PFC Chapter 24 The Timid Puffin
Chapter 24 The Timid Puffin
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Noticing the unease between the two, Thorne asked, "Did I say something wrong?"
Ochinlek jolted awake, coughed lightly, and answered calmly:
"No, no, of course not."
"I'm just wondering, General Ochinlek... hasn't he been losing battles all along?"
"That's what everyone says: Gazala, Tobruk, these failures were all orchestrated by him, and he was even called... 'the cowardly puffin' because of it."
This is an insulting nickname given to Ochinlek by a journalist.
Auchinleck's English name, Auchinleck, is abbreviated as Auk, which happens to mean "puffin," leading the media to sarcastically refer to him as "the cowardly puffin."
In addition, he also had nicknames such as "the spectator of Al-Alaman," "the bureaucrat from India," and "the cowardly mediocre man."
(Note: "Bureaucrat from India" refers to Ochinlake, who served in the British Indian Army for a long time and was belittled by the London media as only understanding Indian colonial rule and not the European battlefield.)
Thorne shook his head with a smile: "That's just a misunderstanding of General Ochinleck by people who don't understand military affairs. In fact, I think he's the general who truly understands this war."
"How...do you mean it?" Ochinlek asked with difficulty.
Thorne's expression was natural and his voice was calm:
"General Ochinlake's defeat was a systemic problem for the British Army, and the responsibility lies with the British government."
"Or rather, Hobart's tank theory."
"He simplified the complexities of tank warfare and made an unrealistic binary division of tanks, resulting in 'infantry tanks' and 'cruiser tanks'."
(The image above shows British Army Major General Hobart, Montgomery's brother-in-law, known as a genius tank master and the founder of British armored forces and tactical theory.)
Thorne continued:
"In fact, Major General Hobart's armor theory has serious flaws."
"Both types of tanks used the same 40mm cannon, which was almost powerless against the German Panzer III and Panzer IV tanks."
"Infantry tanks were too slow, and although their armor was thick, it was almost useless. Cruiser tanks were fast, but their armor was thin and their firepower was weak, making them easy targets for German tanks."
Thorne finally concluded:
"Under these circumstances, it would be certain death for our army to engage the Germans in mobile warfare."
"The only solution is to conserve our strength, retreat to the rear and build a complete defensive line. Only in this way can we turn defeat into victory."
"And that's exactly what General Ochinlek did."
What Thorne didn't mention was that there was another reason for Ochinlek's repeated failures.
Churchill was certain that the information he received was accurate because he possessed "top secrets".
The intelligence is indeed true.
The problem was that Rommel consistently disobeyed Berlin's orders: when Berlin ordered a halt to the attack, Rommel would insist on attacking. When Berlin ordered a rest, Rommel would lead his troops to encircle the enemy that very night…
As a result, Ochinlek was misled by "top secret" time and time again, and was caught off guard time and time again.
Considering all these factors, it's quite remarkable that Ochinlek was able to hold his ground against the Alamein defense.
All that's left is to wait, for the British army to grow stronger while the German army weakens due to supply problems. With this ebb and flow, the British army will eventually win.
But it was precisely at the easiest stage that Montgomery took over.
"Ding-dong."
General Ochinlek lost his grip on the cup and it fell to the table, spilling some coffee.
Drake quickly stepped forward and took out a napkin to wipe it.
"I'm sorry." Ochinlek glanced at Thorne meaningfully. "This is the first time I've heard such a compliment. It's... impressive."
Thorne smiled slightly: "That's the problem. Nobody noticed the problem, and what's worse, they replaced him with Montgomery, who isn't very good at fighting."
"Not very good at fighting? Montgomery?" Ochinlek looked at Thorne in surprise.
It's worth noting that Montgomery was hailed as a "military genius."
Ochinlake had considered that Montgomery was overrated, but he didn't expect Thorne's assessment of him to be that he "wasn't very good at fighting."
"Of course," Thorne replied.
"For example, now is the best time to launch a counterattack."
"The Germans' most elite armored regiment was completely wiped out, and a large number of tanks broke down."
"As long as Montgomery orders a counterattack, the British army, with its superior numbers, will inevitably win."
Ochinlek suddenly realized:
"However, Montgomery's tactics were too conservative, focusing only on holding the line and having no intention of counterattacking."
"So, he'll miss this golden opportunity?"
Thorne shrugged: "This is what's happening right now."
Thorne had the opportunity to say these things to Montgomery in his office earlier, but he chose to remain silent.
Because he knew that the stubborn and cautious Montgomery could not launch a counterattack without a numerical advantage of several times over.
Ochinlek silently gazed at Thorne, a hint of admiration appearing in his eyes.
Even he himself hadn't expected this to be such a perfect opportunity for a counterattack, but now Thorne's reminder made him realize it was indeed the case.
Rommel's greatest strength was in tank operations, but now he had very few operational tanks left, making this undoubtedly the weakest point for the German army.
however……
Everyone lacked confidence, not just Montgomery, but the entire British army, making a counterattack impossible.
Only this guy.
An oil salesman!
He had never served in the military or fought in a war, yet he was able to analyze the battle situation so thoroughly!
What's even more remarkable is that while everyone else was thinking of thanking God that Rommel hadn't breached their defenses, he was thinking of launching a counterattack!
"Thorn!" Gray called from downstairs, "Are you ready? We're all waiting!"
Thorne quickly responded, then said to the old man, "I'm sorry, sir, I have to go."
“Of course.” Ochinlek stood up and shook hands with Thorne. “Pleasant conversation, Thorne. I’m already looking forward to seeing you again.”
After Thorne left, Drake whispered to Ochinleck, "General, do you think he's right? Should we counterattack now?"
Ochinlek nodded slightly: "He's right. If we counterattack now, we're very likely to win. And it will be a resounding victory."
Drake said, "So, should we...?"
"Remind Montgomery?" Ochinlake laughed.
"Do you think he'll listen?"
"No, Drake, he'll just think we're interfering with his command."
"That idiot might even think we want him to lose the war and are trying to harm him!"
After a pause, Ochinlake smiled easily and stood up, saying, "Let him be, Drake. With Thorne here, we don't need to worry about this!"
Drake couldn't believe what he was hearing.
With Thorne here, there's nothing to worry about?
Does this mean Thorne can defeat Rommel and the Afrika Korps?