SWDnovel Chapter 25 Radio
Chapter 25 Radio
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Thorne returned home the following afternoon.
Last night's experience in Borg Arab was a nightmare for Thorne.
The first threat is survival from the battlefield.
Although Thorne remained calm throughout, only he knew how nervous he was.
This was his first time on the battlefield, his first time facing the menacing German army, his first time seeing German tanks, and his first time being bombarded by artillery shells and machine guns.
Sand and dust fell from the sky like raindrops, carrying a strong smell of burning and gunpowder.
Bullets flew overhead with a piercing whistle, and Thorne could even feel the air currents they created.
Thorne, who had escaped death, was trembling uncontrollably; he was on the verge of urinating.
After that, all he wanted was peace and quiet, but Montgomery didn't give him that chance. Instead, he summoned reporters from all over the world to bombard him with questions.
The Eighth Army News asked the most detailed questions, followed by the Crusader, Army News, the London Gazette, and so on...
There were even reporters from the Royal Air Force News.
Thorne forgot the name of the Air Force reporter, only remembering that he wore glasses, had a neatly parted hairstyle, and had something done to his hair that reflected a mirror-like shine under the incandescent light.
Thorne asked, puzzled, "Why does the Air Force also want to know how I lured the Germans into the trap?"
The Air Force reporter replied seriously, "If something like this happens again, Captain, perhaps you could consider having the Air Force handle it. I mean, we could just bomb the salt marshland flat!"
Thorne was speechless for a moment.
The key point is that you need to know where the salt marshes are, man, and this is at night, when the air force basically has no night combat capability!
Having finally gotten rid of these fly-like creatures, Thorne, exhausted, returned to the officers' quarters and slept for a few hours, only to be woken up by the sweltering heat of over forty degrees Celsius at dawn.
Fortunately, Montgomery gave Thorne a day to go home and pack his bags.
Thorne stopped two miles from Wells’s villa and changed out of his military uniform into civilian clothes in the car.
Thorne didn't want to upset Emma as soon as he got home, so he thought he could talk to his mother about joining the army later.
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The villa was quiet, with only the sound of Emma preparing dinner in the kitchen.
Seeing Thorne enter, she poked her head out from her busy work and asked, "Is everything alright? You look exhausted!"
"Yes, Mother," Thorne lied, half-truthfully, "I didn't sleep all night because the Germans attacked the defenses."
Emma, unaware of this, stopped what she was doing, wiped her hands on her apron, and anxiously approached Thorne, exclaiming, "The Germans have attacked? Are you...are you alright?"
"I'm fine," Thorne reassured her. "Don't worry, Mom, I was just... a little frightened, nothing's wrong."
Thorne tried to downplay the situation, then made an excuse: "I want to take a shower and rest for a while."
"Okay, of course." Emma was still uneasy.
However, seeing that Thorne's gait was normal, he gradually relaxed.
She walked heavily to the dining table, pulled out a chair, sat down, and after a moment of stunned silence, sighed softly:
"This is war, and no one can avoid it."
"I should get used to all of this."
"God bless us, bless Thorne!"
……
At that moment, Wells opened the door and came in, greeting the two workers behind him with a smile.
Emma got up to tell him about Thorne, then saw the workers hugging a radio.
(The image above shows a radio from the 1940s.)
"Here, put it here." Wells walked to the desk in the center of the living room and quickly cleared away clutter to make room.
After setting the radio down, Wells raised an eyebrow at Emma: "So, darling, do you like it?"
The radio is Emma's hobby in her spare time, and she especially likes listening to "ITMA".
(Note: "ITMA" is short for "It's That Man Again," a 1942 Egyptian English comedy show primarily intended for the entertainment of British troops stationed in Egypt.)
However, the radios were previously used to pay workers' wages due to economic reasons.
"Thank you, darling." Emma's furrowed brows gradually relaxed. She stared at the radio for a moment, then worried about the price again: "Isn't this too expensive?"
"No, my dear," Wells shook his head. "It wasn't expensive at all. I bought it from an officer who's going to the front tomorrow, and he was in a hurry to get rid of it, so he only sold it for 10 pounds."
Such a radio cost 29 pounds, and because it was a wartime necessity, it was difficult to buy; on the black market, it would cost at least 37 pounds.
(Note: Vacuum tubes in a radio are components required by radio stations.)
Upon hearing "going to the front lines," Emma's smile gradually faded.
"What's wrong, darling?" Wells noticed something was amiss.
"No, it's nothing," Emma replied, glancing upstairs.
Thorne is home safely, she thought, so there's nothing to worry about.
Wells plugged in the power, bent over, and carefully adjusted the knob with excitement. He listened intently, searching for Emma's favorite channel amidst the filtered noise.
Suddenly, the name "Thorne" drifted by like the wind, as if someone were calling out.
Wells was shocked. Thorne went on the radio?
With a sense of doubt, Wells slowly turned the knob back.
The sound gradually became clearer, and the female announcer's standard and magnetic voice came from the radio:
"Yes, it really happened last night, it's a miracle."
"Captain Thorne led 27 maintenance soldiers to hold off a German armored regiment, an entire German armored regiment, with at least 3,000 enemies and more than 50 tanks."
"And he succeeded; he used the salt marshes to bury the entire German armored regiment in quicksand..."
Wells straightened up and looked at Emma, a smirk on his face: "Interesting, Captain Thorne? It must be a coincidence of names."
Emma didn't think so. Her face was ashen, and she took a few steps closer, staring intently at the radio as she continued to listen.
"Captain Thorne's ability to create such a miracle may be related to his identity."
"Before joining the army, he was an oil salesman, and he was familiar with the geology of the area."
"Of course, this also requires courage, far beyond that of ordinary people..."
Wells' lips moved.
Why does this sound more and more like my good-for-nothing son?
is it possible?
No, I must be overthinking it!
Emma understood what had happened. She swallowed hard and called up to the room upstairs, "Thorne?"
"What is it, Mom?" Thorne's voice came, but he remained in the room, unwilling to move.
"Aren't you going to explain?" Emma asked.
Thorne, having no other option, went outside and stood by the stairwell, peeking out to ask, "Explain what?"
Emma tilted her head toward the radio.
Thorne looked closely and then realized he couldn't hide it anymore.
"Is it talking about you?" Emma asked, though she already knew the answer in her heart.
"Yes, Mom," Thorne said helplessly, "I can explain..."
Emma interrupted him: "It's not as simple as just being 'frightened'."
Wells swayed slightly, but managed to grab the edge of the table to avoid falling. With Emma's help, he slowly sat down in the chair.
After a long silence, he looked up at Thorne, his face filled with disbelief: "Was that really you? The one who buried an entire German armored regiment in the salt marshes?"