The Worst General?

And what army was Montgomery enamoured with?

 

Patton was commanding US forces in Morocco, the Western Task Force of Operation Torch.

 

The Central Pacific offensive could not get underway until there were a sufficient number of aircraft carriers (CV/CVLs and CVEs), which was not until late 1943.

The initial landing on Guadalcanal in August 1942 was supported by carriers, but the South and Southwest Pacific campaigns depended mainly on land-based aircraft. The attrition imposed on Japanese airpower, including carrier planes deployed to land bases, helped to facilitate Nimitz's advance when it did get going.

Island-hopping strategy was employed in the S/SW Pacific, such as the bypassing of Kolombangara and the major Japanese base of Rabaul. MacArthur used similar strategy along the New Guinea coast, bypassing strong Japanese garrisons and landing at lightly defended points which could be developed into air bases to support further advances.

 

They had three strategies. Rommel wanted to stop the invasion to the beach, Von Rundstedt wanted to let the Allied go further inlands and destroy the Allied forces there. And then there was Hitler who wanted to decide where the forces were used. What a useless decision of forces. Simply Hitler´s mindless plan again.

 

He thoiught very highly of the Australians and New Zealanders. His tank driver was much less enamoured of the hat which kept blowing away. At some point he told Montgomery that he wasn't going to retreive it any more and gave him his RTR beret.

 

Right at the end of the chin...

 

Ahh, but maybe Montgomery was too chinless to wear the hat properly..
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