Himmler thought with unintentional irony. The explanation, so vague as to be almost useless, wouldn’t have made sense to anyone, but at least it sounded encouraging. Himmler had had one of the Waffen-SS officers make a personal report from Das Reich to him, and that report had been much less encouraging. The British had stopped 7th Panzer dead in its tracks and hammered it hard enough to almost break it. That would have been good news under other circumstances – it would embarrass the Army, therefore giving the SS more prestige – but now it was very dangerous. If the British pushed Rommel back onto the defensive, their superiority in numbers would be decisive, unless the supply lines were increased. Was that possible? Hitler was unconvinced. “I want details,” he snapped, his voice sounding marginally calmer. “What happened and why?” Manstein paused for a moment. When he responded, he spoke in a careful, calm voice. It was as if he were speaking to a wild and dangerous animal.
