Chapter 1602 Landing Preparations
After the two armies of the German Navy Group E went to Southeast Asia, they strengthened the German troops in the Indochina Peninsula and Australia. The arrival of the 8th aviation group greatly increased the German air force in Nanyang. Although the army of the island country has completely occupied Dutch Indonesia, it has encountered great difficulties whether it wants to attack the Indochina Peninsula or Australia.
Before the strength of the island nation's navy was restored, and it defeated the German navy in one fell swoop and won the dominance of the South China Sea, that is, the waters near Australia, the island nation's army could not cross the strait and land on the Indochina Peninsula or Australia.
However, the strength of the German Navy's Pacific Fleet and Indian Ocean Fleet is also recovering. The two severely damaged aircraft carriers of the Indian Ocean Fleet are being repaired and will soon be repaired and restored to combat effectiveness. The supporting carrier-based aircraft even flew to the Lion City first. After the aircraft carrier is repaired, it can be boarded and form combat effectiveness.
In addition, at the request of Emperor Qin Tian, the Imperial Navy Department intends to allocate two of the four "Lord God-class" battleships that are about to enter service to the Indian Ocean Fleet. The other two, one to supplement the Home Fleet, which lost an aircraft carrier in the Battle of the Azores. The last one is assigned to the Mediterranean Fleet to strengthen the strength of the Mediterranean Fleet.
Once the Indian Ocean Fleet acquires two "Lord God-class" aircraft carriers, this will greatly increase the strength of the Indian Ocean Fleet. It is even more difficult for the island navy to defeat the German Navy's Pacific Fleet and Indian Ocean Fleet.
For a while, the battle between the island country and Germany in Nanyang fell into a stalemate. And this created favorable conditions for Germany to destroy the United States and Britain first.
In late August 1940, Emperor Qin Tian left Berlin for Wilhelmshaven, Kiel and other places to inspect the landing fleet of the Imperial Navy. When the next attack on North America is launched, these landing ships will be needed. Qin Tian hopes that these landing ships built by Germany can shine brightly in the next battle.
"Your Majesty, this is a tank landing ship we built. This landing ship specially transports tanks. It is 104 meters long, 16 meters wide, 4.5 meters in draft, and has a full load displacement of 4,200 tons. The maximum speed is 11 knots. It is equipped with two twin It is equipped with 40mm anti-aircraft guns and six single-mounted 40mm anti-aircraft guns. It can transport 18 heavy tanks and 200 soldiers." Marshal Raeder introduced to Qin Tian.
Qin Tian nodded, although such a tank landing ship looks a bit crude, and its loading capacity is not strong. However, the structure is relatively simple, and the cost is also very low.
Moreover, this tank landing ship abandoned the traditional bow springboard, and adopted a slender ship shape, with a tapered bow below the waterline to improve speed. It is fully extended above the waterline, and the bow ramp and its supporting portal brackets are installed on the upper deck. The bow springboard is made of aluminum material and has an integral structure. Anti-skid strips are equidistantly distributed on the entire springboard to prevent tanks and vehicles from slipping on it. The springboard is usually placed on the upper deck of the bow. When landing, it stretches forward and is lowered to the coast or pontoon. At this time, the tank or vehicle in the tank cabin moves to the upper deck through the ramp, and then disembarks from the upper deck through the bow ramp to land.
"How many tank landing ships of this kind have we built now?" Qin Tian asked.
"Your Majesty, 120 tank landing ships have been built so far. There are still many under construction. It is estimated that we will have 180 tank landing ships when we launch an attack on North America." Marshal Raeder said .
One hundred and eighty ships, each capable of carrying 18 tanks. If all these tank landing ships are dispatched, 3,240 tanks can be sent to North America at one time. That's almost ten armored divisions already.
Of course, these tank landing ships cannot all be used to transport tanks, but also have to be used to transport armored vehicles, self-propelled artillery, trucks, and so on. In this case, 180 tank landing ships can transport up to three armored divisions to North America at one time.
"After the 180 ships are built, let's build another 120 ships!" Qin Tian said.
Qin Tian remembered that in another time and space, the United States built more than a thousand tank landing ships. It's just that in this time and space, the United States has spent all its resources on the construction of warships, and naturally has no energy to build these auxiliary warships.
"Yes, Your Majesty." Marshal Raeder nodded.
A group of people left this pier and went to another pier. Parked there is another type of landing ship.
"Your Majesty, this is the dock landing ship we built. There is a helicopter deck at the stern of the ship, and the battleship can carry tanks, armored vehicles, landing craft and personnel." Marshal Raeder said.
Qin Tian also participated in the design of this dock landing ship, with a full load displacement of 18,000 tons. The maximum speed reached 21 knots, two quadruple 40mm anti-aircraft guns, six single 40mm anti-aircraft guns, and eight 12.7mm machine guns. It can carry up to six helicopters. The battleship can carry 9 amphibious tanks and a marine battalion.
"How many of these dock landing ships have we built?" Qin Tian asked.
"Your Majesty, we have already built 20 of this dock landing ship. We can serve another 20 before launching the war against North America." Marshal Raeder replied.
These dock landing ships are mainly used by the Marine Corps. If all forty dock landing ships are put into combat, it is enough to transport two full marine divisions to the battlefield. Moreover, these landing forces can also receive fire support from helicopters.
Qin Tian nodded, expressing his satisfaction. Of course, in terms of the number of dock landing ships, he asked for 20 more to be built.
The last landing ship is a larger amphibious assault ship. This battleship, with a displacement of up to 25,000 tons, is no smaller than an ordinary aircraft carrier. The direct deck is adopted, and the helicopter can be moored on the deck. In addition to the helicopters parked in the hangar, the entire ship can carry up to 40 helicopters. In addition, the warship can also carry two battalions of marines and their equipment.
The German Navy's plan is to build 24 of these amphibious assault ships. However, only six have been completed so far. The remaining six ships will be completed one after another within a few months and delivered to the German Marine Corps. The remaining 12 ships need to continue to be built.
After all, the construction of such a large ship is very cumbersome, takes up a lot of slipways, and even affects the construction of the German Navy's aircraft carrier to a certain extent.
