Chapter 146: Technological Development
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“Gentlemen, you are all renowned merchants of Jewish descent. Personally, I have a very good impression of the Jewish people and hold this great community in high respect!” Akado said with a smile, pointing to a cross behind him in the living room, his tone pious. “You should know what a great price I paid to save you from the threat of the Nazi Party.”
But you’ve profited plenty from us! Jews are still being killed to this day, and if you ever took a liking to our family property, you certainly wouldn’t be so polite with us! The leading figures of the German Jewish community sitting there listened in silence as Akado boasted about the traditional friendship between the German and Jewish peoples, but in their hearts, they were cursing him endlessly.
“I am sure you all must be very dissatisfied with some of the policies I have implemented and are full of wariness toward the German SS. For this, I can only express my regret and deep sorrow!” Akado said with a sigh. “However, the reason I have gathered you all here this time is to discuss a vast and dangerous plan with you. I wonder if any of you are interested in changing the future of the world together with me.”
Silence. A somewhat suffocating silence. Faced with Akado’s friendly overture, these immensely wealthy tycoons were all on high alert. No one was willing to be the first to speak. However, with the thought that if the Führer became angry, they would all suffer, an elderly Jewish merchant finally spoke up slowly. “I wonder what kind of astonishing plan the Führer has in mind?”
Akado smiled. As long as someone took the bait, he could continue. And as long as he continued, his lure would absolutely drive the Jews mad. “My plan is very simple. Germany will support the Jews in establishing their own state in the Middle East! At the appropriate time, I will fully support the Jews in returning to their holy city.”
“My God!” “You’re joking!” “That’s impossible!” “Nonsense!” “Heil Führer!” The room instantly erupted into chaos. All the Jewish men leaped up from their seats. Amidst the pandemonium, several of the older German Jewish leaders stared at Akado, hoping to discern some clue from the young Führer’s face.
Akado said nothing, merely watching the tumultuous conference room until they quieted down on their own. “In view of the unequal treatment suffered by the Jewish people all over the world, our great Germanic nation expresses deep sympathy. In order to continue the friendship between our two peoples, we have decided to support your return to the Middle East to establish your own country.”
He smiled and looked around at all the Jewish merchants present, continuing his speech. “And all of you present here, you will become the heroes of the Jewish people, the wielders of power in the new state. Your names will be carved on a monument in Jerusalem, to be worshipped and admired by all future generations of Jews.”
Finally, a leading Jewish merchant spoke up. “What price must we pay, and what can you guarantee?”
“Very simple. Do nothing!” Akado said, tapping his finger on the table. “Don’t try to influence my decisions anymore, and don’t oppose me. I will guarantee your rights… If Germany has the ability to stand above Britain and France in the future, then your country in the Middle East will be Germany’s most solid ally. I want the oil resources there! If Germany is defeated, then this meeting today never happened. How about it?”
These Jewish merchants were not fools. They would absolutely not exert themselves for no benefit, but if there was a real benefit, they would be more daring than anyone to put down even bigger stakes and go all in.
Building a state in the Middle East was just a shadowy concept and naturally held little interest for them. But if they could get the support of a powerful nation, then the feasibility of this plan was undoubtedly much greater. At that time, with German support, they were still confident they could establish a firm foothold in the Middle East and become the founders of a new Jewish empire.
After the meeting, Merkel followed behind Akado, feeling a little uncertain about the meeting. “My Führer, to trade a promise for the support of the Jews… I don’t think it’s very likely to succeed.”
“I never thought I could get their support,” Akado replied as he walked. “I just pointed them to another path, to make them waver between us and the British. You know we are about to lose our Middle East oil resources. We must now do everything we can to make sure those fence-sitters don’t kick us while we’re down.”
He walked to the door of another conference room and looked back at Merkel. “Arrange for a trusted subordinate to go to Britain. Do your best to placate the British.” Merkel immediately nodded and left, while Akado pushed open the door and walked in.
“Any good news from the Ministry of Technology?” As soon as he entered the room, Akado asked his several technology advisors. They were all chief technical engineers from various factories, arguably some of the most intelligent people in the entire Germanic nation.
“There is tremendous good news, my Führer!” a middle-aged man in an SS uniform stood up. He was the Technical Director of the German Air Force, one of the few active air force personnel who supported the Führer’s strategic air force plan, and also one of the few high-ranking officers to enter the Wehrmacht’s air force combat units with an SS identity.
“Oh? Tell me,” Akado said, finding a seat and sitting down casually. This conference room was not as formal as the last one; it was filled with sofas arranged in a circle, much more relaxed, which also made the Führer seem closer to his subordinates. These arrangements were all thanks to Akado’s work secretary, Cindra. This beautiful girl who had “rejected” the Führer had gotten married at the end of last year and received a watch from the Führer as a wedding gift. Of course, her work was as outstanding as ever, freeing up a lot of Akado’s time to attend to more matters of state and military.
“The development of the fighter for the navy is progressing very smoothly. It can only be described as perfect. This fighter’s speed is completely comparable to the Me-109, but it is more rugged, durable, and easier to handle. The naval department has named it the Fw-190 fighter,” the German Air Force Technical Director said proudly. “For the specific details, you can ask this aircraft designer, my Führer.”
“Heil Führer!” Following his gesture, Akado saw a man in a suit standing at attention and saluting. He held his chin high, looking very proud to be able to meet the heroic Führer of Germany. “I am the designer of the winning Fw-190 fighter, Dr. Kurt Tank!”
“Compare it to the Me-109. Pros and cons. Be direct. What we lack most is time,” Akado said as he shook his hand.
“Yes, my Führer! At low to medium altitudes, my fighter can completely compare with the Me-109, and even surpasses it in many performance aspects. Its firepower is stronger, it’s easier to maintain, and it’s more rugged and durable,” Dr. Tank said hurriedly. “Its shortcoming is at high altitudes. I’m afraid this plane is not yet sufficient to replace the expensive Me-109.”
“Here is the data from the test flights and the results from 17 air force fighter pilots. Among them, Major Adolf Galland and others are ace pilots who participated in the Spanish Civil War and have experience flying the Me-109. It has been proven that this fighter does indeed exceed the Me-109 in many aspects.”
“Immediately begin developing a liquid-cooled engine version of the Fw-190 for use as a high-altitude interceptor!” After reading the officers’ personal signatures, Akado nodded. With one sentence, he had won Kurt Tank’s complete admiration. This Führer clearly understood engine principles and was a genuine technical expert. This way, there would be no problems with him giving ignorant commands.
The table clearly showed that this fighter had a 30mm cannon firing through the propeller hub, and each wing was equipped with a 20mm cannon, making its firepower incomparably powerful. At least for now, no other aircraft could be equipped with such exaggerated firepower. Moreover, this plane had five universal hardpoints on each wing, which could carry the air force’s future 65mm air-to-air rockets.
“Take this down. Downgrade the performance of the Me-109, replace some of the aluminum alloy and other metal structures with wood, and then sell it as the export model Me-109C to our allies. For the next year, the air force will simultaneously equip both the Me-109 and Fw-190 models. In 1937, all air force procurement will shift entirely to the Fw-190! The Me-109 will continue production purely as an export fighter.”
“As you command, my Führer!” the Air Force Technical Director said, saluting.
“Any other news?” Akado asked the others eagerly, having solved the air force’s problem.
“Report to the Führer! The rocket development project has been successfully completed. As an exclusive project for interceptors, the air force’s 65mm triple-tube rocket launcher is ready for mass production and can be issued to the troops. The 150mm launcher for army units has also completed its trials. As for the truck-mounted model, it uses a double-row of 3.5-meter-long launch rails and can fire 32 rockets at once. It has a range of 9 kilometers, and its destructive power has greatly satisfied the army,” the army’s equipment advisor replied. “Here are the personal signatures of General Guderian and Commander von Brauchitsch. If necessary, you can personally inquire about the results of the weapon trials.”
“Equip the artillery troops with four rocket artillery battalions first, and then have General von Brauchitsch come see me at the Führer’s Residence this afternoon,” Akado said with a nod.
“In addition, my Führer,” the army equipment advisor continued, “based on the conclusions drawn from the Spanish Civil War and your orders, we have sold the Panzer IIIs and Panzer IIs of two divisions to the Franco government on-site. The troops of these two divisions are being transported back home to be equipped with the more advanced new Panzer IV. The 170 Panzer III chassis that have already been produced domestically have all been converted into StuG III assault guns.”
“Set the production target for the StuG III at 3,000 units. After reaching this number, report to me immediately, and then we will further analyze whether it is necessary to continue producing this vehicle!” Akado commanded.
