Ike was in charge of managing the alpha personalities in the ETO and keeping them focused on fighting the Germans instead of each other. He didn’t design strategy. His job was to implement it.
General George Marshall was Ike’s boss. Admiral William Leahy was Marshall’s boss. FDR was Leahy’s boss. Overall strategy was set at that level. Logistics is a huge portion of war strategy, far more than most civilians realize. Patton paid zero attention to logistics. It wasn’t his job. It wasn’t his staff’s job. Patton did things like hijacking other army’s gas supplies which had ripple effects all through the theater.
“Patton paid zero attention to logistics. It wasn’t his job. It wasn’t his staff’s job.”
Patton did not pay close attention to logistics. His staff absolutely did. You don’t keep an entire army moving while paying no attention to logistics. No numbered army exists without logistics planners. It is ONE of the constraints that shape the battle.
Ike needed to make strategic decisions. He did not. Both Monty and Patton were frustrated by his unwillingness to make decisions. He could not make them unilaterally but he needed to provide far more guidance than he did.