Chapter 1105: Verification Mission

What exactly can an electronic computer do? This question is no longer difficult for people today to answer. A computer can do many things through calculation, so complex that it can use computational models to simulate complex weather conditions, or to conduct completely virtual nuclear tests.

In other words, with the assistance of large-scale computers, humans can simulate virtual nuclear tests, completely replacing the dangerous and highly polluting real-world nuclear test projects. And on a smaller scale, we can use tablet computers to play parkour games, and use computers to play large-scale virtual games… Those complex graphics processing chips can even restore a virtual scene that is difficult for the naked eye to distinguish.

Of course, in 1939, all of this was still a distant dream. But humanity, through its own efforts, had finally, in a laboratory at the Imperial University of Berlin, achieved the dream of 6,700 calculations per second. This dream might not have been as shocking as flying into the sky or diving into the sea, but it truly marked another step up for human civilization.

Akado, after learning that the Imperial University of Berlin had finally developed a true electronic computer, was also, for a long time, speechless. His familiarity with the future was greater than that of everyone around him combined. He, of course, also understood what an electronic computer meant better than anyone else.

With this thing, codes that had been previously impossible to break were now just a set of complex word puzzles. With this thing, some precision experiments that required countless trials could be easily deduced, as long as the laws were grasped. With this thing, some complex calculations that could not be experimented on could also be easily completed. From now on, anything that could be deduced by a program would no longer be a thorny problem for mankind!

“My Führer, after verification, our work on breaking the British codes, which had been a complete mystery to us, has finally had a breakthrough,” General Gascoigne said. As he reported this, his voice was clearly filled with wonder and admiration. “The British army’s frequent use of confusing, incorrect word order had caused us great difficulty in our decryption.”

Gascoigne had also not expected that such a difficult decryption task would be so easy in the face of an electronic computer. The mind-numbing, complex comparison work was a piece of cake for the machine. The human brain simply could not record and compare such a vast amount of information, but the computer was simply born for it.

So when the computer’s verification results came out, all the code-breakers had a “eureka” moment. The information that had been marked for repeated checks for months had, in front of the computer, been checked in just a few minutes. Even the human errors had been marked out because they were illogical.

“The latest decryption results have already been sent to the Navy for verification. As for whether they will be effective, that will depend on what happens next,” Gascoigne said. He was clearly very pleased with this matter. It should be known just how important it was to obtain the enemy’s communication codes when two armies were at war. That thrill of knowing in advance what the enemy was planning to do was something that every commander loved.

Akado also nodded after getting this news. This era could be said to be the best of times for a soldier, or it could be said to be the end of the line for the traditional soldier. Once this era had passed, the wars of the new century would no longer have the soil to produce so-called “great commanders” and “star generals.”

On the battlefields of the future: the satellites in the sky would have a clear view of the enemy’s movements; the electromagnetic interference from superior electronic warfare weapons could blind the enemy; and powerful strike firepower could suppress the enemy from outside their own firing range. If you still couldn’t win, then the commander could just commit seppuku.

But on the battlefield now: there was air reconnaissance, but its effect was very limited. A weaker enemy could still rely on camouflage and feints to deceive their opponent. A general’s command level could still influence the battlefield situation. At least in war, one could still see the art of high-level command. Man was still an important factor in influencing the battlefield, and not just relying on weapons to crush his opponent.

And after this era had passed, after one after another of the brilliant star generals had fallen, what people would be familiar with would no longer be the names of the army’s generals, but the names of weapons, like the F-15 or the Patriot and the Scud. So the generals of this era were happy. At least people would remember the defeated Yamamoto Isoroku, while the general who had won the Gulf War was, it seemed, not even as famous as the Tomahawk cruise missile or the F-117 stealth bomber.

“Have the Navy be careful. Don’t leave too big of an opening,” Akado finally said, after thinking about some things that were not related to the matter at hand. “The British change their codes very quickly. If they suspect we have their codes, they will change them.”

“My Führer, with this computer, which is called ‘Prophet,’ our speed of breaking their codes is at least ten times faster than before. We are not afraid of them changing, because our speed of breaking them is no longer what it used to be,” Gascoigne said, a little puffed up. As he spoke, he had an expression of contempt for the British.

It was no wonder he was so confident. Anyone, when they completely crushed their opponent in technology and in means, would have this kind of expression. It was a pride of being above one’s opponent, a pride of a master’s solitude. Because Turing had told him that this computer, called “Prophet,” was just a stepping stone of progress, far from their final goal. They would improve this machine, and within a month, they would be able to increase its computing speed to 10,000 calculations per second.

Akado was amused by the self-inflated Gascoigne. He looked at him with a smile and said, “Wouldn’t it be better to not let the enemy know of the existence of our secret weapon? Do you think calculations are free? The electricity bill is very expensive, you know! And this thing can’t just be left for you intelligence department to use. The other departments are still standing in line, you know?”

Hearing that the other departments also wanted to use this computer, Gascoigne immediately deflated. He even had an ideal, to want to build such a computer in his own intelligence department, to be used exclusively for breaking the enemy’s codes. But he knew that this thing could not be mass-produced, so this was just a beautiful wish of his.

On the stormy surface of the North Atlantic, a new-model German submarine was cutting through the waves. Because of its unique bow design, this submarine’s sailing speed was not fast, a lot slower than the old U-boats with their sharp bows. Because they were operating in an enemy-occupied area, very few of the crew members came out of the submarine for a breath of fresh air. Only the captain and a few other people, like the first officer, had this privilege.

Lowering his binoculars, the first officer, who was on watch, leaned against the railing and complained, “I say, this baby has a long-range warning radar and an alarm receiver. Why are we still, according to the regulations, using binoculars to look?”

On the conning tower of the submarine, a huge number was painted in gray-white paint, and this number symbolized the honor this submarine had once achieved—U-47! This was a number that made the British Royal Navy grit its teeth, and also made the German Navy extremely proud.

“I don’t trust machines!” Prien said, leaning against the railing, puffing on his cigarette. “In places where a man can be used, it’s better to just work a little harder. If the radar breaks down, we’ll really be sunk by the enemy!”

At this moment, a duty officer climbed up the conning tower of the submarine and stuffed a telegram into Prien’s hand. “Captain, a message from France, sent with the highest-level code. It says the intelligence department has broken the British codes…”

“Really?” Prien was overjoyed. He quickly snatched it and began to read it carefully. The content was even more shocking than he had thought, because according to the latest intercepted, encrypted telegram, Britain and the United States were secretly plotting to repair the Iceland airbase.

What followed, as a matter of course, was almost a foregone conclusion: it was impossible to meet the needs of the Iceland base’s repair work by air transport. So the United States and Britain were dispatching a large number of transport ships to rush a batch of supplies to Iceland.

And what was even more shocking was that this telegram even stated clearly which route this transport convoy, codenamed “Mountain Dog,” was taking, and what time it was departing…

“This isn’t a fake, is it?” In the past, most of the code-breaking work had been to deduce some ambiguous news from the words they had already mastered. This time, the intelligence was so detailed and accurate. It was hard to say that it wasn’t a trap set by the British! The first officer, who had read the telegram, had a look of disbelief on his face as he spoke to Prien.

“Perhaps Admiral Dönitz also feels it’s a risk, which is why he’s having us go and verify it, and at the same time, to add some more to our combat record,” Prien said, throwing his cigarette butt into the sea. He then said with a smile, “We are the submarine force. Isn’t this what we do?”

In the past, they had received all kinds of incomplete or incorrect intelligence, and they would still go to the designated sea area to verify the situation. The truth or falsehood of this intelligence, for the German submarine force, was actually not important at all. They were sailing out on the ocean, and they would not let go of any opportunity to hunt their prey.

“Let’s go and see if this intelligence from the homeland is accurate or not!” Prien said, handing the telegram back to the duty officer. He gave the combat order, “Rudder to starboard, course correction 19 degrees. All ahead full!”

A few minutes later, one after another of confirmation shouts came from the cramped interior of the submarine. These shouts echoed in the steel-welded passageway, a loneliness that was tinged with a trace of joy at having found their prey. “Rudder to starboard, course correction 19 degrees! All ahead full!” “All ahead full!” “Starboard rudder! All ahead full!”

Advance chapters at Nightjar Reads · nightjarreads.com