novelAbuy Chapter 51 We were tricked into joining the armored unit
Chapter 51 We were tricked into joining the armored unit
The next day, when Thorne arrived at the command post, he found that the interview from the previous night had been published.
The Eighth Army News report tends to favor the new type of oil drum:
"Thorne knew the Germans would definitely raid the barrel factory because this new type of oil barrel could effectively solve the problem of oil leakage and save our army one-third of its fuel."
Do you know what saving one-third of fuel means?
"Our fuel shortage situation will be completely changed. Its widespread use will not only reduce the risk of fires, but also save our military's transport capacity."
"The reason is simple: our logistics no longer need to waste capacity transporting fuel that would otherwise be lost!"
……
Clearly, it is paving the way for the widespread adoption of the new type of oil drum.
Royal Air Force News analyzes every detail from a professional perspective:
"Thorne even guessed that the Germans would launch a surprise attack from the sea."
"And we know that flying over dark seas is extremely dangerous."
"This also demonstrates the quality and courage of German pilots, which is something we should learn from."
……
When flying at low altitude over the sea at night, pilots often cannot distinguish between the sea surface and the sky because the sea surface reflects the entire night sky almost exactly, and they may accidentally plunge into the sea.
Al-Ahram newspaper primarily reported on the victory.
"In this battle, the Royal Air Force ambushed German aircraft at the Alexandria cooperage."
"A total of 13 enemy BF 109 fighters and 28 Stuka bombers were shot down, while the British lost only 3 fighters."
"More importantly, these fighter jets and bombers make up almost half of the Afrika Korps' air force."
"From this day forward, the skies over North Africa will undoubtedly be under the complete control of the Empire!"
……
Its purpose was to convince the Egyptians that Britain would win the war and to warn the rebels who hoped to drive out the British army with the help of the Germans to abandon their delusions.
--------
They all tell the same story, and the protagonist is Thorne, but each newspaper has a different purpose, different inclination, and different viewpoint.
Although British newspapers are not available in North Africa for the time being, Thorne believes they will certainly report extensively on "an ordinary person living an ordinary life," which is in line with the political correctness of a nation on high alert.
More importantly, these words could stabilize the emotions of the common people and encourage them to support Churchill's hardliners in persisting in the war.
Sitting opposite him, Gray chuckled as he looked at his newspaper, then flashed the Army News at Thorne.
"Aren't you going to look at the sidebar?" Gray said. "The Army and the Air Force are at war!"
"What?" Thorne was confused.
Gray handed the newspaper to Thorne, pointing to a small square of paper: "Look at this!"
Thorne glanced at the document and saw that it was about Major General Corningham openly poaching talent at a press conference:
"We always assumed that the Air Force would at least maintain basic decorum, but it turns out they didn't."
"They are trying to turn every good person into an air force pilot, even if he can't fly a plane."
"I can't help but wonder, why didn't they just turn the Eighth Army into the Eighth Air Force?"
……
"Tomorrow," Gray explained.
"You will see the Air Force's response in the Royal Air Force News."
"The Army and Air Force have also argued about certain things in the past."
"But this is the first time it's happened because of someone."
At this moment, Lieutenant General Ramsden came up the steps, followed by a major.
The major was very young, looking to be only in his early twenties. Before he even entered the office, his eyes were already scanning the room, eventually locking onto Thorne's back.
"Captain," Ramsden called from afar, "My armored regiment is ready, they're all waiting. Can you go check on them?"
Thorne turned around and, upon seeing Ramsden, immediately stood up to greet him.
After shaking hands with Thorne, Ramsden stepped aside to let the major step forward: "This is Major Cross, commander of the 1st Armored Regiment. I hope you two will work together smoothly."
"Hello, Captain." The major was so excited that he even forgot that he was the one with a higher rank. He saluted Thorne first and shook hands with him.
Both hands!
Gray, who was watching from the sidelines, immediately understood the key point: it wasn't just the air force that was taking Thorne, but also armored forces.
--------
Thorne declined Ramsden's invitation.
He utterly despises laymen directing professionals.
Now that he has real combat experience, if he were to lecture a group of veterans who had crawled out of piles of corpses, he would become the kind of person he himself despises.
Therefore he said to Ramsden:
"I am a military advisor, General."
"I am only offering advice on your training and reforms as an observer, and mostly in a theoretical capacity."
"Therefore, I'm not really suited to bossing them around."
"Alright!" Ramsden nodded. "But they'll be disappointed; many of them already idolize you."
He patted Major Cross on the shoulder and smiled at Thorne, "Major too!"
Ramsden left directly, but Major Cross did not.
He said to Thorne, "I understand you, Captain."
"What?" Thorne didn't understand what he meant.
"Even with reforms, we won't be any different, will we?" Major Cross said.
Thorne was completely confused; he felt like he wasn't on the same wavelength as Major Cross.
"I mean the mortality rate." Major Cross's eyes held a hint of helplessness and desolation.
"No matter what we do, the end result will be the same; we will all die on the battlefield, won't we?"
"That's why you don't want to lecture them, because you don't want to lie to us like the others do."
"I wasn't wrong, was I!"
Only then did Thorne realize that Major Cross had misunderstood his intentions.
He thinks too highly of himself; perhaps that's the power of an idol.
Thorne didn't explain; he simply asked curiously, "Is the mortality rate high for armored units?"
"Of course," Major Cross replied. "The mortality rate for armored units is 30% to 70%, which means almost no one can survive three battles!"
Thorne had heard that the infantry's mortality rate was 15% to 30%, which meant that the mortality rate of armored units was more than twice that of the infantry.
"Then," Thorne asked, puzzled, "why did you join the armored forces? I mean, you knew this all along..."
Are all British people so brave and fearless?
Major Cross laughed: "We were tricked into joining the armored unit, Captain."
"What?" Thorne couldn't believe what he was hearing.
Major Cross looked bitter:
"When we were new recruits, they told us that armored units were 'driving steel fortresses,' 'fast-moving knights,' and 'heroes of valiant assaults.'"
"And they 'don't have to stay in trenches for long periods,' 'take fewer bullets,' and 'eat better!'"
"Indeed, we 're spared bullets,' but they didn't tell us we could be penetrated by artillery or even burned to death."
By the end, Major Cross's eyes were filled with anger.
Armored soldiers are even afraid to see fire, because it reminds them of the screams and cries of their comrades being burned to death.
Thorne was at a loss for words.
So, the British armored forces were lured in by the government and the military through a combination of coaxing and deception?
No wonder such a force has no fighting capacity!