[henkster]

Ike could have avoided a lot of the Monty troubles after Market-Garden, and particularly during the Bulge if he’d just listened to me.

Bradley’s 12th Army Group should have comprised Hodges’ 1st and Simpson’s 9th Armies, operating north of the Ardennes. This allows Bradley to concentrate his attention there and act as an equal rank counterweight to Monty.

Devers’ 6th Army Group would comprise Patton’s 3rd and Patch’s 7th Armies, and they could have worked together to clear Lorraine and drive into the Saar, instead of fighting disjointed campaigns for divergent objectives.

But Ike was stubborn and wouldn’t listen to me. Because I hadn’t been born yet, I guess.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Ike could have avoided a lot of the Monty troubles after Market-Garden, and particularly during the Bulge if he’d just listened to me.

That Eisenhower tunnel vision, prolonging the war.

[Hebrews 11:6]

Your administrative "plan," replete with sharp 20-20 hindsight, sounds admirably sensible, as you know. You've already posited, a few days ago, that Ike's active detestation of Devers is what dissuaded him from doing this.

Since you've obviously given this careful thought:

(a) How confident are you that this (seemingly obvious now, in the distant aftermath) idea ever even occurred, or was suggested, to Ike?

(b) Assuming he did consider it, are there other considerations besides--that is, in addition to--his dislike of Devers that might have deterred him from adopting the Henkster Hierarchy?

[abb]

England had to have their hero in Monty. Politically, he HAD to be in the spotlight.

It would be interesting to see what kind of headlines the Times of London was publishing about this time.