Battle of the Third Reich Chapter 5: The journey of the Prince Eugen

"The last batch of supplies has been on board. This is the cargo list, Captain." First Officer Lieutenant Colonel Winsbach handed an envelope to the captain.

"The cabins of the mission personnel have been allocated." Colonel Christian von Hertz opened the envelope and pulled out the documents inside.

"Everything is arranged, Captain." The first officer took a cup of coffee from the orderly.

"How is the fuel replenishment situation." Von Hertz stuffed the document back into the envelope and inserted it into the inner pocket of his uniform.

"It will take another three hours. The No. 1 to No. 3 oil tanks have been filled. The fresh water has been replenished, and the food supply is almost done. Just now, the Deutsche Bank office in Saigon Port sent 20 baskets. The fresh fish has already been sent to the ice store." The first officer picked up the silver tweezers, picked up two sugar cubes and put them into the cup.

"Is the weather forecast for today and tomorrow delivered."

"It has already been delivered. The weather in most parts of the South China Sea is fine, with winds of magnitude 4 to 5 from the northwest and light waves in the Taiwan Strait. It will be sunny tomorrow in Shanghai and the temperature is expected to be around 15 degrees Celsius." Winsbach stirred the silver Spoon.

"Very well, we should be able to arrive in Shanghai on time. Berlin is already a bit unsatisfied."

"I blame the **** British bureaucrats." The first officer took a sip of coffee and shook his head.

"Yeah, **** bureaucrat." Von Hertz grinned.

"I'll leave it to you here. I'll go and take a look on the deck."

"No problem, sir."

"The captain has left the bridge!" The officer on duty announced loudly, and the captain entered the doorway between the spiral staircases at the back.

The heavy cruiser [Prince Eugen] finally arrived at the Haiphong Port terminal within the prescribed time limit, along with the fleet of transport ships that had already made people wait for it.

When this heavy cruiser passed through the Suez Canal, because the accompanying destroyer collided with a barge of the Port Authority, the fleet was delayed there for three days. The inefficiency of the British bureaucracy caused the Germans to suffer. Von Hertz was eager to turn his gun to level the administration building in Alexandria.

It doesn’t matter if it’s on normal days. The problem is that they have official duties. They must rush to Saigon in French Indochina before mid-November. As a ship of the German special mission, they will start their attack on Japan. state visit.

Originally, the special envoy was going to take a French cruise to Japan, but the Japanese side thought that this was a bit inadequate and did not demonstrate the intimacy of the relationship between Germany and Japan. The Japanese government proposed that out of respect for Marshal Blumberg, and in order to reflect the strong friendship between Japan and Germany, they are willing to send the Japanese naval battleship Mutsu as the ship to carry the German mission.

It's just a small abacus like the Japanese that can be seen at a glance, let alone Xu Jun, even if it is changed to Hitler, it is impossible to agree.

So Xu Jun ordered the naval headquarters to immediately transfer the [Prince Eugen], which was on mission in the Mediterranean, with two German destroyers, and rushed to French Indochina to take on the glorious mission of transporting the German envoy.

In the order, Marshal Raidel, the commander-in-chief of the navy, also emphasized that this is an important foreign affairs mission. It is necessary to demonstrate the majesty of the Third Reich. The officers and soldiers must always remember that they represent the Greater German Empire and do not let glory. The imperial navy flag was ashamed, betraying the trust of the imperial head of state in the navy.

[Prince Eugen] received the order on November 2, which happened to be the day when the Italian naval fleet surrendered. When she arrived at the Strait of Malacca, it was already in the early morning of November 9. It was less than three days before the mission date determined by the mission.

After arriving in Malacca, the Germans found that they were not the worst. It is said that the transport group on the outer berth has been blocked here for a full week.

After the [Prince Eugen] docked in Singapore for one night, it hurriedly supplied some food and fresh water, and set sail at noon on November 10, heading directly to Haiphong Port in French Indochina.

Because the Franco-Siamese War was underway at that time, this small German fleet also assumed the task of escorting the transport ship regiment. This was a brand new experience for the German heavy cruisers who were good at breaking the war.

The voyage along the way was very peaceful. The fleet also encountered the Fifth Fleet of the Japanese Navy and the French Far East Fleet that followed the Japanese. The [Prince Eugen] was out of naval etiquette, all officers and men Standing on the deck to pay tribute to each other, the Japanese and French navies also saluted the German ship while sounding the siren.

Von Hertz didn't know the bad situation of the Fifth Fleet in the afternoon. He was still wondering how the Japanese navy fleet looked a little faint, and even more wondering why a whole group of French warships followed the Japanese shelter.

Immediately, Hertz found the answer to the question outside the Saigon Port. She found the heavy cruiser [Old Eagle] that was being watched by a group of destroyers. At that time, the deck of this hapless warship was still smoking.

A part of the transport ships in the convoy broke up with the [Prince Eugen] here and turned to the Saigon Port to the north. The remaining ships turned to the northeast, preparing to sail along the coastline and into the calm Beibu Gulf.

On the way, the [Prince Eugen] also rescued three French naval pilots. These Frenchmen were paddling a small lifeboat and had completely lost their way. After the Germans arrived at the Haiphong port, they handed them over to the French port and received sincere thanks from the commander of the French garrison in Haiphong.

[Prince Eugen] became the first German naval warship to reach the Far East after World War I. The Black Hawk flag of the German Navy has disappeared here for twenty-six years, when Vice Admiral von Spey The Far East Fleet led by it has long since turned into iron filings on the seabed, but the heroic history of this small fleet has inspired generations of German naval officers and soldiers. Among the officers and soldiers on the [Prince Eugen], there is no shortage of East Asia. The descendants of the squadron.

Along with the [Prince Eugen], two German destroyers of the 1936a type were accompanied by the [Prince Eugen]. This type of destroyer, known as the [Narvik], was an improved version of the early 1936 destroyer. Designed the bow and weapons, equipped with a new dual-mounted 150mm main gun and torpedo launcher.

The destroyers z23 and z24, these two destroyers entered the navy service for less than two months at this time, and the new ones from officers and soldiers to ships are worrying. However, they have accomplished the test of the voyage very well~IndoMTL.com~ These sailors have accumulated valuable experience in this intercontinental voyage. This is also the intention of the Navy Command to send these two new ships to the Far East. The good is.

There are many similarities between the styles of German destroyers and French destroyers. Both sides have made this ship similar to a light cruiser. The destroyer fleet of the German Navy was very active during the European campaign, sinking dozens The 10,000-ton transport ship finally used a solid record to erase the stain left by their defeat at Narvik.

"The command sent a notice that the marshal will board the ship in half an hour, captain." The third officer ran to the captain who was walking on the rear deck quickly.

"The deck should be cleaned immediately, and everything must be cleaned up." Von Hertz ordered loudly to the sailor beside him.

"Are the military band and honor guard ready?"

"It's ready."

"Let them stand by on deck within five minutes."

"Yes, sir."

"Let the gunner check the salute again. No, you should go and run it yourself."

"Okay, sir."

"What do you think of me? Is it decent?" The captain showed off his navy dress.

"Very mighty and decent, Captain." The third officer nodded loudly.

"Very well, go and execute the order. If you see Winsbach, let him see me immediately." Von Hertz took out his white gloves from his trouser pocket and put them on carefully.

"Yes, Captain, I will immediately notify the lieutenant colonel." The third officer saluted von Hertz, turned and ran away.

ps: The Asian plot is indeed prone to taboos, and the information is very messy. It is very brainy to write, but it is very relevant to the development of the plot.

I will do my best to make this story more exciting. (To be continued.)