Brooke was offered the post as Supreme Commander for Overlord. The 'deal' was that a US would command Med offensive and a Brit would do Overlord.
US went back on this 'agreement' and Eisenhower got put in place.
Marshall was also a contender.
Here is the What IF:
Brooke got the top job.
Would Monty still have been land force commander?
Although Brooke was not convinced about Patton's strategic thinking he did admire his drive. But could Brooke have controlled Patton?
Brooke was convinced that the war could have been finished in 1944 with the right focus. He was surely not impressed with Eisenhower's 'everybody fights somebody all the time'. Monty was rather sarcastic about that as well.
Would Brooke have been the great unifier (as Eisenhower was after all)?
Eisenhower was really the 'chairman of the board' until September. Brooke might have been a bit more hands-on general.
Marshall got the job:
How well grounded was Marshall in big strategic things?
Could it even have worked out?
US went back on this 'agreement' and Eisenhower got put in place.
Marshall was also a contender.
Here is the What IF:
Brooke got the top job.
Would Monty still have been land force commander?
Although Brooke was not convinced about Patton's strategic thinking he did admire his drive. But could Brooke have controlled Patton?
Brooke was convinced that the war could have been finished in 1944 with the right focus. He was surely not impressed with Eisenhower's 'everybody fights somebody all the time'. Monty was rather sarcastic about that as well.
Would Brooke have been the great unifier (as Eisenhower was after all)?
Eisenhower was really the 'chairman of the board' until September. Brooke might have been a bit more hands-on general.
Marshall got the job:
How well grounded was Marshall in big strategic things?
Could it even have worked out?