"Honorable Marshal, you have done three great things in your life, the first of which is to create a powerful high sea fleet, and to transform Germany from a land power into a land power. The second thing is that you led the High Seas Fleet out of the North Sea towards the ocean. And the third thing that you're doing right now is to build a system of naval bases that stretch from Spain all the way east to the Persian Gulf, which will be the cornerstone of our future domination of the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean, and will also be our most important barrier against the U.S. Navy. When Scheer saw Tirpitz's "Future High Seas Fleet Overseas Base Development Plan", the veteran who had experienced too many ups and downs was also impressed by Tirpitz's generosity.

"Well, young man, don't say those flattering words, I liked to hear them in the early days, but now that I'm old, my time is over, and I look down on those fame and honors, let's get back to the point, and let me first give you some of my thoughts on the future system of overseas bases of the German High Seas Fleet. These bases are like pearls, and the Allied fleet, led by the High Seas Fleet, strings these pearls together like a silk thread, and then forms a stronger chain. Tirpitz looked at the symbols on the map that represented ports and fleets with some pride, and he finally realized his dream of taking the high seas fleet out of the North Sea! And now he will lead this fleet even further!

"A Coruña and Gijón, located in northern Spain, will be Germany's most advanced submarine bases in the Atlantic. The Allied Air Force will provide reconnaissance and cover assistance for submarines stationed here. The Confederate ships deployed here are like daggers to the throat of the French, as long as our air force can suppress the French air force. Then every move of the French Atlantic Fleet, and even all the civilian ships from the Atlantic to France, will be under our control. Tirpitz first pointed to the northwest corner of Spain with his whip and said.

"But distance is a double-edged sword, if the French launch a surprise attack. Then it will be very difficult for us to guard against, and this is in Spain rather than our own territory, so our deployment of military forces is relatively limited, and in order to prevent the precious capital ships from being attacked, we cannot deploy the most important combat forces of the High Seas Fleet here. Rather, it can only be used as a submarine base. Speaking of which, Tirpitz's words were full of regret.

"The fortress of Gibraltar and Ceuta on the opposite side hold the only passage from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean, and as long as we can hold it, then the Mediterranean is ours, and the French fleet deployed in Toulon can only be used as a surviving fleet. And sooner or later it will be crushed by the powerful Allied fleet. Tirpitz's whip then moved to the middle of the Mediterranean.

"The ports of Tunisia and Malta, as well as Italy, will be one of the most important base groups of the Allied fleet in the Mediterranean! Italy has advanced shipbuilding technology, as well as an extremely developed shipbuilding industry, and their warships played an important role in this war. And the ports of Italy also provide effective support to the entire Allied fleet, and we must do everything we can to bring them under our control, either by oppression or inducement. ”

"But to be on the safe side, we also need to develop a base cluster in the Balkans and the Eastern Mediterranean. For example, the Greek peninsula, Crete and the island of Cyprus. This will be our forward base in the direction of the Red Sea. Here we will deploy the main forces of the German-Austrian-Turkish navy, as well as a large number of naval forces. We must make sure that the Suez Canal is quickly controlled and spread out quickly to both sides of the river at the first moment of the outbreak of war, and the whole of Egypt is occupied within 3 weeks! And to keep Alexandria and Port Said intact," Tirpitz said, tapping heavily on the map with a whip.

"In fact, we can make use of the Crimean Peninsula on the Black Sea, which is the former base of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, and Sevastopol is an important naval base with a history of more than 100 years. Scheer set his sights on the Black Sea to the east of the Mediterranean. In this closed area, as long as Turkey and the Dardanelles can be controlled, then the fleet inside is absolutely safe! Scheer was puzzled. Why did Tirpitz abandon his base in the Black Sea and choose to focus on the Eastern Mediterranean?

"But Austria-Hungary had a complete naval industrial system, and it made sense with our railway system. Our supplies can get to the front line very quickly. Sevastopol is really good from the point of view of a fortress, but the Russian naval industrial system is no longer extinct, and it is really difficult for us to transport supplies to the Black Sea, and Russia can be described as a disaster in terms of both railway system and road traffic, I think you should have heard of Marshal Moltke's complaints. What's more, Austria-Hungary is much more reliable than the Ukrainians, and we put things very safe with him! Tirpitz smiled wryly.

"If the Suez Canal is the first gateway to the Indian Ocean, then Somalia and Djibouti in the southern Red Sea are the second gateways to the Indian Ocean, but the key to this gate is in the hands of our ally Italy. I have already said about Italy, and I will not repeat it now. "Then Tirpitz's whip continued eastward, and the network of bases of the German fleet began to expand further eastward!" If the Mediterranean Sea is the general base of the future Allied Combined Fleet, then the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea will be the front lines of our war with the Entente! We will face India, the most important colony of the British Empire, and our target! Tirpitz said in a deep voice.

"The Persian Gulf was shared by the Ottoman Empire and Persia. To do this, we need to pull Persia to our side, as a base for our offensive in South Asia, and, of course, as an important oil producer, it will form the largest tank of the Allied bloc together with the Ottoman Empire! And then we're going to make it the largest integrated base in the Allies. Don't underestimate the layout of the British in India, where they have been in business for hundreds of years. Tirpitz said.

"General, your plan and strategic arrangement conform to the future development of the empire, but there is a problem, that is, our shipyards are all on the mainland, and it is true that we can transfer the active warships to the Mediterranean before the war, but after the war, it will be more difficult for the fleet to bypass the British mainland and the North Atlantic and enter the Mediterranean, if you choose to take the Danish Strait, it will be outside the cover of our air force. And the English Channel? It's almost impossible. Scheer voiced his concerns.

"Therefore, we must suppress the British air force with aviation power as much as possible, and at the same time use all kinds of means to contain the British navy. If we can use one warship to contain a small fleet of the other side, then the British and French fleets, which are already at a disadvantage, will be even more overstretched, and then our fleet will have the opportunity to enter the Mediterranean Sea from the North Sea. Tirpitz didn't have a good way to deal with this situation, unless the Germans handed over the battleships to Austria-Hungary and Italy to build! But that's not possible!

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