Gratitude has always been an ephemeral motivator. What keeps an alliance going is self-interest, not gratitude.
Absolutely true and to the point! No amount of our jingoistic nattering is going to make a whit of difference to the French or anybody else.
In fact it just reinforces what they think of us. So why piss and moan about it. They're ungrateful. So, what are we going to do - wallow in it?
Hell with them. And hell with us if we keep whining about it.
It could have been that way if we had not landed in France. Our drive up Italy was stalling and the Soviets might have defeated the Germans in another five or so years - gradually wearing them down from the East.
Of course, if the Germans knew they needn't defend the West coast of Europe then maybe they could have re-deployed those resources and eventually defeated the Soviets.
(Just a little Staruday morning musings. It would have been a different Wold War.)