Chapter 10: The Winter of Preparation (Three)

  "Alright, no more padding, Falkland, Dardanelles, pseudo-Albion, and finally Jutland, done..."

  Under the influence of the polar front and cold air mass, a biting wind swept across Western Europe. The roads leading to the Eastern Prussian front were muddy, and yellow snowflakes fluttered in the Ruhr industrial area. The Bodhi trees on the streets of Berlin shed their leaves, and children in Kiel had a lively snowball fight.

  The North Sea is stormy and the waves are rushing to the sky, and many sea areas along the German coast have accumulated a layer of sea ice. Although it does not affect the anchorage of the Grand Fleet in Jade Bay, the Grand Fleet has made early preparations for antifreeze, thick winter clothes and antifreeze oil are being moved onto warships in bundles.

  The harsh and long European winter brought an end to hostilities on the North Sea. The German and British navies retired their flags, licking their wounds, summing up gains and losses, and actively preparing for a more bloody and cruel 1915.

  Thanks to the groundwork laid by the "turning point conference" of 1914, and with a group of young people who had just taken the stage, full of energy and strength, the German Navy's preparations for war were unfolding in an orderly manner that winter.

  The main fleet ships docked at the shipyard for renovation, and the painful experience of the Dogger Bank Sea Battle, where five main turrets of the Moltke were destroyed, led to the strengthening of the armor defense of the main gun turrets; the generally useless underwater torpedo tubes were dismantled, and the redundant space was converted into a supply compartment. The nearly used-up gun barrels will be replaced after the Baltic Sea combat training in late December or early January. The seaweed and shellfish attached to the hull were cleared away and repainted with German Navy gray-white paint; rust removal and fireproof coating work proceeded simultaneously. The ship's lifeboats, individual lifesaving equipment, damage control, firefighting, anti-poisoning, and medical devices also received replenishment.

  October-November was the time when naval academies graduated, and the influx of a large number of academy graduates and sailors made the combat effectiveness of the Grand Fleet at its most embarrassing level since the start of the war. Fortunately, the Navy General Staff had already completed a new training outline, which added unconventional night battles, close-range battles, etc. based on the experience of the Battle of Heligoland Bight and the Dogger Bank. The intensity of anti-submarine training and loss control training was also greatly increased.

  To restore the combat effectiveness of the Ocean Fleet as soon as possible, Admiral Hugo von Pol, Chief of Naval Staff, withdrew the main fleet of the Ocean Fleet to the Baltic Sea for a three-week high-intensity combat training exercise. The focus was on practicing long-range gun battles in line formation, anti-submarine and torpedo training, light cruiser and torpedo boat support tactics, night battles and close combat.

  The East Asian Squadron of the Spee, Emden, K?nigsberg and Karlsruhe had a successful raid. The U-9 submarine, led by Otto Weddigen, gave the Navy a taste of success. With a surface displacement of 685 tons, a range of 8790 nautical miles at 8 knots on the surface and 80 nautical miles at 5 knots underwater (with fully charged batteries), the U-31 type submarines were built with four torpedo tubes. Under the relentless demands of Count Luckner, King Heide finally found a sailing training ship at the Kiel Naval Academy dockyard, which was sent to the shipyard for conversion like a hot potato. In the spring of 1915, this sailing warship, equipped with two electrically operated 105mm main guns, machine guns and auxiliary steam engines, would set sail with a complete set of fake navigation logs and other documents that King Heide had painstakingly prepared.

  In the harsh winter of 1914, the High Seas Fleet replenished and commissioned several new ships, including the dreadnoughts K?nig and Grosser Kurfürst, which would complete their trials in January 1915 and join III. Battle Squadron; before the end of 1914, two Graudenz-class light cruisers entered service with II Scouting Group, while two Wiesbaden-class cruisers were launched and work began on Strassburg- and C?ln-class cruisers.

  Of course, these small fry can't compare to the pinnacle of battleship construction - the Mackensen. As is customary, the launching ceremony for capital ships was presided over by senior naval officers; the Navy Department had thoughtfully selected Hipper, the former commander of the battlecruiser squadron, and Heideking, the current commander.

  Moltke and Goeben, two King-class battleships are about to join the High Seas Fleet. Derfflinger, Mackensen, and Bayern will also be commissioned soon. From nothing to something, from something to strong, it's indeed an exciting process. After hosting the launch ceremony, Hipper and Heide felt a bit dizzy and declined the invitation of the Blohm + Voss shipyard directors and managers. Hipper would head south to visit the Bremer Vulkan shipyard to inspect the soon-to-be-commissioned border governor battleship, while Heide planned to go to the Wilhelm shipyard because Derfflinger's third sister ship Hindenburg was about to be launched.

  The mighty and majestic atmosphere was still fermenting, even the strong North Atlantic sea breeze blowing in from the half-open car window couldn't blow it away or disturb it. A black military vehicle with a naval license plate slowly drove out of the Blohm + Voss shipyard gate, carrying an unbridled and arrogant group, when suddenly a stout and burly army officer rushed out, intercepted the vehicle, and forcibly interrupted this overbearing atmosphere.

  King Haitie got off the bus with a gloomy face, and bumped into the general's insignia on the opponent's military uniform. After being stunned for a moment, he immediately heard the army officer's loud confession:

  "Ernst Rüdiger von Starhemberg, Chief of the General Staff of the Eastern Front Command."

  Rudolf smoothed his military uniform, raised his right hand and gave a military salute, the azure pupils were full of "Bettmann-Hollweg" in the mouth of the German army.

  "Are you General Rennenkampf, who stormed the fortress of ?ód? and planned and commanded the battle at Mazurian Lakes?!"

  Wang Haitie looked at Hipper who had just emerged from the carriage, and saw shock and incomprehension in the eyes of the German naval strategist.

  In Germany, the fame of General Erich Ludendorff was not inferior to that of "the invincible Admiral Tirpitz". In the Battle of Liège, Ludendorff led the 14th Infantry Brigade into the fortress, playing a crucial role in its capture. Due to the weakness and cowardice of General Maximilian von Prittwitz, commander of the Eighth Army on the Eastern Front, on August 24, Ludendorff and Hindenburg were transferred to the Eastern Front, with the former becoming Chief of Staff of the Eighth Army.

  "My glory is nothing compared to the battle of Heligoland Bight and Dogger Bank commanded by Admirals von Spee and Hipper!"

  The icy sea wind poured into Rudolph's collar, and the general tightened his scarf, chuckling to himself as his eight-bearded chin trembled slightly, saying wearily:

  "The Navy faced the Royal Navy, which had not been defeated in hundreds of years and spanned across seven seas. However, you used your weakness to defeat their strength, causing the proud British people to suffer repeated setbacks. As for the Army, a war that was meant to be swift and decisive became a prolonged and terrible one! According to the Schlieffen Plan, the Army concentrated its forces on the Western Front, aiming to defeat France within six weeks before turning to face Russia. Initially, everything went smoothly: we occupied all of Belgium, won the border battles, and inflicted 300,000 casualties on the French army, which lost its northern territories. In the subsequent Battle of the Marne, the Army was in high spirits, even reaching the outskirts of Paris. However, General von Moltke's head was turned by victory and glory: part of the Army was diverted to East Prussia, although we won the Battle of East Prussia, but lost the Battle of the Marne, causing the Western Front to become bogged down in trench warfare. Our coastal mobile warfare tactics failed once again, while the situation on the Eastern Front also became increasingly desperate..."

  "General, perhaps we can discuss this further in the carriage."

  The Eastern Front still had sporadic fighting, and Hipper did not think that Ruedorffer was holding them back just to strengthen naval-army camaraderie. The sea wind in the harbor area was dry and cold, Hipper opened the door of the black military car, puffed out a white mist towards Ruedorffer, and invited him.

  He closed the car door and window, lit a few cigarettes, and after a few puffs of smoke, the small compartment finally had a hint of warmth and mist. General Ludendorff took off his white gloves and continued:

  "The army is reflecting, and we are fighting on two fronts. The Chief of the General Staff, Falkenhayn, believes that Russia's vast territory makes it impossible to defeat it completely, and Napoleon's Eastern Campaign is a good example, so the army should focus its attention on the Western Front and try to solve the problem with England and France once and for all. However, Prime Minister Bethmann-Hollweg, Austrian Chief of Staff Conrad, General Hindenburg, and I do not think so. Since the Western Front has already entered a stalemate, it is better to concentrate our efforts on ending the fighting on the Eastern Front and forcing Russia to withdraw from the war."

  "Although I don't know much about the army..." Historical idiot Wang Haitian slightly furrowed his brow, and tactfully said based on personal experience: "But giving up on the Western Front makes me feel uneasy. England and France are not weak like Russia, although their poor mobilization mechanism made them suffer heavy losses in 1914, but once they are given a chance to catch their breath, they can easily arm hundreds of millions of troops."

  "No, Russia is the weakest of the Triple Entente, with us Germans, Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire in the Caucasus on their long front. We should concentrate our forces to crush Russia, force it to make a separate peace, bring the wavering Balkan states into our camp, end this terrible nightmare of two-front war and concentrate our strength against England and France! It's an adventure, but one that is worth trying!"

  Rudolf pulled out a crumpled map from his breast pocket, placing both hands on East Prussia and Austrian Silesia, moving his thick palms until they converged in the Polish heartland.

  "At that time, the prepared Northern Front troops advanced towards Brest, and the German-Austrian allied army advanced towards Lemberg, encircling the main force of the Russian army in the 'Polish pocket'!"

  "What can the navy do to help?" As a naval officer, Wang Haiting had no choice but to reserve her opinion on the army's new strategy.

  "The army hopes that the main force of the Grand Fleet will make a feint attack on Russia's Baltic coastal area, and tie up Russian forces!" Ruedorff moved his hand upwards, pressing it on St. Petersburg, where the Russians were heavily garrisoned, saying lightly.

  "Alright..." Wang Haitian seemed to have forgotten that he was only a naval lieutenant general, and it was Admiral Hipper sitting next to him who was the fleet commander. He clenched his fist in his pocket, stiffened his body, and stared in the direction of Wilhelmshaven, writing: "The Navy is duty-bound, on the condition that the Army can persuade General Hugo von Pol."

  "Mr. Bethmann-Hollweg and General von Hindenburg were able to persuade General Pohl." Ruedorff hastily put on white gloves, pushed open the car door. The biting cold air rushed in, accompanied by Ruedorff's entreaty: "However, I hope that the feint operation of the Grand Fleet in the Baltic Sea will be planned and commanded by the greatest strategic genius of the German Navy, Heide-Süleim, and the greatest tactical commander, General Franz von Hipper."

  It was not difficult to convince the conservative General Hugo von Freytag-Loringhoven, but it would be more difficult if he were to move the true master of the High Seas Fleet - Emperor Wilhelm. After receiving guarantees from Hipper and Wang Haitao, General Ludendorff hastily boarded a train bound for Berlin, while the black military vehicle also set off again.

  "Westphal, what do you suggest for the Baltic diversionary operation?" Franz von Hipper leaned back in the rear seat of the car, his austere face twisted into a half-smile.

  "What if we let Admiral Spee's East Asian Squadron go to German South West Africa, and then have Karl D?nitz take a few long-range submarines for a spin in the Mediterranean?" Wang Heidi closed the military vehicle window, shutting out the bleak winter scenery of Hamburg's outskirts, and said with great enthusiasm.