I'd say that by August 1944 Ike lost the dressingroom. His army commanders disagreed with his politics, and given the egos about, many were fed up with some amateur points.

Ike was doing what Chamberlain had done before him appeasement poletics, something that fuel the feud between British and US commanders.

If Ike had read Monty and Patton (in particular) the riot-act and drawn up his own plan and given them the option to follow orders or jog off, we might have had a different setting.

I am still searching for info on Alex to form an oppinion on how he fared. People are split between him beeing an efficient leader that managed to get the best out of his men, to an absolute donkey.

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'We march. The enemy is retreating in transport. We follow on foot.' Lt.Neil McCallum 5/7 Gordons 19th November 1942