With Friends Like These

Those who read the innumerable American historical accounts about the great Anglo-American efforts to win the Second World War may think they understand everything. Britain stood alone against the Nazis after the fall of France and survived financially only because of Lend-Lease from the United States. British soldiers lost battles everywhere until General Bernard Montgomery took over, but the victory over Erwin Rommel in Tunisia, which cleared North Africa, was won by U.S. troops. Then Italy was invaded because Winston Churchill pressed to attack the soft underbelly of Europe, but the Americans did all the fighting — including liberating Rome.

After the Allies invaded Normandy on D‑Day, the attack lost momentum because British and Canadian troops sat in front of Caen while the Americans broke out and almost destroyed the German forces, failing only because the Canadians and the British didn’t close the Falaise Gap. Supplies were short, in part because the...