In London, in the office of the Royal Navy and Navy Secretary, Churchill and his officers are discussing the next combat plan. If any department in the UK is the most worried now, it is undoubtedly the Navy.

In the Dutch offshore battle that just ended not long ago, facing a squadron of the German Navy, 14 warships of the British Royal Navy were beaten to pieces and lost one battleship and an aircraft carrier. If cruisers and destroyers were included, Britain has not suffered such a painful defeat since the Battle of Jutland.

So this time Churchill planned to give Germany the most severe revenge. He ordered the Royal Navy to summon the largest fleet and completely block the German waters. Just like during World War I, he trapped Germany in the narrow European continent. Then rely on his absolute advantage in resources to drag down the fierce German challenger.

Moreover, as the British Navy Minister, Churchill's idea was more radical. He hoped to fight at sea the next time the German Navy went to sea and use his superior forces to defeat Germany's newly established high seas fleet in one fell swoop.

"The Hood is coming back from the Mediterranean. This time the Italians are very honest. They have not even sent planes to track our ships." An officer pointed at the huge sea map with a coaching stick and said: "Spain has no courage to attack us. The construction of the German naval base there is not perfect. They do not have the strength to intercept our battleships in the Strait of Gibraltar."

Another officer glanced at the report in his hand and reported to Churchill: "On the other hand, in order to support France's frontal combat, our army's transportation fleet is constantly traveling across the English Channel, and plans to transport at least 100,000 soldiers to France within this month. In the end, we will arrange 300,000 soldiers on the frontal battlefield."

"The news from the United States is that they have no interest in participating in the war, and they are not even willing to mobilize. In the US Congress, the mainstream idea is still to isolate European policies. Although President Roosevelt is very willing to provide support to us, these support is not free of charge under pressure." An official in charge of diplomatic affairs briefly introduced the situation of his allies: "On the other hand, the US side is very interested in the battle off the coast of the Netherlands. They hope to send officers to us to study the specific process of the entire operation."

"You can do this! In addition, Hi-Tech hired American technicians to the UK, and we needed to produce several models of fighter jets at the same time, which was a bit too much." Churchill said this with his forehead, and then stopped talking.

The plan to withdraw the fleet from the Mediterranean was a helpless move, because Britain found that its fleet did not have any good tricks to deal with German aircraft carriers. The shortcomings of carrier-based aircraft can only give a big discount to the British aircraft carrier's combat capability. Moreover, in terms of the quality of the aircraft carrier itself, it is also a little better for the German Navy's new aircraft carrier.

The only aircraft carrier that Britain can do with the same performance as the Zeppelin-class aircraft carrier is the latest Ark Royal aircraft carrier. Others, such as the Brave and Glory, are not as many carrier-based aircraft carriers as the German warships.

"Our army will deploy a fleet between the Denmark's sea and the Baltic Sea to lure the German Navy to dispatch. We will deploy two support fleets here and here, consisting of destroyers and light cruisers. These warships are warships with strong air defense capabilities and can temporarily protect themselves once they join together." An officer pointed to the map and said again the entire combat plan.

Then he pointed to Scapa Bay and proudly introduced: "Then the main force of the Navy's local fleet will come out and fight directly. Although our army is at a disadvantage in aircraft carriers, this time we have concentrated a total of 5 battleships, which we have overwhelming advantages in this regard."

"Okay! Let's stop the statement of the combat plan. We have repeatedly argued twice. There should be no big problem." Churchill interrupted the officer's endless talk and turned to the two men in suits who did not say a word.

He forced a smile and said to the two people: "The Navy needs a brand new warship, an aircraft carrier that is competent for fleet air defense operations. Referring to the German aircraft carrier style, it is necessary to ensure that it can carry at least 65 advanced carrier-based fighters at the level of 30,000 tons - similar to the Ark of Royal."

"The production of such aircraft carriers is time-consuming. If the work starts immediately, it will delay the production of other ships, and it will not be able to serve this year." A man in a suit replied, an official in charge of communication between the British Navy and the shipyard manufacturer, and his speech is very important.

"No matter how hard the work is, can't it be completed? I heard that the Germans' new shipbuilding technology has greatly increased the speed of shipbuilding." Churchill asked with a frown: "And this technology has been copied back by our spies. Is it so difficult to copy it?"

"The Germans have high manufacturing skills, and we do not have a lot of experience in building their segmented construction technology, so even if they are used, they cannot build warships within one year." The official sighed and said: "I heard that Germany was using this method to build Hercules-class transport ships after 1925. They have accumulated more than ten years, and our technology is not as mature as they do."

"Will the new warship be in service at the end of 1939 according to the quality of the Ark of Royal?" Churchill asked helplessly at the end of the end.

"Try to do what we can. If we can start construction together, we should be able to build three aircraft carriers of similar levels at the end of 1939 at all costs." The man thought for a while and said.

Churchill nodded: "Then do it quickly! Britain's future will be entrusted to these warships." He knew that this was just a word of comfort, both to comfort others and to comfort himself. According to the German construction speed, they would soon be launched into the fifth and sixth aircraft carriers, followed by the seventh and eighth... By 1940, Germany would have a terrifying fleet of 8 aircraft carriers, and Britain would only maintain the number of aircraft carriers at 7 to 8, which was obviously something he didn't want to see.

After a few seconds of silence, he cleaned up the declining mood of the British Royal Navy and looked at another person: "How is the development of the new fighter?"

"It has been completed. The new fighter jets are divided into two types and have been put into production. More than 100 aircraft have been equipped." The man said proudly: "The naval model is named Dapeng, and the army model is called Wuwei. This aircraft can completely replace the navy's gladiator fighter after testing, and has very powerful air attack capabilities."

He saw Churchill with his eyes lit up, so he continued to boast: "This aircraft has a flight speed of 480 kilometers per hour, which is completely comparable to the German-exported me-109c fighter, and its firepower is also very strong."

Of course, on the other hand, this fearless fighter also has its irreparable shortcomings. In general, there are three major design defects: First, it is hindered from the cockpit, and the shooting angle of the machine gunner directly in front is only 19 degrees. When the air combat is fast, it is difficult for the machine gunner to see the target clearly in a short time. The driver also does not have special sights.

Second, there is insufficient space in the turret. The machine gunner cannot carry a parachute, and when the machine gun is pointed at the rear of the aircraft, the turret door is sealed, hindering escape. Therefore, when the fighter is shot down, the machine gunner must first point the turret in the direction of the pilot in order to drill out of the turret, and then go to the aircraft cabin to escape with a parachute. There are many difficulties in this.

Third, the weight of the turret and machine gunner, and the air resistance caused by the turret, the two-seat design is not as good as that of an ordinary single-seat fighter. This one is also the most fatal, because as an air-control fighter, it is not as flexible as others, which is very fatal.

But the military was already very satisfied. After all, this kind of aircraft is much stronger than the biplane such as gladiators in its hands. So almost without hesitation, the UK began mass-producing such fighter jets to counter the increasingly terrifying Luftwaffe fighter units.

Good news came that this aircraft with a very strange attack angle with a turret won a victory in a French air battle. Relying on sudden firing firepower, British pilots shot down two patrolling FW-190d fighter jets, sweeping away the fear and haze of the German FW-190d inside the coalition air force.

Of course, the Navy has only equipped a few of these aircraft, because the narrow deck of the naval aircraft carrier is not very suitable for the take-off and landing of this aircraft. So Churchill said, "We must also hurry up on the experimental work of new fighter jets! I heard that you have found a brand new design plan... At the shortest time in the end of 1939, we will catch up with the gap with Germany in fighter jets!"

"Yes! I understand! I will urge the designers to complete the design work of the new fighter as soon as possible." The man nodded and agreed.

"Ring! Ring!" The phone on Churchill's desk rang, and it seemed a little harsh in such a late night. Churchill frowned. In his memory, the phone number of the Navy's office had not yet been remembered so late.

"Hey? Hello..." Churchill grabbed the phone, his instinctive premonition made him feel that something big would happen tonight.

"The big thing is wrong! Churchill! The fleet in Scapa Bay was attacked by Germany!" The other end of the phone said in a hysterical cry: "The King Quan... The King Quan is silent! God!"

"What's crazy in the middle of the night? How could the German fleet sneak attack Scapa Bay? I also confirmed yesterday that the Imperial and Zeppelin aircraft carriers were indeed maintained in Wilhelmshaven!" Churchill cursed: "Are you stupid?"
Chapter completed!