The National Archives
Education
World War II
Imagine it is 1944. In June the Allies will invade France. Field Marshal Montgomery has been put forward as the man to command the land forces in France. Your task is to look at his record and decide whether you think he is the right man. Organise your report along the following lines:
Bernard Montgomery was probably the most famous British commander in WW2. He was also a controversial character. Here is one comment on him:
As commander of the victorious British Army in North Africa, "Monty" enjoyed enormous popularity among both his troops and the British people. His military achievements won him the respect of his fellow soldiers, including his Desert War opponent, Erwin Rommel. But his arrogant, rigid, and abrasive manner earned him a reputation as one of the most difficult and controversial commanders of World War II. He was unreceptive to suggestions, and his cautious approach to combat led other Allied commanders to view him as weak and indecisive.
Catalogue ref: WO 214/19
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This is a printed notice sent out to all troops in the British Eighth Army before the Battle of El Alamein. The battle began on October 23rd and lasted for 12 days.
A notice like this was a most unusual step for a British commander. Until Montgomery's arrival the battle plans were kept strictly secret and senior commanding officers had very little contact with their troops.
One of the key battlegrounds in WW2 was in North Africa. The area contained important oil reserves in Libya, which was controlled by Hitler's ally, Mussolini, the leader of Italy. Next door to Libya was Egypt, which was controlled by the British. Egypt had valuable ports that helped British forces in the Mediterranean Sea. Egypt also had the Suez Canal that was a vital supply line for troops and equipment to India and other parts of the British Empire. As a result, Italian and German forces fought constantly against British forces in North Africa from June 1940-late 1942.
At first, the campaign went well for British Empire forces against the Italians. However, the Italians were then reinforced by German Afrika Korps troops. They were well trained, well equipped and well led by General Erwin Rommel. The open spaces of the desert were ideally suited to German tactics that used fast moving tanks, armoured vehicles and aircraft. By the autumn of 1942 Rommel's forces had pushed deep into Egypt as far as El Alamein. It was here that the decisive battle of the campaign would be fought.
Montgomery was only appointed to take over command of the 8th Army on August 15th 1942.
He upset the commanders he was replacing by taking charge two days earlier than he was supposed to.
