xymnovel Chapter 59 They Don't Understand Thorne
Chapter 59 They Don't Understand Thorne
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Borg Arab Command.
On the second floor, two rooms away from the command post, there is a small conference room specifically for high-ranking officers to hold meetings.
At this moment, two armed guards stood outside, their eyes scanning the surroundings warily, preventing anything or anyone from approaching.
Only Churchill, Alexander, and Montgomery were in the room, and the atmosphere seemed rather tense.
Montgomery sat in his chair, his brow furrowed slightly, his fingers gently rubbing his aching forehead.
Churchill was talking to Alexander, smoking one cigar after another almost non-stop, filling the room with smoke. It was torture for Montgomery, who didn't smoke or drink, but he couldn't say anything to stop him, so he could only endure it.
However, what bothered him even more was the topic of discussion today.
"Your Excellency the Prime Minister." He looked up at Churchill:
"Perhaps you don't know Thorne well enough."
"I'm referring to his military capabilities..."
He originally wanted to say "Thorne is a military genius," but when he thought about how he himself was also called a "military genius," he deliberately avoided the term.
“We know, Monty,” Churchill interrupted Montgomery. “I read about him every day.”
"No, Your Excellency Prime Minister," Montgomery shook his head.
"That's what I wanted to say. What you see in the newspapers is different from what you actually feel."
"He's not just good at using tactics; he also knows about air combat and understands armored warfare theory."
"These are things you don't see in the media."
Montgomery glanced at Churchill and Alexander, and continued:
Do you know what this means?
"The benefits he can give us may not be limited to defeating Rommel and the Afrika Korps."
"It could also transform the entire English army, even drive its development, and allow England to once again rise to the top of the world!"
Montgomery sat up straight and raised his voice:
"Think about it, Your Excellency Prime Minister, what do we need most right now? Victory in this battle?"
"No, at least I don't think so."
"What we need most is to revitalize England, and Thorne could very well be that person!"
England has developed to the point where the United States can look down on and even look down on the British army. Don't they want to change all of this at all?
(Note: In 1942, the United States was debating whether to send troops to Africa. Most politicians and military experts believed that the British army was too weak and that the United States should not participate directly, but should concentrate its forces on the Pacific theater. It was Roosevelt who overruled the objections and sent troops to Africa.)
Silence fell over the meeting room.
Churchill and Alexander stared at Montgomery for a while, then suddenly burst into laughter.
"You're quite the comedian, Monty." Churchill took the cigar from his mouth, his disdain so palpable that the smoke seemed to reach Montgomery's face.
"You may have forgotten that I served as First Lord of the Navy, where I reformed the navy and was in charge of aircraft carrier development."
"And you're telling me I need to listen to a captain in order to develop the English army?"
Churchill's greatest achievement was his insistence on the navy's "coal-to-oil" conversion, which at one point put the British navy at the forefront of the world. And he always liked to boast about this.
"Monty," Alexander said.
"If I remember correctly, Thorne has been in the army for less than a month."
"His record is indeed amazing, but we all know that's a different matter from leading England's development."
He then leaned closer, staring intently into Montgomery's eyes: "That's a terrible excuse; you won't convince anyone."
Montgomery sighed inwardly; they didn't understand Thorne.
When Thorne proposed the theory of "infantry, tanks, artillery, and air force" coordination, the certainty in his eyes, the confidence on his face, and the frankness in his movements... every action seemed to say: things should be this way, there is nothing to argue about.
Montgomery had a crazy idea at the time: Thorne was a visionary who knew what future armies would be like.
But how am I supposed to explain all this to these two idiots in front of me?
Churchill tossed the remaining 4 centimeters or so of cigar butt into the ashtray. He didn't like cigars that were too short because they tasted bitter.
"To put it another way, this doesn't conflict with our plans," he told Montgomery.
"We didn't want him dead, remember?"
"You believe he can lead the development of the army and has the ability to bring England back to the top of the world."
"Very well, then let him stay in command post and work for you!"
Montgomery was speechless.
On the surface, that is indeed the case, but if Thorne harbors resentment and keeps those thoughts to himself, who can do anything to him?
Alexander added another push:
"Our goals are aligned, Monty."
"If we don't do this, do you know what will happen if we let this situation continue?"
"They even said they wanted to replace you with Thorne, a captain for a lieutenant general!"
Montgomery remained silent.
This wasn't Thorne's fault; Thorne didn't think that way. He preferred to stay away from the army and manage his business.
Moreover, it was he who forced Thorne to join the army, and he was the one who made him a hero, but now he wants to destroy him with his own hands!
Seemingly sensing Montgomery's hesitation, Churchill smiled slightly and asked Alexander a seemingly unrelated question: "I forget, who was the commander of the Eighth Army when Ochinlake first became Commander-in-Chief of the Middle East?"
Alexander immediately understood and readily replied, "It's Lieutenant General Ritchie, Your Excellency Prime Minister, Meshrep Ritchie."
Churchill grunted in agreement: "I remember he was dismissed for poor command, is that right?"
"Yes." Alexander nodded. "After the Battle of Gazala, he was primarily responsible for the failure of the battle, so General Ochinlek dismissed him and took over as commander of the Eighth Army."
Churchill turned his gaze toward Montgomery with a meaningful look.
Montgomery understood what Churchill meant.
Since Ochinlek could concurrently serve as commander of the Eighth Army, Alexander certainly could as well.
Montgomery had an impulse; he wanted to say, "Then let's decide! Let Alexander also serve as the army group commander and lead this battle!"
But in the end, he gritted his teeth and swallowed his anger.
Alexander is a fool; he will squander the current favorable situation and eventually stage another "Dunkirk evacuation," which is exactly what he excels at.
Ironically, Montgomery met Churchill's gaze with a grim expression.
A prime minister, a prime minister who should be begging me to help him win this war, is threatening me with messing everything up.
They must think that, given the current situation, even a fool could win this battle!