American observers at a British artillery position could be hit by German shellfire, with reporters making the incident visible at home. Another proposed route is a German advance through American positions on the assumption that troops formally at peace with Germany would stand aside. The scenario expects American soldiers to hold their ground and return fire. Their likely US Army background, including officers and NCOs who had fought in the First World War, enters that assessment. A particular commander might yield once, but the broader forecast is that trying to exploit formal neutrality would start the shooting.
Notable Point · 1:58:36-2:03:28
How a German-American shooting war starts in North Africa
Co-located German and American ground forces make a North African clash more likely than a dramatic Atlantic incident to end the legal fiction of peace.