Eisenhower’s high forehead, soft blue eyes, thinning hair, and amenable disposition did not at first seem to project the presence that could unite the Allies and forge an alloy strong enough to shatter the steel of the mighty Wehrmacht. He was not the surly, growling and aggressive soul that a man like George Patton was, nor again the starchy, proper, but methodically implacable soul that was Montgomery. A big man, with a strong, athletic build, Eisenhower wore the uniform well, every inch a soldier, and his signature grin would vie with a notoriously quick temper as his moods shifted with circumstances.
Yet behind the ticking of that pendulum, behind that high forehead, Eisenhower possessed a sharp cool intelligence, a talent for planning and organization, and one other attribute that he was to need in abundance in the days ahead—patience. That and a penchant for giving fair treatment and hearing to every side of an argument, led all those associated with him to believe he was worthy of their trust, a most valuable commodity. His easy smile could be disarming, and others warmed to him quickly, conceding him their good regard in a way that was almost effortless.
He was a modest man, generous with subordinates, dedicated to his duty, and honest and fair in all his dealings with others. Then again he was a driven man as well, bent on success, and willing to pit himself against heavy odds to prevail. His affable and gregarious nature won him friends easily, and people saw in him a quiet sense of dignity and honor that inspired confidence. His ability to hide his rough edges and self-doubts was a part of all that. He bore no grudges, had no thirst for revenge, hated no other man, but would stand up to anyone who he thought was on the wrong side of an argument.
These were just a few of the qualities that would make him the leader he was to become, very far from the haughty and almost imperial personage of a Douglas MacArthur, a man Eisenhower once served as a clerk. He was farther yet from a man like Vladimir Karpov, with none of the darkness that undermined the latter’s soul, and no real animosity for anyone in his heart.
In spite of these qualities, Eisenhower would face many hardships along the way. No man is ever immune to doubt, or even despair. Eisenhower would face many doubts in the months and years ahead and also face down both depression and despair, which he cleverly hid behind that easy smile. Any man of Eisenhower’s age and maturity who still carried what he thought to be a lucky token in his pocket, was one who still faced doubt and uncertainty, in spite of the experience delivered with age. Eisenhower had not one, but three lucky coins in his pocket, a favorite silver dollar that he always carried but never spent, a five guinea gold piece, and a single French Franc.
That last coin was much on his mind, shifting between his long fingers as he considered what would come of this first confrontation with French forces in North Africa. He would hash out the possibilities ahead with his opposite number, one Walter Bedell Smith, a man Eisenhower personally requested as his Chief of Staff. While often called Ike’s “Hatchet Man” for the toughness he could display in dealings with others, Smith also had a knack for handling the British. He wasn’t Eisenhower’s friend, and the two men seldom spent social time together, but they cooperated well as planners and organizers, which was what was needed now.
The time had come to put the divisive argument aside and start planning that war, and Eisenhower had Smith in hand to think it through, along with General Mark Clark. They were about to put the finishing touches on the plan for the first great Allied offensive of the war, but the situation facing the Allies was considerably different in this telling of events.
The Med was closed. There could be no landing in Algiers or Oran, and no rapid movement into Tunisia. The United States had also declared war on Vichy France, so all embassies were shut down and Wild Bill Donavan’s OSS would never use them to flood French North Africa with agents and saboteurs. With Gibraltar in German hands, the closest allied airfield would be at Madeira in the Atlantic. They would have to bring everything else with them on carriers until new airfields were seized. Portugal was a reluctant co-conspirator, wary of exposing itself to the ravages of war. All of Franco’s Spain stood between the planned British landing at Lisbon and their objective at Gibraltar.
These were only some of the difficulties they would face, and then there was the fact that France would be unquestioningly hostile, on land and at sea, and backed by German troops from the very beginning of the operation.
Eisenhower was very much against the plan at the outset. “This is a black day,” he said. “The Limeys have had their way with this whole thing, and now our only chance is for Roosevelt to veto this TORCH plan.”
“He won’t,” said Clark. “He’s thick as thieves with the Prime, and this is what Churchill wants.” The Americans had taken to calling Churchill that, ‘The Prime,’ as if he was a cut of some particularly good steak or rib roast. Clark was correct, for in spite of renewed attempts by Marshall to get the operation cancelled, Roosevelt insisted that TORCH should go forward.
And that was that.
Chapter 18
A month later, after a lot of haggling and planning, Eisenhower still had grave doubts. “We ought to invade Spain and French North Africa at the same time,” he said, “but we just don’t have the shipping. By God, we’ll have to divide our forces in this thing, transports, troops, naval air support allocations. The British were whining we weren’t hitting the French coast hard enough in SLEDGEHAMMER, now look at this mess.”
“They want Gibraltar back,” said Clark. “They seem obsessed with it. I suppose I can understand that in one sense. It’s was the first real British outpost the Germans took from them. If they landed on Cuba and took Guantanamo Bay, we’d sure as hell be dead set on kicking them out. But there’s something more to it than that. I’ve heard things.”
“What is that suppose to mean?” said Eisenhower.
“I’m not really sure, but there have been some odd whispers about Gibraltar. I’m told their Navy insists it be taken as soon as possible.”
“Understandable,” said Smith. “As it sits now, they’ve a very long sea route around the Cape to supply Egypt.”
“That’s another thing,” said Clark. “Egypt. Now they’ve done quite well there, wouldn’t you say? It looked like Rommel was going to run them into the Suez Canal a while back, and then he got stopped cold. Well, there’s something going on over there, something fishy, and we’ve been left out of the loop.”
“What have you heard?” said Ike.
“First off, what’s all this about a Russian ship popping off with advanced rocketry?”
“Yes, I did read that when it circulated,” said Eisenhower.
“Then there was that odd meeting in Siwa with Churchill after they first stopped Rommel. Now they’ve kept their cards fairly close to their chests over there. I was in Alexandria to see about a possible mission to slip into French North Africa and see if we could talk some sense into Darlan, and believe me, the British treated me like a pariah. I had the distinct feeling that they were hiding something. I was all set to tour the front, and lord knows they found fifteen reasons to kill that idea. They had a staffer with me every goddamned day, and at time they would drive me about in a limousine with curtains on the windows—for my security, or so they said. Then, when I asked about the scuttlebutt concerning some new tanks they might have, they looked at me like I was asking them for their daughter’s virginity!”
“We got the same runaround,” said Eisenhower, “and I’ve heard that same thing—some new British tank over there kicking the hell out of Rommel’s Panzers—probably their new infantry tank to replace the Matilda. Well, if it’s true, why are they still pan handling for more of our Grants?”