Pivoting on Caen and military humour?

Normandy 1944

"Montgomery's explanation for his slowness was that he was "re-grouping" in order to pivot at Caen and attack the Germans in force. This "pivoting on Caen" became a joke to the Americans. The French pronunciation of the word is "can"."

Anybody know if this joke really existed? Thanx!

 

First I had heard of it. Funny though. How about this German/Italian joke about the bicycle which reached the Americans:

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3. GERMAN-ITALIAN RELATIONS ​

Is there a spoke or two broken in the Axis?

There have been many reports for a long time that German and Italian soldiers do not get along well together. The Italians are said to hate the Germans, and the Germans, in turn, make sly remarks about the fighting abilities of the Italians. Some of these reports have come from official sources. The following extract from a German publication captured in Libya seems to bear out these reports:

"ITALIAN WAR COMMUNIQUE" ​

"On the Tobruk front a large force of Italians attacked an enemy cyclist, causing him to dismount. After heavy and prolonged fighting they were able to puncture his tires. The front wheel was destroyed, and the loss of the rear wheel must also be considered possible. The handlebars are in our hands, but possession of the frame is still being bitterly contested."

"H. Q. Royal Italian Army" ​

The Japanese are said to make similar jokes about their Siamese (Thailand) allies.


From: German-Italian Relations (WWII U.S. Intelligence Bulletin, October 1942)