The Proposal for a New Warship

"Father, Your Excellency Marshal. It suddenly occurred to me that our navy needs another type of warship. If we can build a batch, this will be a good way for our navy to improve its strength." Just as the conversation was about to end, Oscar suddenly spoke.

"Oh? Oscar, what warship?" William II and Marshal Count Tirpitz were both intrigued. They were extremely eager to enhance the strength of the navy.

"Destroyer battleships!" Oscar replied.

"Destroyer battleships? Your Royal Highness, you mean the warship that attacks the British sea transportation line?" Marshal Earl Tirpitz frowned.

"Yes, Your Excellency, Marshal. As the name suggests, a destroyer battleship is a warship that specializes in attacking the enemy's communication lines. Especially for an island country like Britain, it is a deadly threat. Although Britain's industry is developed, most of the materials they need are transported by sea. At the same time, all kinds of industrial products produced need to be shipped out by sea. Once our warships destroy their sea transportation lines, it will pose a huge problem for the British. It will be a fatal blow. Their industrial products cannot be shipped out, and the resources they need cannot be shipped in. Even the food required to meet the domestic needs cannot be shipped back to the country. Under such circumstances, can they continue to fight us? Even food shortages will be a critical issue. A British Empire like that would probably collapse soon!" A smile appeared on Oscar's face.

Encircling and suppressing sea transportation lines is undoubtedly fatal for island countries. In another time and space, both the German Second Reich and the Third Reich used similar tactics. It's just that they lacked the necessary warships and had to rely on submarines. Although the British suffered extremely heavy losses, after the British increased their investment in anti-submarine warships, the effectiveness of submarines was limited. If, in this timeline, Germany can invest in a large number of destroyers and cut off the British sea transportation lines, this could help Germany win the war quickly.

"It's a good idea, and the navy has thought of it. However, Britain is not far away from us, so there is no immediate need to build a dedicated battleship. Ordinary battleships and cruisers can take on this task," William II shook his head. In his view, the German navy is currently short on resources, and all funds should be used wisely. There was no need to waste them on such a specialized vessel.

"Father, it's true that ordinary warships can be used to attack sea transportation lines. However, let us not forget that the British also have a huge navy. Their battleships and cruisers may not be as powerful as ours, but in terms of numbers, they far exceed ours. If we send our battleships and cruisers to attack their sea lanes, we will fall into the situation of being surrounded by them. What's more, each of our battleships is precious, and if one is lost, it would be a great loss," Oscar explained.

William II and Marshal Count Tirpitz nodded repeatedly, approving Oscar's statement.

"Your Highness, do you have any suggestions on this?" Marshal Count Tirpitz asked. He was clearly persuaded by Oscar. Although the navy's current budget is tight, if building such a warship could contribute to Germany's victory over the British, it would be worth tightening the belt to make the investment. After all, everything they did had one purpose: to win this war.

"Your Excellency, Marshal, we need a battleship that is fast and has powerful firepower. As for defense, it should be adequate but not necessarily the strongest. In this way, when our warships attack the enemy's sea transportation lines, they will be able to move relatively safely. If the enemy sends cruisers to chase us, even if their cruisers can catch up with our destroyer, they will find themselves outgunned. With the speed and firepower of our destroyers, the enemy will be at a disadvantage," Oscar smiled.

"Yes, such a warship would have a great advantage in breakthrough operations," William II nodded.

"Father, I propose calling this type of destroyer a battlecruiser. It's a warship between a battleship and a cruiser. Its firepower is comparable to that of a battleship, its speed matches a cruiser, and its defense is stronger than that of a cruiser but slightly weaker than a battleship. The small-caliber artillery of a cruiser won't pose a serious threat to it," Oscar explained.

"His Royal Highness means that this battlecruiser is a ship that the enemy's battleships can't catch up with but can defeat, while the cruisers can catch up with it but won't be able to defeat it," Marshal Earl Tirpitz said with a smile.

"Exactly. Even if our battlecruisers are weaker in defense, they are still stronger than British battleships. The British tend to prioritize firepower and speed in their designs, which means they sacrifice defense. This allows our battlecruisers to surpass their battleships in terms of defense. In this case, it's not impossible to confront their battleships, but of course, we should avoid direct confrontation as much as possible to preserve our own strength," Oscar said.

The main role of the battlecruiser would be to attack the enemy's sea transportation lines and to deal with smaller warships, like destroyers and cruisers, rather than engaging in full battles with enemy battleships.

"Your Majesty, this proposal from His Royal Highness is excellent. It opens up another path for the navy's development. Although I believe the decisive factor in naval warfare will still be the battleship, the cooperation of battlecruisers will be essential. This could give us a significant advantage in the war and provide us with additional strategic options," Marshal Earl Tirpitz remarked.

If the German navy deploys battlecruisers at the start of the war to attack British sea transportation lines, it would not only weaken Britain's war potential but also damage their morale. This would force the British to carefully reconsider whether they should enter the war. In this scenario, Germany would have more time to prepare.

King William II nodded thoughtfully: "It seems the battlecruiser is indeed a warship our navy must have."