Sublime

Above all, it was in North Africa that Eisenhower made the transition from staff officer to senior commander.

Nixon had been taken to the woodshed. Ike’s telegram was tantamount to a command, and to make it public, as Eisenhower did, left Nixon little choice. He was to be in Wheeling tomorrow night. Period. Eisenhower was not only reasserting his authority, but he was doing it visibly for all in the country to see.

In his memoirs, Ike acknowledged that the credit belonged to Krueger.

FDR also liked Ike. Not only was he easy to get along with, but he exhibited none of the posturing that often accompanied high rank in the military. Ike might just be the man for the job, Roosevelt thought as he boarded his plane for Cairo. But he wanted a second look. He ordered Eisenhower to join the conference in Cairo “in two or three days” and

Ike’s reputation for common sense, his dedication, his sense of humor—and his temper—had become legendary.

Ike’s political dexterity stood in marked contrast to his grasp of military strategy. On strategic issues he remained a prisoner of the doughboy dogma of John J. Pershing and George Marshall that all-out-attack-all-along-the-line was the way to win wars.

The coordination of the air, ground, and naval forces was Ike’s responsibility, and in this instance he dropped the ball.

His decision saved the United States from what would have been a military disaster.

As his former chief of staff Erich von Manstein noted, von Rundstedt never shied from accepting responsibility.