Chapter 8: The Method Actor

"Boarding? Boarding? Did you not see that ship? If you wish to become roasted chickens, feel free to row our boat over!"

The British soldiers who had come down from the shore were all stunned. In a situation where they were surrounded on land and had only the sea route for retreat, the boats represented hope. Although these two wooden lifeboats could not possibly row back to England, the arrival of a large ship would undoubtedly give them an advantage for retreat.

Logan replied in a calm yet assertive manner in his Scottish-accented English: "Yes! I have an urgent matter to report to General Gott! It must be done in person!"

As a group of people walked through the streets lined with dilapidated houses, they left the urban area of Dunkirk. The ancient castle on the hill was clearly in sight, yet it was still quite a distance away. Feeling somewhat weak in the legs, they finally arrived at the peculiar-shaped castle. Perhaps in the last century or the one before, it had played a role in resisting the British fleet, but now it had become a temporary refuge for a group of British officers. The changes in history are truly thought-provoking

Major Bimon D. Shute, commanding officer of the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Scottish Fusiliers? This carries a somewhat questioning tone. In the British Army, many infantry regiments continue to use traditional designations. Soldiers of the fusilier regiments clearly do not carry the ancient flintlock muskets into battle, just as the rifle regiments have long since transitioned to the modern Lee-Enfield No. 4 rifle

Logan showed no hesitation, opened the gun holster, and handed over the Waverly-Scott revolver.

Logan deliberately spoke loudly: "The situation is urgent, I must report to the general in person! This directly concerns the fate of over 30,000 British soldiers, and there can be no delay whatsoever!"

Logan waved his hand nonchalantly, "Brothers, leave the boat to them, we are leaving! There are more important matters awaiting our attention!"

Logan naturally pulled out the officer's identification card forged overnight by the German intelligence agency from his pocket, uncertain whether it would suffice to deceive anyone, but he had to maintain a proper composure and a measure of anxiety on his face

The lights were on inside the castle, and the officers seemed to be working late into the night. Logan glanced around the gate post, where the guards had built two machine gun positions using sandbags, each equipped with a Vickers Mark heavy machine gun mounted on a high tripod, allowing for both ground attack and aerial defense.

The lieutenant colonel glanced at Luo with displeasure and said, "Then follow me!"

A clean-shaven British Army captain stopped the group of armed individuals, inquired about their intentions, and then requested to inspect Logan's identification.

Logan harbored no intention of sarcasm: If the operation succeeds, very few of you will be able to return to England; instead, you will all end up in Adolf Hitler's prisoner-of-war camp doing hard labor

Thus, Logan and his heavily armed paratroopers continued to move away from the beach. As they walked, they asked questions, yet not a single person inquired about their identity or purpose—facing a great calamity, everyone seemed preoccupied with how to preserve their lives under the oppression of the German forces; as for the formalities of the past, they were likely considered less than worthless now

After walking along the sandbank for a while, Logan finally let out a sigh of relief. His mood at that moment was probably akin to that of a lover who had just fled the scene after an affair with a boxer’s wife. However, the scene on the beach quickly dispelled any extraneous thoughts. Despite the darkening sky, he could still see countless figures stretching as far as the eye could reach: a large number of disheveled British and French soldiers crowded the beach like vagrants. One bomb could easily send dozens of unfortunate souls to heaven. Anyone witnessing such a scene might think that the Allied forces were doomed, yet history played a cruel joke; the Dunkirk evacuation was undoubtedly one of the greatest miracles of this war.

Even the guards at the gate cast curious glances.

The sergeant showed no signs of excitement, "Merit? Ha, it would be good enough to get me back to Britain sooner! This damned war! Those damned Germans!"

What? The Allied command? I don't know! Perhaps still behind the German tanks!" This young yet frustrated officer replied nonchalantly

Due to the poor lighting and the disheveled appearance of the individual, Logan was unable to discern the person's military rank at that moment. He holstered his weapon and nimbly leaped into the waist-deep seawater, responding fiercely:

Sure, buddy, don't worry

Including the machine gunner, there are a total of 5 guards visible.

"Major Bimon D. Schutte, I am Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Ling of the Expeditionary Force Headquarters. Do you have any information to report to Lord Gote?" This haggard-looking individual, whose eyes shone with intensity, inquired, exuding an air of arrogance that rivaled that of his captain colleagues.

The vessel "Black Sprite" has long since become a floating mass of flames—perhaps it no longer floats at all

Logan continued to ask several individuals, whether they were British soldiers or French, completely unaware of whether his command post was still operational. However, they did provide some valuable information: it seemed that there was a command post located in a castle on the outskirts of Dunkirk.

Wait here!" With that, the captain walked into the castle with his credentials

Despite landing on a beach that was relatively far from the shipping lane, Logan and his paratroopers were startled by the British soldiers on the shore, who were agitated and attempting to wade out to the boats. Instinctively, the German paratroopers immediately aimed their guns at their long-standing adversaries. At that moment, if anyone had fired a shot, a bloody conflict would have been inevitable. Fortunately, faced with the dark muzzles of the guns, those nearly frantic individuals halted in their tracks, cooled by the seawater.

Logan suppressed the small excitement in his heart, patting the other person's shoulder and saying: "Alright, thank you! Buddy, you have done a great service for the British Empire!"

Two minutes later, the captain and another officer emerged from the castle

A middle-aged man resembling an officer stepped forward and asked loudly in an accusatory tone: "Are you going to board the ship? Where is the ship in m.hetushu.com? Can you make room for our wounded?"

The officer fell silent, and the surrounding British soldiers voluntarily made way, looking at the officer with a Scottish accent and his fellow soldiers, who were also dressed in the uniforms of the British Expeditionary Force, with immense respect as they waded ashore

This is the expected situation, as Logan was about to follow the colonel inside, when the earlier captain inappropriately said: "Major, please leave your sidearm!"

The performance cannot be deemed spectacular, but at least it did not raise any suspicions. Outside, the German paratroopers, clad in British Army uniforms and adorned with the badge of the Royal Scots Fusiliers, silently stepped aside, ready to act upon the orders of Lieutenant Rente Steffenberg, the deputy commander of the operation.

"Are you referring to General Gott and his command post?" A British sergeant, who seemed to have had a bit to drink, managed to steady himself and pointed northward: "That is not a coalition command post; that is our expeditionary force's command post! Look, do you see that oddly shaped fortress on the hill? It's right there! It is very solid, quite solid, so there is no need to worry about the Germans' bombs!"

"Hey, buddy, where is the Allied Command? I need to find the command immediately!" Logan stopped a British officer wearing the rank of Second Lieutenant to ask.