Listening now to Tunisia campaign and how badly we fared there. In a couple of weeks, 6k dead, 1/3 of survivors with psychiatric trauma from combat they were unprepared for and 2400 surrendered. Ike admits the whole effort would be studied and condemned in war colleges "for the next 25 years." Ernie Pyle says maybe it was good to get our asses kicked so we'd stop being so arrogant about our military prowess and start really adapting to the circumstances. The Brits worried we'd never amount to anything.

Then Patton is sent in to correct things . . . and the legend is born.

Fast forward to a quarter million Axis troops surrendering.

But 76,000 U.S. dead over six months. From a U.S. population less than half of what it is today.

And that and Ernie Pyle saying "the worst is yet to come."

Interesting. I'm DVRing it all so I can study when I can watch closely at home.