- In full:
- Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, of Hindhead
- Byname:
- Monty
- Died:
- March 24, 1976, near Alton, Hampshire (aged 88)
Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery
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Who was Bernard Law Montgomery?
Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery (1887–1976), was a British field marshal and one of the most outstanding Allied commanders in World War II.
Having served in World War I, Montgomery was known as a first-rate trainer of troops. In World War II, he commanded the British Eighth Army in North Africa, where he forced Erwin Rommel to retreat from Egypt after the Battle of El-Alamein in November 1942 and led the Allied armies into France in 1944.
Montgomery led his group to victory across northern France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and northern Germany. He received the surrender of the German northern armies on May 4, 1945, on Lüneburg Heath. After the war, he was made 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein in 1946.
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What role did Montgomery play during World War II?
Bernard Law Montgomery, a British field marshal, played a crucial role as one of the prominent Allied commanders during World War II. In August 1942, he was appointed commander of the British Eighth Army in North Africa, where he successfully restored the troops' confidence and drove Erwin Rommel and his forces out of Egypt after the Battle of El-Alamein in November 1942.
Under General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Montgomery contributed to the Allied invasion of Sicily in July 1943 and led the Eighth Army up the east coast of Italy. In 1944, he was called back to lead the Allied armies in France, and he commanded all ground forces in the initial stages of the Normandy Invasion on D-Day, June 6, 1944. Montgomery led the Allied forces to victory across Northern Europe, ultimately receiving the surrender of the German northern armies on May 4, 1945.
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What is Montgomery best known for in military history?
Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery, a British field marshal, is renowned for his command of the British Eighth Army in North Africa during World War II. He restored the troops' confidence and drove Erwin Rommel from Egypt after the Battle of El-Alamein. Montgomery pursued the German armies across North Africa, leading to their surrender in Tunisia in May 1943.
As commander of all ground forces in the initial stages of the Normandy Invasion (D-Day) on June 6, 1944, he led his Twenty-first Army Group to victory across northern France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and northern Germany. On May 4, 1945, he received the surrender of the German northern armies on Lüneburg Heath.
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How did Montgomery help win the Battle of El Alamein?
Bernard Montgomery revitalized the British Eighth Army after its defeats in North Africa and instilled confidence in the troops. Appointed commander in August 1942, he used the time to build up a sizable army for a new offensive, the Second Battle of El Alamein.
By mid-October 1942, Montgomery had approximately twice the number of men and tanks as Rommel's forces and also had air superiority. Montgomery planned a diversionary attack to the south to split Rommel's force, with the main attack in the north. The British broke through the Axis line, wearing down the enemy's offensive capability. Montgomery's leadership and strategy led to a decisive victory, forcing Rommel to retreat from Egypt. The victory was a tremendous boost to British morale and made Montgomery a national hero.
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What was Montgomery's leadership style like?
Bernard Law Montgomery, later known as 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, was a British field marshal noted as one of the Allies' most prominent commanders during World War II.
Montgomery was known as a cautious and thorough strategist, who insisted on complete readiness of troops and equipment before any strike. Although this sometimes frustrated fellow Allied commanders, it ensured his popularity with his troops and yielded steady successes. He was also known as a first-rate trainer of troops, with a forcible insistence on physical fitness, youth, and efficiency in leadership.
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How did Montgomery influence the outcome of World War II for the Allies?
Bernard Law Montgomery, a British field marshal, significantly impacted the Allied efforts in World War II. As commander of the British Eighth Army, he restored troop confidence and drove Erwin Rommel from Egypt to Tunisia.
Under General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Montgomery helped plan the Allied invasion of Sicily and led his army up the east coast of Italy. Reviewing Operation Overlord (the Normandy Invasion), Montgomery expanded the landing area and invading force size. As commander of all ground forces in the initial stages of the invasion, he led the Allied armies to victory across northern France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and northern Germany.
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Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery (born November 17, 1887, London, England—died March 24, 1976, near Alton, Hampshire) was a British field marshal and one of the outstanding Allied commanders in World War II.
Montgomery, the son of an Ulster clergyman, was educated at St. Paul’s School, London, and the Royal Military Academy (Sandhurst). Having served with distinction in World War I (in which he was twice wounded), he was recognized as a first-rate trainer of troops, with a forcible insistence on physical fitness, youth, and efficiency in leadership. Early in World War II, he led a division in France, and, after the evacuation of Allied troops from Dunkirk, he commanded the southeastern section of England in anticipation of a German invasion.
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. There Montgomery restored the troops’ shaken confidence and, combining drive with caution, forced Rommel to retreat from Egypt after the Battle of El-Alamein (November 1942). Montgomery then pursued the German armies across North Africa to their final surrender in Tunisia in May 1943. 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. He was first knighted (KCB) in 1942.
Again under Eisenhower, Montgomery reviewed the plan for Operation Overlord (as the Normandy Invasion was code-named) and recommended expanding the size of the invading force and landing area. Eisenhower approved the expansion plan (code-named Neptune), and Montgomery commanded all ground forces in the initial stages of the invasion, launched on D-Day, June 6, 1944. Beginning August 1, his Twenty-first Army Group consisted of Miles Dempsey’s British Second Army and Henry Crerar’s First Canadian Army. Promoted to the rank of field marshal, Montgomery led the group to victory across northern France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and northern Germany, finally receiving the surrender of the German northern armies on May 4, 1945, on Lüneburg Heath.
Following World War II, Montgomery was made a knight of the Garter and was created 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein in 1946. He commanded the British Army of the Rhine and served as chief of the Imperial General Staff from 1946 to 1948. He became chairman of the permanent defense organization of the Western European Union (1948–51) and then deputy commander of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Supreme Headquarters, Allied Powers in Europe (1951–58). Among a number of theoretical and historical treatises on warfare, he wrote his Memoirs (1958) and The Path to Leadership (1961).
Montgomery was always a cautious, thorough strategist, often exasperating the patience of fellow Allied commanders. He insisted on the complete readiness of both men and matériel before any attempted strike, a policy that yielded steady, if slow, successes and ensured his popularity with his troops.