Ike gets a great deal of blame here, IMO, for letting Monty talk him into this disaster, rather than focusing on securing the Scheldt Estuary and opening Antwerp.
Politics compelled Ike to give Monty his own show. In doing so, he he validated Patton’s estimation of Monty.
He was attempting to rebuild his reputation
After his Dday failures.
In big picture allies failed to see value of
Antwerp for far too long.
Agreed. Ike generally did a competent if unimaginative job and he did manage the coalition pretty well but Market Garden was a big failure.
It could be argued pinching off the bulge would have been the better way to go instead of pushing the Germans back and that allowing Patton to close the gap and seal in two German armies in the Falaise Pocket would have been a better choice - yes even if there had been some “Friendly fire” incidents between Patton’s troops and the Canadian forces they were meeting up with. Market Garden however was the single biggest mistake. Clearing the Scheldt Estuary to get Antwerp’s port in action was by far the most important goal at that time.
Ike was a political strategist, not a military strategist.