Commerce Raider

"Father Emperor, Your Excellency. I've just thought of something—our navy needs another type of warship. If we could build a batch of them, it would be a great way to boost our naval strength." As the conversation neared its end, Oscar suddenly spoke up.

"Oh? Oskar, what kind of warship?" Wilhelm II and Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz were both intrigued. They too were desperate to enhance the navy's power.

"A commerce raider!" Oscar said.

"A commerce raider? Your Highness, you mean a warship designed to attack British maritime supply lines?" Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz frowned.

"Yes, Your Excellency. As the name implies, a commerce raider is a vessel specifically built to strike at an enemy's supply routes. For an island nation like Britain, this poses a deadly threat. British industry may be advanced, but the vast majority of their materials rely on sea transport. Likewise, the industrial goods they produce must be shipped overseas. If our commerce raiders destroy their maritime supply lines, it would be a crippling blow to the British. Their goods couldn't be exported, their needed resources couldn't be imported, and they couldn't even bring in enough grain to feed their own people. Under those circumstances, could they keep fighting us? Without enough food, the British Empire would likely collapse quickly!" A faint smile crossed Oscar's face.

An encirclement offensive against maritime supply lines was undoubtedly fatal for an island nation. In another timeline, both the German Empire and the Third Reich had employed this tactic. However, lacking surface raiders, they could only rely on submarines. Though they inflicted heavy losses on the British, once the British increased their escort investments, the submarines' effectiveness became very limited. If, in this timeline, Germany could deploy a large number of commerce raiders to cut off Britain's sea routes, it would help Germany win the war swiftly.

"That's a good idea—the navy has considered it too. But Britain isn't far from us; there's no need to build specialized commerce raiders. Ordinary battleships and cruisers can handle the job." Wilhelm II shook his head. In his view, the German Navy's budget was already stretched thin, and every mark should be spent where it mattered most—no waste.

"Father Emperor, it's true that ordinary warships could carry out commerce raiding. But let's not forget—the British also have a massive navy. Their battleships and cruisers may be inferior to ours in combat power, but they far outnumber us. If we send battleships and cruisers on raiding missions, they'll just fall into an encirclement. What's more, every one of our ships is precious; losing them would be a terrible waste." Oscar explained.

Wilhelm II and Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz both nodded in agreement, accepting Oscar's reasoning.

"Your Highness, do you have any specific suggestions?" Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz asked. Clearly, Oscar had convinced him. Even though the navy's funds were tight, if building such ships could help the German Navy defeat the British, they should tighten their belts and do it. After all, their sole goal was to win this war.

"Your Excellency, we need a warship with high speed and powerful firepower. Its armor should also be improved. That way, our commerce raiders can attack enemy supply lines with relative ease. If they encounter an encirclement, they can rely on their speed to escape. If the enemy sends cruisers to chase them, even if those cruisers can catch up with their speed advantage, our raiders' heavy firepower would turn their pursuit into a gift of kills for us." Oscar wore a confident smile.

"Indeed, such a warship would have a major edge in commerce raiding." Wilhelm II nodded.

"Father Emperor, I name this type of warship the Battlecruiser—a vessel somewhere between a battleship and a cruiser. Its firepower rivals a battleship, while its speed matches a cruiser. Its armor is slightly weaker than a battleship's but far stronger than a cruiser's. The small-caliber guns of cruisers wouldn't pose a lethal threat to it."

"Your Highness means this Battlecruiser is a ship that enemy battleships can't catch even though they can outgun it, and enemy cruisers can catch but can't outfight it." Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz said with a smile.

"Exactly. Of course, even if our Battlecruisers have weaker armor, they're still no worse than British battleships. The British focus too much on firepower and speed, so within their limited displacement, they have to skimp on armor to boost those traits. Thus, our Battlecruisers' armor can surpass their battleships'. That doesn't mean we can't face them in a fight, but to preserve our strength, Battlecruisers should still avoid direct duels with enemy battleships." Oscar explained.

The Battlecruiser's primary role was to strike enemy supply lines and bully smaller ships like destroyers and cruisers—not to slug it out on the battle line against enemy battleships.

"Your Majesty, Prince Oscar's proposal is excellent. It points our navy toward another path. While I still believe the decisive factor in naval warfare is defeating the enemy with capital ships, the support of Battlecruisers is equally indispensable. It would give us a greater advantage in war and more cards to play." Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz said.

If, at the start of the war, the German Navy's Battlecruisers sortied to attack British supply lines, they could not only weaken Britain's war potential but also strike at their morale, forcing the British to think twice about entering the war. That would buy Germany more time.

Wilhelm II nodded. "It seems the Battlecruiser is a warship our navy must have."