CHAPTER 635: CHAPTER 635: ADMIRAL SCHEER’S BOMBER

Berlin Sanssouci Palace.

William II and Admiral Scheer chatted and laughed in the warm living room; William II seemed very pleased with the Navy’s performance of late.

"It seems that our tactics are indeed feasible." William II flipped through the naval battle briefing with great interest.

"I believe so, Your Majesty." Admiral Scheer replied: "As long as we don’t rush to break out, but aim to damage the British’s viable forces, it is likely to succeed over time."

"Good." William II nodded, unable to help but sigh: "This is a battle of the century, General. Germany is facing an unprecedented crisis. If the Navy can ultimately break the British blockade, do you know what that means?"

"Yes, Your Majesty." Admiral Scheer replied: "It means we will win this war."

"It’s not just this war." William II’s voice grew more impassioned: "The German Navy could then turn around and blockade Britain, completely knocking Britain off its pedestal as the world’s leading power!"

At that point, the world’s leading power would be Germany.

And Britain, due to its loss of prestige and maritime power, would face rebellions from its numerous colonies.

Germany would naturally be able to absorb these colonies into its own domain.

At this moment, Admiral Scheer shifted the topic: "Your Majesty, some minor issues have arisen, and I need the Chief of General Staff’s assistance."

William II "hmm"ed: "He should be here soon; I will have him fully cooperate with you."

Just then, there were two knocks on the door, and a guard came in to report: "Your Majesty, the Chief of General Staff has arrived."

"Let him in." William II put away his crossed legs and casually retrieved a cup from the drawer and placed it in front of the seat to his left.

Fajin Han pushed the door open and walked in, standing at attention before William II and saluting.

He glanced at Admiral Scheer sitting to William II’s right and immediately guessed the purpose of his summons.

If only he hadn’t taught him how to deal with the Royal Navy, Fajin Han thought, now he feared the cost would be even greater.

William II invited Fajin Han to sit down, politely pouring wine into Fajin Han’s glass:

"You are the pillars of the Empire, gentlemen. We are proud of you."

"The Army and Navy are both parts of the Empire’s military. Although you are different branches, our goal is the same."

With that, William II raised his glass in a toast towards Fajin Han: "Isn’t that right, Chief of General Staff?"

"Indeed, Your Majesty." Fajin Han raised his glass in response: "Everything is for defeating the enemy, for victory, for Germany!"

"Very good!" William II turned his gaze towards Admiral Scheer, seemingly signaling that he could now make his request.

"Well, Chief of General Staff." Admiral Scheer leaned forward to shake Fajin Han’s hand: "Firstly, I should thank you. The advice you gave us last time was very beneficial. Based on that advice, we have recently achieved a series of successes..."

"I’m aware of that, General." Fajin Han interrupted Admiral Scheer: "Let’s get to the point. What do you need?"

Fajin Han’s tone carried a hint of irritation, seemingly frustrated about his inability to refuse Admiral Scheer’s request.

"Alright, Chief of General Staff." Admiral Scheer, needing assistance, remained restrained and composed: "I need airplanes."

Fajin Han snorted inwardly. He had anticipated this.

It wasn’t hard to guess. What could the Navy want from the Army besides airplanes? More troops who can’t sail? Or tanks?

But Fajin Han feigned surprise: "Oh? As far as I know, the Navy has its own airplanes, General. Moreover, Army airplanes don’t seem suited for flying over the sea."

(The image above is a German Navy seaplane, the Friedrichshafen FF33E, from World War I)

"You’re right, Chief of General Staff." Admiral Scheer replied: "But our seaplanes are outdated. Their top speed is only 100 kilometers per hour, with a maximum range of 400 kilometers. These specs are far inferior to the British seaplanes."

William II interjected:

"Yes, the British seaplanes can reach speeds of 120 kilometers per hour, causing General Scheer to lose air superiority in naval battles."

"And without air superiority, the British can use Caproni bombers to reconnoiter our naval areas with impunity."

"You know what this leads to, Chief of General Staff."

"The British have a clear grasp of our movements, while we know nothing about theirs."

Fajin Han frowned: "Caproni bomber?"

"Yes." William II nodded, then, noticing Fajin Han’s troubled expression, asked in confusion: "Is there a problem?"

Fajin Han thought for a moment and then saw the silver lining in this. He raised his eyebrows and said to Admiral Scheer:

"Sorry, I might not be able to help you, General."

"I know this bomber. It’s produced by Shire’s aircraft factory."

"Currently, we don’t have any fighter that can catch up to it. The latest Fokker E2 is a bit faster, but the difference is negligible."

A speed of 140 kilometers per hour versus 137 kilometers per hour—a gap of just 3 kilometers per hour per hour.

Trying to catch up in an air battle and shoot it down with such a slight speed advantage is far from sufficient.

However, Admiral Scheer replied: "I’m aware of this, Chief of General Staff. I gathered this information before coming here."

Fajin Han looked puzzled: "So, what do you want...?"

"I have an idea, Chief of General Staff." Admiral Scheer answered: "Shire’s approach gave me a clue. Since they can use bombers as reconnaissance aircraft, launching from land, doesn’t it mean we can do the same?"

"You mean we use bombers for reconnaissance to gather intelligence on the enemy?" Fajin Han seemed to understand Admiral Scheer’s intention and knew which aircraft he wanted.

"Exactly." Admiral Scheer nodded: "If both sides have intelligence on each other, we wouldn’t be at a disadvantage. Then it becomes a matter of skill."

But Fajin Han shook his head: "Your idea might not work. You know the British are equipped with Camel fighters that can take down our bombers like an eagle catching chicks."

The Camel’s top speed is 190 kilometers per hour. It is the king of the skies of its era; no plane can escape its hunt.

"Yes, I know." Admiral Scheer replied calmly: "But I believe the Chief of General Staff also knows that the Camel’s maximum range is only about 400 kilometers."

(The exact number is 485 kilometers.)

Fajin Han was stunned, silently acknowledging that this guy came prepared; today, it seems, he would have to bleed a little.

How could Fajin Han have known that before coming here, Admiral Scheer had spent hours discussing with pilots and had even sent people to inquire about intelligence from the aviation corps, gathering data and knowledge about air combat?