Iron Cross

Cole didn't know why he set off so early the next morning, because the test site was at the secret naval base on Sado Island, more than 300 kilometers away from Tokyo. He first took a car to the Navy Pier, and then transferred to a Type 2 large boat. The two generals sent by the German Navy this time have followed the new Combined Fleet Commander Horikichi to Truk to serve as fleet observers. Only two colonels and staff officers from the Supreme Command accompanied him. The two men received clear orders before they came. Although their military ranks were higher than Cole's, Cole had the title of special envoy and they must obey them unconditionally in their daily operations. They had no objection to this-- It seems that Cole is just a small lieutenant colonel now, but his status as second adjutant will immediately change. Who knows how high his career will be in the future? If nothing else, just look at Speer. He turned out to be just an architect, and he was promoted to the position of minister just because the head of state appreciated him.

In addition, people traveling on the same plane were Inoue Narumi and Toyoda Sotobu. Cole had no close friendship with either of them. He originally wanted to take the opportunity to get close to each other, but he didn't expect that both of them looked frowning and worried. , reluctant to talk, Cole had to close his eyes and rest in his position. Fortunately, the liaison officer sent by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was considerate and chatted with a few people from time to time, so that the atmosphere would not be too dull.

When he arrived at the test site, he saw that all the facilities had been prepared by the Technical Bureau of the Naval Aviation Headquarters. He saw a Japanese officer with the rank of major general giving an impassioned lecture to a group of people, so he quietly asked who the other person was. Only later did he know This is Takijiro Onishi, who is currently organizing a special attack team in the Navy. He currently serves as the General Affairs Director of the Naval Aviation Headquarters. Cole didn't hear what the other party said specifically. He only heard his last loud call: "Perform special attack missions with the fearless spirit of serving the country for seven lives!" He suddenly thought of what his secretary had shown him yesterday, encouraging students to apply for aviation. The motivating words - "... On this God-given opportunity, it is no longer an unattainable thing for you to realize your dream of soaring in the blue sky and fighting in the sea and sky." When I think of this sentence, I am reminded of what Takijiro Onishi just said. He shuddered for no reason: Some of these students will not become characters in "Seven Lives to Serve the Country" in the future, right?

He secretly glanced at the faces of Toyoda's deputy and Inoue Narumi, and found that they also had frowning expressions.

The test was already in place, just waiting for the big shots to arrive before announcing the start. With the red flag waving, the test order was officially issued. The two staff officers at the headquarters were very excited. They had no idea or seen this kind of weapon before. They all craned their necks to watch, for fear of missing the most important details. However, Cole had already seen and experienced it, so he was not as excited as them. , but also curious about manned rockets.

While watching, Narumi Inoue unexpectedly approached and said in a significantly lowered voice: "Mr. Special Envoy, if your country does this, aren't you afraid that our soldiers and civilians will retaliate against your country with great hatred after the war is over?"

Cole was shocked. He did not expect that Narumi Inoue, the chief official of the Navy Ministry, would say this. He blushed and tried to straighten his hair that was messed up by the sea breeze. After thinking about it, he said: "Who can say what will happen in the future?" Okay? Sir Jing, aren’t you afraid of the hatred of the people of your country towards the military in the future?”

Inoue Narumi was stunned. He didn't know why Cole said this, so he retorted: "Soldiers naturally have the duty to die on the battlefield. We do our best and have a clear conscience. Why do the people have any hatred towards us?"

"Every action during the war is to ensure victory, and any means can be used to win. The people of your country have sacrificed too much for the victory of the war, blood, lives, including their families, lives and all necessities. Nothing cannot be sacrificed, of course, including rocket weapons. Do you have to argue about which weapon is more valuable and humane to die under?" Cole retorted, "As for having a clear conscience, the Japanese military said this. In particular, the Japanese Navy is the least qualified to say this - if nothing else, how much resources and funds are occupied by the two Yamato-class battleships of the Navy? If these resources are not used to build warships but are distributed equally to the people, I am afraid that everyone will Can every family be exempted from food expenses for a month? I heard that your ordinary farm children can only eat enough white rice for the first time after joining the army and navy. Japan built it with only one percent of the national income of the United States. It is equivalent to more than 60% of the United States' naval armament. If it loses in the future, how can your country's military feel ashamed in the face of the people who live frugally, sweat, and devote themselves to it? "

"Doesn't this problem exist in Germany?"

"The situation in Germany is different from that of Japan. We are a failed country in the last war: under the shackles of the Treaty of Versailles, the country was divided and the nation was deeply oppressed. What the Japanese people are experiencing now we experienced 20 years ago. We have learned this lesson completely, even more painfully, so the people chose the head of state to lead the German nation in resistance. We have an inner expectation of the price that such resistance will have to pay. What does Japan have to resist? The victorious country, the only modern country in East Asia, is surrounded by small and weak countries. Not to mention that they do not pose a threat to Japan, they will be thankful if Japan does not attack them or does it once every few years. As for the United States, if Unless Japan reaches out to Southeast Asia, the United States will not do anything to Japan..." Cole is no longer polite now. In terms of military rank, he is only a lieutenant colonel and not the opponent of a vice admiral. But when it comes to debates, he is a diplomat. Who will it be inferior to?

Inoue Narumi was silent. He knew that Japan was weak in strength and had always opposed war with the United States. However, he never thought that Japan's naval power was actually completely unbeatable in Asia. The so-called threat was completely an illusion created by himself. He His expression softened: "Then why doesn't Germany use this kind of weapon?"

"Because Germany does not have this religious tradition and cultural atmosphere, it cannot recruit volunteers - but this does not mean that Germans are afraid of death. Isn't it dangerous to drive a submarine or a tank?" Cole pointed to the encouragement and mobilization just now. Onishi Takijiro, "Your country is different. Without the rockets we provided, the general would probably have used aircraft, torpedoes or other weapons to complete this mission. In this case, why don't we create better and more destructive ones?" What about powerful weapons? Maybe a few fewer people will die.”

Inoue Narumi was convinced, and his face completely relaxed, no longer tense and tense: "I am deeply impressed by the special envoy's eloquence... Your Excellency's knowledge is just as Commander Yamamoto said, and he is completely the first-class young man in Germany." Talented."

"Thank you for your compliment. In fact, I admire you and Yamamoto Kai for their concern for the country and the people. From a longer-term and higher strategic perspective, it is more beneficial to Japan to oppose war with the United States. But since the war has already begun, Since we don’t want to surrender unprincipled, we have no choice but to grit our teeth and fight to the end..."

With a "bang" sound, the test was successful, and the crowd all cheered: The navy tester controlled the rocket to take off from a place more than 80 kilometers away, and kept flying at high altitude until it found the target at sea and dived down, approaching the sea surface. It then leveled off and then continued to fly across the sea at an altitude of 25 meters until it finally accurately hit a battleship simulated with a low-freeboard freighter. Of course, the upper part of the battleship today is entirely made of wooden frames and cardboard. Rockets There was no explosive fuse installed, it just collapsed the shelf and then flew out.

Onishi ran over with a face full of joy: "Thank you to the special envoy, thank you to Germany for the weapon invented. The test was very successful, the speed was very fast, and the firepower was very strong. Today is our fourth test. It was from a small island more than 80 kilometers away." Take off and easily find this large target for a one-hit kill."

"Have you tried interception?"

"I have tried interception with airplanes in unmanned mode, but it is difficult...The rocket speed is very fast. If the aircraft cannot catch up if it flies level, it can only use dive to attack. But the target is so small that it is difficult to attack in a dive state. It can hit accurately, and the rocket can also dive, and its speed during the dive is faster than that of the aircraft. More importantly, when the rocket adopts a low-altitude attitude to skim the sea, the diving interceptor aircraft will fall into the sea accidentally. " Onishi Takijiro said proudly, "It is already difficult to hit an unmanned vehicle. It is even more difficult if there is a manned vehicle. Once the operator detects an volley, he can avoid the opponent's dive and let it fly into the air with just a slight movement..."

"Where's the head-on volley?"

"I haven't tried this yet." Daxi slapped his forehead hard, "Your Excellency is very thoughtful. We will continue to organize the test tomorrow."

Next to her, Narumi Inoue waved her hand and said, "No need to test."

"Why?"

"Flying head-on means that the relative speed of each other exceeds 1,000 kilometers per hour. Enemy aircraft coming to intercept will either not be able to intercept them, and even if they are intercepted, they will not be able to correct themselves at such a close range and will have to hit them head-on."

"Then we can only hit one enemy plane."

Cole asked: "I'm curious, how do you usually train with this thing? It's not like a plane that can land."

"The training is simple. Connect a large float to the outside of the rocket. When stopping, the team members only need to lower the height first, and then turn off the throttle switch. The rocket that has lost power will naturally fall down, and then it can float steadily on the water. . Of course, the flight speed is not as fast if the float is installed, but the operation process is the same. If the float is not installed and the rocket is not considered, the team member can climb out of the cockpit and jump into the sea as long as the altitude drops and is leveled. Pointing to the rocket that was responsible for the test just now, he said, "Look, the team members have climbed out and are ready to jump into the sea."