ATPnovel Chapter 43 "I Need One Victory"
Chapter 43 "I Need One Victory"
The Alexander Barrel Factory.
After the efforts of the workers and soldiers, the fire was finally brought under control, but the air was still filled with the smell of gunpowder and burning.
Wells had a luxurious European-style suite in the factory.
That was the former factory director's private residence, located on the third floor of the office building. It had three bedrooms, a living room, and a dining room, and was fully equipped.
Thorne, Wells, and Emma sat at the dining table with Egyptian flatbread and braised broad beans in front of them, and a silence fell over them.
(The two pictures above show the staple food of Egyptians in 1942. At that time, due to the large-scale purchase of Egyptian wheat, corn, rice and other food by the British army, the local supply in Egypt was tight. People often mixed wheat flour, corn flour and bran together to make flatbread, which was eaten with broad beans twice a day.)
Thorne had changed into a clean military uniform, but he was still unable to recover from the shock he had just experienced.
When facing the German army in the salt marshes, perhaps it came and went quickly, and before I had time to be afraid, it was over. What I felt more was "lingering fear".
Suddenly, Thorne realized that the "Stuka" was faster than the salt marsh, probably less than a minute, but it felt like an eternity to him.
Wells said nothing, his face filled with guilt, his eyes unfocused as he stared at the food on the table, as if he should never have supported Thorne joining the army.
Emma looked at Thorne with pity, gently placing her right hand on Thorne's forearm and patting it softly in a silent gesture of comfort.
"I'm fine, Mom," Thorne forced a smile. "I'm perfectly fine!"
"You don't have to do this, Thorne." Emma gently shook her head. "We all know what you've been through."
Although she didn't see it with her own eyes, she could still feel the explosions and tremors while hiding in the air-raid shelter.
She was so frightened that she cried out in shock, let alone Thorne, who was on the battlefield facing the enemy.
More importantly, he witnessed the sacrifice of his comrades throughout the entire process; the scene...
Wells broke the silence: "So, their target is the barrel factory..."
Before he could finish speaking, Emma stopped him with a look.
Thorne continued:
"Yes, Father, you could say that."
"As you know, once the oil drum is successfully replicated, the military will have an extra third of fuel to prevent leaks."
"This is something the Germans don't want to see, so they will do everything they can to stop it."
Then Thorne added:
"However, you don't need to worry. Recently, the barrel factory will become a key target of protection by the military."
"From air defense firepower to ground security checks, in addition to preventing bombing, it also protects against espionage infiltration and sabotage."
"Once the military has enough oil drums, the Germans will know they are powerless to turn the tide, and the drum factories will be safe."
By then, even if the German army bombed the barrel factory again, it would not change the fact that the British army was equipped with new oil drums, so attacking the barrel factory would lose its meaning.
Wells' lips moved as if he wanted to explain something, but in the end he didn't say anything.
"Okay, that's good." He nodded.
"Captain," came the call from the communications officer at the door.
Thorne stood up: "I have to go to work, Mom. I can't stay here too long."
Emma nodded in understanding, and handed Thorne a plate full of flatbread: "At least take some with you."
Thorne responded, grabbed two bills, munched on them, and headed out.
I heard Emma and Wells arguing quietly behind me.
"Are you serious?" Emma's tone was full of reproach and dissatisfaction. "Bringing up the barrel factory now? You're still only concerned about your own business?"
"Please, darling!" Wells said, looking aggrieved. "I just wanted to change the subject and get Thorne thinking about something else..."
"Oh, that's great!" Emma retorted, "Should Thorne consider the German bombings and spy attacks?"
Wells was speechless.
Thorne glanced back slightly as he closed the door.
He noticed that since joining the army, the two seemed to have more conflicts.
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The Houses of Parliament in London.
Churchill sat in the lounge, holding a wine glass in one hand and a lit cigar in the other. He kept his head down, taking a few puffs now and then to let the smoke spread around him, before bringing the wine glass to his lips again.
He was thinking about how to deal with the opposition's attacks on him; those annoying guys were always looking for any loophole, like rats in the sewers.
Peck pushed open the door and came in, his face beaming.
"Your Excellency the Prime Minister," Peck said, "we have won another victory; the Royal Air Force executed a brilliant ambush."
Churchill's eyes lit up, he put down his wine glass, stood up, and took the telegram:
"The Royal Air Force ambushed German aircraft at the Alexandria cooperage, shooting down 13 enemy Bf 109 fighters and 28 Stuka bombers."
"Excellent!" Churchill beamed, proudly waving the telegram in his hand.
"They always say we can't fight without that oil salesman."
"They also said that he wasn't a soldier before he achieved his merit, so it can't be considered a British achievement."
"And now? This victory belongs to the Royal Air Force, the shield of Britain, the air guardian of the British Empire..."
Peck's smile seemed somewhat stiff.
Churchill noticed this: "What's the problem?"
"Your Excellency the Prime Minister," Peck replied with difficulty.
"Although, this battle was indeed won by the Royal Air Force."
"but……"
"But the plan was devised by Thorne, the oil salesman."
"What?" Churchill's smile vanished instantly. He looked at the telegram: "This... how is this possible? This is air combat!"
"Yes, Your Excellency the Prime Minister," Peck explained.
"Thorne knew the Germans would bomb the barrel factory, and he used that to his advantage to set a trap."
"The Royal Air Force succeeded precisely because it adopted his advice..."
Peck stopped in time, and Churchill's face scrunched up again, like a deeply tilled field.
After a pause, Peck cautiously asked, "Your Excellency, should we... report this to the reporters...?"
Churchill hesitated for a moment, then nodded very firmly:
"Of course, he is now a British soldier and a staff officer."
"His achievements were the achievements of the British army."
"So, why can't we advertise it?"
The British military and civilians needed him to boost morale, and Churchill had no other choice but to do so.
However, Churchill knew that he would still be accused of "cheating" by the opposition.
The opposition party would say:
"The British army doesn't need to be strong; as long as someone wins, you can bring him into the British army."
"This is stealing the fruits of someone else's victory, a victory won by civilians, and you're forcibly taking it from the British army!"
"Especially since Thorne was exempt from military service, I believe Thorne was coerced into joining the army!"
……
"I need a victory," Churchill murmured to himself.
"A true, undisputed victory for the British army."
"That'll shut them up!"
"Only in this way can we show them that the British Empire's army is not just Thorne!"