Sublime

He concentrated exclusively on the military aspect of the situation and overlooked the political consequences. “It was a callow, clumsy army that had arrived in North Africa with little notion how to act as a world power,” wrote one recent historian.39

Ike put the matter in personal terms. “For forty years I was in the Army, and I did one thing: study how you can get an infantry platoon out of battle. The most terrible job in warfare is to be a second lieutenant leading a platoon when you are on the battlefield.”19

But he witnessed firsthand the art of direct command. “The commanding General’s method of operation is to announce policies and major decisions in definite terms and then to require his Chief of Staff to see to their execution,”

As in North Africa, brute force had prevailed. The outstanding performance of Seventh Army under Patton was the only bright spot in the fight.

The Battle of the Bulge was Ike’s finest hour as a military commander.