20demayo Chapter 20: Such a thing actually happened?
Chapter 20: Such a thing actually happened?
"I'm serious, General." Seeing Montgomery's disbelief, the communications officer panicked slightly: "Colonel Steele has already sent men to verify, and I believe we'll have news soon."
Colonel Steele is the commander of the 1st West Kent Royal Regiment, and he is in charge of the frontline defenses.
Montgomery smiled slightly and shook his head, giving Degangan a wink as he rested his right hand on the pistol at his waist.
Degangan understood that Montgomery suspected the communications soldier was a member of the German Braunburg unit and was using this absurd claim to prevent Montgomery from transferring.
Just as Degangan was about to order the guards to take control of the communications soldier, the sound of a motor and brakes came from downstairs, and an officer walked into the corridor.
Montgomery cautiously peered down and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
"It's Steele," Montgomery said to Degangan, who had already drawn his pistol. "We'll talk when he gets here!"
The latter nodded and put the pistol back into its holster.
Steele rushed up the stairs, taking three steps at a time. As he turned the corner, he was startled to see Montgomery and his companion confronting the communications officer: "What happened?"
Montgomery didn't answer. He nodded to the communications officer: "You've come at the right time, Colonel Steele. This guy said our maintenance crew wiped out an entire armored regiment, and he wants you to go check it out..."
"Yes, General," Steele replied, "that is indeed the case."
"What?" Montgomery and Degangan exclaimed in surprise, while the communications officer secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Steele's voice was somewhat agitated:
"They did it! Twenty-odd maintenance soldiers wiped out an entire armored regiment!"
"When I found out, I couldn't believe it either, and nobody else believed it either."
"But the people we sent confirmed this intelligence..."
Montgomery interrupted Steele: "But how is that possible? How did they do it?"
"The Salt Marsh, General," Steele explained.
"Just a few kilometers away, I didn't even know what a salt marsh was."
"Now you know, it's just a salt crust. You can think of it like an eggshell; it looks like land on the surface but is actually hollow."
"They trapped the Germans in that area, then collapsed the salt marshes, burying them inside!"
Finally, Steele shrugged and said, "So, the 5th Armored Regiment is finished. We've won. There won't be any more attacks, General."
Montgomery and Deganga looked at each other, unable to react for a long time.
Degangan still didn't believe it: "Is everything you're saying true?"
Steele nodded firmly:
"The scouts went to check the area, and they said that a canyon had appeared where there used to be flat land."
"German items were everywhere—water bottles, backpacks, helmets, and the like."
"But we can't see any bodies; they've all sunk into the quicksand."
Montgomery stared blankly at Steele for a long while before clutching his chest and gasping for breath, as if he hadn't breathed for a long time.
"Incredible," he exclaimed. "It's a miracle. I remember that female captain, what was her name again?"
"Thea," Steele said.
"Yes, Thea." Montgomery nodded emphatically. "A maintenance soldier, and a woman at that, has achieved a success that has astonished the world..."
"But, General," Steele said, looking bewildered, "Captain Thea is indeed one of them, but it wasn't her idea."
Montgomery asked, puzzled, "Who is that? One of her men?"
"No, General," Steele replied, "Do you remember that oil salesman? He's the one who organized this operation."
Montgomery stared with his mouth agape for a long time.
That oil salesman?
It's that oil salesman again?!
Montgomery's face was very grim.
He saved me from the shame of running away, but how can I tell others?
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The House of Lords chamber in the Palace of Westminster, London, United Kingdom.
Although this is the chamber of the House of Lords, it was temporarily converted into the chamber of the House of Commons because the chamber of the House of Commons was destroyed by the German army last May, while the House of Lords moved to the coronation chamber.
(The image above shows the Palace of Westminster in London, also known as the Houses of Parliament, which is the seat of the British Parliament.)
(The image above shows the interior of the House of Commons)
The attending members of parliament sat on both sides, discussing the matter animatedly. They had all heard about the German 5th Panzer Regiment's breakthrough of the El Alamein Line, and their faces were filled with anxiety and fear, but many others had gloating smiles in their eyes.
Churchill walked slowly to the podium, his voice low and deep:
"Gentlemen, the reason I have urgently summoned you for this meeting is because the situation is more serious than you imagined."
"The El Alamein Line is the last defensible line in North Africa. Once this line falls, we may have to undergo another major evacuation."
"But now, the war seems to be developing in that direction."
The venue erupted into chaos with a loud "whoosh".
Someone loudly questioned:
"Your Excellency Prime Minister, just a few days ago you were confident that everything was under control."
"You said we've obtained accurate intelligence about the enemy."
"You firmly believe that our army will thwart Rommel's offensive, and we don't even need Plan B!"
Churchill's claim of "discovering accurate enemy intelligence" actually referred to the "top secret" discovery of the German code.
This was also the source of Churchill's confidence.
however……
"This time," Churchill said with a hint of helplessness, "the German offensive took us by surprise. They didn't try to outflank us from the south; they broke through from the north, which is the front of the battlefield."
The meeting room erupted in uproar.
Independent Labour Party leader Brockway, who had always opposed Churchill's military expansion, took this opportunity to mock him:
"Your Excellency the Prime Minister, must the Germans present you with a detailed attack plan before we can win?"
Have we ever won a battle?
"It's been three years, and we haven't won a single victory in three years. Must this continue?"
The lawmakers nodded in agreement.
A significant number of British parliamentarians advocate for "universal peace negotiations".
That is, regardless of victory or defeat, right or wrong, all participating countries should collectively negotiate peace and immediately cease fire to end the war, using the current line of actual control between the enemy and ourselves as the boundary.
The Independent Labour Party is leading this line of thought.
Churchill, a hardliner who insisted on continuing the war, did not respond directly but instead concealed his embarrassment in another way:
"There is no doubt that we are facing a formidable opponent."
"I must admit that Rommel was an excellent commander, even though he was our enemy."
Then he let out a long sigh, his voice filled with regret: "If Rommel were our general, Britain would be so lucky."
Brockway retorted sarcastically: "Your Excellency, if Rommel were British, under the current British system, he would most likely still be an ordinary soldier, and would never become a general."
The lawmakers burst into laughter.
Churchill was speechless, his face ashen, because what the MP said was true: Britain's promotion system was rigid and inflexible, judging more by birth, class, and seniority than by ability.
At this moment, Churchill's private secretary, Peck, hurriedly went up to the stage, whispered a few words to Churchill, and handed him a telegram.
Churchill looked at the telegram, his face filled with shock: "This...is it true? Could such a thing really have happened?"