Capítulo 319: Chapter 396 Computers (3)
Through the efforts of all parties, Germany's first-generation computers now rival the performance of the second-generation transistor computers of the original timeline. The early emergence of advanced assembly languages has made the logical computing power of computers even stronger, greatly improved reliability, and increased the computing speed to several hundred thousand operations per second.
After watching the demonstration of this computer, Wilhelm nodded in satisfaction and ordered, "Send one to the intelligence department; from now on, the enemy's codes will be transparent to us."
Since their inception, codes have been rigorously protected by their users to ensure their security. People have racked their brains, employing every conceivable strategy, especially since codes contain many important military secrets, making them the best source of intelligence for spies, who spare no effort in their pursuit.
According to historical records, codes were first created in Greece. After entering the 16th century, the establishment of permanent embassies among nations became a system. Diplomatic personnel frequently transmitted various intelligence obtained because there was significant development between codes and code channels. The simplest was the identification of codes in correspondence, and codes were also widely used in wars. There are countless examples in the history of warfare where failure to value the use of codes or their decryption by the enemy led to operational failures.
On the night of August 17, 1914, during World War I, a clear Morse code signal suddenly sounded in the headphones of a radio operator stationed in the Marlinburg area of the German army. Translated, it was a plaintext telegram sent by the Russian army, detailing the operational plans of the Samsonov Army Group and its coordination with another army group. Initially, the Germans could not believe that such important military secrets would be sent in plaintext, but after careful reconnaissance and verification, the intelligence was proven to be true.
This unexpected gift was quickly delivered to the hands of the German commander, Hindenburg, who treasured it immensely. He immediately mobilized 160,000 troops to swiftly encircle the Samsonov Army Group and launched the famous Battle of Tannenberg. After four days of fierce fighting, the entire 100,000-strong Russian army was annihilated, and the Russian commander Samsonov took his own life.
During World War II, although the Japanese army initially took the initiative due to the attack on Pearl Harbor, they suffered heavy losses in the middle and later stages of the war due to the repeated decryption of their communication codes by the U.S. military. A prime example is the downfall of Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, the commander-in-chief of the Japanese Combined Fleet. In the spring of 1943, as the Pacific war situation became increasingly unfavorable for Japan, Yamamoto decided to inspect the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific. At 17:55 on April 13, the commander of the Japanese 8th Fleet sent a coded telegram detailing Yamamoto's inspection schedule (including arrival and departure times) to the commanders of the units to be inspected, so they could prepare for his visit. Unbeknownst to them, American codebreakers intercepted this crucial piece of intelligence, and as a result, Yamamoto was shot down by U.S. forces during his inspection and buried at sea.
In warfare, the decryption or theft of codes is tantamount to handing over one's life to the enemy. Therefore, there has always been a military adage: Secrecy is life; secrecy is victory.
Now that Germany has this era-transcending computer, Wilhelm feels that the odds of victory have increased even further.
"Send one to Dr. Tesla." Wilhelm still doesn't know whether Nikola Tesla's gravity engine can be successfully researched; however, during a recent visit, he found Tesla to be quite robust, not at all like someone who would pass away three years later (January 7, 1943).
According to Wilhelm's knowledge, Tesla died of heart failure, but Tesla's personal physician said his body was very healthy and his heart had no problems. In this timeline, many people's fates are different from the original, and it's possible that Tesla could live to a ripe old age.
"Send one to Dr. Oberth's space exploration department." The last V-2 rocket test reached a height of 189 kilometers, making it the first human-made object to reach space. According to the current pace of scientific research, it will soon be possible to launch satellites into space.
"Send one to the nuclear energy research department." The design and manufacture of the atomic bomb involves a series of physical and chemical problems, as well as issues related to nuclear material refueling, radiation range, explosive power, ignition timing, test explosion window, monitoring range, data calculation, and many other aspects. These calculations are often interlinked, and any error or inaccuracy in any part requires recalculation.
"Keep one to continue perfecting and improving."
"One more..." Just as he began to speak, Wilhelm realized that the five computers had been allocated, and he couldn't help but slap his forehead. "It's still not enough, far from enough. Dr. Neumann, how much does one computer cost?"
Dr. Neumann replied respectfully, "About 4 million Reichsmarks."
Wilhelm gasped. The cost of the first electronic tube computer in the original timeline was about $500,000, while now, 4 million Reichsmarks is roughly equivalent to $1.2 million. Five units would cost 20 million Reichsmarks, which could build more than 200 of Germany's main fighter aircraft, the Bf 109F.
However, in terms of performance, this price of 4 million marks is very, very cost-effective. If it were possible to build advanced computers of the future now, Wilhelm would not hesitate to invest even 40 billion marks.
After some hesitation, Wilhelm gritted his teeth. "Build five more!" After giving this instruction, he brought up another matter. "How is the thing I gave you last time coming along?"
In the original timeline of 1956, transistors gradually replaced vacuum tubes, giving birth to the second generation of computers. Just two years later, an engineer in Texas, USA, named Kilby, invented the integrated circuit (IC), combining three types of electronic components onto a tiny silicon chip.
In 1964, the third generation of integrated circuit computers was officially introduced. They were mainly composed of small and medium-scale integrated circuits (with less than a thousand logic gates per chip); the main memory used semiconductor memory. The computing speed could reach several hundred thousand to several million basic operations per second.
Last time, Wilhelm took the time to organize the concept and specific principles of integrated circuits and sent them over.
Dr. Neumann said with admiration, "Your Highness, your foresight is truly unmatched. We have carefully studied it, and your theory is completely feasible. However, with the current technology, we cannot yet produce such precise circuit boards. I estimate that it will take at least three to four years to complete."
"That means we won't see it before the war is over." Although there was some regret, Wilhelm did not feel too disappointed. After all, they were already a big step ahead, and it would be harder than climbing to heaven for their opponents to catch up.
After offering some encouragement, Wilhelm left Area 51 and returned to the palace, where he saw Reinhard waiting in the office. "Your Highness, we have found the person you were looking for."
REFLEXIONES DE LOS CREADORES 
Batorian
Batorian I really have no idea what the author means with this "gravity engine." I have researched a bit and everything I found about it leads to speculation. It's accurate to say that it's pretty much a myth and nothing more.
Estado de energía semanal
-- Ranking de
Poder 
-- Piedra de
Poder