The weather was still sunny the next day, the Comoros Islands were on the 11th parallel of south latitude, close to the coast of Africa, belonging to the tropical maritime climate, it was now mid-September, it was in the local dry season, the average temperature was around 256 degrees, according to the locals, there were occasionally one or two heavy rains, but in the few days when the U106 arrived, there was not even a single cloud to see. The afternoon sun shone on the steel hull, and the temperature in the submarine skyrocketed, and the already humid and hot cabin became even hotter.

"Down, watch to the left, slow down." Second Officer Herb of the U106 commanded the crane operator on the Grouse with an iron horn, and a 533mm G7e torpedo was hung from a sturdy rope.

"This is the last item on the list, and I need a little more time to debug." The torpedo mechanic stood next to the second officer, holding a form in his hand.

"This is your job, and you have time to do it after you set sail." The second mate didn't bother to talk to the engineer, the one-and-a-half-ton torpedo was still hanging high on the rope, and the four strong sailors were dragging the towing ropes at both ends of the torpedo to adjust the direction of the torpedo hoisting.

"Now that there is not enough space in the front compartment, you have to fit four T3a into the first to fourth launch tubes." Lieutenant Igor smiled and took the form from the engineer's hand and signed his name in the signature field at the bottom of the form.

"Are you sure you can handle this?"

"Although it is a new model, the structure has not changed much, and the manual is still the same." The torpedo engineer replied confidently.

The advance party of the C fleet arrived in the early hours of the same day, and the large ships in the formation first went to the port of Moroni, where the ships belonging to the French Navy were moored directly. The German submarine support ship Grouse, which was tasked with replenishment, only replenished some fresh water and hurried to the other end of the island to join the U106. Because replenishing the ammunition supply for the U106 is an important task for her, after all, it must be completed as soon as possible.

The U106 was replenished by the French and had at this time sufficient, mainly due to the heavy loss of mechanical spare parts and ammunition, and the submarine was more than 9,000 kilometers from her home port, from which she had been fighting continuously on the sea for a week. This ocean-going submarine has actually broken the record set by a brother unit for a single mission voyage, with only one refueling in the middle. Having bypassed most of black Africa from Europe, the ocean-going submarine was even ready to run all the way to Jakarta without receiving instructions from the submarine command.

"The ammunition is almost replenished, what else do you need, Captain Robin?" The captain of the Grouse, Major William, smiled and took out a silver cigarette case, took out a cigarette and handed it to the captain.

“COOL？ Is it American cigarettes? Robin took a puff on his cigarette, almost choking on the cool mint flavor, and he looked back at the label on the cigarette in amazement.

"Speaking of which, this is the last time I resupplied the U65, Feng. Captain Stockhausen gave it to me. They sank a British transport ship that was sailing alone, and the sea was full of crates of American cigarettes. They picked up quite a few of them, and Major Stockhausen gave me several. ”

"I heard about it, and it turned out that the crew on the U65 all learned to smoke before they returned to port." Robin smiled and took a new puff on his cigarette, and after getting used to the mint smell, he thought it tasted good.

"That's when I became obsessed with this taste, but unfortunately there won't be any more good things, the war is over. I'd like to get this kind of cigarette in the future. You can only look for it in the store. Major William puffed out a smoke ring as he poked his head out of the side of the ship. The Grouse's sailors are putting a dinghy into the water.

"Major, do you think this war is over?" Robin leaned his back against the railing and turned his head to look at the old captain.

"The British have surrendered, we have won the final victory, the French have signed a peace treaty with us, and everything is over. I am glad that there is no longer a need for young people in Germany to go to war and shed their blood. Old William looked at Robin with an emotional look on his face and said.

The veteran captain was already an experienced ocean-going freighter captain before the Grouse was launched, having fought in the World War as a young man, commanding a military transport ship and taking a stake in a civilian transport company after retiring from the ship. Piloting a 4,000-ton freighter across the seas, the track is almost all over the world. The Grouse, like his captain, did not originally belong to the German Navy, this fast freighter was requisitioned by the Navy immediately after the start of the war because of its special structure, and after adding a bunch of maintenance equipment and special cargo compartments, it became a submarine support ship, and under the order of the new Führer, the Navy engaged in many such modifications.

"You think I'm not right?" Finding that Robin didn't talk, Old William asked strangely.

"Major, I don't think the war is over, and we are still surrounded by dangerous enemies. There may be many people who, as you think, think that we have defeated Britain and that there will be no more wars. Of course, there's nothing wrong with thinking this way, it's just a bit too idealistic. The Führer once said that at the end of this war, Germany had only succeeded in breaking free from a shackle around its neck, and that we had not yet completely smashed the blockade imposed on us by the hostile countries that wanted to suppress Germany's rise. Britain is only the first line of defense, and the net that surrounds us has not really been broken.

The Führer also said that our enemies were secretly accumulating strength, waiting for Germany to make a mistake, and that if we showed the slightest weakness, they would pounce on us and strike a deadly attack, and that they would enslave our people and plunder our gains, and that they would use all means to destroy this great empire which they feared once and for all. Captain Robin leaned on the fence and said impassionedly to Major William.

"Are you overreacting, Captain, although what the Führer said is indeed very reasonable, but Captain, Germany is so strong, we have defeated the two strongest countries on land and sea, and no one dares to be our enemy anymore, because this is simply suicide." Major William retorted with a shake of his head.

"I agree with you on this, Major, and I hope you're right." Robin felt that there was no need to quarrel with the old captain over this kind of issue, in the next six months. He also needed to work closely with the other party, and he turned his face to look at the submarine that was still being replenished, thinking about how to change the subject.

"I know you still miss the days of war, which I have seen in many naval captains, who feel that the war ended too quickly, and many regret that they did not have the opportunity to show their skills on the battlefield. You may be worried that you will leave the army because of this. Believe me, Captain, a good captain like you is important at all times, and the Navy will never let an ace captain like you retire easily.

This mission is a good proof that so many ocean-going submarines have chosen the U106 to serve in the Far East, which is the first time that the German Navy has re-set foot on Asian soil since the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. I think you know better than I know how important it is. In fact, I really envy you, you are young and full of vitality, and you have a great future. And an old guy like me, after completing this mission, everything must be retired, my old bones can't be tossed for too long, I have been to Asia hundreds of times. Still can't get used to the climate. ”

Major William also felt that the conversation should be lightened, and the young captain was a well-known thorn in the navy. In the Naval Officers' Club, the captain knew that his personal combat effectiveness might not even be five in front of the captain, and if it weren't for the fact that this violent temper even dared to fight the commander, according to Robin's brilliant record, he would have been promoted to major like his colleagues in the fleet.

"Oh, I didn't think much of it, Major. I only know to obey the orders of my superiors. Do your job. I was not worried about decommissioning at all, and I was told that the Navy would continue to expand, that there were now quite a few new ships in the dockyard that were being built, and that we had received a number of British and French ships. Now there is a big gap between sailors and captains, and after a while, let alone let me retire, I think even your retirement plan may be in vain. Robin took a puff of his cigarette and popped the end of the ship.

"Another one?" William took out his cigarette case, he felt that as long as he mastered the conversation skills, it was still very good to chat with this captain, although the other party's military rank was not high, but compared to himself, there were many channels of high-level news, Major William decided to find a way to have a good relationship with the other party along the way, maybe to Southeast Asia, maybe he had to rely on the other party, it is said that the situation there is quite chaotic now, and the relationship with this kind of combat officer can come in handy at a critical time.

"Thanks, I think I'm in love with this cigarette too." Robin took the cigarette and smiled at William and nodded.

"Take one from me when you go, I've got some stock here." Major William pulled out a lighter and lit Robin's cigarette.

"That's so thankful."

"We're going to be working together for a long time, so you're welcome, Captain." William's warm and sincere smile made Robin a little ashamed, and his attitude towards the words of the old captain was a little unpleasant.

"By the way, you saw the U1001, what do you think of that submarine?" William lit himself a cigarette and put the lighter in his pocket.

"A very beautiful boat indeed." Robin tilted his head and took a puff of smoke, but the sourness in his tone could be smelled far away.

"Just pretty?" William laughed.

"I haven't looked at her specific parameters, and I haven't had time to talk to Captain Heinck, so I don't have a position to say anything about it at this point, and maybe I'll be able to tell you the answer after tomorrow's confrontation exercise. I think she should have used a lot of the most advanced technology on it, and the German submarine will always be the best in the world, and this submarine should be ahead of all the submarines in service in the world, I can guarantee this, because I believe in the wisdom of the German shipbuilding engineers and the vision of the high command.

From the looks of it alone, she should have good underwater power, and she is also very large, and should have a speed and range similar to that of a Type IX submarine. However, in the battle, the key is to see the cooperation of the crew and the combat experience of the commander, so in tomorrow's exercise, I believe that my U106 will not be too far behind the opponent, if I play well, maybe I can surprise the opponent. Robin's tone was calm as if he were explaining an ordinary matter, but in fact it proved that he cared about the submarine.

It would be a lie to say that Captain Robin was not blushing at all, but to say that he felt envy and jealousy because of it was really wronged him. The new submarine may have amazing technical performance, but the submarine captain has always remembered what the trainee submarine instructor once warned him that it is not only the advanced weapons that dominate the victory or defeat of a war, but more importantly, it depends on the people who use the weapons. He firmly believed that his U106 was the strongest in the German submarine force, and of course his colleagues did a good job, perhaps there were so many masters in the Type VII boat group, and those who served after the war were all scum rookies.

"Captain! This is a telegram that has just been received, an urgent order from the command of the Navy. A radioman ran out of the radio room behind the bridge with a piece of telegraph paper.

"Captain! We just received an urgent order from the Submarine Command! Almost at the same time, Lieutenant Igor stood on the submarine's conning tower with a tin horn and shouted at Robin on the opposite bridge.

Something important must have happened, that was the first thought that popped into Captain Robin's mind at the time.

"What happened? Captain. Robin stepped forward, he had a hunch that this telegram should be the same thing as his own, the two sides were not using the same code, and the submarine code was more complicated, so it would be slower to decipher.

"At noon today, at thirteen:15 local time, the Japanese Army units entered the border of French Indochina, and there was a serious military clash with the French defenders and the German armed forces who were on a training mission, and ordered all German Navy ships sailing in the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea to immediately enter the first level of combat readiness, and the command ordered us to immediately dispatch to Singapore."

"Singapore, not Jakarta?"

"It's very clear that it's going to Singapore." William handed the telegram to Robin.

"I knew that the High Command would not send me there for no reason, and I would hurry back to my submarine." After reading the message, Robin swung his fist excitedly, shoved the telegram into William's arms, and then ran quickly to the gangway.

"Wait a minute, Captain, you haven't picked up your cigarette yet." William shouted loudly behind him.

"Oh, I almost forgot in my excitement, by the way, Major, do you have any extra rum here?" Major Robin asked, scratching the back of his head and smiling.

Thank you for your concern, my health has gotten better, today is the first day of this month, I still ask you to vote for that guaranteed monthly ticket, this month I want to redouble my efforts, strive for better results, thank you again for your understanding and encouragement to me, and thank you for your support for this book.

Thank you. (To be continued.) )