Chapter 2646 Confrontation Escalation Three
"These warships are too fragile. It's hard for me to imagine how long a warship that could be severely damaged or even sunk by a hit of a torpedo or a bomb can survive the high-intensity attack of the German navy." Duff said.
"Well, General Betty on the front line also has objections to this. So we have to find a balance point through experiments, which can take into account the cost and construction cycle, and at the same time make the survival rate of this battleship not so bad. So we need a lot of Battlefield data," Thomas said.
"Since you told me so much today, does that mean that if I finish the mission in Italy, I will go to the Pacific Ocean? After all, Betty and the others may be short-handed." Duff said.
"Yes, our battlefield personnel will increase, and we must not only keep an eye on Japan, but also the Americans. In addition to the navy, there is also the air force. We need to collect as much information as possible to accumulate experience."
"Does our Air Force have any new programs?" Duff asked.
"One thing, the empire's current research and development of large aircraft is strictly restricted, so we can only make a fuss about twin-engine medium-sized aircraft. The empire is now cooperating with the Japanese to develop a twin-engine fast multi-purpose bomber that can simultaneously Performing dive bombing and torpedo attacks, this aircraft will be the main tactical strike aircraft of the Imperial Air Force in the future," Thomas said.
"This is a bit difficult. Dive-bombing requires a high structural strength of the aircraft, and we need to equip it with special targeting equipment. Even if the aircraft is produced now and put into the battlefield, it may not be able to produce satisfactory results in the early stage. "Duff is not very good at aviation, but with years of experience in the army, he knows that it takes time and honing for a new piece of equipment to go from the blueprint to the factory, and the tactics to turn from the idea into reality.
Moreover, if Thomas is asking for a combination of dive bombing and torpedo attack, then the size of this aircraft will not be small. After all, the size and weight of torpedoes are there now. The current new aviation torpedo weighs more than 450KG. . If the high-speed requirements are added, the requirements for the engine will reach a new height, which is not a small challenge for the British whose aviation industry is currently restricted. After all, the engine power of the British is limited.
"We are accumulating experience and ideas. The empire's aviation research and development cannot be interrupted. Even if we will not be equipped in the end, we must maintain the necessary research and development capabilities." Thomas explained.
"I feel that it would be better for me to be in charge of the navy, and leave the aviation to professionals." Duff hesitated and said.
"Okay, let's talk about the next question, what do you think of the cruisers of the future Imperial Navy?" Thomas asked.
"Cruisers are getting bigger and bigger now. I always thought that the Germans' 175MM gun cruisers and the 190MM gun cruisers we are going to build are big enough,
As a result, the Americans have actually installed 10-inch artillery. Now the newly built large cruisers in various countries are almost the products of the high speed and fearlessness of the old large cruisers. "
"Honestly speaking, the price/performance ratio of such large battleships specially designed to deal with the opponent's cruisers is actually very low. Because of anti-lightning strikes, they are not as good as light cruisers equipped with 6-inch artillery. In terms of fleet operations, they are far inferior to high-speed battleships. Their existence It’s just to deal with the opponent’s cruiser, and the cost is quite high. If possible, I hope that the Royal Navy will not build a single one, and all the money saved will be used to equip other warships.” As a veteran of the Royal Navy, Duff said Now the problem of large-scale cruisers is still very clear.
"However, there are many things in this world that are unreasonable. What do you think everyone will do after the war is over? In order to maintain their own interests, countries that are already tired must ask to sign a treaty to limit armaments. In terms of navy, capital ships The tonnage and performance of the ship will be strictly limited, so everyone can only use their brains on the secondary capital ship to ensure combat effectiveness. The Americans have already started, and the Germans may follow up soon. Well, in this In a world where you have what I want, how do you let the Royal Navy choose?" Thomas asked rhetorically.
"This...." Duff couldn't answer this question.
"Well, this time we should not only pay attention to heavy cruisers equipped with 10-inch guns, but also mid-range cruisers with 7.5-inch to 8-inch guns, and now we are equipped with 6-inch guns. Light cruisers, but in my personal opinion, The 5,000-ton cruisers we left behind during the Great War will be useless in the future. After all, the tonnage of destroyers is also increasing now. It has to improve," Thomas said.
"Okay, but I feel that there will not be many examples of cruisers. At least the armored cruisers equipped with 10-inch guns by the Americans will not be very useful, because the Japanese cruiser squadron has almost been destroyed, even if we sell them to the Japanese. There is no need to fight against these big guys with a full load displacement of nearly 20,000 tons.” Duff said.
"Don't forget the old-fashioned cruisers in the hands of the Japanese and the cruisers that Japan is planning to purchase from the Italians. I believe that these cruisers will make the Pacific Ocean very chaotic in the future." Thomas said meaningfully.
"Then let's wait and see," Duff said.
Therefore, when the war in New Ireland just ended, although the confrontation between the United States and Japan subsided on the surface, it was just a short break between the wars, and the major powers in the world were more or less involved in this In a war in which the Americans and Japanese fought for dominance of the Pacific Ocean, the Germans, Austrians, British, French, and Italians considered what they could gain in this war. Under the influence of these factors, the fire of war will not only not be extinguished, but will intensify instead!
Just when Thomas was planning how to make this war last longer and fight more intensely. A team represented by US Secretary of State Lansing finally came to Germany to discuss the next step of US-Germany military cooperation, and this visit will undoubtedly open a new page in the game between the US and Germany. To Lansing's surprise, this time, his main pressure did not come from politics, but from his own ignorance of the "military" profession. Even with the help of Colonel Leahy, he couldn't do anything about many things!
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