Chapter 279 The Wind Rises in the Atlantic Ocean Part 4

It will rain in Iceland tonight and there will be strong winds and waves in the surrounding seas.

On Comrade Stalin's desk was also the weather report on Iceland that had just been delivered - I believe Hitler, Chamberlain, Daladier and US President Roosevelt are all concerned about the weather in Iceland now.

"It seems that people in Iceland need to bring umbrellas when they go out tonight," Joseph Stalin said with some worry. "Comrade Kuznetsov, this is a very serious problem, isn't it?"

Stalin raised his head and looked at the very handsome and very young Naval Commissar and Commander-in-Chief of the Red Navy—Nikolai Gerasimovich Kuznetsov, who was only 37 years old and stood across from his desk. .

The 37-year-old Commander-in-Chief of the Red Navy was of course a beneficiary of the Soviet Union's "Great Purge". All the veterans in the Red Navy had been purged, so it was Kuznetsov's turn to get lucky. However, Kuznetsov did not become the Commander-in-Chief of the Red Navy solely due to luck. He is still very proficient in the navy and naval aviation business.

After learning that the German "Scharnhorst" and "Seidlitz" had left Wilhelmshaven, he immediately realized that the German break-up fleet would soon break into the Atlantic. And this incident is likely to change the course of the war on the Western Front!

If the Royal Navy is ultimately unable to destroy the Scharnhorst and the Seidlitz, there will be a big problem with British maritime traffic. If Britain could not import raw materials and food from overseas, the British Empire might soon have to bow to Germany.

This means that the war on the Western Front is likely to end within a few weeks!

"Yes, Comrade General Secretary," Kuznetsov said, "The bad weather in Iceland is very beneficial to the Germans." He paused and then said, "If the weather is calm around Iceland these days, it will be more beneficial to Germany. ”

"Is the weather favorable?" Stalin didn't understand.

"Of course, if the weather is good, German submarines will be all over the Iceland-Faroe Islands waters." Kuznetsov explained, "This will lead to a situation where battleships, aircraft and submarines will cooperate in combat. If 'Hu If one of the HMS Deutschland and the Ark Royal was sunk or severely damaged by a German submarine, the British would have no choice but to sue for peace."

"So serious?" Stalin frowned and looked at Kuznetsov, "Don't the British claim to be the maritime hegemon?"

"But most of their battleships and aircraft carriers are old and outdated. Only the 'Hood' and the 'Ark Royal' have higher speeds. And these two ships must cooperate in combat. Losing one will not be able to restrain it." Shane Horst' and 'Seidlitz'. As for the British's new battleships and aircraft carriers, they will not be put into use until June 1940 at the earliest. If British maritime transportation is interrupted for 7 months... Comrade General Secretary, you You know, Britain is an island country. Except for coal, it cannot be self-sufficient in all important raw materials, and it also relies heavily on imported food. "

Stalin nodded, his expression becoming more solemn, "So is it possible that the British will lose the 'Hood' or the 'Ark Royal' now?"

"HMS Hood probably won't. It was a solid battlecruiser, but it's hard to say that HMS Ark Royal. As long as a few 250-kilogram armor-piercing bombs landed on its deck, it would take two or three days to sink even if it didn't sink. months to repair.”

"I understand!" Stalin raised his hand and waved, letting Kuznetsov leave the office. Then he picked up the hotline on his desk and called the People's Commissar of Defense Voroshilov.

Now we must urge the Belarusian Front Army and the Ukrainian Front Army - the war with Poland must end as soon as possible! And at the same time avoid conflict with Germany... If Britain fails in a few weeks, then the two socialist countries of the Soviet Union and Germany should join forces to rule the world.

This is a great victory for socialism!

…

October 8, 1939, 6 pm German time, North Sea, southwest of Shetland Islands.

The weather was very bad, it was raining heavily on the sea, the wind and waves were strong, and there was at least level 5 sea state. "Scharnhorst" and "Seidlitz" sailed through the constantly rising waves, and the "Leipzig" light cruiser opened the way in front.

In the current climate, there will naturally be no British planes to bomb, and the threat from submarines has been reduced to a minimum. Just sail carefully and we should be able to enter Icelandic waters tomorrow morning.

In the officer cabin of the "Seidlitz", Major Adolf Galland, the captain of the "Seidlitz" flight group, was lying on the bed reading a book. Because the weather was bad and the flying group had no flying missions, everyone took the time to rest.

Sleeping in his upper bunk was Lieutenant Colonel Heinrich Weiss, the aviation staff officer of the "Seidlitz". Lieutenant Colonel Weiss is a genuine naval pilot who graduated from the Flensburg-Morwick Naval School at the end of the last world war. Not long after graduation, he encountered revolution and defeat, and was laid off by the Navy. He learned to fly airplanes in peacetime, and found a job as a pilot for Lufthansa. After Germany restored armaments, he was recalled and became a naval pilot, and was later sent to study in Japan.

"Adolf, have you fought against British fighter jets? How was their performance?" Lieutenant Colonel Weiss leaned on the bed and asked his Air Force colleague on the lower bunk.

"It's very good. It's similar to the BF-109," Adolf Galland said. "It should be a Spitfire, but that aircraft shouldn't be able to board their aircraft carrier."

"But you still knocked it off."

"That's a matter of tactics and pilot skills," Adolf Galland said. "The performance of the aircraft seems to be that a rookie can never beat an experienced player."

"The performance is similar?" Lieutenant Colonel Heinrich Weiss asked, "Their Spitfire is similar to our Fokker Zero?"

"Everyone has his own merits." Adolf Arland replied, "That is a difficult opponent. We'd better avoid it."

"Then I'm not worried," Heinrich Weiss smiled. "The performance of British carrier-based aircraft is relatively poor because the design is too conservative. But the British don't have to worry too much about us. After all, we only have 9 aircraft. Fokker 99, too little.”

Nine Fokker 99s are certainly enough for reconnaissance or bombing transport ships, but they are not enough to deal with the British fleet.

Adolf Galland also nodded in agreement, "Yes, if there are 50 Fokker 99s, we will at least have a chance to kill the Ark Royal."

"There is no chance this time," Heinrich Weiss lowered his voice, "Our navy has its own plan!"

"Oh?" Major Garland closed the book in his hand, "What are you going to do?"

"Submarines!" Heinrich Weiss said, "Ten large ocean-going submarines are already lurking in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. If the 'Hood' and the 'Royal Ark' catch up, the submarines will have the opportunity to make a sneak attack! "

…

"Is the weather bad?" The pale and very tired British Prime Minister asked in a hoarse voice as soon as he saw the energetic Churchill. "Our meteorological experts said that the heavy rain and strong winds will continue for a few days. It seems that we can catch They’re gone, right?”

"That's not to say there's no chance," Churchill replied. "What meteorological experts say may not be accurate."

It’s just that the chance is not great, because the sea area around Iceland and the Faroe Islands is very vast, and it is very difficult to find the German fleet if you cannot search by plane. Besides, the weather is bad now and visibility is compromised even during the day, let alone at night?

"Even if they break into the Atlantic Ocean, there is nothing we can do!" Churchill continued, "All ships have now received warnings and are sailing away from nearby waters at full speed. Next, a large convoy including aircraft carriers and battleships will be organized."

"But the Germans still have a 'Scharnhorst' class and a 'Sedlitz' class," Chamberlain said with some frustration. "They will soon enter the Atlantic. What will we do then? Give a transport fleet With two battleships and two aircraft carriers?”

"It must be like this!" Churchill said, "The British Empire must defend her routes, which are our lives. The transportation plan must be completely adjusted. First, use neutral ships to concentrate the goods to the United States, and then use the North Atlantic route to transport them back to Britain. . There can be hundreds or more transport ships in a single fleet!"

The British Admiralty paused, suddenly took a deep breath, and said, "Actually, we have other ways!"

"Any other way?" Chamberlain asked hesitantly, "Summary for peace?"

"No!" Churchill said firmly, "The British Empire cannot seek peace. The Empire must win, otherwise it will be destroyed!"

"But how are we going to win?" Chamberlain said distressedly, "The Hood and the Ark Royal cannot deal with twice the number of German fast battleships and aircraft carriers!"

“Iceland and the Faroe Islands!”

"What?" Chamberlain looked at Churchill, "Winston, you want..."

"Occupy Iceland and the Faroe Islands!" Churchill said through gritted teeth, "so that we can deploy aircraft there. If the weather is good, the German fleet will not be able to pass through Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Shetland Islands and Onik." The archipelago is composed of layers of blocks.”

"Yes, but both Iceland and the Faroe Islands belong to Denmark, and Denmark is a neutral country!"

"What about neutral countries?" Churchill shrugged. "Compared with the world hegemony of the British Empire, Denmark's neutrality is nothing! Prime Minister, do you want to be the sinner who ruins the empire's hegemony?"

He looked at Churchill with a serious face and said, "Given the current situation, we should occupy Iceland and the Faroe Islands immediately!"