The Oxford Companion to British History. During this period, he was criticized by Patton and General Omar Bradley for his initial inability to capture the city of Caen. Field Marshal Bernard L. Montgomery (1887-1976) is best known as one of the most senior British commanders in World War 2. Increasingly known for his outspoken views on a variety of topics, his postwar memoirs were severely critical of his contemporaries. 1981-1986. After El-Alamein, he became a major celebrity in Britain, and crowds would often flock to great him. When he was thirty-nine years old, Montgomery shed his bachelor status and married Betty Carver, the widow of an officer who had died in World War I. The battles in Sicily and Italy that followed the successful North African campaign were somewhat less glorious for Montgomery, for they exposed more of his weaknesses. Continuing to see action during the retreat from Mons, Montgomery was badly wounded during a counterattack near Mteren on October 13, 1914. Famous It was said that before El-Alamein the Allies never had a victory, but after El-Alamein the Allies never had adefeat. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. 29 Jun. Bernard Montgomery, who was to become one of the most outstanding of British military leaders, was born in London in 1887. During the Second World War, Montgomery was elevated to Commander of the Eighth Army in Egypt. https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/montgomery-bernard-law, John Whiteclay Chambers II "Montgomery, Bernard Law His personal memoir, published in 1958, was particularly inflammatory. Mountbatten served as governor-general of India until 1948, when he returned to England to rejoin the navy. To find out more about how we collect, store and use your personal information, read our Privacy Policy. "Montgomery, Bernard On October 23 at the Battle of El Alamein, Montgomery gained an offensive victory. This faith in Monty was well justified as he took meticulous care to look after the troops in his command. He retired in 1958 and wrote his memoirs. Mad Jack Doctor Idi What is true about bernard montgomery? A view of Montgomery less favorable than the popular one is offered by Reginald William Thompson in Churchill and the Montgomery Myth (1968) and Montgomery, the Field Marshal: The Campaign in Northwest Europe, 1944/45 (1970). Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery was one of the most prominent and successful British commanders of the Second World War (1939-45). He was 88 years old. His grandfather was General Sir Robert Montgomery, a well-known soldier who was also a proconsul in India. In July 1942 he was appointed commander of the British 8th Army in Egypt, a position that marked the beginning of his rise to fame. Graduating in 1908, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant and assigned to the 1st Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment. Montgomery's experiences during World War I strongly affected his attitude toward the militaryespecially how officers should treat the troops serving under them. The Japanese had overtaken the country of Burma (now Myanmar), and the Allied troops stationed in India were suffering both from low spirits and from a number of tropical diseases. In Sicily, he was annoyed to be given a lesser role in the fighting. https://www.encyclopedia.com/environment/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/montgomery-bernard-law-1st-viscount-montgomery-alamein, Turning Points: The Allies Begin to Win the War. World Encyclopedia. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Contenders for the title are few, but Monty was indisputably Britains greatest soldier since Wellington. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. When Britain declared war on Germany in 1939, Montgomery was sent to France with the British Expeditionary Force. When the initial phase of the successful Normandy invasion was over and the Allies prepared to move across France toward Germany, the command structure changed. He died on March 24, 1976, in Alton, Hampshire. 2023 . He graduated and was sent to the North West frontier of India. During the Battle of the Bulge, command of Bradley's First and Ninth armies was temporarily given to British Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery. The remaining German forces surrendered to the Allies on May 7. So, you know, kind of a big deal. He was better known for his outstanding professionalism and sense of balance than for his talents in getting on with his contemporariesnotably the American ones. Recognized as one of the greatest wartime generals, Rommel, Erwin Considered by some historians the greatest British general of all time, Bernard Montgomery was the best known and most successful officer to lead British troops during World War II. In the wake of this effort, Montgomery was directed to clear the Scheldt so that the port of Antwerp could be opened to Allied shipping. Politics dictated Eisenhower would be the supreme commander (American troops outnumbered British 2:1) and with good grace, Eisenhower would argue with Monty until he got his own way. Corrections? Sfax fell on 10 April and Montgomery won the bet. Montgomery's troops took part in the Allied advance across northern Europe, liberating the Netherlands and finally driving into Germany. . He was known by his troops, as one of British greatest generals, who restored will to fight and cohesion among forces in the victory at El Alamein. Montgomery, the son of an Ulster clergyman, was educated at St. Pauls School, London, and the Royal Military Academy (Sandhurst). The horrendous British casualties in 1914-1918 help explain Montgomerys caution as a commander twenty-five years later. "Bernard Law Montgomery Playing a key role in the planning process for D-Day, he oversaw the Battle of Normandy after Allied forces began landing on June 6. The Oxford Companion to British History. He was involved in the negotiations that led to India's independence in 1947 (as well as the establishment of Pakistan, which broke off from India to become a separate country). Over the next several decades, Mountbatten served in various command positions in the British navy. Montgomery died in Isington, Hampshire on 24 March 1976. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. Captain Bernard L. Montgomery, DSO (on the right), with a fellow officer of 104th Brigade, 35th Division, with which he . His father, Henry, became the Anglican Bishop of Tasmania. 5, 2023, thoughtco.com/field-marshal-bernard-montgomery-2360162. Montgomery first saw action in the First World War as a junior officer of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment. If we can't stay here alive, then let us stay here dead.". British infantry advancing at El Alamein, 1942. Like all other senior British officers, he has been most loyal personally and officially and has shown no disposition whatsoever to overstep the bounds imposed by allied unity of command. General Dwight D. Eisenhower, diary entry (11 June 1943). Returning home in 1937, he was given command of the 9th Infantry Brigade with the temporary rank of brigadier. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. In August 1942 Prime Minister Winston Churchill appointed him commander of the British Eighth Army in North Africa, which had recently been defeated and pushed back to Egypt by German General Erwin Rommel. While Gen. George Patton's U.S. 7th Army landed on the southern coast of Sicily, Montgomery put his 8th Army ashore on the eastern face. Thought the presentation & interpretation made the subject accessible". Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, (17 November 1887 - 24 March 1976), nicknamed "Monty" and the "Spartan General", was a British Army officer. David Montgomery, who inherited his father's title of Viscount Montgomery of Alamein when the field marshal died in 1976, was an engineer and business executive and later a member of the British . Montgomery remains a controversial figure. Hamilton, Nigel. Often appearing abrasive, egocentric and arrogant, he was a meticulous commander and also very popular with his men. "World War II: Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery." As most of the Allied troops in Western Europe rapidly became American, political forces prevented Montgomery from remaining Ground Forces Commander. Known to be difficult to work with, "Monty" was nevertheless exceptionally popular with the British public. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. "Montgomery, Bernard Law, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein England was now in grave danger of invasion by the German forces, so Montgomery was assigned to lead the 5th Corps in protecting the coastal Dorset and Hampshire regions. While living in the remote colony, he endured a harsh childhood that included beatings by his mother. Completing the course, he was again made a brigade major and assigned to the 17th Infantry Brigade in January 1921. This bloody struggle eventually ended in the final defeat of Nazi Germany. Eisenhower stepped in to command the land forces directly, while Montgomery was assigned to head the 21st Army Group (part of the Normandy invasion forces), which included one British and one Canadian army. He went on to lead Allied troops in the invasion of Italy and later France. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Died December 21, 1945 Updates? In particular, he commanded the 8th Army in North Africa (from August . Once again, he worked hard on bolstering his troops' morale; one of the ways he did this was to travel around Normandy during and after the initial invasion to meet with the soldiers. Neverthelesssporting the famed black beret with its unorthodox twin cap badgeshe exploited popularity to inspire his men as did perhaps no other commander of World War II. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. By 1939as war loomed on the horizonhe was in command of the army's Third Division, one of the few units ready for combat. Heidelberg, Germany ." //]]>, Born November 17, 1887 London, England Died March 24, 1976 Alton, England British field marshal. He famously lacked diplomacy and tact when dealing with others. Yet Montgomery virtually destroyed two German field armies in the Argentan-Falaise pocket, closed on August 19, and he propelled the four Allied armies across the Seine River in a pursuit that came to an end only at the Siegfried Line. Slowly, he became more thoughtful about the way to get on with fellow officers, but he never lost his ability to be argumentative with others. In 1943, he took part in the Allied landings in Italy and, after hard battles, the Allies succeeded in pushing the Axis powers back. Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, was also known as "Monty." He was the most well-known British general of World War II because he was unwavering in the face of adversity and was notorious for his sharp wit, self-promotion, and direct attitude. Montgomery's own books include El Alamein to the River Sangro (1948), Normandy to the Baltic (1948), Memoirs (1958), The Path to Leadership (1961), and A History of Warfare (1968). Richard Overy , Why The Allies Won, 1996. Also known as: Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, of Hindhead, Monty. The war began in September 1939 after Germany invaded Poland. Encyclopedia of World Biography. Born in 1900, he joined the British navy and served as a midshipman during World War I, specializing in the use of signals. Under the command of U.S. General Dwight D. Eisenhower, he shared major responsibility in the successful Allied invasion of Sicily (July 1943) and led his Eighth Army steadily up the east coast of Italy until called home to lead the Allied armies into France in 1944. After the United States entered the war at the end of 1941, military leaders began to talk about an eventual invasion of France, and Mountbatten's experience in conducting amphibious landings (made by combined land, air, and naval forces who attack from the sea) became valuable. https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/educational-magazines/montgomery-bernard, "Montgomery, Bernard Affectionately known as 'Monty', he commanded the Allies in North Africa and in the subsequent invasions of Italy and Normandy. The marriage was happy and produced a son, David, born in 1928. Get HISTORYs most fascinating stories delivered to your inbox three times a week. (2023, April 5). His life was saved by another soldier who had come to help him and was himself shot; the dead man's body fell over Montgomery and shielded him from taking further bullets. Fourth of nine children in a clerical Irish family of modest means, his early life suffered from a domineering mother. Along with Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, Montgomery is the most celebrated of British generals and had the ego to match, or even exceed, his reputation. Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. After the usual staff and command assignments, Montgomery was a major general in command of the 3d Division in 1939. British troops awaiting evacuation at Dunkirk, 1941, General Bernard Montgomery, November 1942. Monty: The Battles of Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, People Who Made a Difference in Health Care, Facts about the extraordinary life of Joan of Arc. Uniontown, Pennsylvania Famous military figures Famous military leaders and soldiers, includingAlexander the Great, Napoleon, Ataturk, Erwin Rommel, Winston Churchill and Dwight Eisenhower. The grim struggle that rolled back and forth across the North African desert from 1940 to 1943 resulted in the first major Allied victory of the Second World War. Opening the Second Battle of El Alamein in late October, Montgomery shattered Rommel's lines and sent him reeling east. The troops landed behind Germany's line and faced stronger-than-expected resistance. English people Famous English men and women. World Encyclopedia. 1. Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. . The Oxford Companion to American Military History. In des, Patton, George S. With the German invasion of the Low Countries, the 3rd Division performed well and, following the collapse of the Allied position, was evacuated through Dunkirk. Encyclopedia.com. One of the places in which the Germans had established a stronghold was North Africa, where the Afrika Korps under Field Marshal Erwin Rommel (1891-1944; see entry) threatened to take the strategically important Suez area of Egypt. Brilliant World War II field marshal. ." Knight of the Most Noble Order of the Garter (UK, 1946), Knight Grand Cross of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath (UK, 1945), Companion of the Distinguished Service Order (UK, 1914), Chief Commander of the Legion of Merit (US, 10 August 1943). The so-called good fighting generals of the war appeared to me to be those who had a complete disregard for human life. As the war concluded in November 1918, Montgomery held the temporary rank of lieutenant colonel and was serving as chief of staff for the 47th Division. There were of course exceptions and I suppose one was Plumer; I had only once seen him and I had never spoken to him.. While Montgomery dominated the scene in North Africa and Europe, another British officer was making a name for himself in another part of the world. They admired his somewhat unorthodox and eccentric habits.
