Lion, Tiger, Bear | 145 Alexander added: Prime Minister, if I may, it was the shipment of American tanks that have made all the difference in the last two weeks at the front, the Shermans, Grants. Any possibility Roosevelt can send three hundred more? Churchill puffed harder. Ill see what can be done, its a delicate dance. This combat theater may be Hitlers soft underbelly, but plucky Rommel must be pushed back at all costs until the Americans arrive in Morocco. Then he will no doubt suffer… the squeeze. In his high-pitched and squeaky voice, General Montgomery piped up. Well have devil Rommel by the throat soon, Winston, Ill see to that. I know him at a distance, know his mind. Tricky man. Hes a vain, arrogant prima donna whos addicted to risky, costly maneuvers thats his main weakness besides long supply lines. I hear they rely solely on captured British rations, lorries, and petrol. Indeed he does. More bollocks than brains. Decent tactician, poor logistics. Damn his impudence, and his Panzers! Hrrrummph. Yes, yes… The Prime Minister ashed his cigar into an inlaid brass tray. You had better, General, or well be belly-up like a beached whale at the mercy of harpooning Nahzies. Mild laughter ensued; everyone knew eccentric Montgomery was just as much of a prima donna, but it certainly wasnt a weakness. Still, thought Churchill, unconventional Monty needed to prove himself capable of the job. Whats so fanny, I ask? Sudden silence. Hmm? asked Churchill in a stern, cathedral voice. Sensitive papers were being burned around the corner just weeks ago by the bushel, quivering officers were in queue at the madhouse railway station with civilians, their tickets to Luxor and Sudan in hand. The city still has an air of panic thanks to bloody Auchinleck, a weaker commanding general I know not. The Germans are everywhere triumphant; weve been pushed back in The Flap all the way to our damn doorstep by a lesser force, and I wont tolerate any more retreat! Morale is low, we need a desert victorynow. The Med and Suez remain our swift conduits to precious colonies. Never has our Empire been so weak and our enemies so ruthless. If we lose this war, unimaginable darkness will descend upon us like a plague of old sextupled, our loved ones and families enslaved forever while they put