The Rise of the Third Reich

Otto Hahn was a great scientist and a pacifist who was both anti-war and opposed to National Socialism - although he participated in the German poison gas project in the last world war. But after a long period of thinking after the war, his thoughts changed.

He now believes that the war will not bring any benefits to Germany, but will only cause the country to suffer greater disasters.

Therefore, he had no favorable impression of General Hersmann, who was often touted by German newspapers as "one of the most outstanding military strategists of our time." He regarded this soldier who promoted Germany's restoration of armaments, commanded troops to occupy the Rhineland, and single-handedly planned the annexation of the Czech Republic and the restoration of the Kaiser as a militarist and gambler who did things without thinking.

But when General Hirschmann announced in front of Otto Hahn and his assistant Liz Meitner that "nuclear fission phenomenon" was the top secret of the country, the pacifist Otto Hahn began to believe what the newspaper was facing. General Hessmann's compliment - he has mastered the essence of the art of war and can always discover the key factors to victory at the first opportunity...

Because just a few hours before Herschmann arrived, Hahn's assistant Ms. Meitner had just used the equation E=mc^2 in Einstein's theory of relativity to calculate that each fissioning nucleus releases 200 million electron volts. Energy - This is the basis of the atomic bomb and atomic energy. Hahn, who is well versed in physics, knows what this means!

"Lize, it's you!" Hahn suddenly turned his head and looked at Liz Meitner, a doctor of physics who had worked with him for more than 30 years. "You are from the agency!"

"Agency" is what the Germans call the Reich Central Security Service - agencies are everywhere! This is also the reason why Hahn hates the current German Empire.

But he knew that Liz Meitner was a woman who concentrated on scientific research and was not interested in politics. Although she had Jewish ancestry, she joined the Protestant Christianity and obtained the status of an honorary Aryan...

In today's Germany, many honorary Aryans are more patriotic than "authentic Aryans" - in history, Otto Hahn refused to participate in Germany's atomic bomb project and fled to Sweden (because of his Jewish ancestry) Liz Meitner declined the invitation from the United States.

Hahn knew his assistant's position, so he guessed that Liz Meitner must have joined the organization. This should be the reason why she was hired as a professor at the University of Berlin 12 years ago (1926) and was given a beautiful house in Charlottenburg (she lived there with her nephew, who was also a physicist).

Moreover, except for Liz Meitner and Hahn himself, there is no third person in the world who knows about the "nuclear fission phenomenon". Another Professor Strahmann who participated in the research has now gone to Stockholm and Fermi (Fermi went to There (who received the dynamite award) met and communicated. Professor Meitner came up with the name "nuclear fission" 2 hours ago!

"Professor, I..." Liz Meitner looked aggrieved, "Like you, I am working for this country! Moreover, I have done so much, shouldn't I get some recognition? "

Hahn is a very stingy person and has always been unwilling to acknowledge the scientific contributions of his assistant Liz Meitner.

"Professor Hahn," Hirschman interrupted the quarrel between the two great scientists with a smile, "Why are you angry? Is it because I don't allow you to disclose the 'nuclear fission phenomenon'? I think you should know what this phenomenon means What?"

"Bomb!" Hahn looked at Hersman coldly. "Theoretically, it is possible to create a super bomb that releases energy through nuclear fission! But that is just a theory!"

Hessmann smiled and said slowly: "The theory of nuclear fission, plus enough uranium, plus Germany's sophisticated manufacturing industry, plus a large number of scientists who are willing to contribute their wisdom to the European Union under the leadership of Germany, plus For 10 billion or 20 billion marks and the highest priority supply level, we can have this bomb in 1945 or 1946!”

Spending 10 billion to 20 billion marks on a newly emerged "bomb theory" is a bit astonishing, isn't it?

Hersman looked at Hahn, who was a little stunned, and then smiled bitterly: "But there is another country in the world that has more powerful industrial and financial resources than Germany, and they also have many scientists. If we can do it, they can do it too. , and would put more money and industrial power into it. If we could have it in 1945, they might have it in 1944. So, the next world war is really a race to build a nuclear fission bomb. Whoever possesses it first will be invincible!”

Hersman nodded towards Liz Meitner, "Madam, thank you for your contribution to the German people! You have saved countless lives. If it weren't for you, our Professor Hahn would have made the phenomenon of nuclear fission public. . Then this scientific discovery will become a terrible weapon to destroy the German nation in a few years!"

"But if you didn't start a war, no one would be killed by a nuclear fission bomb, right?" Professor Hahn asked loudly.

"The decision whether to go to war or not does not lie with us, but with London and Wall Street."

Hersman shrugged, "The war was actually started by them. This was the case with the last war, and there will be no exception next time. If anyone in this world wants to use nuclear fission bombs to kill innocent people, it must not be us in Germany." People. How many innocent civilians did we kill after we occupied so many places in the last world war? And how many German civilians were killed by our enemy's blockade after we surrendered? And the kids!”

Hahn remained silent, looking stubborn and unwilling to cooperate.

Hersman smiled and said: "Professor Hahn, it doesn't matter if you don't want to cooperate. We will not force you to help us build a nuclear fission bomb. In fact, we will not force anyone." He paused, "But You can't leak this phenomenon, it will give our enemies the first opportunity to possess nuclear fission bombs!"

After saying this, Hersman raised his voice and shouted: "Come in!"

Then I saw a dozen people in casual clothes walking into the laboratory. "This is a no-go area now, and you're not allowed to touch anything," Hersman said.

He looked at Liz Meitner again, "Madam, are you willing to participate in the research of nuclear fission bombs?"

"No, I don't want to either!" Liz Meitner replied, "Your Majesty General, I told you about the phenomenon of nuclear fission first because I don't want to see the people of Berlin or Vienna become victims of nuclear fission weapons. But I also don’t want people in London or Paris to be killed by this weapon.”

"It doesn't matter," Hessman smiled nonchalantly, "We will not force you to work for us. However... the energy produced by nuclear fission can be used to generate electricity. There is space for peaceful use, and the peaceful use of nuclear The fission project will begin soon, and I hope Madam and Professor Hahn can participate in it.”

Due to the indiscriminate use of honorary Aryan proof, most of the Jewish scientists in Germany did not leave, and there were also many outstanding chemists and physicists among the Germans. Hirschman was not worried at all that there would be no scientists to help build the atomic bomb. After blocking the discoveries of Hahn and Meitner, the time for Britain and the United States to carry out nuclear fission bomb research will definitely be delayed.

Moreover, the difference between "peaceful use of nuclear energy" and building atomic bombs is not big. As far as Hersman knew, the two major difficulties of separating isotopes and calculating critical values ​​had to be overcome. The former requires a large amount of strategic reserve materials (building separation equipment may consume a lot of non-ferrous metals) and power resources. Fortunately, Germany has been prepared.

Of course, it is still necessary to slow down the opponent's research pace. According to the information Hersman has, there are currently not many top scientists in the world carrying out "transuranic element research" or similar research (neutron bombardment or the like, which can easily detect nuclear fission) - this was not the case in the 1930s. A big circle. In addition to German scientists, there are the British Aston (expert in isotope research), Chadwick (the great man who discovered neutrons) and others, and the American Lawrence (invented the cyclotron accelerator), and others. There was the Italian Fermi (the most dangerous, he had discovered nuclear fission but could not explain it).

The British and American scientist Hersman has no way to deal with them for the time being, but the Italian Fermi cannot escape this time.

Just when Hersmann was talking to Hahn and Meitner in person, Hersmann's earliest assistant, Major General Carl Stockhausen, the current deputy director of the Central Security Bureau and director of the Department of Foreign Intelligence, was sitting in a Ford I was drinking coffee with Fermi and my wife in the cabin of the Gram F.37 aircraft (the same one that Hersman took to see Scapa Flow).

"Mr. Fermi, Madam, you don't have to worry about anything." Carl Stockhausen always had a good head, but now he looks even more graceful as he gets older. He wears a well-tailored suit and behaves quite elegantly. If he hadn't announced his family name, the Fermi couple would never have imagined that the other party was the head of the German Central Security Bureau.

"Germany is a very good place, a paradise for scientists. Mr. Einstein is also there now." Karl Stockhausen put down the small coffee cup in his hand and said with a smile, "I guarantee that you will have some friends there." Quite a pleasant experience.”

"Being a prisoner happily?" Enrico Fermi asked in a mocking tone.

Karl Stockhausen shrugged, "Whatever you think, my responsibility is to take you safely to Germany. I hope you and your wife will not make things difficult for me."

In fact, he didn't know why Hirschmann had to kidnap the Italian scientist back to Germany? He doesn't study weapons, so what's the use of taking him back?