World War II: Starting with the defeat of the Desert Fox

Alexandra Windsor Palace Hotel.

As dusk settles on the coastline, a cool evening breeze carries the salty scent of the sea, gently brushing against the curtains in the guest room.

Ochinlek stood behind the window, gazing thoughtfully at the sunset over the sea.

He planned to stay here for the time being and observe how the war unfolded.

Because the senior officers of the Ramsden faction had not yet been replaced, they preferred to obey Ochinlake's command rather than Montgomery's.

Therefore, Ochinleck's presence here can be of some help, such as by pushing through opposition to affirm Thorne's five-person crew.

Although it was somewhat "meddling," Ochinlek had no choice but to do it.

He was unwilling to watch a group of his old subordinates be sent to the battlefield, where they would either die at the hands of the enemy or be dismissed by Montgomery under some pretext.

Another reason was his curiosity.

"If it were me," Ochinlake said to Drake.

"In this situation, they may have already given up, because it's almost impossible to complete."

But Thorne did not give up.

"Is this guy just blindly confident, or does he actually have the ability? If it's the latter, how will he break this deadlock?"

Drake didn't believe it either.

"He was operating under immense pressure from both sides," he said. "If he could still defeat his opponents under such circumstances, it wouldn't be a miracle."

Ochinleck smiled without saying a word; Thorne might just be the one who could create a miracle.

"What did he do this afternoon?" Ochinlek asked.

Drake quickly went to his desk, grabbed the file, and reported:

He did two things.

"One was to have General Ramsden conduct a full reconnaissance of the enemy's defenses in hopes of finding loopholes."

"Secondly, a large number of machine gun troop carriers were requisitioned."

(The image above shows a British machine gun carrier, which could carry 4 to 5 infantrymen with one driver. It was reliable, had a top speed of 48 km/h, and had a total production of 11.3 vehicles. It was a symbolic vehicle of the British Army during World War II.)

Ochinleck took the document and glanced at it: "As expected."

Ochinlek always believed that Thorne would not be satisfied with linear offense, but would be looking to break through.

Because of the German army's defensive system of mines and anti-tank guns, a linear attack would only lead to certain death.

Based on this idea, it is not surprising that one could find a breakthrough in the enemy's defenses, then arm the infantry with machine gun troop carriers so that they could keep up with the tanks and cooperate with them in combat.

But Ochinlek still couldn't understand how Thorne was going to get through the minefield.

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If the Grant and the machine gun troop carrier could not quickly pass through the minefield, they would be wiped out by German artillery fire in just over ten minutes.

Ochinlek muttered to himself, "What kind of surprise will this guy bring me?"

Just then, there was a knock on the door, and the communications soldier brought in another document.

Drake took it and reported:

"General, Thorne has selected strong and able-bodied soldiers to form two infantry companies."

"And establish a separate training ground for confidential training."

"Even Lieutenant General Ramsden was unaware of the role of this unit."

Ochinlek looked surprised: "Strong, muscular soldiers? Secret training?"

So, it emphasizes physical fitness?

What role can physical fitness play?

Why is confidential training necessary?

Ochinleck was completely baffled.

--------

Thorne did something else, but the communications officer failed to report it to Ochinlek in time.

As darkness fell, he went to the repair warehouse, where more than a dozen broken-down "Grants" were parked. Thea and her team of repairmen were working overtime with their "apprentices" to repair them.

Under the dim incandescent light, the maintenance workers were busy coming and going, and no one recognized Thorne when he walked into the factory.

Thea had her hair up, her face was as oily as ever, and her eyes looked tired.

She stood beside a tank, holding a wrench and tapping the road wheel to make it clang, reprimanding her group of "apprentices" in a seasoned and professional tone:

"Remember what I said, the 'Grant' uses a vertical spiral spring independent suspension, with the road wheels equipped with their own track rollers, so they don't need to be fixed to the chassis frame."

"In case of failure, focus on checking the balance elbow, torsion bar elastic element, and pin, as these are most prone to rust and jamming in desert environments."

"Also, you must not force the pins when disassembling them. You must first soak them with rust remover before using professional tools, otherwise you will damage the suspension support."

……

Thorne stood in the crowd and listened for a while, feeling like he understood something yet understood nothing at all.

Finally, someone recognized Thorne and exclaimed:

"God is Thorne."

"It's Captain Thorne."

……

Hearing the shouts, the nearby maintenance workers stopped what they were doing and gathered around.

Thea also saw Thorne. She was taken aback at first, then joked, "Hey, Captain Thorne, are you here to sell fuel?"

"No, Captain Thea," Thorne shrugged. "I'm here to learn from them."

The maintenance crew burst into laughter.

Thorne stepped forward and shook hands with Thea, then bumped fists with Ferguson, before turning to the others: "How are you all, brothers?"

The maintenance workers responded one after another:

"We're fine, Captain."

"This place is nice, it's just a bit hot."

"We enjoy the same food and salary as armored soldiers, which is a good thing."

……

Thorne didn't smile; he nodded stiffly.

Thea sensed something was wrong. She raised an eyebrow and asked, "Is there a problem, Captain Thorne?"

After Thorne and the other repairmen quieted down, they said with serious expressions:

"There's something I think I need to discuss with you."

"Traditionally, maintenance soldiers are usually on the second line and do not have to go to the battlefield with the troops."

"But the model unit is different; we need maintenance soldiers to advance with the troops."

He paused here, glancing around at his surroundings:

"If anyone wants to quit, it's not too late."

"You will not be punished for quitting now; you can still stay on the second line and repair tanks."

"I mean, it was voluntary."

Thorne had no choice but to do this. If the tank units were to break through the enemy lines and penetrate into the heart of the territory, the lack of maintenance personnel meant that any tank with even the slightest malfunction would have to be abandoned.

The infiltration troops could not afford such losses.

Thorne thought the maintenance crew would be hesitant, but before he could finish speaking, Thea excitedly said, "Count me in, Captain."

Then the maintenance workers eagerly spoke:

"Count me in."

"Me too!"

……

"No, no, you're a female soldier," Thorne said to Thea. Female soldiers are not supposed to go to the battlefield in principle, and Thorne originally intended to exclude Thea.

Thea glanced at the other repairmen who had already signed up, then glared fiercely at Thorne: "You mean, you're going to take all my men and leave me all alone in the rear?"

"This is dangerous, Thea!" Thorne emphasized, not knowing what she was about to face.

To everyone's surprise, Thea replied, "Is it more dangerous than us, twenty-odd people, facing an armored regiment?"

The maintenance crew burst into laughter again.