Capítulo 159: Chapter 237 The French Doomsday (7)
As the aerial combat over the fortress intensified, the atmosphere within the German Wilhelmshaven harbor was exceptionally lively.
Wilhelmshaven, situated on the western coast of the Jade Bight in Lower Saxony, Germany, was a vital North Sea harbor town. In 1869, King Wilhelm I of Prussia established this harbor to serve as a naval base for the Prussian navy and named it after himself.
After years of expansion and construction, Wilhelmshaven had become one of the most important ports. Its unfreezing waters, lack of draft restrictions, and capability to accommodate various large vessels made it Germany's most crucial naval base. It could also repair and build the latest ocean-going submarines. However, at this moment, the High Seas Fleet was patrolling in the waters near Iceland, so there were no large warships in the harbor—only some destroyers and cruisers, smaller vessels.
The harbor was surrounded by densely packed anti-aircraft guns, all equipped with state-of-the-art 40mm Bofors guns and 88mm anti-aircraft guns. Along with three high-powered radars in the harbor and nearby airbases, it was more than enough to annihilate any incoming enemy, leaving no chance for them to retreat.
Nine destroyers patrolled outside the harbor 24/7, with over 20 minesweepers and anti-submarine patrol ships constantly cruising nearby.
Wilhelm emphasized underwater defense measures since he didn't want anyone sneaking into the harbor to sabotage the ships.
Detecting underwater targets with technical means was challenging, and various underwater defense measures were more passive—such as anti-submarine nets and underwater listening devices.
Fortunately, the risk of submarines directly avoiding the anti-submarine network and attempting to infiltrate the harbor was relatively high. Also, due to the limitations of divers' physical endurance, their activities were limited in time and scope. For instance, in Scapa Flow, unless an entire submarine managed to slip into the harbor, they probably wouldn't achieve such remarkable results.
In addition to numerous coastal artillery batteries, the entire Wilhelmshaven harbor could be considered impregnable and rock-solid.
Today, all the guards in Wilhelmshaven were replaced by the Imperial Guards. They stood guard every five steps, with a sentry post every ten steps, exceptionally tight security.
Because almost all of Germany's high-ranking figures gathered here, including even the Crown Prince himself, no one dared to be negligent. Security measures were raised to the highest level.
In addition to military and political officials, a group of reporters were present, including both domestic and foreign journalists.
Before entering the harbor, each journalist had to undergo the strictest inspection. Imperial Guards meticulously checked their credentials, opened their carried packages to inspect for prohibited items.
Next to them, an Imperial Guards captain loudly read out the guidelines for entering the harbor to the journalists.
"This is a military port, and casual photography is strictly prohibited. You can only stay in designated areas and take photos facing the specified directions! All photos taken must undergo inspection before being published!"
After listening to all the guidelines, the journalists signed the commitment forms and were then allowed to enter the harbor. Led by the Imperial Guards, they arrived at an inconspicuous but spacious platform.
Not far away, a pier was surrounded layer by layer, with officers standing in the outermost circle being of the rank of colonel or higher, even including high-ranking officers with the rank of major general, who kept some distance from the pier.
"Heh, the reception is quite high-profile." A journalist fiddled with his camera, unable to help but exclaim.
"Of course, U-47 is a hero of the Empire.", replied a German journalist proudly, his face displaying unrestrained pride.
During World War I, the German navy attached great importance to the use of submarines and was the first nation to employ them in combat. Throughout the war, Germany had a total of 350 submarines, sinking a total of 5,000 vessels with a combined tonnage of 12,000,000 tons. The Allied powers, who had tasted the bitterness of German U-boats, through the Treaty of Versailles, prohibited Germany from building or possessing submarines.
Although submarine warfare during that time cast a shadow over the naval forces of various nations, it had never been as intense as now. When a submarine could sneak into a harbor and massacre several main warships in one go, such a weapon was enough to instill fear worldwide.
Suddenly, there was a commotion among the crowd on the pier. A destroyer was seen approaching from the distance outside the harbor, and following closely behind it was a tiny black dot.
"It's here! It's here!" The journalists became excited instantly, picking up their cameras and aiming them at the distant black dot.
The military band on the side started playing, and the majestic and stirring melody echoed in the sky over the harbor.
The destroyer, leading the small black dot, approached closer and closer. Finally, everyone could see the outline of that small black dot. It was a relatively small German submarine, slowly sailing behind the destroyer. The slender deck undulated in the waves, giving the relatively small German submarine a sense of drifting with the tide on the water surface.
The deck of the submarine was crowded with people, obscuring half of the conning tower casing. However, everyone still saw the huge number painted on top of the conning tower – "U-47".
Taking advantage of the lively atmosphere on the pier, a young white man with a U.S. press card hanging from his chest murmured quietly, "Unbelievable, this submarine actually sank so many battleships?"
Standing next to him was a middle-aged white man with the same U.S. press card. "Maybe they used some secret weapon. It's indeed incredible that intelligence agencies worldwide couldn't figure out what secret weapon the Germans used."
Of course, Prien wouldn't leave the propellers in Scapa Flow. What if the British divers found them during salvage operations? So, when they withdrew, they fixed the propellers on the submarine again and slipped out of Scapa Flow. But they couldn't bring them back to the harbor; after all, the propellers were fixed on the outside of the submarine. If the journalists took photos, it would be as if everyone knew about it.
Therefore, on the way here, they had already removed the propellers and sunk them to the seabed.
As the submarine approached the dock, the guiding destroyer turned around and continued its patrol mission. U-47, on the other hand, swayed to the dock, and the military band's performance became even more vibrant.
The submarine's special gangway was set up on the deck by the sailors. When the first submariner jumped onto the dock, Wilhelm, standing at the forefront, almost vomited on the spot.
He originally didn't like the fishy smell of the sea breeze, but now, compared to the smell emanating from the sailor, the sea breeze seemed like the fragrance of an ancient dragon's perfume. The clothes, now so dirty that the original color couldn't be discerned, were worn by a man who hadn't shaved like a savage.
Fortunately, Wilhelm was mentally prepared. He had heard before that the conditions inside submarines were quite harsh. He forced himself to step forward and patted the sailor's shoulder affectionately. "I'm really glad you all returned safely, heroes of the Empire!"
"Your Highness!" The young sailor was so excited that his face turned red, and tears flowed down like a river breaking its banks.
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