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Bernard Montgomery Facts

Bernard Montgomery Facts
Bernard Montgomery was a career officer in the British Army and one of the major Allied military leaders during World War II. Montgomery cemented his reputation as a supreme military commander when he given command of the Eight Army in North Africa in August 1942. He defeated Rommel and the Afrika Korps at the Second Battle of El-Alamein, which ended the Germans' and Italians' thrust toward Egypt and gave the Allies a much needed morale boost. Although Montgomery played a crucial role in the planning and execution of Operation Overlord (the Allied invasion of Normandy), American General Dwight D. Eisenhower was appointed Supreme Commander of the Allied forces. British and American political leaders thought that since the majority of the Allied forces on the Western Front were Americans they should be led by an American general. Montgomery was upset with the decision as he believed he was a better general than Eisenhower, so as a consolation Prime Minister Churchill made him Field Marshal of all British forces on September 1, 1944. Montgomery was born Bernard Law Montgomery November 17, 1887 in Surrey, England to Henry and Maude Montgomery. Henry Montgomery was a minister, so Bernard had a combination of strict morals and discipline instilled in him at an early age. Bernard spent much of his childhood on the Australian island of Tasmania, but returned to England in 1897. He graduated from the Royal Military College in 1908 and was commissioned as a second lieutenants.
Interesting Bernard Montgomery Facts:
Montgomery married widow Elizabeth Carver in 1927. She had two sons from her previous marriage. The couple had one son, David, but were only married for ten years. Elizabeth died of an infection in 1937.
Montgomery fought extensively on the Western Front during World War I, getting shot in the chest and knee in two separate occasions.
Between the wars, "Monty" as he was often called, worked his way up the ranks and was given command of the 3rd Division of the British Expeditionary Force.
Both of his stepsons, John and Dick Carver, served in World War II and rose to the rank of colonel. John was captured by the Italians but escaped prison in 1943.
He was promoted to major general in 1938.
In July 1939, Montgomery suppressed an Arab revolt in British ruled Palestine. He was later quoted saying about the experience, "I shall be sorry to leave Palestine in many ways, as I have enjoyed the war out here."
During World War II, Montgomery had a pet terrier he named "Hitler."
Montgomery was promoted to full general after his victory at El Alamein.
He commanded the 21st Army Group during after the Allied invasion of Europe.
Montgomery was given command of two American armies during the Battle of the Bulge and is credited with helping reorganize the Allied counteroffensive.
In terms of his personality, Montgomery was said to lack tack and was not very diplomatic. In his later life, he called American involvement in Vietnam "insane," agreed with the Apartheid system in South Africa, and had respect for Mao Zedong and Communist China.
Montgomery died on March 24, 1976 and the age of eighty-eight in Alton, England. He was buried in the Holy Cross churchyard in Binsted, England.


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