Chapter 37 Pre-war Deployment

The deep blue Mercedes sped along the newly renovated road, a stark contrast to the feeling Zhang Hainuo had when he first passed through here in a carriage. Along the way, he and Anna eagerly admired the scenery on both sides. Although there were no stunning lakes and mountains, the snow-covered forests exuded a fairytale charm. Behind those tall pine trees seemed to hide the enchanted forest that children longed for.

Honk... honk...

As they approached the large iron gate of the Fink Manor, the driver honked the horn. After the renovation, it was no longer the dilapidated estate of the past. The brown brick walls were replaced with verdant tree walls and iron fences. The two-story main building still retained its original appearance, but careful inspection would reveal that its exterior had been meticulously restored, and the two arrow-shaped turrets still bore the blue flags of the Finkenstein family.

"Welcome home, Baron!" Barand and Rama greeted them with the new servants lined up at the gate, reminding Zhang Hainuo of the scene when he first arrived here. Back then, there was only a steward and two servants in the house, but it was the first time he felt at home in this era. It was a pity that old Hastin never had the chance to see the revival of the estate and the family.

It was midwinter, and the smooth grass was covered with thick white snow. The cold wind urged them to enter the warm house quickly. Pushing open the thick wooden door, the antique furnishings of the hall easily gave people the illusion of being in a medieval palace. There were dazzling crystal chandeliers, colorful stained-glass windows, and seemingly rough stone fireplaces with antique suits of armor holding spears, all genuine relics.

Entering the hall, the sound of their shoes on the oak floor varied as they walked. Wherever their eyes could reach, a spiral wooden staircase was a convenient passage connecting the hall to the bedrooms on the second floor.

"This is our home, a true home!" Zhang Hainuo spread his arms proudly and declared, "Even though it hasn't reached its best state in over two hundred years, it's not far from it!"

With the help of the maid, Anna removed her hat, coat, and scarf one by one. She looked around curiously, following Zhang Hainuo and saying, "Oh, I really wish we could live here quietly for the rest of our lives!"

Zhang Hainuo envisioned, "When true peace comes, we can spend our days here planting flowers, fishing, and raising animals. If we can buy back the nearby fields, we can even establish a self-sufficient little kingdom!"

"How long will that take? True peace!" Anna looked up with a hint of worry still in her eyes.

"Not long! Maybe three years, maybe five years, definitely not more than ten years!" Zhang Hainuo replied confidently. At this moment, he didn't even want to think about the cruel progress of war.

"In that case, Hainuo, why don't we move my mother and my brother's family here? My mother has always wanted to return to Germany, and I think this place is more suitable for her to recuperate!" Anna asked in a pleading tone, "Although it's farther from Ostersley to Kiel, it's also more convenient to travel back and forth!"

Zhang Hainuo had never been willing to address this issue—unless Germany could compel Britain to withdraw from the war as soon as possible, or at least completely suppress the opponent's air power with the Luftwaffe, it would be difficult to avoid British bombing of Germany's homeland. If the United States also joined in, then there would be little security left in Germany's homeland.

Because of this, Zhang Hainuo not only didn't plan to let Anna and her mother move back to Germany, but he also planned to have them move to Sweden or Switzerland. He had even informed his old friends.

"Anna, trust me, this is for your own good! Look, Sweden and Switzerland have excellent medical standards, and I have friends there who can help take care of you. If you continue to stay in Germany, once the war breaks out..." Zhang Hainuo put his hands on Anna's shoulders and said in a low voice, "Once the war breaks out, no one can guarantee how it will unfold. Maybe Germany will win, maybe what awaits us is a disastrous defeat. It won't be safe to stay in Ostersley then!"

Similar words had been said by Zhang Hainuo twenty-one years ago, and as time repeated itself, the atmosphere was still so melancholic.

Anna still shed tears. She asked softly, "Hainuo, will you still promise me, like you did twenty-one years ago, that you will return safely?"

Zhang Hainuo took a deep breath. "Yes, I promise!"

After a long time, Anna made up her mind, "Okay, then, take me, my mother, and my brother's family to Sweden. There, I can see the sea, the azure sea! Do you remember? That's our favorite color!"

"I remember!" Zhang Hainuo and she leaned against each other in front of the fireplace, watching the flames leap on the large pieces of wood.

"We'll reunite by the sea!" Anna said as if making a wish.

"Yes, we will reunite by the sea!"

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During this seemingly ordinary Christmas holiday, Zhang Hainuo and Anna stayed in Ostersley, except for the night before New Year's Eve when they were invited to the Lübeck Manor by Fenna, they led a very peaceful life—relatively speaking. When the holiday ended, Zhang Hainuo returned to his busy work because General Rolf Karls was transferred away from the Naval Air Force, and Zhang Hainuo received his first appointment of the new year as the commander of this force. Thus, all reconnaissance, bombing, close defense, carrier formations, and all airships under the Navy Department were under his full responsibility.

In the first three months of 1939, the German Navy, and indeed the entire Germany, was busy: In January, the Führer himself approved the Navy's Z-plan for shipbuilding, and the battleship "Schleswig-Holstein" was officially commissioned; in February, the largest battleship ever built by the German Navy was launched at the Blohm & Voss shipyard in Hamburg, causing a sensation nationwide and even across Europe, to the extent that many people overlooked another event that happened at the same time: the recommissioning of the "Gneisenau" after refitting.

At the naval meeting at the end of that month, Admiral Rader announced, "With the addition of two ships of the Schleswig-Holstein class, the combat power of the German Navy has reached a new level."

With the backing of the army, navy, and air force, Adolf Hitler skillfully wielded political maneuvers and, in March, invaded and annexed the entire Czechoslovakia, a bloodless overthrow that gave Germany access to the largest armaments factory in Europe, a large number of well-trained troops, and a strategic posture of pinning down Poland on both sides, directly accelerating Germany's march to war.

In the annexation of Czechoslovakia, the leaders of Britain and France once again paid the price for their foolish policy of appeasement. Many wise men had already realized that war was inevitable.

At the end of March, shortly after Germany successfully annexed Czechoslovakia, Adolf Hitler actively advocated his desire for peace to Britain and France. In accordance with the instructions from the Chancellor's Office, the German Navy dispatched the armored ship "Admiral Scheer" for a friendly visit to both countries. Zhang Hainuo volunteered to accompany the ship and, at the mouth of the Thames, he saw the pride of the British Navy for the first time—the battleship "Hood". Despite its tragic end in history, the battleship's formidable firepower and high speed, acquired at great cost, remained undeniable facts. Zhang Hainuo was also struck by the elegant appearance of this massive warship built during the First World War, which was not inferior to Germany's newer vessels. Despite its defensive weaknesses, the battleship exuded an air of British naval tradition and pride—indicating that as long as such powerful warships existed, even in dire circumstances, the British people would not easily surrender.

In England, the German delegation received a high-profile reception, with German officers and sailors allowed to board the "Hood" for tours. In response, the "Admiral Scheer" also opened its doors to British naval officers and the public. The camaraderie displayed by the personnel of both nations, just half a year before the outbreak of war, left Zhang Hainuo deeply moved.

After bidding farewell to England, the "Admiral Scheer" sailed to France and made a friendly visit to the port of Cherbourg in the north. There, both official and public reception of the German warship was lukewarm, indicating the divergence in Franco-German relations. Hitler had long been using this difference to dissuade the British from intervening in continental affairs. Unfortunately, the British, understanding the principle of mutual support, were not ignorant of this fact. Regarding the Polish issue, they had already ceased making concessions.

In April 1939, another pride of the German Navy, the second "Tirpitz" of the Bismarck class, was launched at the Wilhelmshaven naval shipyard. As attention focused on this dazzling star, another German warship quietly entered service—it was the first "Admiral Hipper" heavy cruiser of the Admiral Hipper class. While this class of warships was renowned in history, particularly the third vessel, the "Prinz Eugen", which gained fame for surviving numerous battles despite sharing a similar design with its sister ships, the second vessel, the "Blücher", sank during the Norwegian campaign, leaving a sense of unfulfilled ambition. The "Admiral Hipper" remained inactive until it was sunk by British bombers in Kiel harbor in 1945.

In May, despite the absence of major fleet launches or inductions, the German Navy was relatively calm, yet its preparations for war continued apace. Besides two new destroyers joining the naval battle sequence, submarine construction reached a new historical record—22 submarines per month. By this time, the German Navy boasted 2 "Scharnhorst" class battleships, 3 "Deutschland" class armored ships, 1 "Admiral Hipper" class heavy cruiser, 5 light cruisers, 20 destroyers, 20 torpedo boats, and 103 submarines, in addition to naval training ships like the "Schleswig-Holstein" and "Pommern", making it a force to be reckoned with.

During this month, the first batch of Ju 87C dive bombers was officially delivered to the Navy, and the naval aviation force also received 4 Fi-167 prototypes for training. However, what troubled Zhang Hainuo was the delay in the fitting-out and testing of the aircraft carrier "Graf Zeppelin" due to technical issues. According to engineers' estimates, it would be at least two more months before the carrier could be fully operational, and it would be difficult for it to achieve full combat capability by the end of the year, considering the time required for officer, sailor, and pilot familiarization and training.

The naval war preparations were still far from the desired level by the summer, but Adolf Hitler paid little heed to such concerns. On May 22nd, under his personal guidance, the German and Italian governments signed the Axis Pact, also known as the "Steel Pact", irreversibly binding the fate of Italy with that of Germany.

For Hitler, this treaty was a diplomatic triumph as it ensured that during wartime, each signatory "shall assist the other with all its armed forces". With the signing of the treaty, he felt as if he had been given a license to embark on war. The next day, with confidence, the Führer summoned senior military officers to his study in the Chancellery and declared that the solution to Germany's economic problems was closely related to its dispute with Poland. However, Danzig was not the target of the dispute; it was about Germany's expansion to the east and the resolution of the Polish dispute. Therefore, Poland must be eliminated.

After attending this meeting, Admiral Raeder immediately convened his senior officers and, for the first time, requested them to prepare for war at any moment. Although he was concerned about the naval readiness, if the Chancellor decided to take the risk, the German Navy would also need to deploy in advance. As a result, three "Deutschland" class ships entered the docks early for a comprehensive overhaul of their engines, weapons, communication, electronic systems, and hulls, in preparation for long-range combat. Meanwhile, naval replenishment ships were deployed according to the plans drawn up by the General Staff to support surface raiders at any time.

Zhang Hainuo attended this meeting as the commander of the naval aviation and the captain of the "Graf Zeppelin", but his suggestion was related to communication security:

"Once the war breaks out, our Enigma rotors must be replaced regularly, and we must explore more reliable communication methods through multiple channels!"

"But even our cryptography experts believe that the Enigma machine is foolproof!" objected the communication officer from the naval headquarters. Given the technological conditions at the time, this type of encryption machine was almost impervious to decryption—provided the enemy didn't have physical access to the machine or its codebook.

"All of you should remember the incident during the last war when we lost the light cruiser in the Gulf of Finland. Russian divers obtained our telegraph codebook from that ship, and this mishap had a significant negative impact on our subsequent operations. If it hadn't been for that incident, we might have been standing on the stage of victory already! If war breaks out again and enemy spies manage to infiltrate and obtain our Enigma rotor and codebook, or if one of our ships, due to an accident, leaves a complete set of Enigma machines and codebooks for the enemy, do you still think the Enigma machine is unbreakable?"

As Zhang Hainuo recounted the historical incidents surrounding the Enigma machine, the room fell silent, even the previously confident generals were left speechless. The fact was, many of them knew about the lost codebook incident from the previous war, something that German intelligence had long since confirmed from the Russians.

"Instruct the technical department to continue improving our encryption machines, change our codes regularly—the shorter the intervals, the better. Although this will entail considerable workload for our communication department, it's all worth it!"

Once Zhang Hainuo's strong recommendation was approved, the potential danger of losing classified information for the German navy was significantly reduced, arguably more important than addressing the torpedo issues of submarines in advance.

As history marched on, the summer of that year seemed particularly hot. Nonetheless, from June to August, German shipyards, through their efforts, constructed over 50 submarines and 2 new destroyers. These sharp naval weapons quickly joined the operational sequences of the navy, undergoing rigorous training day by day until they were eventually integrated into various combat divisions of the navy.

On the hottest day in August, the "Graf Zeppelin" completed its most comprehensive navigation in the Baltic Sea since its launch, setting a speed record for aircraft carriers of all nations—33.7 knots. Simultaneously, all equipment on board, including radar and artillery, had been installed. At the naval airbase, 55 BF-109T, 22 Ju 87C, and 9 Fi-167 aircraft had been delivered for use, with over 400 well-trained pilots ready to be deployed by the naval aviation forces.

However, at this moment, Zhang Hainuo was not on his aircraft carrier. Instead, in an apartment along the river in the Tiergarten district of Berlin, the naval officer, considered to have the most promising future in the navy, was discussing naval assault tactics with Rader. Rader believed that naval vessels should adhere as much as possible to the relevant provisions of the Hague Convention during combat. If the opponent was an unarmed merchant vessel, the attacking vessel should first confirm its identity, issue a warning, and only then, after the safe transfer of the crew, sink the ship. This was not only due to humanitarian considerations but also the tradition of the navy.

Zhang Hainuo's concern about this tactic was that it would give the enemy the opportunity to send distress signals and report the attacker's position. Once the position of a surface raiding vessel was exposed, the enemy fleet would undoubtedly rush to the scene at the fastest speed—this was also the main reason for the predicament of the "Graf Spee" in history, which was subsequently discovered by three British cruisers, suffered setbacks, and was forced to retreat into the port of Montevideo, Uruguay. The final result was well known.

"Discover and destroy!" Zhang Hainuo's explanation was simple. Even if the German navy adhered to the Hague Convention, the enemy, for propaganda purposes, would still portray the German navy as devils. In that case, it would be better to let the war be more thorough.

Rader did not directly oppose, he said, "Usually, submarines and aircraft are suitable for this tactical principle, and our captains usually cherish their reputations!"

"In that case, I respectfully request permission to accompany Admiral Hans Langsdorff on the 'Graf Spee' to the Atlantic and take command of the German ships and aviation forces in the South American region, including the ships available for combat or auxiliary combat under the Schneider shipyard!"

Rader asked somewhat puzzledly, "Hainuo, I don't understand why you want to leave the 'Zeppelin' and the naval aviation command to command an armored ship and several supply ships? In my opinion, Colonel Hans Langsdorff is competent enough in his position!"

"The 'Zeppelin' won't be ready for combat until the end of the year at least, and the specific affairs of the naval aviation are currently handled by my chief of staff, Captain Heidrich. I am more concerned about possible combat operations of the navy in the western Atlantic, which also affects the entire strategic situation of the German navy!" After adjusting his tone slightly, Zhang Hainuo said more sincerely, "Your Excellency, I have no intention of disparaging Colonel Langsdorff. He is experienced and clever, and he is more than capable of commanding a flagship in fleet operations. But the problem is that the 'Graf Spee' is not a fleet battleship. The long and dangerous sea raid operations require cautiousness and precision. Any cowardice or negligence could lead to fatal mistakes!"

Rader reluctantly agreed, cautioning, "Hainuo, to be honest, sending the 'Deutschland' and 'Graf Spee' into the Atlantic for potential operations is very risky. I don't want to lose an important warship and capable assistant at the beginning of the war!"

Zhang Hainuo stood up and said, "There will inevitably be casualties in battle, but this time, I promise to return with victory alongside Colonel Langsdorff!"

As Germany's stance on the Polish issue grew increasingly firm and with Britain and France standing their ground, the scent of war grew stronger. Not only the two armored ships intended for surface raiding— the "Deutschland" and the "Graf Spee," but the German navy also dispatched a large number of submarines in August. At the outbreak of war, they would ruthlessly attack enemy maritime supply lines. With the signing of the non-aggression pact between Germany and the Soviet Union and Britain and France's pledge to support Poland in case of invasion, the identity of the enemy was no longer in doubt.