Chapter 366: Leasing a Battleship?

“That would be great, for Mr. Brandt, I give my full trust.” Allen Wilson, with an air of employing and doubting, left this matter in full charge of Brandt.

Because the decision was still in Allen Wilson’s hands, he finally found the feeling of pointing the finger in the British Occupied Territories.

To realize that in the country are politicians speak, civil servants listen. At this time to let the future German Chancellor to help their own work, it is simply a slave turned over to be the master, refreshed nature is needless to say.

After more than two years, at least the German territory is still very improved. Traffic has been considered very smooth, the war just ended when he came to Germany, even travel is a problem, whether it is the railroad or highway is a cut, can only say that there are railroads and highways, but there is no railroad network and highway network kind of thing.

The current Brussels meeting, or held under the slogan of unity in public service difficulties, because the Foreign Secretary recently fell ill, the British side of the Prime Minister Adderley himself, rather shapeless.

Time is almost full of Alan Wilson rushed to Brussels, to participate in the organization set up to prevent the resurrection of Germany ****.

Why is the Brussels Conference organization to discuss how to prevent Germany from attacking? Nothing more than that old problem, the Soviet Union is too strong, so the Brussels Conference is to prevent Germany. Clauses to prevent Germany never existed only in public declarations.

Brussels is not a big change, at least compared with Alan Wilson’s last visit is really so, Germany, of course, there is no earth-shattering change, but his last visit to Germany, Germany’s land and the surface of the moon is, is too intolerable to look at, after two years to return to the general level, the two sides of the contrast is not bad to look at.

Brussels at that time what kind of, now or what kind of, significant change is not.

Arrived in Brussels Allen Wilson also took the time to buy a pack of Heilmann family cigarettes, this brand Allen Wilson absolutely will not recognize the wrong, because this is what he copied.

Bogina asked at the time what brand the cigarettes were called, Allen Wilson thought for half a day, and then took out the cosmic brand of cigarettes that had been on the Spring Festival comedy.

This brand was still the brand of his hometown, probably discontinued when he was less than twenty years old.

“Business is doing well, it’s been sold to Belgium.” Alan Wilson gulped down the clouds and followed the address to meet up with the main group.

After joining the colleagues of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Alan Wilson will prepare for the Brussels meeting, followed by Prime Minister Adderley has become Norman Brook, of course, the same in Alan Wilson here to be respected, because the other side of the official big.

Allen Wilson also mentioned that he had just attended the German Social Democratic Party Congress, and the German Social Democratic Party in the ideological problems quite worried, look very worried about the country.

“In fact, our domestic recovery compared to other countries, is considered very good. Now that Chancellor Adderley is in power, why can’t we think of a way to separate ourselves from the Soviet Union.” Alan Wilson expressed the idea of joining in and then breaching the other side’s fortress from within.

“Oh, Alan. That’s a matter for the Labor Party, it’s not very good for us to give advice on that.” Norman Brooke gave a you-know-what look, indicating that the discussion would end there.

Normanbrook then turned on a dime and went to find Prime Minister Adderley to give his advice. It was natural for the Cabinet Secretary to interfere in the affairs of the Labor Party, but Aidley was now the Prime Minister of the British Empire and not just the leader of the Labor Party. It should be understood that the interests of the country outweigh the interests of the party, and as Cabinet Secretary, Norman Brooke are duty-bound to remind.

“Which Alan said that, didn’t he? Mountbatten’s daughter’s fiancé.” As soon as Prime Minister Airdrie heard Normanbrook’s paraphrase, he asked whose opinion it was, and then with an unsurprising tone of voice said, “The interests of the country certainly outweigh the interests of the party, and as Prime Minister of the British Empire I am still clear on this point, and for this reason I have certainly originated in communicating with the French.”

This would have been something that the Labor Party had been planning, since 1944, only to plan and plan and forget.

Alan Wilson’s report on the Hanover Congress was a sort of wake-up call to the Prime Minister that it really was time to take advantage of the current state of occupation in Germany to get things finalized so that there would be one less contender.

Norman Brooke, who was much more familiar with these politicians than his predecessor, saw almost immediately what Chancellor Eardley had in mind, “We have plenty of history to deal with the French.”

“Of course!” Airdrie gave a look of approval, the last thing Britain lacked was experience in dealing with the French.

On the other side, Alan Wilson, who had his first brief exchange with the new cabinet secretary, had just stepped out of the lounge when he heard someone calling him, as a young man of only twenty years old, Alan Wilson was certainly not to the point of old age, and the person who was calling him was the Portuguese delegate at the last Brussels meeting.

“Mr. Olivia, can I help you?” Allen Wilson stopped and politely greeted the other party, “I didn’t expect Mr. Olivia to still know me after not seeing you for two years, what a pleasant surprise.”

“Told you, Pedro and I are on good terms.” Olivia breathed a sigh of relief after seeing Allen Wilson stop, “Mr. Allen, I wonder if you have time to talk to me?”

“Sure!” Allen Wilson was a little surprised, what is this that needs to be done behind closed doors again?

But out of the friendly relationship established with the Portuguese in British India, Allen Wilson did not refuse. Look at what purpose the other party has in saying.

Olivia breathed a sigh of relief, took Allen Wilson to find a place to sit down, talked about the current difficulties faced by Portugal, which makes Allen Wilson slightly frowned, if it is to aid then can find the wrong person, waiting for the Americans in Paris to participate in the meeting is better, not to mention Portugal, the British Empire are waiting for it.

Just want to express love can not help, have not said, Olivia and turned to the Navy above to continue to complain.

It is simply a voice, as the initiator of the Age of Sail, the current situation of the Portuguese Navy can be said to be quite miserable. And it has been miserable for fifty years.

Before the First World War, Spain can still fight with the United States and the United States of America to fight a Spanish-American War, although it is unilateral to be violently beaten it. But at least it is also on the stage to compare and contrast, even if the performance is not as good as the Sino-Japanese War Qing troops have combat power.

And at the same time the Portuguese even to the battlefield is a problem, at this time the situation of the Portuguese Navy has been extremely bleak.

The main battleship is actually 1876 launched Vasco da Gama ironclad. This even Dingyuan ship is not as good as the old ship actually participated in the Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee, see the decline of Portugal.

Vasco da Gama underwent a forced conversion in Lisbon. Replacement of Yarrow type boilers to increase the speed from ten knots to fifteen knots, forcibly called an armored cruiser, forcibly show that Portugal is a country with armored cruisers.

Subsequently, the Portuguese Navy has an active protective cruiser Adamast, probably can and Guangdong warlord Chen Jiongming hands of warships to fight a half a catty, and now this time period, that is, at the end of 1947, the Portuguese Navy’s main warships is the thirties British exports of the destroyer, displacement of twelve hundred tons, the same class of ship has five ships.

And now, the Portuguese Navy’s five main ships, are all returning to the Yarrow Shipyard for upgrades

Originally there was no feeling Allen Wilson, listening to Olivia’s story of the initiating country of the Great Age of Sail, the last fifty years of the naval course, it is true that the heart is not a good feeling, Allen Wilson this kind of person is not much of a sense of morality at all, and at the moment there is sympathy for the mentality, it’s really too bad.

“Dear Mr. Allen, in order to preserve Goa, the Portuguese Navy needs naval renewal. To deter post-independence India.” Olivia only stated the purpose at this point, “I heard that the British Empire has leased many powerful warships to France and Holland.”

Snap! Alan Wilson lit a cigarette and crossed his legs with a smoky air, “There is such a thing, the ones leased to France are aircraft carriers, and the ones leased to the Royal Dutch Navy are battleships.”

“We in Portugal want to lease them too, it’s too much of a shame to have those mighty battleships lying on the sills to be dismantled.” Olivia said in a tone of I-can-talk-and-I-can-be-patriotic, “The Salazar Leader would like to express his gratitude if Mr. Allen can help.”

“What thanks is not even necessary.” Allen Wilson heard quickly shook his head, head like a rattle, what a joke? This is back to Europe, when this is British India? Take money can talk?

Back to Europe Allen Wilson has been a clean and honest imperial civil servants, the days of British India is ultimately a distant dream.

Portuguese mouth is not small? Open mouth want to rent a battleship, but it is not without precedent, the historical precedent is the United Kingdom leased to the French aircraft carrier, the precedent of this time and space is also in the lease of France after the Dutch request to rent.

There are a lot of battleships lying on the sidelines waiting to be dismantled in the hands of Britain. For example, the Nelson-class battleships that have been lying there for almost two years are not sure when they will be dismantled.

Britain after World War I was originally planned to build G3 type battle cruiser and N3 type battleship. These two types of battleships displaced about forty-eight thousand tons, the design concept was very advanced, and the paper data was very powerful. It can be said that the G3 and N3 were equivalent to the Iowa and Yamato of World War I. But the Washington Naval Treaty cut them off.

But the Washington Naval Treaty cut them down, limiting the main ship tonnage to thirty-five thousand tons.

In order to maintain a relatively strong fighting force under the tonnage limit of thirty-five thousand tons, Britain launched a scaled-down version of the original plan, the Nelson. The most important feature of the Nelson was that the main guns were fully forward-mounted, a layout that maximized the compression of the length of the armor belt to obtain the best possible protection under the limited displacement.