Transmigrated as the Crown Prince

Lütjens, the most outstanding surface ship commander of the German Navy in World War II.

On May 24, 1941 in the original time and space, under the command of Lütjens, the battlecruiser Hood, a symbol of the British Navy, was sunk. This incident greatly stung the British Navy. The British fleet attacked from all directions. Attacking the Bismarck.

Everyone knows the final result. The Bismarck sank under the full attack of the British Navy. In the final battle, the last memory Lütjens left for people was - "Our ship can no longer be controlled, and we will fight until the last bomb..." It was May 27, 1941, and he was 52 years old...

Of course Yannick, such an excellent soldier, must be reused. He sent his secretary to the Admiralty to find Gunther Lütjens, who was still the captain of a small frigate.

Lütjens happened not to go to sea these days, so when he heard that His Excellency the Crown Prince summoned him, he did not dare to delay and immediately came to the palace. "I salute you, Your Majesty the Crown Prince."

After a few pleasantries, Yannick got down to business. "Major Lütjens, I have a new mission that I need you to perform."

Although the imperial power was severely weakened after the defeat in the last war and was checked by Parliament, how could William II be willing to give up those rights? In ten years and with the support of the royalists, he gradually regained a lot of power. Today's parliament is gradually no longer suppressing the imperial power, especially in the military aspect.

"Your Highness, please do as you please." Lütjens said respectfully.

After thinking about it, Yannick asked. "Let me ask you a question first, Major Lütjens, how do you think we can defeat the British Empire's fleet?"

Lütjens thought for a while before replying. "Your Highness the Crown Prince, forgive me for being stupid, but I really can't think of any good solution. Let's not talk about the 'Treaty of Versailles' that restricts us from building warships. But even if there is no treaty restriction, His Majesty the Emperor already tried it ten years ago. So compared to As for surface ships, I am more optimistic about underwater submarines. If the submarines can be made faster, dive deeper, and improve the torpedoes, they may still be able to fight."

Yannick was stunned when he heard this. Isn't this what Dönitz should have said? You, a surface captain, are more optimistic about underwater submarines? Should I switch you with Dönitz and let him command the aircraft carrier group and you command the wolf pack? Then he gave up the idea to avoid any other problems. But speaking of Dönitz, what is he doing right now? If I remember correctly, he was working as a torpedo boat captain, right?

Yannick came back to his senses and saw Lütjens looking at him with a confused expression. He smiled apologetically and continued. "Yes, it is difficult for us to gain an advantage over traditional naval guns. To be precise, there is no chance of defeating the British Empire's fleet. The submarine you mentioned is one way, but I am more optimistic about aircraft."

"Airplane?" Lütjens' first reaction was that it was simply impossible to use land-based aircraft to attack ships at sea, but he realized it immediately. "You mean the aircraft carrier?"

Yannick nodded. "right."

Lütjens thought for a while and shook his head. "With all due respect, even if the aircraft carrier can bring the aircraft far enough to attack the enemy ship, if it wants to use the aircraft to attack the battleship, the loss will be considerable. If a battleship is to be sunk, even if there is no interception by a destroyer or frigate, just The battleship's own anti-aircraft power can cause heavy losses to aircraft, which seems to outweigh the gain."

Most of the current fighter jets are biplanes or triplanes, and their maximum flight speed can hardly exceed 300 kilometers per hour. If you want to use such a "slow" aircraft to attack a warship, you will definitely suffer heavy losses. "Of course the current aircraft will suffer a lot of losses. But I have already understood it from the scientific research department. Judging from the current development trend of science and technology, in less than ten years, advanced engines will allow single-engine bombers to carry bombs weighing 500 kilograms. The flight speed exceeds 400 kilometers per hour, and the fighter jet can exceed 600 kilometers per hour."

Lütjens's eyes widened in surprise and he couldn't believe it. "Really?" After all, the maximum flying speed of the British "Fighting Chicken" fighter jets currently in service is 250 kilometers per hour. If the bomber flies at a speed of more than 400 kilometers per hour, the fighter jets will not be able to catch up even if they want to, and it will be greatly improved. The flying speed will also seriously test the anti-aircraft gunners on the battleship.

Looking at Lütjens's shocked expression, Yannick couldn't help but feel a little funny in his heart. He really wanted to tell him that in just thirty years, the first supersonic fighter would come out, and fifty years later the Soviets would be equipped with speeds reaching Mach 3, the famous MiG-25 with an altitude of 30,000 meters. If you live long enough, you can see the first stealth fighter.

"Of course, as technology advances, the performance of fighter aircraft will become even more outstanding. Which country will build battleships that are equivalent to targets by then?"

Therefore, after World War II, battleships were basically eliminated by aircraft carriers. After all, battleships are about the same size as aircraft carriers and require more air defense and escort ships. They are not cheaper to use than aircraft carriers, but their combat capabilities are far inferior to aircraft carriers.

Afterwards, the rapid development of missile weapons completely dealt a fatal blow to the battleship. How tragic it would be to imagine that a battleship worth billions and its thousands of well-trained crew members could be sent to the bottom of the sea by a few missiles worth several million.

"We have ordered a lot of supplies from Daming, and these supplies will be shipped continuously in the next few years. I have asked Daming to build small aircraft carriers to escort each transport team. And we have agreed with them that all escort aircraft carriers will be provided by our People will operate it. You need to use the past few years to become familiar with the operation of the aircraft carrier and train a group of carrier-based aircraft pilots." Generally, pilots only need to fly aircraft to take off on land, while carrier-based aircraft pilots need to fly in complex ocean environments. Completing normal takeoffs and landings is more demanding, and it is impossible to be competent without a lot of training.

"As I said just now, I am not optimistic about battleships. Even if the Treaty of Versailles is loosened in the future, I do not plan to build more battleships. Even if a few are built, they will either be used to escort aircraft carriers or be used for ground bombardment. The empire will be the main maritime force in the future. It will be an aircraft carrier group. Whether the empire can defeat the British fleet and dominate the vast ocean in the future depends entirely on you."

After hearing Yannick's words, Lütyan suddenly felt that the burden on his shoulders was heavier, and he couldn't help but straighten his waist and said solemnly. "Your Highness, please rest assured, I promise to complete the mission!"

Yannick nodded and handed several transfer orders to Lütjens. "I don't need those old die-hards who believe in big ships and cannons. Here are a few transfer orders signed by His Majesty the Emperor. Find a few like-minded people to go with you and be responsible for the training of each batch of aircraft carriers. I will send a group of pilots to follow you. Before the Ming Dynasty's small aircraft carriers are built, you should practice aircraft carrier takeoffs and landings on land." Although according to the Treaty of Versailles, Germany could not have an air force after its defeat, the Germans played a trick and incorporated some World War I pilots into the army, so he still Can assemble a group of pilots.

"Yes!" Just as Lütjens was about to leave, Yannick gave another order. "Also, don't mention what I just said to others."

"Understood, Your Highness!"

Then Yannick found Dönitz again, and after still fooling him, he sent him to the Netherlands to discuss cooperation in building submarines.