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I'll venture a response.

I think it's sour grapes by Winston for having been turned down on his repeated pleas for a southern strategy.

I would note that the last brainchild of Winston's was to divert Anvil to Bourdeaux. As things turned out, the advance up the Rhone Valley has thrown the Germans into headlong retreat and allowed the FFI to liberate most of S.W. France with next to no help from us. Invading at Bordeaux would just have placed Patch further from the action and would have left the Germans in possession of the Southern Coast.

Remember, at this point everything is coming through Cherbourg and the beach. We still don't have Brest or Le Havre. Marseille is the largest French port and will help considerably.

To his most important point, did taking troops out of Italy allow Hitler to reinforce the Western Front to our detriment? I don't think so. You've seen the maps the last two weeks. France is a total debacle for the Germans. Their only hope is to establish a defensive belt on the German border and the Dutch rivers. They still have intact units in France, but need more. I think the Germans would have been forced to withdraw those units in any event. Did it hurt us? I don't think so. We will soon have Patch's army on the front line, later to be joined by 9th Army once it mops up Brittany.

But, what was the point Churchill wanted to make for leaving Patch's troops in Italy? A short path to Vienna. To do that Alexander would have to break the Gothic Line,conquer the Po Valley and then fight through the Alps. Has he done anything in the Italian campaign to indicate he could do that and get to Vienna in shorter order than it was done from the Western Front? I don't think so. Allied troops will get to Austria about the same time troops from the West arrived in Berchtesgaden.

The Americans diverted three veteran divisions from Italy for Anvil. The Germans have just re-deployed 3rd & 15th Panzergrenadier Divisions from Italy to the Somme/Marne sector. They won’t get there in time to make any difference.

I’d say it’s a wash on troop strength. Big plus as you noted taking the port of Marseilles. It will provide support for Devers and for Patton in about 60 days, far ahead of Antwerp.

Anvil was a big success purchased cheaply.