Chapter 675: Ice Aircraft Carrier

"Oh, damn it!"

In the Western Front headquarters, Konev was also listening to Timoshenko's speech broadcast. When he heard his name, Konev's heart suddenly skipped a beat and he couldn't help cursing. "Timoshenko, I have no grudges against you in the past and in the present, you are deliberately harming me! Damn it!" Konev was so depressed that he was about to explode. He knew that Comrade Stalin was suspicious by nature and didn't know what he would think when he heard this broadcast.

Should he take the initiative to clarify this matter to Comrade Stalin? But if he was so anxious to clarify, would it give people a feeling of guilt?

Just when Konev was anxiously stepping back and forth and hesitating, the adjutant rushed in. "Comrade Commander, the Kremlin called and asked you to return to Moscow immediately. Marshal Budyonny will take over here."

"!!" Konev was speechless after taking the telegram from the adjutant. He was transferred away before he could even sit in the new commander's chair.

The adjutant asked with some concern. "Comrade Commander, will there be any problem when we return to Moscow?"

Although he felt a little uncomfortable, Konev said with a relaxed look. "What could happen? Could it be that Comrade Stalin would punish me for a few words from a traitor like Timoshenko? Don't worry, Comrade Stalin might want to appoint me to a more important position. Pack up and let's go."

Washington, the White House.

"What? The Soviet marshal defected?" President Wilkie, who was discussing the war situation with several senior military officials, was stunned when he heard the news. "Is the news accurate?"

"Absolutely true, Mr. President. The defector is Semyon Konstantinovich Timoshenko, the recently appointed commander-in-chief of the Western Front, who was awarded the title of marshal last year. He just made a broadcast, first scolding Stalin, and then talking about establishing a restoration army to overthrow Stalin."

"What is this all about!" President Wilkie patted his forehead speechlessly. It is understandable that the battalion commander, regiment commander, or even division commander defected, but now a marshal actually defected, which may have a very bad impact. "How did Stalin deal with this matter?"

"Timoshenko was convicted of treason, and their families were all hanged for treason."

President Wilkie frowned slightly, revealing a trace of disgust. "Hanging all the family members? What a barbaric guy." But after all, it was his own business, so he couldn't say much.

At this time, Harold Stark, the Chief of Naval Operations, walked in. "Sorry, Mr. President, I'm late."

President Wilkie nodded and motioned him to find a place to sit down.

As soon as Minister Stark sat down, he couldn't wait to speak. "Mr. President, I want to report something to you. It's like this. Some naval engineers who escaped from Britain before proposed a very interesting idea that can build aircraft carriers cheaply, quickly, and in batches."

"Oh? What idea?" President Wilkie immediately became interested. You know, building a warship is a huge project that takes time, money, and effort. How can the British quickly build aircraft carriers?

"Build an aircraft carrier with ice."

"Ice? Build an aircraft carrier with ice?" President Wilkie opened his mouth slightly, and his face showed an expression of whether they were fools. This idea was so absurd that he didn't know where to start to complain.

The people around him laughed even more.

"General Stark, you are not joking."

"Are you still hungover from last night?"

Facing the laughter around him, Minister Stark was not angry, and said very seriously. "Mr. President, everyone; I also thought it was a fantasy at first, but when they showed me this, I think it is still feasible." He took out a piece of brick-sized thing wrapped in cotton cloth from his briefcase.

When he untied several layers of cotton cloth, everyone saw a piece of ice with a slight white mist, but it was not crystal clear, and there were many things mixed in it, just a piece of frozen turbidity.

Stark held up the ice and explained to everyone. "I think everyone knows that ice will melt easily when the temperature is high; and ice itself is also quite fragile. If you really use ordinary ice to build a ship, it will either melt into a pool of water soon after launching it, or be hit by a wave and become two or three pieces. So it is obvious that ordinary ice cannot be used to build an aircraft carrier."

"But this piece of ice was given to me by those British people. It was this big when it was given to me. It has been kept with me for three days and has not melted. And its hardness..." Stark raised the ice high and threw it hard on the marble floor. With a crisp sound, the whole ice bounced up without even falling off. "See, everyone. I shot it with a gun before. Not to mention pistol bullets, even rifle bullets can't break it."

"Can't a gun break it?"

Everyone was amazed.

"General Stark, is there any special material mixed in this ice?"

"It is not any special material mixed in it, but the most common wood pulp. The added wood pulp not only reduces the thermal conductivity of ice and slows down the melting rate, but also greatly improves the strength and toughness of ice, making it close to concrete, fully meeting the construction requirements of aircraft carriers and withstanding the wind and waves of the Atlantic. When an aircraft carrier is attacked by enemy torpedo bombs, it only needs to use an ice machine to fill the damaged area with ice water to complete the damage control operation."

President Wilkie still couldn't believe that an aircraft carrier made of ice could participate in the battle. "Are you sure it won't melt?"

Stark took out a design drawing. "This is an experimental model designed by the British. It is about twenty meters long. The outer shell of the hull is made of wooden boards, the inner bulkhead is coated with asphalt, and the hull is drilled with pipe-like ventilation holes. The refrigeration system on the ship protects the ice from melting. They think this 'ice carrier' can definitely survive the entire summer."

"And..." Stark raised his voice. "Once this model is successful, we will not only be able to continuously produce aircraft carriers, but also build various giant aircraft carriers. The British drawings include a super aircraft carrier with a length of 900 meters, a width of 100 meters, and a weight of 2 million tons!"

"Two million tons?!" Everyone present took a breath.

What is the concept of 2 million tons? Currently, the largest warship in the world is the Soviet Union-class battleship, with a displacement of nearly 70,000 tons! This 2 million-ton aircraft carrier has exceeded the scope of a warship and is simply a floating military base!

With a 900-meter-long runway, not to mention fighter jets, even bombers can easily take off and land. Once such ice aircraft carriers are deployed in large numbers, they can flexibly attack the German mainland!

President Wilkie finally nodded. "Okay, once this experimental aircraft carrier is successful, we will go all out to produce this ice aircraft carrier!"