Chapter 521

Vichy Gaul, Port of Marseille, inside the shipyard.

A commissioning ceremony for a naval warship is being held.

The Chief of Staff of the Imperial Navy, Admiral Albrecht, arrived here in person to attend the commissioning ceremony.

On the pier, four majestic and huge warships, which have been painted with white paint and brand-new hull numbers, are moored there.

These four battleships were the original Richelieu-class battleships of the Gallic Navy.

However, the Gallic Navy did not own their lives, and now these four Richelieu-class battleships have belonged to the Third Reich Navy.

Rear Admiral Wilhelm Volkes, commander of the Mediterranean Provisional Fleet of the Third Reich Navy, and Colonel Joachim, chief of staff, also attended the commissioning ceremony.

In other words, they are actually the real protagonists.

Because these four Richelieu-class battleships will belong to their fleet.

After a series of activities, General Albrecht announced the order to commission four Richelieu-class battleships.

From now on, these four Richelieu-class battleships have officially joined the Third Reich Navy and become the battleships of the Third Reich Navy with the hull number 32.33.3435.

The two Dunkirk-class battlecruisers of the Mediterranean Provisional Fleet have hull numbers 16 and 17.

As for the fourteen hull numbers from 18th to 3rd, they are prepared for the 14 battleships being built by the Empire on which the Sun Never Sets.

Major General William Folkes and Colonel Joachim both had smiles on their faces.

The addition of four Richelieu-class battleships will make them even more powerful. In the entire Mediterranean, it has become a hegemon-level existence. Neither the Kingdom of Caesar's Navy nor the Vichy Navy with its seven old warships are their opponents.

The Richelieu-class battleship has a displacement of up to 48,000 tons. It is equipped with two quadruple 45-caliber 380 mm main guns. The waterline armor is 330 mm thick. The turret frontal armor is 430 mm thick. The command tower has 340 mm thick armor. The maximum The speed is 30 knots.

In the entire Mediterranean, the Richelieu-class battleships are definitely the most powerful battleships. Only the Veneto-class battleships of the Caesar Kingdom can compete with it.

In other words, the displacement of the Veneto-class battleship is several thousand tons smaller than that of the Richelieu-class battleship, and the armor is slightly weaker. However, the 50-caliber 381 mm main gun equipped on the Veneto-class battleship is slightly stronger than the 45-caliber 380 mm gun equipped on the Richelieu-class battleship. In terms of speed, the two battleships are the same.

However, four Richelieu-class battleships have entered service. As for the Veneto-class battleships, only the first and second ships are in service, and the third and fourth ships will take at least another year. This makes it impossible for the Caesar Kingdom Navy to compete with the power of the Third Reich Navy in the Mediterranean in a short period of time.

"Your Excellency, Chief of Staff, thank you for attending the commissioning ceremony of the Richelieu-class battleship. It is a great honor for the entire Mediterranean Provisional Fleet." said Maj. Gen. William Folkes.

"General, you are too kind. This is the power of the Chinese Navy. Naturally, the Navy will take this seriously."General Albrecht said

"Chief of Staff, I wonder when we can become regular?"Colonel Joachim asked from the side.

The other officers of the Mediterranean Provisional Army also looked at General Albrecht.

They now dream of removing the word"provisional" and becoming the Mediterranean Fleet.

"Your Excellency the Marshal will report to Your Excellency the Governor. It should be soon. However, when establishing a Mediterranean fleet, we still need to consider the attitude of our allies."General Albrecht said.

Major General William Fulkes and Colonel Joachim nodded, but their faces were obviously filled with disdain.

They didn't think much of the Caesar Kingdom as an ally at all.

Or rather , the military power of the Caesar Kingdom is too bad. It pretends to be a powerful country in the world, but in fact it does not have enough military power to support it. It is a complete joke.

"Don't worry, your Excellency will most likely agree to form a Mediterranean fleet. At that time, the two of you will be the fleet commander and chief of staff. And your military ranks will inevitably be promoted."General Albrecht continued. Major

General Wilhelm Fulkes and Colonel Joachim couldn't help but be overjoyed.

As soldiers, they naturally hope to be promoted. Especially Colonel Joachim, who is not yet General, after being promoted, he can become a real general.

The capital of the Third Reich, Bolin.

The commander of the Imperial Navy, Marshal Redel, is meeting with the imperial ruler Hess.

"Your Excellency, our four Richelieu-class battleships have officially been commissioned. Now, we have six capital ships in the Mediterranean, and our strength has greatly increased. The navy considered it necessary to establish a Mediterranean Fleet in the Mediterranean waters to safeguard the empire's interests in the Mediterranean."Marshal Redl said.

Hess couldn't help but frown. He could conclude that once the Third Reich really established a Mediterranean fleet, it would inevitably cause strong dissatisfaction with the Kingdom of Caesar.

This would even make the two countries originally The gap that exists has become larger. The alliance between the two countries will be greatly affected by this.

"If we establish a Mediterranean fleet, will the Kingdom of Caesar think that we are competing with them for hegemony in the Mediterranean? asked Hess.

"Your Excellency, this is inevitable. However, we must proceed more for the benefit of the empire. Benito, the prime minister of the Caesar Kingdom, has not always had a friendly relationship with the empire. Therefore, there is no need for the empire to worry so much."Marshal Redl said.

Hess nodded. He agreed with what Marshal Redl said.

What the empire needs is a true ally, not a half-hearted person who wants to pull back the empire at any time.

"Your Excellency, with the current strength of the empire, there is no need to care about the Kingdom of Caesar. If Caesar's kingdom is dissatisfied or even hostile to the empire. The empire can completely replace Caesar's kingdom with an obedient person."Marshal Redl suggested

"Well, this is a good idea. Since Benito is unwilling to move closer to the empire, he is unwilling to bow to the empire. Then, just find someone who is obedient. The Navy established the Mediterranean Fleet, and I approved it!"Hess immediately made a decision.

At the same time, his attitude towards Caesar's Kingdom also changed fundamentally._Feilu reminds you: three things about reading - collection, recommendation,