242-648: British victory Invasion Inland Invasion of Italy Winter Line Gothic Line 1945 Spring Offensive Operation Fustian was an airborne forces operation undertaken during the Allied invasion of Sicily in July 1943 in the Second World War . The operation was carried out by Brigadier Gerald Lathbury 's 1st Parachute Brigade , part of the British 1st Airborne Division . Their objective
484-733: A Lambeth Conference in 1897, and Bernard and his brother Harold were educated at The King's School, Canterbury . In 1901, Bishop Montgomery became secretary of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel , and the family returned to London. Montgomery attended St Paul's School and then the Royal Military College, Sandhurst , from which he was almost expelled for rowdiness and violence. On graduation in September 1908 he
726-424: A battalion of the 1st Fallschirmjäger Artillery Regiment. The Fallschirmjäger engineers started to form a defensive line to the north of the bridge, and a smaller one on the southern bank. Early on 15 July, the 1st Parachute Brigade heard tank fire to the south of their position. Brigadier Lathbury sent out a patrol to investigate, which located the tanks and infantry of XIII Corps that had halted just south of them
968-400: A crushing defeat. British war correspondent Evelyn Aubrey Montague reported that several Italians units had indeed fought hard for Primosole Bridge, "While some dropped behind enemy lines and rounded up a large number of Italian prisoners ... the main body captured the bridge and held it all yesterday against tremendous odds. For nearly 24 hours, they were shelled, under mortar fire, strafed from
1210-566: A decisive victory, and put into action his beliefs with the gathering of resources, detailed planning, the training of troops—especially in clearing minefields and fighting at night —and in the use of 252 of the latest American-built Sherman tanks , 90 M7 Priest self-propelled howitzers, and making a personal visit to every unit involved in the offensive. By the time the offensive was ready in late October, Eighth Army had 231,000 men on its ration strength. The Second Battle of El Alamein began on 23 October 1942, and ended 12 days later with one of
1452-487: A defence around 2,000 yards (1,800 m) to the south of the bridge once they arrived, well located to deal with any parachute or glider landing in that area. The Primosole Bridge is built from steel girders . It has a span of 400 feet (120 m), and is raised 8 feet (2.4 m) above the Simeto River. The land to the north of the bridge is mainly olive and almond groves in tree-lined fields. Immediately to
1694-583: A distraction for the Germans while Lieutenant Colonel Pearson of the 1st Parachute Battalion led two companies of the 8th Battalion, Durham Light Infantry across the Simeto River using a small ford to establish another bridgehead on the northern bank. During the day's battle both the British and Germans suffered heavy casualties, but the bridge was eventually retaken by the British infantry. The remaining machine-gunners, mortar-men and protecting rifle teams from
1936-516: A great success. Over 30,000 prisoners of war were taken, including the German second-in-command, General von Thoma , as well as eight other general officers. Montgomery was advanced to KCB and promoted to full general. He kept the initiative, applying superior strength when it suited him, forcing Rommel out of each successive defensive position. On 6 March 1943, Rommel's attack on the over-extended Eighth Army at Medenine ( Operation Capri ) with
2178-616: A hospital, was treated and eventually evacuated to England, where he would remain for well over a year. He was appointed a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order (DSO), for his gallant leadership during this period: the citation for this award, published in The London Gazette in December 1914 reads: Conspicuous gallant leading on 13th October, when he turned the enemy out of their trenches with
2420-500: A linkup with the Americans to the south. At Paestum , the two lead battalions of the 36th (Texas) Division (from the 141st and 142nd Infantry Regiments ) received stiff resistance from two companies of the von Doering group. German observers on Monte Soprano directed fire onto the landing craft. LST 336 took 18 hits, and some LCTs and DUKWs sheered away to avoid German shellfire. The division had not been in combat before and as
2662-539: A more general advance, and by 16 September the British 5th Infantry Division had reached Sapri, 40 km (25 mi) beyond Belvedere, where forward patrols made contact with patrols from VI Corps' 36th Division. On 16 September, the overall commander of forces in the Salerno area, General von Vietinghoff, reported to Field Marshal Kesselring that the Allied air and naval superiority were decisive and that he didn't have
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#17327802742062904-468: A number of casualties. At 09:00 a forward observation officer attached to the 2nd Parachute Battalion managed to make radio contact with the British cruiser HMS Newfoundland , which then used its 6-inch guns to target the Fallschirmjäger positions. The naval gunfire had the desired effect, causing the Germans some casualties and keeping them under cover. From then on, German resistance from
3146-412: A particular habit, which he would keep throughout the war, of going to bed at 21:30 every night without fail and giving only a single order—that he was not to be disturbed—which was only very rarely disobeyed. The 3rd Division saw comparatively little action but, owing to the strict training methods of Montgomery, the division always managed to be in the right place at the right time, especially so during
3388-509: A rapid response to any Allied landing. In Calabria, Herr's LXXVI Panzer Corps had two divisions concentrated in the Castrovillari area. Its third division, 1st Parachute Division ( 1. Fallschirmjäger-Division ), was deployed toward Taranto. The rearguard in the toe was BattleGroup von Usedom, comprising a single battalion (1/67th Panzergrenadier Regiment) with detachments of artillery and engineers. Meanwhile, Balck's XIV Panzer Corps
3630-455: A result of the Italian surrender, there was a general belief amongst the soldiers that the landings would be routine. The 141st Infantry lost cohesion and failed to gain any depth during the day which made the landing of supporting arms and stores impossible, leaving them without artillery and anti-tank guns. However, the 142nd Infantry fared better and with the support of the 143rd Infantry ,
3872-483: A river line, only to come under attack and forced to withdraw to another position, usually behind another river. These exercises usually occurred at night with only very minimal lighting being allowed. By the spring of 1940 Montgomery's division had gained a reputation of being a very agile and flexible formation. By then the Allies had agreed to Plan D , where they would advance deep into Belgium and take up positions on
4114-693: A significant amount of equipment. On his return Montgomery antagonised the War Office with trenchant criticisms of the command of the BEF and was briefly relegated to divisional command of 3rd Division, which was the only fully equipped division in Britain. He was made a Companion of the Order of the Bath . Montgomery was ordered to make ready the 3rd Division to invade the neutral Portuguese Azores . Models of
4356-743: A time when the disposal of Allied shipping capacity was in crisis and permit an increase of British and American supplies to the Soviet Union . In addition, it would tie down German forces in Italy. Joseph Stalin , the Soviet leader , had been strongly pressuring Churchill and Roosevelt to open a "second front" in Europe, which would lessen the German Army 's focus on the Eastern Front , where
4598-440: A two-battalion drop at Capua to block the highway there. The Italian surrender on 3 September led to the cancellation of Operation Giant I and its replacement by Operation Giant II, a drop of the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment on Stazione di Furbara and Cerveteri airfields, 40 kilometres (25 mi) northwest of Rome. This was intended to aid Italian forces in saving Rome, one of the most culturally significant cities in
4840-566: A very broad 56 km (35 mi) front, using only three assault divisions (one American, the 36th , under Major General Fred L. Walker , in VI Corps, and two British: the 46th , under Major-General John Hawkesworth , and 56th (London) , under Major-General Douglas Graham , in X Corps), and the two corps were widely separated, both in distance (19 km (12 mi)) and by the Sele River . Clark initially provided no troops to cover
5082-470: A vital bridge over the Sarno River at Scafati . They surrounded Mount Vesuvius and prepared to advance on Naples. The Fascist troops occupying the city provoked a rebellion by the population which started on 27 September. With the swift advance by British X Corps and Naples in rebellion, the Germans were forced to evacuate. On 1 October, "A" Squadron of the 1st King's Dragoon Guards entered Naples,
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#17327802742065324-463: A weak spot in the lines. German losses, particularly in tanks, were severe. On 14 September and the following night, Tedder ordered every available aircraft to support the Fifth Army, including the strategic bomber force. Over 1,000 tons of bombs were dropped during the daylight hours. On 15 September both the 16th Panzer and 29th Panzergrenadier Divisions went on the defensive, marking the end to
5566-620: A week after Montgomery had taken command. Alan Brooke said that Churchill was always impatient for his generals to attack at once, and he wrote that Montgomery was always "my Monty" when Montgomery was out of favour with Churchill. Eden had some late night drinks with Churchill, and Eden said at a meeting of the Chiefs of Staff the next day (29 October 1942) that the Middle East offensive was "petering out". Alanbrooke had told Churchill "fairly plainly" what he thought of Eden's ability to judge
5808-664: The Oberkommando der Wehrmacht that the Allied air and naval superiority had forced LXXVI Panzer Corps onto the defensive, and that a decisive success would depend on the attack by XIV Panzer Corps. If this failed, the 10th Army must break off the battle to avoid being 'mangled'. On 16 September, the Schmalz group renewed its efforts on the X Corps front but with no more success, although No. 2 Commando suffered casualties, including 31-year-old Captain Henry Wellesley ,
6050-455: The 16th Panzer Division had organised his forces into four mixed arms battle groups which he had placed roughly 10 km (6 mi) apart and between 5 and 10 km (3 and 6 mi) back from the beaches. The Dőrnemann group was just east of Salerno (and therefore were opposite Major General John Hawkesworth 's British 46th Infantry Division when it landed), the Stempel battle group
6292-471: The 1st Canadian and British 5th Infantry Divisions , launched Operation Baytown under General Bernard Montgomery 's direction. Opposition to the landings was light and the Italian coastal units surrendered almost immediately. Except to the Italian paratroopers of the 185th Infantry Regiment "Nembo" which was attached to the 211th Coastal Division had provided stiff resistance in the Aspromonte, but
6534-892: The 21st Army Group for the rest of the North West Europe campaign , including the failed attempt to cross the Rhine during Operation Market Garden . When German armoured forces broke through the US lines in Belgium during the Battle of the Bulge , Montgomery received command of the northern shoulder of the Bulge. Montgomery's 21st Army Group, including the US Ninth Army and the First Allied Airborne Army , crossed
6776-456: The 3-inch Mortar platoon and the Vickers machine gun platoon which were part of the battalion headquarters. It was decided that the brigade's paratroops would land on four separate drop zones and that the gliders would land at two landing zones. The paratroops of the 1st Parachute Battalion were divided into two groups, one of which would land at 'Drop zone One' to the north of the river, and
7018-558: The 33rd Division and took part in the Battle of Arras in April–May. In July he transferred over as a GSO2 to IX Corps , part of General Sir Herbert Plumer 's Second Army . It was in this role that Montgomery served at the Battle of Passchendaele which began in late July 1917. He was promoted to the temporary rank of major in February 1918, and brevet major in June. He finished
7260-532: The 4th Armoured Brigade . The armoured brigade, with three tank regiments, was equipped with the American built Sherman tank . Early on 13 July the commander of the 50th Division, Major-General Sidney Kirkman , was called to General Montgomery 's Eighth Army headquarters. Here he was informed about the two missions by the British Commandos and the 1st Parachute Brigade, and the requirement for
7502-404: The Battle of Passchendaele in late 1917 before finishing the war as chief of staff of the 47th (2nd London) Division . In the inter-war years he commanded the 17th (Service) Battalion, Royal Fusiliers and, later, the 1st Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment before becoming commander of the 9th Infantry Brigade and then general officer commanding (GOC), 8th Infantry Division . During
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7744-455: The British 6 pounder . Despite the formation being a parachute brigade, the only way to transport the anti-tank guns and the jeeps required to pull them when they had landed, was by glider. Transporting artillery by air was something new to the British or any other army, and this would be the first time that any artillery guns had ever been flown into combat. The 1st Parachute Brigade was an experienced formation, initially under command of
7986-678: The British Eighth Army access to the Catania plain, its capture was expected to speed the advance and lead to the defeat of the Axis forces in Sicily. Many of the aircraft carrying the paratroopers from North Africa were shot down or were damaged and turned back by friendly fire and enemy action. Evasive action taken by the pilots scattered the brigade over a large area and only the equivalent of two companies of troops were landed in
8228-527: The British First Army for Operation Torch , the invasion of French North Africa . A story, probably apocryphal but popular at the time, is that the appointment caused Montgomery to remark that "After having an easy war, things have now got much more difficult." A colleague is supposed to have told him to cheer up—at which point Montgomery said "I'm not talking about me, I'm talking about Rommel !" Montgomery's assumption of command transformed
8470-588: The Chief of the Imperial General Staff (CIGS), in London: "I am not satisfied with the situation at Avalanche. The build-up is slow and they are pinned down to a bridgehead that has not enough depth. Everything is being done to push follow-up units and material to them. I expect heavy German counter-attack to be imminent." By 12 September, X Corps had taken a defensive posture because every battalion
8712-480: The Church of England and Roman Catholic senior chaplains objected; Brooke told Monty that he did not want any further errors of this kind, though deciding not to get him to formally withdraw it as it would remove any "vestige of respect" left for him. Although Montgomery's new command was a Regular Army formation, comprising the 7th (Guards) , and the 8th and 9th Infantry Brigades along with supporting units, he
8954-502: The Essex Regiment : Personally, my whole attention was given to defeating the rebels but it never bothered me a bit how many houses were burnt. I think I regarded all civilians as 'Shinners' and I never had any dealings with any of them. My own view is that to win a war of this sort, you must be ruthless. Oliver Cromwell , or the Germans, would have settled it in a very short time. Nowadays public opinion precludes such methods,
9196-782: The German High Command formed a new army headquarters to be Army Command South's main field formation. The new German 10th Army headquarters, commanded by Heinrich von Vietinghoff , was activated on 22 August. The German 10th Army had two subordinate corps with a total of six divisions which were positioned to cover possible landing sites. Under Hermann Balck 's XIV Panzer Corps was the Hermann Göring Airborne Panzer Division (under Wilhelm Schmalz ), 15th Panzergrenadier Division ( Eberhard Rodt ) and 16th Panzer Division ( Rudolf Sieckenius ); and under Traugott Herr 's LXXVI Panzer Corps
9438-659: The Indian Army Staff College (now the Pakistan Command and Staff College ) in Quetta , British India. On completion of his tour of duty in India, Montgomery returned to Britain in June 1937 where he took command of the 9th Infantry Brigade with the temporary rank of brigadier . His wife died that year. In 1938, he organised an amphibious combined operations landing exercise that impressed
9680-827: The Irish War of Independence and the Second World War . Montgomery first saw action in the First World War as a junior officer of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment . At Méteren , near the Belgian border at Bailleul , he was shot through the right lung by a sniper, during the First Battle of Ypres . On returning to the Western Front as a general staff officer, he took part in the Battle of Arras in April–May 1917. He also took part in
9922-668: The Joint Chiefs of Staff instructed General Dwight D. Eisenhower , the Supreme Allied Commander in the Mediterranean theater, to go ahead. Despite the overwhelming success of the Sicilian campaign, a significant number of Axis forces managed to avoid capture and escape to the mainland. Contemporary Axis propaganda portrayed this as a success. In late July, the fascist government fell and Mussolini
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10164-465: The Red Devils by the Germans. A British parachute battalion had an establishment of 556 men in three rifle companies . Each of the companies were divided into a small headquarters and three platoons . The platoons had three sections ; each section had a Bren light machine gun and a 2-inch mortar as well as the men's own personal weapons. The only heavy weapons in the parachute battalion were in
10406-532: The River Dyle by the time the German forces attacked. Brooke, Montgomery's corps commander, was pessimistic about the plan but Montgomery, in contrast, was not concerned, believing that he and his division would perform well regardless of the circumstances, particularly in a war of movement . Montgomery's training paid off when the Germans began their invasion of the Low Countries on 10 May 1940 and
10648-638: The Simeto River, south of Catania . The bridge was a vital objective, as it was the only crossing point over the Simeto. Its capture would give the Eighth Army access to the Catania plain, to enable them to continue their advance northwards; its destruction would seriously hamper the advance. Once the parachute brigade had captured the bridge, they would then have to defend it until relieved by units of
10890-843: The Staff College in Camberley , Surrey (his only hope of ever achieving high command). But at a tennis party in Cologne , he was able to persuade the Commander-in-chief (C-in-C) of the British Army of Occupation, Field Marshal Sir William Robertson , to add his name to the list. After graduating from the Staff College, he was appointed brigade major in the 17th Infantry Brigade in January 1921. The brigade
11132-480: The U.S. VI Corps under Major General Ernest J. Dawley , the British X Corps under Lieutenant-General Richard McCreery , with the 82nd Airborne Division in reserve, a total of eight divisions and two brigade -sized units. Its primary objectives were to seize the port of Naples to ensure resupply, and to cut across to the east coast, trapping Axis troops further south. The naval task force of warships, merchant ships and landing craft totaling 627 vessels came under
11374-671: The War Office to help write the Infantry Training Manual in mid-1929. In 1931 Montgomery was promoted to substantive lieutenant-colonel and became the Commanding officer (CO) of the 1st Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment and saw service in Palestine and British India . He was promoted to colonel in June 1934 (seniority from January 1932). He attended and was then recommended to become an instructor at
11616-430: The Western Desert campaign of the Second World War, Montgomery commanded the British Eighth Army from August 1942. He subsequently commanded the British Eighth Army during the Allied invasion of Sicily and the Allied invasion of Italy and was in command of all Allied ground forces during the Battle of Normandy ( Operation Overlord ), from D-Day on 6 June 1944 until 1 September 1944. He then continued in command of
11858-434: The fall of Berlin in April 1945. In addition, the invasion left the Allies in a position of supplying food and supplies to conquered territory, a burden that would otherwise have fallen on Germany. As well, Italy occupied by a hostile German army would have created additional problems for the German commander-in-chief (C-in-C), Generalfeldmarschall Albert Kesselring . The Allies had originally planned to cross from
12100-513: The retreat into France . By 27 May, when the Belgian Army on the left flank of the BEF began to disintegrate, the 3rd Division achieved something very difficult, the movement at night from the right to the left of another division and only 2,000 yards behind it. This was performed with great professionalism and occurred without any incidents and thereby filled a very vulnerable gap in the BEF's defensive line. On 29/30 May, Montgomery temporarily took over from Brooke, who received orders to return to
12342-601: The 'toe' of Italy. By 3 September, most of this unit was in prepared positions at Bagnara Calabra , 40 km (25 mi) from the landings which it had orders to hold until 6 September. After this they were to withdraw to join the rest of the 29th Panzergrenadier Division which was concentrating at Castrovillari, 130 km (80 mi) to the rear. The Krüger Battle Group (two battalions of 71st Panzergrenadier Regiment, 129th Reconnaissance Battalion and detachments of artillery and engineers) under 26th Panzer Division , would then stand at Nicotera, roughly 24 km (15 mi) up
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#173278027420612584-425: The 'toe' of Italy. The build-up across the Straits of Messina had proved slow; he was therefore short of transport and decided to halt his formations to reorganize before pushing on. However, General Alexander issued orders on 10 September that "It is of the utmost importance that you maintain pressure upon the Germans so that they cannot remove forces from your front and concentrate them against Avalanche". This message
12826-483: The 16th Panzer Reconnaissance Battalion. The British Commandos captured the town of Salerno after some serious fighting that cost 40 (Royal Marine) Commando and 41 Commando nine killed and thirty-seven wounded. The two British infantry divisions, however, met determined resistance and had to fight their way ashore with the help of naval bombardments. The depth and intensity of German resistance forced British commanders to concentrate their forces, rather than driving for
13068-400: The 1st Fallschirmjäger Machine Gun Battalion. In the darkness, the Germans initially thought that the paratroopers were their own reinforcements landing, but they soon realised their mistake and opened fire. Some of those who escaped the machine gun fire were rounded up on the drop zone, and about 100 of them became prisoners of war as soon as they had touched ground. In the confusion of
13310-421: The 1st Airborne Division before being detached from the division to fight in North Africa. The brigade had taken part in the landings in Algeria in November 1942 and the subsequent Battle of Tunisia , during which each of the brigade's three parachute battalions had taken part in their own battalion-sized parachute landings . It was during this campaign that the 1st Parachute Brigade had been given their nickname
13552-449: The 1st Battalion. The first glider casualties had occurred on takeoff, when two aircraft towing Waco gliders crashed. While en route, one of the gliders was released early by its towing aircraft, and crashed into the sea. When they did arrive over Sicily, the element of surprise was gone, and four gliders were shot down by the coastal anti-aircraft batteries. By the time the gliders arrived at their landing zones, two hours had lapsed since
13794-413: The 1st Parachute Battalion to help defend the bridge. To the north, the Italian 372nd Coastal Battalion and the 10th Arditi Regiment had been informed of the parachute landings. Many of the 372nd Battalion had disappeared, while the Arditi mounted the first of a number of attacks on the British positions. Without the support of any heavy weapons, they were easily fought off. Also at dawn the first attack by
14036-447: The 1st Parachute Brigade had been withdrawn to Malta and took no further part in the conquest of Sicily. Lessons were learned from the operation and were later put into practice in future Allied airborne operations. After the Axis powers were defeated in North Africa , the Allied armies' next logical objective was to cross the Mediterranean , landing in either the south of France, the Balkans, Sicily or Italy. The objective chosen
14278-472: The 1st Parachute Brigade were transported in trucks to Syracuse , where they embarked on a LST . Here they remained overnight, sitting through a two-hour air raid, and sailed for Valletta at 12:00 on 17 July. In Operation Fustian they had suffered around 141 dead, and 168 missing or wounded. The operation was successful in the end; though narrow in victory in part because of the uncoordinated and ill-controlled friendly anti-aircraft fire. Only forty percent of
14520-443: The 372nd Coastal Battalion and the reinforcements from the 29th Artillery Battalion sent to their assistance, held their ground until Major Bolla discovered that the neighbouring Fallschirmjäger unit had retreated without informing them of the planned German withdrawal. Bolla was nevertheless able to extricate his forces and escape the British encirclement. Leaving the British Eighth Army to continue their advance, at 07:00 16 July
14762-437: The 3rd Division advanced to its planned position, near the Belgian city of Louvain . Soon after arrival, the division was fired on by members of the Belgian 10th Infantry Division who mistook them for German paratroopers ; Montgomery resolved the incident by approaching them and offering to place himself under Belgian command, although Montgomery himself took control when the Germans arrived. During this time he began to develop
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#173278027420615004-422: The 4th Self-Propelled Artillery Battalion (under Lieutenant-Colonel Francesco Tropea), the 553rd (under Captain Giovanni Sartor) and 554th (under Captain Fausto Clementi) Motorcycle Companies on 13 July. The bridge was quickly captured; the commandos had dismantled the demolition charges so that it could not be demolished. With their first objective secured, the British infantry continued their advance on foot towards
15246-481: The 5,000 paratroopers dropped had landed near their assigned drop zones. The recapture of Primosole Bridge did not result in the rapid advance over the Catania plain envisioned by Montgomery. The by now exhausted 50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division was holding a position based on the bridge. The 5th Infantry Division took over the lead, but after a number of attacks could not make any further progress. Its 13th Infantry Brigade had to establish another bridgehead across
15488-480: The 50th Division would have to be conducted on foot. The Italian Army force in the area of Primosole Bridge came from the 213 Coastal Division commanded by General Carlo Gotti. Coastal divisions were second line divisions, usually formed from men in their forties and fifties, and were intended to perform labour or other second line duties. Recruited from the local population, their officers were mostly men who had retired but had then been called up again. Their morale
15730-570: The 98th Field Regiment Royal Artillery that had only recently having arrived in the area but the Italians were defeated at the intersection of the Lentini and Scordia roads and Semoventes from the 4th Self-Propelled Artillery Battalion, truck-borne infantry and supporting motorcycle companies from Gruppo Tattico Carmito (under Lieutenant-Colonel Francesco Tropea) attacked the British 124th Field Artillery Regiment but were unable to repeat their success obtained at Malati Bridge against No. 3 Commando (under Lieutenant Colonel John Durnford-Slater) and suffered
15972-465: The Albanella to Rutino sector was 6 km (4 mi) south-east of Ogliastro, somewhat south of the U.S. 36th Division's beaches. The British X Corps, composed of the British 46th and 56th Infantry Divisions and a light infantry force of U.S. Army Rangers and British Commandos of Brigadier Robert "Lucky" Laycock's 2nd Special Service Brigade , experienced mixed reactions to its landings. The U.S. Rangers met no opposition and with support from
16214-448: The Allied build-up was constrained by the limited transport available for the operation and the pre-determined schedule of the build-up based on how, during the planning phase, it had been anticipated the battle would develop. By 12 September, it had become clear that the Fifth Army had an acute shortage of infantry on the ground. That day, General Sir Harold Alexander , the 15th Army Group commander, reported to General Sir Alan Brooke ,
16456-515: The Allied position at the First Battle of El Alamein , but after a visit in August 1942, the Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, replaced him as C-in-C with General Sir Harold Alexander and William Gott as commander of the Eighth Army in the Western Desert . However, after Gott was killed flying back to Cairo , Churchill was persuaded by Brooke, who by this time was Chief of the Imperial General Staff (CIGS), to appoint Montgomery, who had only just been nominated to replace Alexander, as commander of
16698-453: The Allies' speed of advance was entirely dependent on the rate at which their engineers could clear obstructions. Thus, Montgomery's objections to the operation were proved correct: the Eighth Army could not tie down German units that refused battle and the main obstacle to their advance was the terrain and German demolitions of roads and bridges. By 8 September, Kesselring had concentrated Heinrich von Vietinghoff 's 10th Army , ready to make
16940-502: The American and British aircraft. Two of the planes, trying to avoid the unexpected anti-aircraft fire, collided and crashed into the sea. Another two were shot down, and nine were so badly shot up, with wounded crew and passengers, that they were forced to turn back towards their airfields in North Africa. Those aircraft that did reach the Sicilian coast were engaged by Axis anti-aircraft guns, which shot down 11 of them. Another ten were damaged and were forced to abort their mission. Some of
17182-419: The Biferno river. Bernard Montgomery Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein KG , GCB , DSO , PC , DL ( / m ə n t ˈ ɡ ʌ m ər i ... ˈ æ l ə m eɪ n / ; 17 November 1887 – 24 March 1976), nicknamed " Monty ", was a senior British Army officer who served in the First World War ,
17424-526: The British 1st Airborne Division, was killed in one of these actions. By 11 September the ports of Bari and Brindisi, still under Italian control, were occupied. Operation Avalanche–the main invasion at Salerno by the American Fifth Army under Lieutenant General Mark Clark –began on 9 September 1943, and in order to secure surprise, it was decided to assault without preliminary naval or aerial bombardment. However, as Admiral Henry Hewitt ,
17666-439: The British 46th Infantry Division attacked. The British 7th Armoured Division, passing through the 46th Division, was assigned the task of taking Naples, while the newly landed U.S. 3rd Infantry Division took Acerno on 22 September and Avellino on 28 September. The Eighth Army made good progress from the "toe" in spite of German demolitions and linked with the British 1st Airborne Division at Taranto. Its left linked up with
17908-495: The British Army and Royal Air Force submitted some recommendations. Aircrew had to be trained in parachute and glider operations, and pathfinders landing before the main force had to have enough time to set out their beacons. The landing plan was simplified, with complete brigades landing on one drop zone instead of the smaller battalion landing areas used in Sicily. Gliders were no longer released at night while still over water and their landing zones would be large enough to accommodate
18150-487: The British Commander-in-Chief, neither French nor Haig, and only twice did I see an Army Commander. The higher staffs were out of touch with the regimental officers and with the troops. The former lived in comfort, which became greater as the distance of their headquarters behind the lines increased. There was no harm in this provided there was touch and sympathy between the staff and the troops. This
18392-571: The Castle. At this point another IRA officer, Pat O'Sullivan, whistled to Montgomery drawing his attention to scores of IRA volunteers who had quietly taken up firing positions all around the square—surrounding Montgomery's forces. Realising his precarious position, Montgomery led his troops out of the town, a decision which raised hostile questions in the House of Commons but was later approved by Montgomery's own superiors. Unknown to Montgomery at this time,
18634-472: The Eighth Army 480 km (300 mi) south of the main landing at Salerno . He was proved correct; after Operation Baytown, the British Eighth Army moved 480 km north to the Salerno area against no opposition other than engineering obstacles. Plans for the use of Allied airborne forces took several forms, all of which were cancelled. The initial plan to land glider-borne troops in
18876-428: The Eighth Army advancing from the landing beaches. The 1st Parachute Brigade, under Brigadier Lathbury, comprised the 1st , the 2nd and 3rd Parachute Battalions , the 16th (Parachute) Field Ambulance , the 1st (Parachute) Squadron, Royal Engineers and the 1st (Airlanding) Anti-Tank Battery, Royal Artillery . The airlanding anti-tank battery were equipped with the 1st Para Brigade's only anti-tank guns,
19118-494: The Eighth Army. The first British airborne landing was Operation Ladbroke, which was carried out by the 1st Airlanding Brigade , under Brigadier Philip Hicks , during the night of 9–10 July. Their objective was to seize and hold the Ponte Grande bridge just outside Syracuse. The second British airborne mission, Operation Glutton, was to have been undertaken by the 2nd Parachute Brigade , under Brigadier Ernest Down , on
19360-574: The Fallschirmjäger Machine Gun Battalion to the south began, when they opened fire with their machine guns and mortars. Their first assault was against the 2nd Parachute Battalion's positions, and was unsuccessful. However, their next assault, later in the morning, succeeded in capturing Johnny II, the second of the small hills. Lieutenant Colonel John Frost , in command of the 2nd Parachute Battalion, immediately counterattacked, but his men were repulsed after sustaining
19602-455: The Fallschirmjäger Machine Gun Battalion were well dug in to the south. Beyond them, 140 men of the 2nd Parachute Battalion had occupied the three small hills, and taken 500 Italian prisoners. In numbers, both battalions had little more than company strength. The 3rd Parachute Battalion had suffered the worst in the scattered parachute drop, and only a few of their men had arrived at the bridge. With no command structure, they were attached to
19844-535: The Fifth Army's right on 16 September. The Eighth Army now concentrated its forces east of the Apennine Mountains and pushed north along the Adriatic coast through Bari . On 27 September, the Eighth Army captured the large airfield complex near Foggia , a major Allied objective. At the same time British X Corps made good progress; they pushed through the mountain passes of Monti Lattari and captured
20086-461: The German 1st Fallschirmjäger Machine Gun Battalion and Captain Stangenberg's Battle Group. The German High Command was aware of the importance of holding the bridge, and overnight they dispatched reinforcements who arrived by parachute. These came from the 1st Fallschirmjäger Division, and consisted of the 1st Fallschirmjäger Engineer Battalion, the 1st Battalion, 4th Fallschirmjäger Regiment and
20328-453: The German commander, Erwin Rommel, to attack with the heights as his objective, something that Rommel soon did. Montgomery ordered all contingency plans for retreat to be destroyed. "I have cancelled the plan for withdrawal. If we are attacked, then there will be no retreat. If we cannot stay here alive, then we will stay here dead", he told his officers at the first meeting he held with them in
20570-585: The Italian partisan movement, proved far superior to the German support, and were able to aid the Allied advance to a substantial degree. The Salerno battle was also the site of the Salerno Mutiny instigated by about 500 men of the British X Corps, which had by this time suffered over 6,000 casualties, who, on 16 September, refused assignment to new units as battle casualty replacements. They had previously understood that they would be returning to their original units, from which they had been separated during
20812-570: The Krüger Battle Group which was withdrawing from the Nicotera position. After an initial attack that made no headway, the Krüger Battle Group veered away but the northern attack continued throughout the day before the whole German force withdrew at dusk. Progress was slow as demolished bridges, roadblocks and mines delayed the Eighth Army. The nature of the countryside in the toe of Italy made it impossible to by-pass obstacles and so
21054-452: The Melati bridge and 15 miles (24 km) from Primosole Bridge. It was not until 17:00 that the 5th Battalion, East Yorkshire Regiment , part of the 69th Infantry Brigade , eventually reached Malati Bridge, although by now the commandos had been forced to withdraw after being overwhelmed during what proved to be largely an Italian counterattack from Gruppo Tattico Carmito comprising
21296-688: The Montgomery ancestral estate of New Park in Moville , a small town in Inishowen in the north of County Donegal in Ulster, the northern province in Ireland . There was still £13,000 to pay on a mortgage , a large debt in the 1880s (equivalent to £1,825,976 in 2023) and Henry was at the time still only an Anglican vicar. Despite selling off all the farms that were in the townland of Ballynally, on
21538-734: The Navy sailed to Allied ports to surrender. The German forces in Italy were prepared for this and implemented Operation Achse to disarm Italian units and occupy important defensive positions. Operation Slapstick commenced on 9 September. The first echelon of the British 1st Airborne Division arrived on four British cruisers, a U.S. cruiser, and the British fast minelayer HMS Abdiel . The Italian battleships Andrea Doria and Duilio with two cruisers passed by, en route to surrender in Malta. There were no Germans in Taranto and so disembarkation
21780-515: The Nile Delta. He moved his field HQ to Burg al Arab, close to the Air Force command post in order to better coordinate combined operations. Montgomery was determined that the army, navy and air forces should fight their battles in a unified, focused manner according to a detailed plan. He ordered immediate reinforcement of the vital heights of Alam Halfa, just behind his own lines, expecting
22022-539: The Portuguese islands, also did not go ahead and in July 1940, Montgomery was appointed acting lieutenant-general and after handing over command of his division to James Gammell , he was placed in command of V Corps , responsible for the defence of Hampshire and Dorset and started a long-running feud with the new Commander-in-chief (C-in-C) of Southern Command, Lieutenant-General Claude Auchinleck . In April 1941, he became commander of XII Corps responsible for
22264-713: The Rhine in Operation Plunder in March 1945. By the end of the war, troops under Montgomery's command had taken part in the encirclement of the Ruhr Pocket , liberated the Netherlands, and captured much of north-west Germany. On 4 May 1945, Montgomery accepted the surrender of the German forces in north-western Europe at Lüneburg Heath , south of Hamburg , after the surrender of Berlin to the USSR on 2 May. After
22506-562: The Salerno beachhead was secured. By the end of the first day the Fifth Army, although it had not gained all its objectives, had made a promising start: the British X Corps' two assault divisions had pushed between 8 and 11 km (5 and 7 mi) inland and the special forces had advanced north across the Sorrento Peninsula and were looking down on the Plain of Naples. To the south, the U.S. 36th Division had established itself in
22748-478: The Simeto, but the Germans had brought in more troops and prepared defensive positions, and after hard fighting it was not until 5 August 1943 that the Eighth Army entered the city of Catania itself. Further hard fighting followed, and they entered Messina just after the United States Seventh Army on 17 August 1943. After an enquiry into the problems with the airborne missions in Sicily,
22990-613: The South-Eastern Army to promote offensive spirit. During this time he further developed and rehearsed his ideas and trained his soldiers, culminating in Exercise Tiger in May 1942, a combined forces exercise involving 100,000 troops. In 1942, a new field commander was required in the Middle East, where Auchinleck was fulfilling both the role of C-in-C of Middle East Command and commander Eighth Army . He had stabilised
23232-418: The U.S. VI Corps commander, was relieved of his command by Clark and replaced by Major General John P. Lucas . The U.S. 82nd Airborne Division, after suffering serious casualties near Altavilla , was merged with British X Corps, joining the U.S. Army Rangers and the British 23rd Armoured Brigade on the Sorrento Peninsula to flank the German defenses at Nocera Inferiore , Sant'Antonio Abate , and Angri , which
23474-578: The United Kingdom, as GOC of II Corps for the final stages of the Dunkirk evacuation . The 3rd Division, temporarily commanded by Kenneth Anderson in Montgomery's absence, returned to Britain intact with minimal casualties. Operation Dynamo—codename for the Dunkirk evacuation—saw 330,000 Allied military personnel, including most of the BEF, to Britain, although the BEF was forced to leave behind
23716-620: The afternoon, two German battlegroups, the Kleine Limburg and the Krüger, had attacked Persano and overrun the 1st Battalion, 157th Infantry before crossing the Sele to engage the 2nd Battalion of the 143rd Infantry and virtually wipe it out. The battle groups continued their strike south and south-west until reaching the confluence of the Sele and its large tributary the Calore, where it
23958-447: The afternoon. Here the streets were blocked by debris, covered by snipers and machine gunners left as a rearguard by the retreating Germans. By nightfall only one of the 50th (Northumbrian) Division's infantry battalions, the 6th Battalion, Durham Light Infantry , of 151st Infantry Brigade , with some tanks in support, had reached a position 1 mile (1.6 km) from Johnny II. Despite their orders to advance at all speed, they halted for
24200-415: The air, and attacked on the ground by seven Italian battalions. There were less than 200 of them to resist this continuous onslaught, but they held out stubbornly, knowing that behind them our infantry were fighting, furiously to come to their aid." By dawn, the 50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division had only managed to advance 10 miles (16 km), and were still 8 miles (13 km) from No. 3 Commando at
24442-592: The aircraft with room to spare. Following the friendly-fire incident over the convoy, more training was given to ships' crews in aircraft recognition and Allied aircraft were painted with three large white stripes on their wings . Training for pilots belonging to the Glider Pilot Regiment was increased and improvements to the gliders were implemented, including better inter-aircraft communication. For transporting paratroops, to avoid relying solely on American aircraft and pilots, No. 38 Wing Royal Air Force
24684-433: The alternative Operation Seatrain envisioned shifting VI Corps to the X Corps sector. The navy protested that reversing the landing process would be impossible since loading beached landing craft would make them heavier and unable to withdraw from the beach. Advice from superiors and subordinates convinced Clark to continue fighting, and he later denied seriously considering evacuation. The U.S. VI Corps had by this time lost
24926-518: The amphibious force commander, had predicted, tactical surprise was not achieved. As the first wave of Major General Fred L. Walker 's U.S. 36th Infantry Division approached the Paestum shore at 03:30 a loudspeaker from the landing area proclaimed in English: "Come on in and give up. We have you covered." The Allied troops attacked nonetheless. Major General Rudolf Sieckenius , commander of
25168-401: The anti-tank guns, which were now included in the bridge's defences. Including the men from the gliders, the 1st Parachute Brigade had 295 men at the bridge. Shortage of manpower was not their only problem; their only support weapons were the anti-tank guns, two 3-inch mortars and a Vickers machine gun. By 04:30 on 14 July, the 1st Parachute Battalion was in control of Primosole Bridge, but
25410-603: The axis" (American General Mark W. Clark would later call it "one tough gut"). Churchill noted that Italian popular support for the war was declining and an invasion would remove Italy from the Axis, thus weakening Axis influence in the Mediterranean Sea and opening it to Allied traffic. This would allow the reduction of shipping capacity needed to supply Allied forces in the Middle East and Far East theaters at
25652-404: The battlefield. Units, short of transport and subjected to other delays, arrived piecemeal and were formed into ad hoc battle groups for immediate action. By 13 September, all the immediately available reinforcements had arrived including additional elements from the 3rd Panzergrenadier Division which had been released by Generalfeldmarschall Kesselring from further north near Rome. By contrast,
25894-552: The bayonet. He was severely wounded. After recovering in early 1915, he was appointed brigade major , first of the 112th Infantry Brigade , and then with 104th Infantry Brigade , then training in Lancashire . He returned to the Western Front in early 1916 with his brigade, seeing service with it during the Battle of the Somme later in the year. In January 1917 he was assigned as a general staff officer, grade 2 (GSO2) with
26136-667: The best part of three battalions, and so the forward units of both its divisions were withdrawn to reduce the length of the defensive line. The 45th Division consolidated at the Sele - Calore position while the 36th Division was on the high ground on the seaward side of the La Caso stream (which flowed into the Calore). The new perimeter was held with the assistance of Major General Matthew Ridgway 's 82nd Airborne Division . Two battalions (roughly 1,300 paratroopers ) of Colonel Reuben Tucker 's 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment (PIR), after
26378-450: The bridge, and soon they numbered around 120 men, who dug in to the north and south. The Brigade Headquarters and the field ambulance main dressing station were established to the south of the bridge, where the brigade's casualties started arriving for treatment. Away from the main dressing station, the medics on the 2nd Battalion drop zone had 29 wounded as a result of the parachute drop, and there were 15 wounded on drop zone one from
26620-562: The bridges to be captured intact. Montgomery's intention was for the 50th Division to lead the Eighth Army's advance and relieve the commandos and the paratroopers. To assist Kirkman in the task, Montgomery placed the 4th Armoured Brigade under his command. Montgomery was insistent that he wanted the infantry division to relieve the parachute brigade early on 14 July, which would require the division to advance around 25 miles (40 km) in 24 hours. The 50th Division had landed on 10 July and by this time had been fighting for three days non-stop. With
26862-433: The brief hiatus between Italy's departure from the war and the German seizure of the country. He eventually reached British lines on 5 December 1943, to the delight of his stepfather, who sent him home to Britain to recuperate. In January 1929 Montgomery was promoted to brevet lieutenant-colonel. That month he returned to the 1st Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment again, as Commander of Headquarters Company; he went to
27104-686: The brigade and establish their main dressing station in farm buildings to the south of the bridge. After problems with the first two airborne operations in Sicily, the Royal Air Force advisor assigned to the 1st Airborne Division suggested that the American C-47 pilots adopt the Royal Air Force bomber stream formation. This entailed the aircraft flying in pairs one behind the other with one minute between each aircraft, instead of flying in their normal 'V' formation. The suggestion
27346-683: The bulk of its forces were fighting in the largest armed conflict in history against the Soviet Red Army . However, U.S. Army Chief of Staff General George C. Marshall and much of the American staff wanted to avoid operations that might delay the main invasion of Europe, which had been planned as early as 1942, and which finally materialized as Operation Overlord in 1944. When it became clear that no cross-channel invasion of occupied France could be undertaken in 1943, both parties agreed to an invasion of Sicily , codenamed Operation Husky , with no commitment made to follow-up operations. After
27588-422: The cancellation of Giant II, had been assigned to execute the final version of Operation Giant I at Capua on the evening of 13 September. Instead, they jumped inside the beachhead, guided by Rebecca/Eureka beacons and moved immediately into the line on the right of VI Corps. The next night, with the crisis past, 2,100 paratroops of Colonel James Gavin 's 505th PIR also parachuted into the beachhead and reinforced
27830-438: The coast from Bagnara. On 4 September, the British 5th Infantry Division reached Bagnara Calabra , linked up with 1st Special Reconnaissance Squadron (which arrived by sea) and drove the 3rd Battalion, 15th Panzergrenadier Regiment from its position. On 5 September the allies flew above Soveria Mannelli (central Calabria ) and bombed all along the downstream area of the town, where Nazi bases and warehouses stood. Fortunately,
28072-413: The codenames 'Johnny I', 'Johnny II' and 'Johnny III'. The hills were believed to be occupied by an Italian force of around platoon strength. Once the battalion had secured the three hills, they were to dig in and prepare to defend the hills against an attack from the south. The 3rd Parachute Battalion would land at 'Drop zone Four', 1,000 yards (910 m) north of the bridge. Their objective
28314-409: The command of Vice Admiral Henry K. Hewitt . Following the disappointing air cover from land-based aircraft shown during the battle of Gela in the Sicily landings, Force V of HMS Unicorn and four escort carriers augmented the cruisers USS Philadelphia , Savannah , Boise , and fourteen destroyers of Hewitt's command. Cover for the task force was provided by Force H under
28556-500: The command of Vice Admiral Algernon Willis, a group of four British battleships and two fleet carriers with destroyers, which was directly subordinate to the C–in–C Mediterranean Admiral Sir Andrew Cunningham . In the original planning, the great attraction of capturing the important port of Taranto in the "heel" of Italy had been evident and an assault had been considered but rejected because of
28798-404: The correct drop zone. The furthest off course were some groups from the 3rd Parachute Battalion and Royal Engineers who landed 12 miles (19 km) to the south of the bridge, while another four aircraft landed their paratroops on the slopes of Mount Etna 20 miles (32 km) to the north. Those men of the 1st Parachute Brigade that landed on the southern drop zone were well within range of
29040-460: The correct drop zones. This was the first occasion this had been done in British airborne operations. The pathfinder company had special marker lights and Rebecca and Eureka beacons that the transport aircraft and gliders would be able to identify and home in on. The senior officers of the 1st Airborne Division had estimated that there would be around 450 casualties during the capture of the bridge, of which 25 per cent would be killed or missing, and
29282-402: The correct locations. Despite this and the defence by German and Italian forces, the British paratroops captured the bridge, repulsed attacks and held out against increasing odds until nightfall. The relief force led by the 50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division , under Major-General Sidney C. Kirkman , which was short of transport, were still 1 mile (1.6 km) away when they halted for
29524-537: The daily temperature most of the time reaching 100 °F (38 °C), many of the men in the division were physically exhausted and suffering from heat exhaustion. The division's situation was not improved by a grave error of judgement by Montgomery. During the planning for the invasion, he had overestimated the strength of the German and Italian resistance to the Allied landings. The British Eighth Army consisted mainly of infantry, tanks and heavy weapons but were light on any form of mechanical transport, so any advance by
29766-451: The defence of Kent . During this period he instituted a regime of continuous training and insisted on high levels of physical fitness for both officers and other ranks. He was ruthless in sacking officers he considered unfit for command in action. Promoted to temporary lieutenant-general in July, overseeing the defence of Kent, Sussex and Surrey . In December Montgomery was given command of South-Eastern Command . He renamed his command
30008-416: The defenders, from Traugott Herr 's LXXVI Panzer Corps , were too scattered for it to be effective.) The element of surprise was further limited by belated discovery of naval minefields off Salerno requiring landing craft to spend two hours traveling 19 km (12 mi) from the transports to the landing beaches. On the German side, Kesselring lacked the strength to push the Salerno landing back, and
30250-596: The desert, he briefly wore an Australian broad-brimmed hat before switching to wearing the black beret (with the badge of the Royal Tank Regiment and the British General Officer's cap badge ) for which he became notable. The black beret was offered to him by Jim Fraser while the latter was driving him on an inspection tour. Both Brooke and Alexander were astonished by the transformation in atmosphere when they visited on 19 August, less than
30492-415: The desert, though, in fact, Auchinleck had no plans to withdraw from the strong defensive position he had chosen and established at El Alamein. Montgomery made a great effort to appear before troops as often as possible, frequently visiting various units and making himself known to the men, often arranging for cigarettes to be distributed. Although he still wore a standard British officer's cap on arrival in
30734-429: The division's arrival overseas, Montgomery faced serious trouble from his military superiors and the clergy for his frank attitude regarding the sexual health of his soldiers, but was defended from dismissal by his superior Alan Brooke , commander of II Corps , of which Montgomery's division formed a part. Montgomery had issued a circular on the prevention of venereal disease, worded in such "obscene language" that both
30976-445: The eastern coast of Sicily. The route was measured to ensure that the first planes arrived over the drop zones at 22:20. When the planes arrived off Sicily, they were supposed to stay 10 miles (16 km) offshore until reaching the Simeto River, when they would head inland for the drop zones. Somehow, 33 aircraft strayed off course and approached an Allied convoy. The naval gunners had been warned to expect an air raid, and opened fire on
31218-501: The face of withering fire from the German and Italian defenders resulting in 100 British casualties, including 34 killed. At one stage they managed to cross the bridge, but three Sherman tanks accompanying them were knocked out by the German 88s, and with no armoured support the infantry were forced to withdraw. However, an error in communication caused the Fallschirmjäger Engineer Battalion to withdraw to
31460-583: The fighting in the North African campaign . Eventually, the corps commander, Lieutenant-General Richard McCreery , persuaded about half of the men to follow their orders. The remainder were court-martialled . Three NCOs who led the mutiny were sentenced to death but the sentence was not carried out and they were eventually allowed to rejoin units. With the Salerno beachhead secure, the Fifth Army began its attack northwest towards Naples on 19 September. On 20 September, Major General Ernest J. Dawley ,
31702-593: The fighting spirit and abilities of the Eighth Army. Taking command on 13 August 1942, he immediately became a whirlwind of activity. He ordered the creation of the X Corps , which contained all armoured divisions, to fight alongside his XXX Corps , which was all infantry divisions. This arrangement differed from the German Panzer Corps: one of Rommel's Panzer Corps combined infantry, armour and artillery units under one corps commander. The only common commander for Montgomery's all-infantry and all-armour corps
31944-625: The first Allied unit to do so. The entire Fifth Army, now consisting of five American and three British divisions, reached the line of the Volturno River on 6 October. This provided a natural defensive barrier, securing Naples, along with the Campanian plain and the vital airfields on it, from a German counterattack. Meanwhile, on the Adriatic Coast , the Eighth Army advanced to a line from Campobasso to Larino and Termoli on
32186-429: The first aircraft carrying the 1,856 men of the 1st Parachute Brigade took off from North Africa. The aircraft used consisted of 105 Douglas C-47 Skytrains belonging to the 51st Troop Carrier Wing , 51 each from the 60th and the 62d Troop Carrier Groups , while the 64th Troop Carrier Group supplied the other three. No. 38 Wing Royal Air Force supplied eleven Armstrong Whitworth Albemarles . Following behind
32428-460: The first large-scale, decisive Allied land victories of the war. Montgomery correctly predicted both the length of the battle and the number of casualties (13,500). Historian Correlli Barnett has pointed out that the rain also fell on the Germans, and that the weather is therefore an inadequate explanation for the failure to exploit the breakthrough, but nevertheless the Battle of El Alamein had been
32670-429: The four missing officers had already been executed. In May 1923, Montgomery was posted to the 49th (West Riding) Infantry Division , a Territorial Army (TA) formation. He returned to the 1st Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment in 1925 as a company commander and was promoted to major in July 1925. From January 1926 to January 1929 he served as Deputy Assistant Adjutant General at the Staff College, Camberley, in
32912-609: The fourth child of nine, to a Church of Ireland minister, Henry Montgomery , and his wife Maud ( née Farrar). The Montgomerys, an Ulster Scots ' Ascendancy ' gentry family, were the County Donegal branch of the Clan Montgomery . The Rev. Henry Montgomery, at that time Vicar of St Mark's Church , Kennington, was the second son of Sir Robert Montgomery , a native of Inishowen in County Donegal in
33154-473: The guns of HMS Ledbury seized their mountain pass objectives while the Commandos, from No. 2 (Army) Commando and No. 41 (Royal Marine) Commando , were also unopposed and secured the high ground on each side of the road through Molina Pass on the main route from Salerno to Naples. At first light units of No. 2 Commando moved towards Salerno and pushed back a small force of tanks and armoured cars from
33396-536: The high ground inland left the airfield within easy range of German artillery and therefore unusable by Allied aircraft. On 10 September, German bombers began targeting Admiral Hewitt's flagship USS Ancon while the ship was serving as General Clark's headquarters. The flagship called thirty "red alerts" over a period of 36 hours in response to 450 Luftwaffe flying sorties. Admiral Hewitt reported: "Air situation here critical." The Allied aircraft carriers had intended to withdraw on 10 September, but remained with
33638-634: The highly successful outcome of the Sicilian campaign had become clear, both Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt , the U.S. President , accepted the necessity of continuing to engage the Axis before the start of the campaign in northwest Europe . Discussions had been ongoing since the Trident Conference held in Washington, D.C., in May, but it was not until late July, with the fall of Italian Fascist Prime Minister Benito Mussolini , that
33880-405: The inexperienced pilots now refused to go any further, and on his aircraft Lieutenant Colonel Alastair Pearson , commanding officer of the 1st Parachute Battalion , realising his plane was flying round in circles, had to threaten to shoot the crew to make them continue. The anti-aircraft fire and the evasive action taken by the pilots had dispersed the aircraft formations, and the parachute drop
34122-461: The invasion so that their Supermarine Seafires could provide the air cover which invasion planners had expected to operate from Montecorvino. Eighty-five Allied vessels were hit by German bombs off Salerno. Fritz X glide bombs dropped by Dornier Do 217s disabled USS Savannah and narrowly missed USS Philadelphia on the morning of 11 September. The following morning, Clark moved his headquarters ashore, and Hewitt transferred with his staff to
34364-520: The island of Sicily into the "arch" area ( Taranto ) of the Italian mainland, envisioning a limited invasion of the Italian "boot", whence they would advance up the western coast, anticipating a strong defense by both German and Italian forces. The overthrow of Mussolini made a more ambitious plan feasible, and the Allies decided to make their invasion two-pronged by combining the crossing of the British Eighth Army under General Sir Bernard Montgomery into
34606-406: The islands were prepared and detailed plans worked out for the invasion. The invasion plans did not go ahead and plans switched to invading Cape Verde island also belonging to neutral Portugal. These invasion plans also did not go ahead. Montgomery was then ordered to prepare plans for the invasion of neutral Ireland and to seize Cork , Cobh and Cork harbour. These invasion plans, like those of
34848-462: The landing, 50 men of the 1st Parachute Battalion had assembled, assaulted and managed to capture the bridge before the 50 Italian defenders could destroy it with the attached demolition charges. The Italians were taken prisoner, just as a second group of 40 paratroopers led by Brigadier Lathbury arrived at the bridge. Lathbury organised the safe removal of the demolition charges and set up a defensive perimeter. More paratroopers continued to gather at
35090-656: The largest concentration of German armour in North Africa was successfully repulsed. At the Mareth Line , 20 to 27 March, when Montgomery encountered fiercer frontal opposition than he had anticipated, he switched his major effort into an outflanking inland pincer, backed by low-flying RAF fighter-bomber support. For his role in North Africa he was awarded the Legion of Merit by the United States government in
35332-528: The lines in the vicinity of Avellino was widely dispersed and failed, incurring significant casualties. In the X Corps sector the lead elements of Major General George Erskine 's British 7th Armoured Division began to land, along with the 23rd Armoured Brigade . With strong naval gunfire support from the Royal Navy and well-served by Fifth Army's artillery, the reinforced and reorganized infantry units defeated all German attempts on 14 September to find
35574-482: The main attack was on the boundary between the two Allied Corps which ran roughly from Battipaglia to the Tyrrhenian sea, with the greatest weight due to fall on the VI Corps side On the morning of 13 September, elements of Major General Walker's 36th Division attacked and captured Altavilla from the high ground 14 km (9 mi) behind Paestum, but a counterattack forced them to withdraw as darkness fell. During
35816-498: The mainland with the simultaneous seizure of the port of Naples further north. Although the Americans were mindful of Napoleon 's maxim that Italy, like a boot, should be entered from the top, the range limits of Allied fighter aircraft based in Sicily reduced their choices to two landing areas: one at the Volturno River basin to the north of Naples and the other south of Naples at Salerno (though separated from Naples by
36058-482: The men, he was under strict orders not to attack the IRA. On arriving in the town square in front of Macroom Castle, he summoned the IRA commander, Charlie Browne, to parley. At the castle gates Montgomery spoke to Browne explaining what would happen should the officers not be released. Once finished, Browne responded with his own ultimatum to Montgomery to "leave town within 10 minutes". Browne then turned heels and returned to
36300-478: The motives of others—within reasonable bounds long enough for him to have a chance of attaining high command. Both of Montgomery's stepsons became army officers in the 1930s (both were serving in India at the time of their mother's death), and both served in the Second World War, each eventually attaining the rank of colonel. While serving as a GSO2 with Eighth Army, Dick Carver was sent forward during
36542-476: The mountain passes of the Sorrento Peninsula above Salerno was abandoned on 12 August. Six days later it was replaced by Operation Giant, in which two regiments of the U.S. 82nd Airborne Division (Major General Matthew Ridgway ) would seize and hold crossings over the Volturno River. This was at first expanded to include the entire division, including an amphibious landing by the 325th Glider Infantry Regiment , then deemed logistically unsupportable and reduced to
36784-594: The mountainous Sorrento peninsula). They chose Salerno because it was closer to their air bases. Operation Baytown was the preliminary step in the plan in which the British Eighth Army would depart from the port of Messina , Sicily, across the narrow Straits and land near the tip of Calabria (the "toe" of Italy), on 3 September 1943. The short distance meant landing craft could launch from there directly, rather than be carried by ship. The British 5th Infantry Division (Major-general Gerard Bucknall ) of XIII Corps , under Lieutenant-General Miles Dempsey , would land on
37026-465: The nation would never allow it, and the politicians would lose their jobs if they sanctioned it. That being so, I consider that Lloyd George was right in what he did, if we had gone on we could probably have squashed the rebellion as a temporary measure, but it would have broken out again like an ulcer the moment we removed the troops. I think the rebels would probably have refused battles, and hidden their arms etc. until we had gone. The only way therefore
37268-418: The new C-in-C of Southern Command , General Sir Archibald Percival Wavell . He was promoted to major-general on 14 October 1938 and took command of the 8th Infantry Division in the British mandate of Palestine. In Palestine, Montgomery was involved in suppressing an Arab revolt which had broken out over opposition to Jewish emigration . He returned in July 1939 to Britain, suffering a serious illness on
37510-465: The night of 10–11 July, aiming to capture a bridge beside Augusta . However circumstances changed and the second operation was cancelled. The third British airborne mission planned was Operation Fustian, to be carried out by the 1st Parachute Brigade , under Brigadier Gerald Lathbury , and scheduled for the night of 13–14 July. The 1st Parachute Brigade's objective was the Primosole bridge, crossing
37752-463: The night. After the parachute brigade withdrew, the Axis forces gathered at the bridge. They now comprised the remnants of the 372nd Coastal Battalion (under Major Nino Bolla) in the form of two fire support companies and one rifle company and one Blackshirt Commando Battalion(under Major Vito Marciano) and gunners from the 29th Artillery Battalion that arrived from Catania as much needed riflemen for Major Bolla, with this Italian force fighting alongside
37994-405: The night. By this time, with casualties mounting and supplies running short, the parachute brigade commander, Gerald Lathbury, had relinquished control of the bridge to the Germans. The following day the British units joined forces and the 9th Battalion, Durham Light Infantry , with tank support, attempted to recapture the bridge. The bridge was not finally secured until three days after the start of
38236-538: The north bank of the river, and this allowed the Durhams to establish a position at the southern end of the bridge. At the main dressing station the surgeons had operated on another 14 wounded by the time ambulances arrived from XIII Corps at 17:00 to evacuate the wounded. At 18:00 the Main Dressing Station was closed and the men moved to Johnny I. During the time the main dressing station had been active,
38478-473: The north side of the "toe" while its 1st Canadian Infantry Division (Major-General Guy Simonds ) would land at Cape Spartivento on the south side. Montgomery was strongly opposed to Operation Baytown. He predicted it would be a waste of effort since it assumed the Germans would give battle in Calabria; if they failed to do so, the diversion would not work, and the only effect of the operation would be to place
38720-468: The north-west of Ulster , the noted colonial administrator in British India ; Sir Robert died a month after his grandson's birth. He was probably a descendant of Colonel Alexander Montgomery . Bernard's mother, Maud, was the daughter of Frederic William Canon Farrar , the famous preacher, and was eighteen years younger than her husband. After the death of Sir Robert Montgomery, Henry inherited
38962-404: The north-western shores of Lough Foyle , "there was barely enough to keep up New Park and pay for the blasted summer holiday" (i.e., at New Park). It was a financial relief of some magnitude when, in 1889, Henry was made Bishop of Tasmania , then still a British colony , and Bernard spent his formative years there. Bishop Montgomery considered it his duty to spend as much time as possible in
39204-440: The officers and men of Montgomery's battalion chose to leave them where they were until darkness arrived and stretcher bearers managed to recover the two bodies, with Montgomery by this time barely clinging on to life. The doctors at the advanced dressing station (ADS), too, had no hope for him and ordered a grave to be dug. Miraculously, however, Montgomery was still alive and, after being placed in an ambulance and then being sent to
39446-485: The operation, when another battalion of the Durham Light Infantry, led by the paratroopers, established a bridgehead on the north bank of the river. The capture of Primosole Bridge did not lead to the expected rapid advance, as by this time the Germans had gathered their forces and established a defensive line. It was not until early the following month that the Eighth Army captured Catania . By this time
39688-462: The other 75 per cent wounded. It was appreciated that by themselves the three battalions' medical officers and staff would be unable to cope with the expected numbers of casualties, so one section from the 16th (Parachute) Field Ambulance, consisting of one doctor and 16 other ranks , would be attached to each of the parachute battalions. The remainder of the field ambulance , comprising the headquarters with two surgical teams, would be co-located with
39930-464: The parachute brigade. The tanks and small amount of motor transport belonging to the 4th Armoured Brigade had been held up even further back. They had been stopped in Carlentini by a destroyed bridge, and the 4th Armoured Brigade did not start moving again until after 19:00. The 50th (Northumbrian) Division eventually reached Lentini , about halfway from their start point to Primosole Bridge, in
40172-424: The parachute force were the glider towing aircraft. These aircraft, again supplied by No. 38 Wing, comprised 12 Albemarles and seven Handley Page Halifaxes , towing 11 Horsa gliders and eight Waco gliders . The gliders were used to carry 77 men, mostly from the anti-tank battery, ten 6 pounder anti-tank guns and 18 jeeps . The aircraft's flight path took them around the south eastern corner of Malta and up
40414-439: The parachute landings had started. One glider pilot later commented that they did not need the pathfinders , as the tracer and lights from explosions were brighter than any of the landing markers. Of the surviving glider force, only four gliders managed to land relatively unscathed, all the others being caught by the Fallschirmjäger machine gun fire and destroyed on their approach. The four intact gliders had been carrying three of
40656-554: The parade following the liberation of Lille . Montgomery was profoundly influenced by his experiences during the war, in particular by the leadership, or rather the lack of it, being displayed by the senior commanders. He later wrote: There was little contact between the generals and the soldiers. I went through the whole war on the Western Front, except during the period I was in England after being wounded; I never once saw
40898-589: The plain to the right of the Sele river and the higher ground to a depth of 8 km (5 mi), although the 141st Infantry was still stuck near the beach. However, the XIV Panzer Corps commander, Hermann Balck, had seen the 16th Panzer Division's battle groups perform as intended and he had ordered both the Hermann Göring Division south to the battle and later in the day had been able to order 15th Panzergrenadier likewise. Meanwhile, to
41140-592: The plans recast to concentrate the Allied forces, having Lieutenant General George Patton 's US Seventh Army land in the Gulf of Gela (on the Eighth Army's left flank, which landed around Syracuse in the south-east of Sicily) rather than near Palermo in the west and north of Sicily. Inter-Allied tensions grew as the American commanders, Patton and Omar Bradley (then commanding US II Corps under Patton), took umbrage at what they saw as Montgomery's attitudes and boastfulness. However, while they were considered three of
41382-467: The power to neutralize it. The 10th Army had succeeded in preventing troops from being cut off, and continuing the battle would invite heavy losses. The approach of the Eighth Army was also posing a threat. He recommended breaking off the battle, pivoting on Salerno to form a defensive line, preparatory to a withdrawal on 18/19 September. Kesselring's agreement reached von Vietinghoff early on 17 September. General Hermann Balck, commanding XIV Panzer Corps -
41624-432: The previous day, as did the naval bombardment. The arrival of the British battleships HMS Warspite and Valiant , with 381 mm (15 in) guns, off the beaches provided the Allied troops with a morale boost, although Valiant was not required to shoot and Warspite ' s 29 rounds were awe-inspiring but a minor contribution to the 2,592 naval rounds fired that day. On 15 September, Kesselring reported to
41866-406: The previous night. The 1st Parachute Brigade and 50th (Northumbrian) Division now moved forward together. The main dressing station, which had continued to operate after being captured, was liberated by the 2nd Parachute Battalion. In an attempt to recapture Primosole Bridge the 9th Battalion, Durham Light Infantry, supported by the 44th Royal Tank Regiment , carried out a number of costly assaults in
42108-468: The principal armoured formation near Salerno - wrote that his tanks ‘suffered heavily under Allied naval gunfire, with which [they] had nothing to counter'. This triggered an Axis forces retreat from areas which were covered by Allied naval gunfire. General von Vietinghoff then reported to his superior that his attacks ‘were unable to reach their objective owing to the fire from naval guns and low-flying aircraft'. Allied air and naval support lines, aided by
42350-480: The pursuit after El Alamein to help identify a new site for Eighth Army HQ. He was taken prisoner at Mersa Matruh on 7 November 1942. Montgomery wrote to his contacts in England asking that inquiries be made via the Red Cross as to where his stepson was being held, and that parcels be sent to him. Like many British POWs, the most famous being General Richard O'Connor , Dick Carver escaped in September 1943 during
42592-403: The raid, so the battalion left on foot for Primosole Bridge. When Schmidt informed the divisional commander of his intentions, he was warned to expect a sea or airborne landing that night. If the Allies landed to the rear of the division, Schmidt's battalion had to hold Primosole Bridge so that the division could escape. Forewarned in this way, the machine gun battalion started to dig in and prepare
42834-554: The rank of Chief Commander. The next major Allied attack was the Allied invasion of Sicily (Operation Husky). Montgomery considered the initial plans for the Allied invasion, which had been agreed in principle by General Dwight D. Eisenhower , the Supreme Allied Commander Allied Forces Headquarters , and General Alexander, the 15th Army Group commander, to be unworkable because of the dispersion of effort. He managed to have
43076-593: The remainder of his men to join the 2nd Parachute Battalion. During the night of 14–15 June, the Italians mounted several counterattacks with an armoured car squadron (under Captain Paradisi Romolo) reinforced with Blackshirt Commandos aboard the motorized column penetrating the British sector and in a suicidal raid very nearly overran the headquarters of 9th Battalion, the Durham Light Infantry. Another column of armoured cars crossed Primasole Bridge and attacked
43318-465: The reserve formation which had landed by 08:00, were able to push forward. Minesweepers cleared an inshore channel shortly after 09:00; so by late morning destroyers could steam within 90 m (100 yd) of the shoreline to shell German positions on Monte Soprano. USS Philadelphia and Savannah focused their 15 cm (6 in) guns on concentrations of German tanks, beginning a barrage of naval shells which would total eleven-thousand tons before
43560-465: The right lung by a sniper. Lying in the open, he remained still and pretended to be dead, in the hope that he would not receive any more enemy attention. One of his men did attempt to rescue him but was shot dead by a hidden enemy sniper and collapsed over Montgomery. The sniper continued to fire and Montgomery was hit once more, in the knee, but the dead soldier, in Montgomery's words, "received many bullets meant for me." Assuming them to both be dead,
43802-603: The river, offering the Germans an easy route to attack, and only belatedly landed two battalions to protect it. Furthermore, the terrain was highly favorable to the defender. Planning for the Salerno phase was accomplished in only forty-five days, rather than the months that might be expected. A U.S. Army Ranger force, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel William O. Darby , consisting of three U.S. Ranger battalions (the 1st , 3rd and 4th ), and two British Commando units, under Brigadier Robert Laycock (consisting of No. 2 (Army) Commando and No. 41 (Royal Marine) Commando ),
44044-483: The rural areas of Tasmania and was away for up to six months at a time. While he was away, his wife, still in her mid-twenties, gave her children "constant" beatings, then ignored them most of the time. Of Bernard's siblings, Sibyl died prematurely in Tasmania, and Harold, Donald and Una all emigrated. Maud Montgomery took little active interest in the education of her young children other than to have them taught by tutors brought from Britain, although he briefly attended
44286-440: The second at 'Drop zone Two' to the south of it. Once they had landed the two groups would head for their assembly points, before conducting an assault on the bridge from both sides simultaneously. The 2nd Parachute Battalion were to be landed south of the bridge on 'Drop zone Three', in the area between the Gornalunga Canal and the main highway. The 2nd Battalion then had to assault and occupy three small hills, which had been given
44528-481: The small amphibious force flagship USS Biscayne so the large Ancon could retire to North Africa. The Allies fought to expand their beachhead for three days while the Germans defended stubbornly to mask the build-up of their reinforcements for a counter-offensive. On 10 September, Clark visited the battlefield and judged that it was unlikely that X Corps would be able to push quickly east past Battipaglia to link with VI Corps. Since X Corps' main line of thrust
44770-420: The south east between Cape Passero and Syracuse . In addition to the seaborne landings, there were also airborne landings during the invasion. The U.S. 82nd Airborne Division , under Major General Matthew Ridgway , would land in support of the Seventh Army, while the British 1st Airborne Division , under Major General George Hopkinson , conducted brigade-sized landings along the eastern coast to support
45012-423: The south of the Simeto River. The commando unit were to carry out an amphibious landing from the sea, then assault and capture the Malati Bridge over the Leonardo River . The relieving force for both the commandos and paratroopers would be from British XIII Corps , commanded by Lieutenant-General Miles Dempsey . The corps consisted of the 5th Infantry Division , 50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division and
45254-403: The south of the bridge is the Gornalunga canal, and beyond that three prominent hills. The road crossing the bridge is Highway 114, running from Lentini 10 miles (16 km) to the south to Catania 7 miles (11 km) to the north. To assist the Italians defending the bridge, four pillbox bunkers had been constructed, two on the north bank and two on the south bank. At 19:30 on 13 July 1943,
45496-462: The south side. Running short of supplies and with his casualties mounting, Brigadier Lathbury made the decision to relinquish control of the bridge to the Germans, and the parachute brigade moved back 1,200 yards (1,100 m). Of the 295 men who had been at the bridge, 115 had become casualties. The 16th (Parachute) Field Ambulance main dressing station could not be moved or evacuated, and remained behind in no man's land . An Italian officer entered
45738-401: The south was restricted to harassing machine gun fire. A grass fire they started did force the 2nd Parachute Battalion to abandon Johnny I, and the remnants of the battalion now concentrated on Johnny III. To the north of the bridge, a German scratch-built battle group of 350 men, including the 1st Company, 1st Fallschirmjäger Signal Battalion, an anti-aircraft battery and some anti-tank guns,
45980-425: The south, the 29th Panzergrenadier Division from LXXVI Panzer Corps had also been directed to Salerno. Neither side had gained the initiative. Luftwaffe planes began strafing and bombing the invasion beaches shortly after 04:00 on the morning of 9 September before X Corps seized the Montecorvino airfield 5 km (3 mi) inland later that day, destroying three dozen German planes. However, failure to capture
46222-402: The station, and informed the medical staff they were now prisoners of war, but since they were treating casualties from both sides, they were allowed to remain and continue operating. Treatment of the wounded continued all day, and by 22:00 the surgeons had carried out 21 surgical operations and were looking after 62 British and 29 German or Italian patients. At 18:30, in the darkness, Lathbury led
46464-435: The surgeons had completed 31 operations, and the medics had treated 109 wounded. The Germans were aware that the British paratroopers had dismantled the explosive charges attached to Primosole Bridge, and now attempted to destroy it by driving trucks laden with explosives onto it. This was unsuccessful. During the night the 9th Battalion, Durham Light Infantry continued trying to capture the bridge. Their attacks also provided
46706-417: The tactical situation from a distance, and was supported at the Chiefs of Staff meeting by Smuts . Rommel attempted to turn the left flank of the Eighth Army at the Battle of Alam el Halfa from 31 August 1942. The German/Italian armoured corps infantry attack was stopped in very heavy fighting. Rommel's forces had to withdraw urgently lest their retreat through the British minefields be cut off. Montgomery
46948-500: The temporary rank of lieutenant-colonel. In 1925, in his first known courtship of a woman, Montgomery, then in his late thirties, proposed to a 17-year-old girl, Betty Anderson. His approach included drawing diagrams in the sand of how he would deploy his tanks and infantry in a future war, a contingency which seemed very remote at that time. She respected his ambition and single-mindedness but declined his proposal. In 1927, he met and married Elizabeth (Betty) Carver, née Hobart. She
47190-437: The then coeducational St Michael's Collegiate School . The loveless environment made Bernard something of a bully, as he himself recalled: "I was a dreadful little boy. I don't suppose anybody would put up with my sort of behaviour these days." Later in life Montgomery refused to allow his son David to have anything to do with his grandmother, and refused to attend her funeral in 1949. The family returned to England once for
47432-400: The then-Duke of Wellington, who was killed. The Allied air forces and navies continued to batter enemy targets, although during an air attack by Dornier Do 217 K-2 bombers armed with Fritz X radio-controlled glide bombs, Warspite was hit and disabled, which required her to be towed to Malta for repair. On 9 September, Montgomery's formations had been strung out along the coastal roads in
47674-501: The thrust towards Paestum. Further north the Schmalz group of the Hermann Göering Division achieved surprise, attacking the 128th (Hampshire) Brigade (comprising three battalions, the 2nd, 1/4th and 5th, of the Hampshire Regiment ), of the British 46th Division, on the high ground east of Salerno. The armoured column following up was intercepted and driven back, leaving the German infantry exposed. The Allied bomber effort continued on 15 September, although slightly less intensively than
47916-470: The two battalions of the 504th. A clear sign of the crisis passing was when, on the afternoon of 14 September, the final unit of 45th Division, the 180th Infantry Regiment , landed, Clark was able to place it in reserve rather than in the line. The 325th Glider Infantry Regiment , reinforced by the 3rd Battalion, 504th PIR, landed by sea on 15 September. A night drop of 600 paratroops of the 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion to disrupt German movements behind
48158-399: The urban area was barely damaged. On 7 September, contact was made with the Krüger Battle Group. On 8 September, the 231st Independent Brigade Group , under Brigadier Robert "Roy" Urquhart , was landed by sea at Pizzo Calabro , 24 km (15 mi) behind the Nicotera defenses. They found themselves attacked from the north by a mobile force from 26th Panzer Division and from the south by
48400-455: The very strong defenses there. However, with the signing of the armistice with the Italians on 3 September, the picture changed. It was decided to carry the British 1st Airborne Division (Major-General George Hopkinson ) to Taranto using British warships, seize the port and several nearby airfields and follow up by shipping in Lieutenant-General Charles Allfrey 's British V Corps and a number of fighter squadrons. The airborne division, which
48642-484: The war appeared to me to be those who had a complete disregard for human life. There were of course exceptions and I suppose one such was Plumer; I had only once seen him and had never spoken to him. After the First World War, Montgomery commanded the 17th (Service) Battalion of the Royal Fusiliers , a battalion in the British Army of the Rhine , before reverting to his substantive rank of captain ( brevet major ) in November 1919. He had not at first been selected for
48884-405: The war he became Commander-in-Chief of the British Army of the Rhine (BAOR) in Germany and then Chief of the Imperial General Staff (1946–1948). From 1948 to 1951, he served as Chairman of the Commanders-in-Chief Committee of the Western Union . He then served as NATO 's Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe until his retirement in 1958. Montgomery was born in Kennington , Surrey, in 1887,
49126-411: The war in November 1918 as GSO1 (effectively chief of staff ) of the 47th (2nd London) Division , with the temporary rank of lieutenant colonel, to which appointment and rank he had been assigned to on 16 July. A photograph from October 1918, reproduced in many biographies, shows the then unknown Lieutenant-Colonel Montgomery standing in front of Winston Churchill (then the Minister of Munitions ) at
49368-468: The way, to command the 3rd Infantry Division . Reporting the suppression of the revolt in April 1939, Montgomery wrote, "I shall be sorry to leave Palestine in many ways, as I have enjoyed the war out here". Britain declared war on Germany on 3 September 1939 and the 3rd Division, together with its new General Officer Commanding (GOC), was deployed to France as part of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF), commanded by General Lord Gort . Shortly after
49610-471: The west coast of Italy at Salerno on 9 September as part of Operation Avalanche , while two supporting operations took place in Calabria ( Operation Baytown ) and Taranto ( Operation Slapstick ). Following the defeat of the Axis powers in North Africa in May 1943, there was disagreement between the Allies about the next step. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill wanted to invade Italy, which in November 1942 he had called "the soft underbelly of
49852-425: The western world, from German razing, a condition of the Italian armistice. Because the distance from the Allied beachheads precluded any substantial Allied support of the airborne troops, Brigadier General Maxwell D. Taylor , the acting assistant division commander (ADC) of the 82nd Airborne Division, was spirited into Rome to assess the willingness of Italian troops to cooperate with the Americans. Taylor's judgment
50094-400: Was 26th Panzer Division ( Heinrich Freiherr von Luttwitz ), 29th Panzergrenadier Division ( Walter Fries ) and 1st Parachute Division ( Fritz-Hubert Graser ). Von Vietinghoff specifically positioned the 16th Panzer Division in the hills above the Salerno plain. On 3 September 1943, the British Eighth Army 's XIII Corps , commanded by Lieutenant-General Miles Dempsey and composed of
50336-407: Was Sicily, with the landing scheduled for 10 July 1943. The Allied 15th Army Group , commanded by General Sir Harold Alexander , consisted of the American Seventh Army , commanded by Lieutenant General George Patton , which would land in the west between Licata and Scoglitti , and the veteran British Eighth Army , commanded by the experienced General Bernard Montgomery , which would land in
50578-434: Was able to overcome their resistance. Albert Kesselring and his staff did not believe the Calabria landings would be the main Allied point of attack, the Salerno region or possibly even north of Rome being more logical. He had already therefore ordered General Traugott Herr 's LXXVI Panzer Corps to pull back from engagement with the Eighth Army, leaving only 29th Panzergrenadier Division 's 15th Panzergrenadier Regiment in
50820-399: Was at the time part of the 10th Infantry Brigade of the 4th Division of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF). He was promoted to temporary captain on 14 September. He saw action at the Battle of Le Cateau that month and during the retreat from Mons . At Méteren , near the Belgian border at Bailleul on 13 October 1914, during an Allied counter-offensive, he was shot through
51062-403: Was between Pontecagnano and Battipaglia (and so faced Major General Douglas Graham 's British 56th Infantry Division ), the Holtey battle group was in a reserve role at Persano on the Sele river which formed the corps boundary between Lieutenant General Richard McCreery 's British X Corps and Major General Ernest Dawley 's U.S. VI Corps , while the von Doering battle group responsible for
51304-401: Was commissioned into the 1st Battalion the Royal Warwickshire Regiment as a second lieutenant , and first saw overseas service later that year in India. He was promoted to lieutenant in 1910, and in 1912 became adjutant of the 1st Battalion of his regiment at Shorncliffe Army Camp . The Great War began in August 1914 and Montgomery moved to France with his battalion that month, which
51546-406: Was committed and there were no reserves available to form an attack. In the south, the 36th Division made some progress but towards midday a counterattack by elements of the 29th Panzergrenadier Division overran the 1st Battalion, 142nd Infantry Regiment. On 13 September, the Germans launched their counteroffensive. While the Hermann Göring battle groups attacked the northern flank of the beachhead,
51788-424: Was criticised for not counter-attacking the retreating forces immediately, but he felt strongly that his methodical build-up of British forces was not yet ready. A hasty counter-attack risked ruining his strategy for an offensive on his own terms in late October, planning for which had begun soon after he took command. He was confirmed in the permanent rank of lieutenant-general in mid-October. The conquest of Libya
52030-401: Was dismissed by the American pilots, who were mostly pre-war airline pilots, not least because their training had not included any instruction in night time navigation and the inexperienced crews relied heavily on following the aircraft in front. Unconnected with Operation Fustian, but being conducted at the same time, No. 3 Commando would carry out a separate operation 8 miles (13 km) to
52272-482: Was essential for airfields to support Malta and to threaten the rear of Axis forces opposing Operation Torch. Montgomery prepared meticulously for the new offensive after convincing Churchill that the time was not being wasted. (Churchill sent a telegram to Alexander on 23 September 1942 which began, "We are in your hands and of course a victorious battle makes amends for much delay." ) He was determined not to fight until he thought there had been sufficient preparation for
52514-409: Was expanded, becoming No. 38 Group with its Halifax squadrons, now supported by four squadrons of Albemarles and four squadrons of Stirlings . To provide another method of delivering jeeps and artillery guns by air, the air force started experiments on parachuting them into combat, carrying the jeeps and guns in the aircraft's large bomb bays. A second Royal Air Force transport group, No. 46 Group ,
52756-619: Was formed, and was equipped solely with Dakotas , instead of the mixture of aircraft in No. 38 Group. After these changes, the Royal Air Force groups could supply 88 Albemarles, 88 Stirlings, 36 Halifaxes and 150 Dakotas, a total of 362 planes, in addition to aircraft held as reserves. Lessons were learned from the near-disastrous parachute drops on Sicily and paved the way for larger and more successful operations in Italy, Normandy and Southern France. Allied invasion of Italy Invasion of Italy Winter Line Gothic Line 1945 Spring Offensive The Allied invasion of Italy
52998-404: Was further reinforced on 12 September by a personal visit from Alexander's Chief of Staff , Brigadier A. A. Richardson. Montgomery had no choice- while reorganizing the main body of his troops, he sent light forces up the coast which reached Castrovillari and Belvedere on 12 September, still some 130 km (80 mi) from the Salerno battlefield. On 14 September, he was in a position to start
53240-483: Was gathered under the command of Captain Franz Stangenberg, supported by the 113rd Light Trucks Company of the 10th Arditi Regiment (the "Commandos" unit of the Italian Army) with 56 men and six heavily armed SPA-Viberti AS.42 , Stangenberg was in position to launch his first assault on the bridge at 14:00. This first attack was driven off by the British paratroopers. For his second attempt Stangenberg brought up three 88 mm anti-aircraft guns in support. This assault
53482-719: Was low, not least because of their second rate equipment and weapons. It had been intended to improve their armaments with equipment seized from the recently disbanded Vichy French army, but when the arms arrived in Sicily, many of them had been made unusable, and some had the wrong type of ammunition or no ammunition at all. The Italians were supported by German paratroopers of the 1st Parachute Division , who were ordered to move to Sicily from France, and if necessary were to parachute in on 9 July. The 1st Fallschirmjäger Machine Gun Battalion commanded by Major Werner Schmidt had landed at Catania during an Allied air raid early on 13 July. Their aircraft and anti-tank guns were destroyed during
53724-400: Was more successful, taking some prisoners, and almost succeeded in reaching the bridge. It also secured a position for the 88s to engage the two pillboxes on the north bank. By 17:00 the men of the 1st Parachute Battalion were almost out of ammunition, and were forced to withdraw to the southern side of the bridge. The German 88s were moved forward again, and this time demolished the pillboxes on
53966-408: Was not impressed with its readiness for battle. As a result, while most of the rest of the BEF set about preparing defences for an expected German attack sometime in the future, Montgomery began training his 3rd Division in offensive tactics, organising several exercises , each of which lasted for several days at a time. Mostly they revolved around the division advancing towards an objective, often
54208-410: Was often lacking. At most large headquarters in back areas the doctrine seemed to me to be that the troops existed for the benefit of the staff. My war experience led me to believe that the staff must be the servant of the troops, and that a good staff officer must serve his commander and the troops but himself be anonymous. The frightful casualties appalled me. The so-called "good fighting generals" of
54450-450: Was positioned to face possible landings from the sea with 16th Panzer Division in the Gulf of Salerno, the Hermann Göring Division near Naples and the 15th Panzergrenadier Division to the north in the Gulf of Gaeta. On 8 September (before the main invasion), the armistice of Italy to the Allies was announced, first by General Eisenhower , then in the Badoglio Proclamation by the Italian government. Italian units ceased combat and
54692-487: Was refused two panzer divisions from northern Italy to assist him. Operation Avalanche was planned under the name Top Hat and supported by a deception plan, Operation Boardman, a false threat of an Allied invasion of the Balkans . In mid-August, the Germans had activated Army Group B under Erwin Rommel with responsibility for German troops in Italy as far south as Pisa . Army Command South under Albert Kesselring continued to be responsible for southern Italy and
54934-401: Was removed as head of the Italian government, envoys of which soon began approaching the Allies to make peace. It was believed a quick invasion of Italy might hasten Italian surrender and produce quick military victories over the German troops trapped fighting in a hostile country. However, Italian (and more so German) resistance proved relatively strong, and fighting in Italy continued even after
55176-408: Was scattered over a large area. The violent evasive manoeuvring left some of the paratroopers in heaps on the aircraft floor, and they were unable to jump when ordered. When safely back out to sea, some of the pilots refused to try again, considering the risk too great. Of the surviving aircraft which carried on with the mission, only 39 managed to drop their paratroops within 0.5 miles (0.80 km) of
55418-457: Was stationed in County Cork , Ireland, carrying out counter-guerilla operations during the final stages of the Irish War of Independence . Montgomery came to the conclusion that the conflict could not be won without harsh measures, and that self-government for Ireland was the only feasible solution; in 1923, after the establishment of the Irish Free State and during the Irish Civil War , Montgomery wrote to Colonel Arthur Ernest Percival of
55660-507: Was stopped by artillery firing over open sights, naval gunfire and a makeshift infantry position manned by artillerymen, drivers, cooks and clerks and anyone else that Major General Walker could scrape together. Clark's staff formulated various evacuation plans: Operation Brass Rail envisioned Clark and his 5th Army headquarters staff leaving the beachhead to establish headquarters afloat aboard HMS Hilary . Operation Sealion envisioned shifting British X Corps to Paestum with VI Corps, while
55902-438: Was tasked with holding the mountain passes leading to Naples, but no plan existed for linking the Ranger force up with X Corps' follow-up units. Finally, although tactical surprise was unlikely, Clark ordered no naval preparatory bombardment or naval gunfire support take place, despite experience in the Pacific Theater demonstrating it was necessary. (Major General Walker, commanding the U.S. 36th "Arrowhead" Division, believed
56144-458: Was that the operation would be a trap and he advised cancellation, which occurred late on the afternoon of 8 September after pathfinders had already taken off aboard their troop carrier aircraft. The main landings ( Operation Avalanche ) were scheduled to take place on 9 September, during which the main force would land around Salerno on the western coast. It would consist of the U.S. Fifth Army , under Lieutenant General Mark W. Clark, comprising
56386-441: Was the Allied amphibious landing on mainland Italy that took place from 3 September 1943, during the Italian campaign of World War II . The operation was undertaken by General Sir Harold Alexander 's 15th Army Group (comprising General Mark W. Clark 's American Fifth Army and General Bernard Montgomery 's British Eighth Army ) and followed the successful Allied invasion of Sicily . The main invasion force landed on
56628-578: Was the Eighth Army Commander himself. Writing post-war the English historian Correlli Barnett commented that Montgomery's solution "was in every way opposite to Auchinleck's and in every way wrong, for it carried the existing dangerous separatism still further." Montgomery reinforced the 30 miles (48 km) long front line at El Alamein, something that would take two months to accomplish. He asked Alexander to send him two new British divisions ( 51st Highland and 44th Home Counties ) that were then arriving in Egypt and were scheduled to be deployed in defence of
56870-417: Was the Primosole Bridge across the Simeto River . The intention was for the brigade, with glider-borne forces in support, to land on both sides of the river. They would then capture the bridge and secure the surrounding area until relieved by the advance of British XIII Corps , which had landed on the south eastern coast three days previously. Because the bridge was the only crossing on the river and would give
57112-591: Was the sister of the future Second World War commander Sir Percy Hobart . Betty Carver had two sons in their early teens, John and Dick, from her first marriage to Oswald Carver . Dick Carver later wrote that it had been "a very brave thing" for Montgomery to take on a widow with two children. Montgomery's son, David, was born in August 1928. While on holiday in Burnham-on-Sea in Somerset in 1937, Betty suffered an insect bite which became infected, and she died in her husband's arms from septicaemia following amputation of her leg. The loss devastated Montgomery, who
57354-499: Was then serving as a brigadier, but he insisted on throwing himself back into his work immediately after the funeral. Montgomery's marriage had been extremely happy. Much of his correspondence with his wife was destroyed when his quarters at Portsmouth were bombed during the Second World War. After Montgomery's death, John Carver wrote that his mother had arguably done the country a favour by keeping his personal oddities—his extreme single-mindedness, and his intolerance of and suspicion of
57596-407: Was to be north towards Naples, he decided to move the VI Corps left hand boundary north of the Sele river and move the bulk of Major General Troy Middleton 's U.S. 45th Division into the gap. In view of the enemy reinforcements approaching from the north he also ordered a battalion-sized mixed arms group to reinforce the Rangers the next day. Over the same period, German reinforcements filtered into
57838-402: Was to give them some form of self government, and let them squash the rebellion themselves, they are the only people who could really stamp it out. In one noteworthy incident on 2 May 1922, Montgomery led a force of 60 soldiers and 4 armoured cars to the town of Macroom to search for four British officers who were missing in the area. While he had hoped the show of force would assist in finding
58080-451: Was to secure the ground in this area, defending against any counterattack from the direction of Catania. The brigade's glider force had two landing areas, 'Landing zone Seven' north of the river and 'Landing zone Eight' south of the river. Owing to the complexity of the landing plan and the short time between inception and execution, the pathfinders belonging to the 21st Independent Parachute Company, Army Air Corps , would be deployed to mark
58322-429: Was undergoing training exercises in two locations 640 kilometres (400 mi) apart, was ordered on 4 September to embark on 8 September. With such short notice to create plans, Operation Slapstick was soon nicknamed Operation Bedlam. The Avalanche plan (using less than half the troops landed during Operation Husky) was daring, considering possible resistance by six German divisions. The Fifth Army would be landing on
58564-524: Was unopposed. The only casualties occurred when Abdiel , at anchor, struck a mine and sank in minutes, with 168 killed and 126 injured. On 11 September, as patrols were sent further afield, there were some sharp encounters with elements of the German 1st Parachute Division. But 1st Parachute could do little but skirmish and fall back because most of its strength was attached to the 26th Panzer and Hermann Göring Divisions at Salerno. Major-General George Frederick Hopkinson , General Officer Commanding (GOC) of
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