Chapter 759: Give Me the Chance for Revenge

“My Führer, I heard… that an SS submarine supply ship was sunk? Is that true?” As the funeral ended, Prien walked with Akado on the hard pier. Since the beginning of recorded time, the waters of the North Atlantic had only one tone: cold and dark. Even on the pier by the sea, one could be infected by this feeling, involuntarily wrapping their greatcoat tighter.

Submarine warfare was not invincible. First, the tonnage of a submarine limited the amount of food and fresh water it could carry. So, while submarines were cutting the enemy’s supply lines, the enemy could also use various means to cut the supply lines of the submarine force. Forcing submarines to frequently return to base was also an important way to restrict the enemy’s submarine warfare.

The German Navy’s submarine supply ships had become a breakthrough point for the British Navy to strike back. So, as mentioned before, this war was not all smooth sailing for Germany. At least in the North Atlantic, facing their old enemy, the Royal Navy, they had suffered quite a few losses.

Although most of the long-range resupply operations had ended in success, the price paid was truly heartbreaking. At least 40 submarine supply ships had been sunk in the Atlantic, not much fewer than the number of submarines that had been sunk. What was even more tragic was that because these submarine supply ships flew the flags of neutral countries as camouflage, their crews were not protected by international law. They were not treated as prisoners of war but were killed in battle.

“If you’re asking about the supply ship that Corvin Dick was on, the one that last supplied your submarine before you returned, then I can only regretfully tell you, yes,” Akado said casually as he walked forward.

“27 days. We resupplied the X-33 flotilla once, and then we received the Neptune code and came here to rendezvous with a top-secret submarine. I never expected to run into you here.” It was as if the young captain were right beside him, his words echoing once again in Prien’s ears.

“If not here, where else can we go? Everyone is contributing their strength for the motherland. But we are required to stay at home and wait for news of victory from the front. This in itself is unfair to us.” He was a young man with ideals and ambitions, a good young man.

“In this war, no one is spared. For the Führer, we have sworn to fight to the last moment. Not for glory, not for anything else, but just so that one day in the future, when we stand in the sun, we won’t be pointed at by our younger brothers and told that we won the cruelest of wars by relying on our fathers and brothers.” War, indeed no one can be spared.

“Like you, I have sworn an oath before the national flag that I will fight for my country, for the Führer. He led us out of the shadow of defeat and allowed us to stand up straight. Since he needs our help, we will help him do what he needs!” An oath? You have fulfilled your oath, truly given your lives. Now, can you see that this Führer, who sent you to your glorious deaths, is standing on the shores of the North Atlantic where you fell? Can you see him? He is sighing for you.

The face and smile of that young captain appeared in Prien’s mind again. These young German men had died at sea just like that. From beginning to end, the only weapon they had was a pitiful cannon. It was not fair.

“They were all very young, my Führer,” Prien said, looking at Akado, his voice trembling slightly. “These children should not be involved in this war. We have already become criminals and executioners. If necessary, each of us can kill a few more. That doesn’t matter. But please, do not let the children go to the battlefield. It is too cruel for them.”

Akado glanced at Prien. The taciturn submarine captain had not expected Akado to look at him and seemed a little flustered. Akado turned slightly, placed his hand on Prien’s shoulder, and said, “News just came in. A few days ago, Britain announced that unless granted a national pardon, all youths over the age of 17 must be conscripted.”

He looked towards the distant east and continued, “The Soviets have just announced a mobilization order, requiring all males over the age of 16, except for workers or young people currently studying in such professions, to report to their local authorities and be conscripted.”

After saying this, he looked at Prien again. “We are still adhering to a mobilization order for those over 18. In fact, our opponents have already begun to send the ‘children’ you speak of to the front lines. These ‘children’ you speak of are now holding rifles and fighting our soldiers. The bullets they fire are just as deadly.”

“I beg you, please end this war as soon as possible,” Prien said, looking at Akado with a solemn tone. “This war of revenge has been fought to this point. We have already achieved all our goals. So why must we continue to fight? Wouldn’t it be better to shake hands with the enemy and make peace?”

“Believe me, Captain Prien, if these hostile countries were willing to make peace with us, we would be overjoyed,” Akado said with a sigh, looking at the distant sea and replying to Prien beside him. “No one wants us to end the war just like that, neither our enemies nor our friends.”

In fact, this was a flaw in human nature. No one would consider ending a war when they were winning, because looting and pillaging without working for it was a quick way to get rich. So everyone always wanted to gamble one more time, hoping to win the final victory when their luck was good. But after every victory, people would still continue the war, because they were convinced that they would continue to win the next one.

The MEFO bills issued by Germany were, in fact, an overdraft on the government’s credit and its right to mint currency, borrowing a large amount of funds from the future in advance. Therefore, this powerful war chariot of Germany could only move forward, and no one could stop it. If Germany were to stop the war, then the last batch of MEFO bills would be unpayable, leading to the collapse of the entire country’s economy.

The people inside the country were not willing to end the war, and neither were their allies. Italy and Turkey had not reached any cooperation agreement on the partition of the Balkans. They were both preparing to use the Eastern Front and the Middle East as the battleground for a new round of competition. End the war at this time? What kind of international joke was that?

Of course, the defeated Britain, the now-stronger-than-ever United States, and the exiled French government of de Gaulle were not willing to admit defeat easily. They were still waiting for Germany to be dragged down by the scale of the war, for Germany to collapse on its own, or to be dragged down by its allies and collapse.

And in the face of the temporarily stalemated war situation on the Eastern Front, the Soviets, with the support of the United States, were still dreaming of winning the final victory in the war. How could they possibly sign a peace treaty with Germany at this time and give up a large piece of their national territory?

What made Akado even more unwilling was that the current war situation was still a long way from his minimum requirements for peace. Rommel’s Afrika Korps had not yet advanced into the Middle East and captured the crucial Middle Eastern oil fields. The forces on the Eastern Front had not yet captured the North Caucasus and had not destroyed the Soviet Union’s war potential. To sue for peace at this time and give the enemy a breathing spell was no different from suicide.

“Then, my Führer, I will set sail again tomorrow. Give me the most dangerous mission. I will bring you victory,” Prien said. Of course, he knew that a unilateral request for peace was just a passing thought. Only by truly hurting the enemy, killing them, and driving them to despair could true peace be won. And as a naval warrior of the Third Reich, his mission was to fight, to fight until all the enemies had fallen.

“Captain Prien, don’t be in such a hurry. I will do my best to end this war as soon as possible, and you only need to do your best,” Akado said with a laugh, withdrawing his gaze from the sea and looking at his ace captain. “No one in this world can carry too much. You are like this, and so am I. Take a proper rest, and then prepare for a better battle.”

“Yes, my Führer! But, that young officer you mentioned, the SS officer named Corvin Dick, I would like to pay my respects to him. And his revenge, please leave it to me,” Prien said, standing before Akado like a knight. He now just wanted to do something for that young officer, such as helping him win victory for his country. Prien felt that he should do so.

“That is why I need people like you. Only when all German soldiers become as outstanding as you can the war in Germany end quickly,” Akado said, no longer stopping. He turned and walked towards his car. “I will have Gascoigne get you the information you need. The names of a few warships are not too difficult to investigate. You just wait. I will give you this opportunity to avenge your friend.”

“Heil Führer!” Prien saluted. In the desolate sea breeze, his naval uniform swayed with the wind, making him look so thin. But his figure was so tall in the hearts of all who knew him, because he was the submarine ace, the battleship killer, Prien.

Akado got into his car, ending this trip to the Netherlands. He drove to the airport, preparing to leave this place and rush back to the Eastern Front. After all, it seemed that place needed the Führer more now, needed Akado to be in command.

There were not many people to see him off at the airport. Army General Keitel and the great businessman Frank Alston. A shy and beautiful little girl was also standing beside him. Akado smiled and waved at the little girl, then boarded his plane. The moment the cabin door closed, he heard the little girl’s shout, her clear voice exceptionally pleasant, “I will definitely become the best actress! Definitely!”

Advance chapters at Nightjar Reads · nightjarreads.com