John Crocker's caustic wit

Lietenant General John Crocker, commander of IX Corps under Anderson's First Army, belittled the American military ability like this;

"How Green is our Ally"    
                                                 
p.471, An Army at Dawn; The War in North Africa, 1942-3 by Rick Atkinson

Bear in mind you need a modicum of understanding of cinematic history to fully understand this bon mot;

Because it's a paraphrase of the title of John Ford's movie;

How Green was My Valley(1941)

Yes this is the movie famous for beating Citizen Kane to receive the Best Picture Oscar in 1942. Still, some says it's the finest Academy Best Picture, so there lol.