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

Chapter 22 "Voluntary" Military Service

Thorne was invited to Montgomery's office. Gray and Degangan had strange expressions, but Montgomery looked completely at ease.

As soon as Thorne sat down, a guard brought him a steaming cup of coffee.

"Well done, Mr. Thorne." Montgomery made no attempt to hide the approval in his eyes. "A courageous act; before long, the world will be cheering for the miracle you have created."

Before Thorne could answer, another cheer erupted from downstairs.

Just as everyone was wondering, a communications soldier came in and reported:

"General, the Germans have withdrawn their troops."

"For some reason, many of their tanks broke down at almost the same time."

"Without the support of tanks, they have no choice but to retreat."

Montgomery grunted and gestured for the communications officer to leave. He then turned his gaze back to Thorne and smiled slightly: "You almost single-handedly defeated the entire Afrika Korps. Rommel was your defeated foe. You should be proud of that."

"Thank you, General," Thorne replied. "It's my duty."

He tried to keep a low profile, though it was to no avail.

A hint of surprise flashed in Montgomery's eyes, as if he hadn't expected the young man in front of him to remain calm after making such a great contribution.

He nodded slightly. "Let's skip the formalities and pleasantries, Mr. Thorne. My army needs you. Would you consider it?"

Thorne was drinking coffee when he heard this and almost spat it out.

"But General," he objected, "you know I don't need to serve in the military."

"Yes," Montgomery replied, "because of 'preserving one's profession,' although I don't agree with that."

The so-called "preservation of professions" refers to the government's exemption of miners (especially iron ore miners), farmers (producing food), key engineers, munitions workers, doctors, and other professions from military service due to concerns about the impact on war production.

Of course, the oil industry, where Thorne worked, was also one of the "retained professions".

Montgomery glanced at Degangan and Gray standing beside him, as if to say, "It's your turn to shine."

Degangan looked at Gray, as if to say, "You've had contact with him, Gray, it's your turn to persuade him!"

Gray, the lowest-ranking officer, grunted and could only bite the bullet: "Mr. Thorne, although you are exempt from military service, we can still consider it if you volunteer to join the army..."

“But I have no such intention.” Thorne refused decisively: “It’s not that I don’t want to join the army, General, but I believe I can play a greater role in another position.”

He tried to put the best words on people, after all, the person standing in front of him was Montgomery, who had a traumatic childhood.

Thorne forgot which book he read it in, but Montgomery's mother was extremely harsh on him. Humiliations and blows like "You can only be cannon fodder" accompanied him throughout his childhood, which made the adult Montgomery develop an almost paranoid sense of self-esteem and a desire for control.

Gray leaned closer and lowered his voice: "Thorne, think about your oil company."

Thorne was speechless for a moment, staring blankly at Gray.

Gray responded with a helpless expression:

"You know, although your fuel is very competitively priced and of excellent quality."

"But your output is too low, so low that it is almost negligible."

"If you disagree..."

Gray didn't elaborate, but Thorne understood what he meant: the military could reclaim the Red Sea Oil Company's quota.

Montgomery didn't need to do this before, but after Thorne made such a remarkable contribution... things changed.

Thorne wanted to say, "This is our deal: I'll give you the method to defeat Rommel, and you give me the quota."

But he knew it wouldn't work.

Montgomery could have easily replied, "I gave you the quota, I kept my promise, but your fuel supply couldn't meet the military's requirements, so I had to take it back."

Thorne's smile held a hint of bitterness. Ignoring Gray, he spoke directly to Montgomery:

"But the oil company can't do without me either, General."

"Once I join the army, I am legally prohibited from engaging in business."

"This almost means the bankruptcy of Red Sea Oil Company."

To prevent collusion between the military and businesses, the British government has stipulated that military personnel are prohibited from engaging in business.

Montgomery tossed his head generously: "You don't need to worry about that; you'll be the exception."

"To be precise, it's not an 'exception,' it's perfectly legal," Degangan added.

"According to the Wartime Defense Act, as long as we appoint you as a 'Wartime Industrial Liaison Officer,' you can legally conduct business."

"This department is responsible for coordinating military supply orders, including weapons, vehicles, food, and of course, oil!"

Degangan deliberately emphasized the word "oil," clearly reminding Thorne: This is going to be very good for your business, kid, don't be ungrateful.

"This isn't a bad thing, Thorne," Gray advised from the side. "Think about it, what will be the consequences of not accepting it, and what will you gain by accepting it?"

Thorne considered for a moment, then finally relented: "It seems I have no other choice!"

Montgomery smiled triumphantly: "Yes."

"I won't be sent to the battlefield, will I?" Thorne asked again.

Montgomery, his face stern, retorted, "Do you think I would send someone capable of defeating Rommel to the battlefield?"

He leaned forward and shook hands with Thorne: "Welcome to our team, Mr. Thorne... no, Captain Thorne!"

Thorne didn't know what a captain was, so he didn't understand.

But Degangan and Gray, who were beside him, were stunned.

Most commoner soldiers without noble backgrounds can only reach the rank of captain in their entire careers, but Thorne hit the ceiling as soon as he joined the army.

Montgomery, however, thought it was perfectly normal.

"Don't be surprised." He glanced at the two of them. "If anyone can defeat Rommel like Thorne did, I will give him the same rank."

There was another reason Montgomery didn't mention: by promoting Thorne to "captain," the public would intuitively assume that Thorne had been in the army for quite some time and wouldn't suspect that the army had made a last-minute decision to bring him in to make up the numbers.

After Thorne left with the guards, Montgomery breathed a sigh of relief and said to Degangan and Griezmann, "Well done, perfect excuse."

Then he ordered Gray, "Now, you can call West over."

West was a war correspondent and editor-in-chief of the Eighth Army News, a newspaper funded by special funds from London and published under the personal supervision of Montgomery.

"Yes, General," Gray replied.

But just as he turned around, Montgomery called him back:

"Prepare two sets of military uniforms for Captain Thorne, as well as accommodations."

"The press will interview him in an hour."

"I don't want anyone to notice anything amiss, understand?"

Gray stepped forward: "Yes, General!"

After Gray left, Degangan asked Montgomery, "General, these were originally prepared for you!"

The British government has a plan to use public opinion to promote a hero in order to boost morale and improve combat effectiveness.

Churchill chose Montgomery, and the newly created newspapers were designed for this purpose: to allow Montgomery to challenge Rommel in the media.

but now……

"Freddy," Montgomery said with a look of exasperation, "Do you think I could still become a hero after all the miracles Thorne has created?"