Chapter 63

When the splash caused by the torpedo got closer and closer to the target ship, hundreds of pairs of eyes watched the slowly moving target ship nervously through the binoculars. With the dull sound of Dangdang, the water splashed on the starboard side of the battleship. It stopped abruptly, and the two long water marks gradually dispersed.

"What's going on?" The Emperor looked at Chen Tian next to him with a puzzled look, and everyone around him also whispered, only Chen Tian showed a strange smile on his face.

"Your Majesty, there are no explosives in those two torpedoes! You must know the power of torpedoes. Two are enough to blow up that cruiser, but we only have this target ship now. If we sink it now, then There will be no way to demonstrate in our subsequent experiments!"

In a live ammunition test a month ago, a torpedo dropped by Captain Fritz hit the middle of the target ship Landshut. The 3000-ton cruiser was broken into two sections by a violent explosion and soon sank into the water. . Although the success of the aviation torpedo made everyone happy, they soon discovered that there was no target ship available in the next test. The remaining Ulm must be used when the Emperor came to visit. Finally, they A small island outside the port had to be the target of the bomb test. At present, the improvement of aviation torpedoes and aerial bombs has been basically completed. Chentian invited Kaiser Wilhelm II, Prince Prince, Minister of the Navy Tirpitz and others to watch the exercise. In order to prevent the situation from happening last time, he specially arranged The first demonstration uses a torpedo that will not explode.

"Yeah! I understand! So hurry up and proceed to the next demonstration!" The emperor turned his gaze back to the sea not far away.

This time Captain Fritz took three other planes for the bombing test. The four planes flew over the target ship in turn. Four of the bombs dropped directly hit the target ship. Other bombs also exploded not far from the target ship. . The target ship was full of smoke and flames on the spot, and a hole was blown out by a near-missing bullet below the starboard waterline, and the hull soon began to tilt.

Seeing this situation, the viewers, including the emperor, applauded with satisfaction.

"Jigi, you did a good job this time! I think we should have a good talk!" The emperor asked Chentian and Tirpitz to go to his special train, and of course the prince also attended their meeting as usual.

"Today's exercise is very exciting, I decided..." When everyone arrived, the emperor couldn't wait to announce the matter, but Chen Tian suddenly interrupted him.

"Your Majesty, please forgive me! Before you make a decision, I hope you can let me say a few words!"

The others looked at Chentian with surprise, but the emperor nodded, and then sat back on his chair.

"Today everyone did see the tremendous power of airplanes, aerial torpedoes, and aerial bombs. If I am not mistaken, I think His Majesty the Emperor just wanted to announce the mass production of these weapons. Am I right? Your Majesty! "Chentian said, owing to the emperor, the emperor nodded in agreement.

"In fact, this test is not announcing to everyone that the aircraft has become the nemesis of the battleship! I just hope that everyone understands that battleships are not necessary to defeat battleships. All weapons have their advantages and disadvantages! Battleships have thick armor, The firepower is strong, but torpedoes and bombs can pose a threat to them. Although the aircraft is fast, the range and ammunition capacity are very limited. They can only attack targets within a few hundred kilometers and are greatly affected by the weather. In other words, if the opposing battleship is out of range of our aircraft, or in bad weather, our aircraft cannot attack them!"

"His Majesty the Emperor, His Royal Highness, His Excellency the Minister of the Navy, I think that various weapons should be developed in a balanced manner, and they should cooperate with each other on the battlefield to maximize their effectiveness. Although battleships are still the protagonists of naval battles, we cannot just build Battleships, otherwise they will only keep chasing after the British. If part of the shipbuilding energy can be invested in the development and manufacture of other weapons, and supplemented with correct tactics during wartime, I believe that ours will be able to defeat the seemingly powerful enemy. !" When he finished expressing his opinions, the eyes of others were filled with confusion and thinking.

After a long time, the emperor stood up.

"The Prince of East Prussia said very well! Infantry needs artillery, and battleships also need other weapons! But is there a more specific proposal?"

"Your Majesty, my suggestion is to temporarily build fewer battleships, delay the construction of a few battleships, and transfer the saved money to other weapons, such as aircraft carriers and zeppelins!" When Chen Tian said this, the emperor was stunned, Tyre Pitts was stunned, and Prince was even more stunned.

"What is an aircraft carrier? What is the relationship between Zeppelin and battleship?" The emperor was puzzled.

"Your Majesty, aircraft carriers are ships used to load aircraft. They are divided into seaplane carriers and aircraft carriers. Seaplane carriers are loaded with seaplanes. The aircraft is put into the water and hoisted through the boom on the mothership. Then take off and land on the water, and perform reconnaissance and attack missions within hundreds of kilometers around the mothership; the aircraft carrier is loaded with ordinary wheeled aircraft, and the aircraft take off and land on the mothership deck, and can also perform reconnaissance and attack missions around the mothership. At present, the Baltic Sea Squadron already has two seaplane carriers, and the first aircraft carrier has been launched, but it will take about one year for trials and technical improvements." Chen Tian's introduction to aircraft carriers, Jean Tirpitz It was stunned for a while, but the emperor and the prince obviously understood this matter, and they only slightly expressed their concern.

"Your Majesty, the Zeppelin is not used to support naval warfare, but it flies high, has a long range, and has a certain amount of ammunition. It is simply a battleship in the air!" Chentian's words are just telling the truth. At present, the aircraft has the largest range. It can reach thousands of kilometers, but in addition to loading a large amount of fuel, that kind of aircraft can only carry a few people. Under the current technical conditions, the effects of airships bombing cities or fortresses from a long distance are indeed beyond the reach of airplanes.

"Prince, you are in charge of the Zeppelin, right! I remember the last time you told me that the cabinet did not pass your military appropriation application!" After thinking for a while, the emperor turned to the prince and asked.

"Yes, Your Majesty! The Cabinet said that the military expenditure has already exceeded the budget, and it is unable to allocate funds for the construction of airships!"

"Okay, I see! Tirpitz, we should revise the shipbuilding plan!" The emperor basically agreed to allocate part of the shipbuilding funds.

"In addition, Prince and Gigi, you also submitted a plan for the Zeppelin and aircraft carrier to me. These two projects should be supported!"

"Yes!"

Chentian and Tirpitz had just left the carriage, and Prince Prince stopped Chentian from behind.

"His Royal Highness, Your Royal Highness, I'll leave first!" Tirpitz consciously flashed a step first.

"My Lord of the Navy, see you next time!" After Tirpitz walked away, Prince thanked Chen Tian enthusiastically.

"His Royal Highness, don't thank me! Are you not doing all this for the benefit of our Germany?" Chen Tian did not intend to please the prince, but as the war approaches, any internal friction will damage the strength of the entire country.

"Anyway, you did me a great favor this time! I didn't expect you to do research on the Berlin airship. You started to admire me a little!" Prince had a rare smile on his face.

"I just heard people talk about airships. I haven't seen the real thing!"

"Then I will take you to visit our Zeppelin factory!"

People on Earth will know Zeppelin after decades, but most people only see it from books and documentaries. Chen Tian will naturally not refuse if they have the opportunity to see it with their own eyes.