Part VI
Part VI
"At the time though I swallowed my doubts and got on with my work, an attitude helped by the growing hope in the department. Indeed as the Winter turned to Spring I admit my faith in my superiors grew, the naval blockade was taking a terrible toll on the Germans. The Marine Nationale had outdone themselves; the North Sea was studded with the wrecks of German cruisers. Even the English had chipped in, proving their claims about conquering the U-boat menace had not been an idle boast."
They heavy sighed and shifted slightly, his boredom overflowing and expressing itself physically. Why did the self absorbed ramblings of an old civil servant matter so much? Sneaking a glance at his boss he saw the usual blank mask, the features showing neither rapt attention nor bored disinterest. Mentally shrugging to himself he returned his attention to the tape, hoping the old man would hurry up and finally say something interesting.
"It seemed too good to be true, I knew that, yet I hoped the blockade would work, that Germany could be starved out without recourse to bloody combat. The naive optimism of youth! I was brought back down to earth by the shock of Norway. By the farce of Norway."
"At the time though I swallowed my doubts and got on with my work, an attitude helped by the growing hope in the department. Indeed as the Winter turned to Spring I admit my faith in my superiors grew, the naval blockade was taking a terrible toll on the Germans. The Marine Nationale had outdone themselves; the North Sea was studded with the wrecks of German cruisers. Even the English had chipped in, proving their claims about conquering the U-boat menace had not been an idle boast."
They heavy sighed and shifted slightly, his boredom overflowing and expressing itself physically. Why did the self absorbed ramblings of an old civil servant matter so much? Sneaking a glance at his boss he saw the usual blank mask, the features showing neither rapt attention nor bored disinterest. Mentally shrugging to himself he returned his attention to the tape, hoping the old man would hurry up and finally say something interesting.
"It seemed too good to be true, I knew that, yet I hoped the blockade would work, that Germany could be starved out without recourse to bloody combat. The naive optimism of youth! I was brought back down to earth by the shock of Norway. By the farce of Norway."
