the world, and these overseas bases were the main means by which the German Empire carried out German interests abroad and maintained security in the vulnerable sea lanes to and from the colonies. It was currently led by Admiral Ludwig von Luther, a German admiral who had served as State Secretary of the Office of the German Navy since 1926 and was widely known for his deeds during the World Wars.

The most prominent examples are the Battle of Jutland and the Second Battle of Heligoland, as well as the golden age of German world politics in the 1920s. During this golden age, Germany's high seas fleet frequently sailed between various colonies, symbolizing German hegemony. However, these fleets are rarely seen setting sail now, and the country no longer has so much money to burn on the navy.

Although Germany had defeated Britain and become the undisputed maritime hegemon, its naval foundation was not as deep as Britain's. The Battle of Jutland can be said to be the peak of luck for the German High Seas Fleet, which narrowly defeated the British Royal Navy.

The High Seas Fleet rarely goes to sea now, and most of the time it stays in port. Only when escorting ships will a small part of the fleet be sent out. Therefore, the navy is now the most leisurely branch of the German military. There is not much to do most of the time, except for collectively cleaning the warships.

Unlike the army, where anyone can be recruited, or the air force, where one must undergo specialized training and possess a certain level of knowledge to be selected, the navy's entry requirements are neither particularly high nor low. In Germany today, the navy is generally composed of young people who have graduated from university and possess a certain level of knowledge.

These people are generally young, with an average age of about 27. They are young and have a certain amount of professional knowledge. Under normal circumstances, they may not cause any problems, but once something happens, this group can become major rebels. In almost every revolution in modern history, sailors have been found to be involved, and they are often the main force.

Sailors are among the most enlightened in their thinking compared to other branches of the military. During the turmoil in Russia, the sailors on the cruiser Aurora were guided by communist ideology and resolutely revolted, bringing socialism with a single cannon shot.

At this critical juncture, unrest could break out at any moment, so Thorne needs to prepare in advance and make more "friends" in Prussia. He certainly doesn't want to work in the army, as this is the old Junkers' stronghold, full of nobles, and it's unrealistic to do anything there.

Therefore, he chose to focus his efforts on the navy. Working on the navy was much easier than working on the army. Germany was a land power, and although its navy was also very strong, they didn't pay much attention to it. This gave Thorne a good entry point.

Pieck and Heydrich's underground party organization has successfully taken root in North Germany. The next step is to infiltrate their own people into the navy. If their own people can get in, they will have already succeeded halfway.

Heydrich was quite knowledgeable about the navy, after all, he was a naval officer before. He knew exactly what kind of talent the navy needed and how to package and train those who had infiltrated.

"Comrade Thorne instructed us to establish our party organizations in several relatively important Prussian ports, such as Hamburg and Wilhelmshaven, and to have our underground party members influence the naval soldiers in these areas."

"We also need to implement certain policies towards these naval forces. The main targets for winning over are the young sailors and officers in the middle and lower ranks. As for the upper ranks, the main focus should be on defense. We can appropriately win over some high-ranking officers who are willing to participate in our cause, but the emphasis should still be on the middle and lower ranks."

Pike looked at the map and began to analyze it. He had been in charge of this area before, so he was quite familiar with the daily affairs. In addition, Heydrich was a naval officer before, so it wouldn't be difficult for him to infiltrate his own people.

The term "underground party" was coined by Thorne at the meeting. Those who operate normally within the legal framework stipulated by the government are the "ground party," which is what they are now. Those who lurk underground and expand their organizational power in the dark are the underground party.

Because of the special nature of the underground party, these people's identities were not officially recognized by the party's central leadership. Even if they were arrested, they could not be called members of the Communist Party of Germany. At most, they could be considered socialists or communist thugs. Those who worked underground were comrades with firm beliefs, and Thorne had great respect for them.

Currently, underground party members have been placed in several major military ports in northern Germany. These individuals have been screened by Heydrich and are all without any problems. The question now is whether they can be successfully selected.

Choosing a suitable naval port is also a very important task. After careful consideration, Heydrich chose the ports of Hamburg and Kiel. Hamburg is a major city in western Prussia, which is adjacent to the Kingdom of the Rhine. If he wants to successfully start a rebellion, he must make a breakthrough in the early stages. Arranging manpower in the port of Hamburg and having the sailors mutini there will save a lot of time in the early stages.

If the Rhine Kingdom's army lingers in Hamburg for too long, other European countries will definitely have something to do with it, and then things will become difficult. A mutiny by the Hamburg sailors could also stabilize the port, and the most likely way for those who do not recognize Prussia to launch a surprise attack on the Rhine Kingdom's rear is from here.

As for Kiel, controlling the port would blockade Germany's shipping routes, cutting off Prussia's connections with the outside world on both sides, thus trapping Wilhelm II.

The so-called Imperial Pact was actually an extremely fragile alliance. As soon as Germany collapsed, other countries would quickly break away, and sailors would mutiny. At that time, with the sea and land working together, Prussia would have no chance of turning the tide.

“Our people are almost ready. Once they infiltrate, they can remain hidden. All we need to do is wait for His Highness Thorne’s orders.”

Heydrich closed the map. He had already laid out the infiltration of the naval port. Now he was just waiting for Thorne's orders to dismantle this last imperial fortress from both the outside and the inside.

315. Theft

"The ship is coming!"

Keen-eyed people spotted a small black dot slowly approaching from a distance. At that moment, the entire small port became agitated, and people who were sitting or squatting on the ground stood up and began to run towards the port.

They carried bags on their backs or pushed small carts, but they all had the same destination: the small port ahead.

"The ship is coming! The ship is coming!"

The people at the port cheered as they watched the small black dots get closer and closer. These slowly approaching ships represented hope and a better life.

Burdisso had sharp eyes; he spotted the ship approaching early on, but instead of making a sound, he slowly moved closer to it, trying to secure a good position.

For the Patagonian Workers' Front, this small port is now their country's only source of foreign exchange and the economic center of the entire nation. Ships from the Kingdom of the Rhine break through the Argentine navy's blockade to reach this port, bringing enormous profits to the entire country each time they arrive.

People with some money usually buy a homemade telescope and stare at the sea to try and spot it earlier than others. But Burdisso had sharp eyes and could see it without a telescope, so he quickly found the key spot.

As the large ship drew closer, the people in the harbor saw the fluttering tricolor flag and began to cheer. Indeed, the Rhine Kingdom's ships had arrived.

After arriving in Patagonia, Joseph conducted a detailed investigation of the situation there and ultimately concluded that if Patagonia wanted to truly develop, it had to break through Argentina's naval blockade. Otherwise, relying on its own strength, it would either become a vassal of Chile or be annexed again by a prepared Argentina.

Joseph wrote a letter to Thorne, hoping that the Kingdom of the Rhine could send ships to trade with Patagonia. After all, Patagonia still had some natural resources, and if cooperation could be achieved, the economy there would definitely be revitalized.

Upon receiving Joseph's letter, Thorne replied quite readily. The Kingdom of the Rhine was already planning to break free from Prussia's economic control and find some trading partners. Now that both sides had the same need, they could naturally reach an agreement.

We're almost there.

John lit a cigarette on the deck and looked at the distant harbor.

"We've finally arrived. We took a long detour; this place is much farther than Africa."

Hans also lamented that they used to transport goods to Africa, which took only a few days, but not long ago they were ordered to change their route and head towards South America.

“In Africa, that Prussian William has never considered us as one of his own. Have we ever taken advantage of him in Africa? And yet he still calls us family. I feel ashamed for him.”

Apart from Prussia, no one else in Africa received any preferential treatment regarding those minerals and resources. Even Bavaria and the Kingdom of the Rhine did not benefit from them. Therefore, they all criticized William, saying he was like a stingy miser who only thought about taking advantage of others and had no concept of "Germany" at all. He only had his Prussia in his heart, no wonder he could not achieve anything great.