The Rise of the Third Reich

Marshall's proposal to bomb Italy with B-17 was actually a kind of "advertising war". The main purpose was not to kill as many Italians as possible, but to make an example of them and warn those European countries that were trying to follow Germany.

Britain and the United States may not be able to deal with Germany for the time being, but they can use high-altitude heavy bombers like B-17 to destroy the capital of any German vassal state!

And this B-17 bomber, which Marshall regarded as a killer, did have its advantages. It could take off from the UK, fly over French airspace, and travel nearly 1,500 kilometers to bomb the Italian capital of Rome!

This was not only because the B-17 (the latest model is the B-17C) had a super long range (5,471 kilometers empty and 3,862 kilometers with 1.8 tons of bombs). Moreover, because the B-17's Wright R-1820-65 "Cyclone" radial engine is equipped with a turbocharger system, the B-17 bomber can still maintain good performance at high altitudes with thin air, so the practical ceiling of the B-17 bomber can reach 11,278 meters!

This is a height that most fighters in the world are difficult to reach. Even if they can reach it, the engine output of the aircraft will drop significantly because the air at high altitudes is too thin. For example, the engine of the BF-109F, the main fighter of the German Air Force, can achieve the highest efficiency at an altitude of 6,000 meters (the aircraft engine using a mechanical supercharger can only perform at its best within a relatively small altitude range).

Although the BF-109F can also fly to an altitude of 12,000 meters, at such an altitude, the aircraft performance is greatly reduced, and the threat to the B-17, which uses a turbocharged engine (the turbocharged engine has a very large altitude range) and has strong self-defense firepower, is also greatly reduced.

As for the long-range Fokker Zero, it was positioned at medium and low altitudes from the beginning, so it could not fly above 11,000 meters.

Since both of Germany's main fighters had difficulty dealing with this B-17, the B-17 posed a greater threat to Germany. However, because Germany had a lot of fighters and they were very concentrated - Germany did not occupy France, Norway and the Netherlands at present, so the territory that needed to be defended by the German Air Force was relatively small, and the density of fighters and anti-aircraft artillery was greatly increased. Therefore, before heavy bombers such as B-17 and "Lancaster" reached a certain number, Churchill did not dare to easily provoke strategic bombing.

Moreover, Churchill was also worried about retaliation from German high-altitude bombers. Because the German Air Force is now using a twin-engine aircraft (a diesel-powered Ju86P) that can fly to an altitude of 13,000 meters to fly around the UK for reconnaissance.

In addition, the British intelligence department has also heard a lot of news about the Fokker Aircraft Company and BMW developing turbocharging technology. Therefore, it is inferred that Germany is not behind the United States in turbocharging technology and must have a practical turbocharger.

For various reasons, the British government has always been very cautious about provoking a bombing war.

But now the British have been forced into a corner by Hessman's "advertising war", so they don't care so much, and the target now is not Germany.

……

"North African War There won't be any problems with the deployment of troops if the battle is carried out at the same time as the battle of Gibraltar, right? "

Just when the Americans were preparing to send B-17s to Britain to murder the Italian people from the air, Hessmann returned to the German capital of Berlin to attend the High Command meeting with three battle plans - the Crete battle plan, the North Africa battle plan and the Gibraltar battle plan.

The plan to capture Crete was codenamed "Mercury". Hessmann planned to use the main fleet of the Italian Navy, the German Marine Corps, the 7th Airborne Division, the 5th Mountain Infantry Division, the Italian 185th "Lightning" Division and the 8th German Air Force (with part of the naval aviation attached), as well as the main force of the Italian Air Force, to carry out the attack on Crete.

While carrying out the landing operation on Crete, Hessman also planned to launch a sea and air strike against the British Mediterranean Fleet that was reinforcing Crete, striving to annihilate it in the eastern Mediterranean.

After completing Operation Mercury, the German-Italian African Corps will implement Operation Augustus, planning to deploy 2 armored divisions and 1 light division, and then cooperate with the Italian North African Army Group in the Mediterranean Fleet to launch an offensive against the British troops entrenched in North Africa, striving to push the front line from Africa to Asia in one fell swoop! If Turkey falls to Germany, then the African Corps will control the entire Middle East together with the German troops coming south from the Balkans through Asia Minor.

While Operation Augusta is underway, Hessman Hessman also planned to launch the "Cape" operation aimed at occupying Gibraltar. The action plan was to attack the Gibraltar Peninsula from land via Spain. To this end, Hessman was ready to call on the 800mm caliber super cannon "Gustav", and would also use Ju88 and Ju87 to drop more than 1,000 kilograms of armor-piercing bombs.

In addition, the "Cape" operation did not stop at Gibraltar. While capturing Gibraltar, airborne troops would also be used to control the Canary Islands and the Azores, as well as Morocco in North Africa. To prevent Britain and the United States from taking advantage of the opportunity to enter.

"Leader, there will be absolutely no problem in the use of troops." Hessman answered very affirmatively, "We have enough troops to implement these plans."

In Hersmann's view, as long as Germany does not implement the "Barbarossa" plan, Germany will not have a problem of insufficient troops at all.

"Marshal," Hitler seemed a little worried, "I mean, if the Soviet Union sends troops to the Middle East, will we still have enough troops to use in Gibraltar and North Africa?"

The Soviet Union sends troops?

Hessman frowned slightly, this is very possible! Once Britain was defeated in the Great Battle of Crete, it would no longer have the strength and necessity to stop the Soviet Union from moving south to the Middle East. Britain might even take the initiative to lure the Soviet Union southward to confront Germany.

"If the Soviet Union goes south," Hessman thought for a while and said, "the only target could be Iran."

Iran is relatively easy to bully. After Kemal's reforms, Türkiye is now a Europeanized nation-state. Moreover, after defeating Greece and safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity, Turkey's nationalism and nationalism are very high, and the people are willing to sacrifice their lives for the country. If the Soviet Union insists on attacking Türkiye, it will definitely suffer heavy casualties.

Moreover, with the combat effectiveness of the Soviet Red Army, it was impossible to capture Turkey before Germany intervened.

"If the Soviet Union does not touch the oil fields in southern Iran," Hersman said thoughtfully, "we can tolerate them occupying most of Iran's land."

The most valuable thing in Iran is of course the oil fields belonging to the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company in the southern Khuzestan Province. As long as Khuzestan Province can be won, it is temporarily acceptable for other areas of Iran to be controlled by the Soviet Union.

"What if...the Soviet Union occupied Iran's oil fields?" Adolf Hitler asked.

"Then drive them away!" Hersman said without hesitation, "Persian Gulf oil is our core interest and we must not give in!"

"A full-scale war?" Hitler asked.

"There is no need for a full-scale war," Hersman said. "It only needs to be a devastating blow to the participating Soviet Red Army in a medium-sized battle."

Hersman thought he knew Stalin's temper very well. It is certain that the Red Czar will invade Iran by taking advantage of the fire. The question is just how much to eat... Hersman estimated that Stalin would probably not take Khuzestan. His Soviet Union was not short of oil, so he did not have to risk his life for Germany for oil.

If Stalin's Red Army entered Khuzestan, it would be testing the water temperature. Germany must not be soft at this time and must hit the opponent hard. However, there is no need to expand the war. Just fight one to let the Soviet Union know how powerful it is.

Hitler nodded and said nothing, but looked at the Minister of Defense, Field Marshal Schleicher.

"We must be prepared for a full-scale war with the Soviet Union," Schleicher asked thoughtfully. "If the Soviet Union wants to expand the war, what suggestions do you have?"

Hersman said: "Then take over the entire Ukraine and bomb the oil facilities in Baku, Batum and Grozny at the same time... The General Staff has a plan in advance and can completely handle it."

Fighting against the Soviet Union was part of the "Terminator Plan". Although Hersman did not advocate its implementation and did not think Stalin would be so confused, preparations still had to be made.

…

"Comrade Kuznetsov." Stalin, the fatherly leader of the Soviet Union, was summoning the People's Commissar of the Navy and Commander-in-Chief of the Navy Kuznetsov at his villa in Sochi, a resort on the Black Sea coast.

Stalin was smoking his pipe and seemed to be in a good mood. He smiled and said to Kuznetsov: "How much do you know about the Great Battle of the Eastern Mediterranean?"

"Comrade Stalin," the Commander-in-Chief of the Soviet Navy replied, "I don't know much. I only know that German and Italian aircraft played a decisive role in this naval battle. Obviously, the surface fleet is now facing an increasingly large force. threats from the air."

"Do you want to observe how the Germans and Italians fought a naval battle from a relatively close distance?" Stalin took a puff of his cigarette and then said with a smile, "The Italians sent us an invitation letter and asked us to send a military observation team. Go watch them drive the British navy out of the Mediterranean."

"Is there such a thing?" Kuznetsov was startled and thought to himself: Are the relations between the Soviet Union, Germany and Italy so good? Is the Soviet Union about to join the magnificent cause of liberating all mankind?

"Yes," Stalin nodded and said with a smile, "They not only invited us, but also invited naval observation groups from France, Spain, Japan, Turkey, the Netherlands, Sweden, Brazil, Argentina, Portugal, Chile and Venezuela. We all went to the theater... It was a very lively battle!”