72-PERS-004 PERSONALITIES AND MILITARY LEADERS OF HISTORY IV

Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein was born in November 1887 and died in March 1976. He was a British field marshal and one of the best commanders of the British Empire during the Second World War. Bernard Law Montgomery completed his secondary education at St. Paul's School, and received theoretical military education at the Military Academy in Sandhurst, which he graduated in 1908 at the age of 21. Military service began with assignment to the 1st Royal Infantry Regiment and shipment to India. Bernard Law Montgomery took a very active part in World War I: he fought at Ypres and Baileul in 1914, where he was badly wounded. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order for these battles. In 1916, he fought on the Somme as a staff officer. In July 1918 he was appointed lieutenant colonel and chief of staff of the 47th Infantry Division. He also actively served in the British Army in the interwar period, obtaining the rank of brigadier. He started his activities in World War II with the French campaign in 1940, as the commander of the 2nd BEF Corps (British Expeditionary Force). He had earned his credit in the retreat from Dunkirk. He spent the years 1940-1942 in the British Isles. In 1942, he was assigned to North Africa, where he was given command of the 8th Army. Commanding these forces, he first inhibited the German advance at Alam El-Halfa, and later defeated the Axis forces in the Battle of El-Alamein, achieving his greatest and most famous victory. He later commanded the 8th Army during the fighting in North Africa, during the landings in Sicily and in southern Italy in 1943. He was one of the high-ranking Allied officers who planned and implemented the Normandy landing plan in June 1944. After landing, his forces fought in the Caen area where he ultimately won victory despite numerous tactical defeats. Later (September 1944) he oversaw the unsuccessful operation Market-Garden. After World War II, he held important positions in the structure of the British army, and later also in NATO. He ended his military career in 1958.