The author has come from a background of banking and finance, writing as an enthusiast. The result is a most readable book that shows its foundation on thorough research. Monty is one of that handful of successful commanders who has become myth and legend. As is common for great commanders, the many men on whose efforts the success was built remain largely unknown. This book redresses the balance by considering how each of these men made Monty’s successes possible and also shows how the General’s important talent lay in motivating those below him and then having the wisdom to provide support but to avoid interfering. A great book and a rewarding read.
NAME: The Men Behind Monty FILE: R2280 AUTHOR: Richard Mead PUBLISHER: Pen & Sword BINDING: hard back PAGES: 290 PRICE: £25.00 GENRE: Non Fiction SUBJECT: World War Two, WWII, Second World War, Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, Bernard Montgomery, Monty, 8th Army, Desert Rats, armoured warfare, desert, North Africa, Italy, Normandy, Luneburg ISBN: 1-47382-716-7 IMAGE: B2280.jpg BUYNOW: LINKS: http://tinyurl.com/jzh6lrh DESCRIPTION: The author has come from a background of banking and finance, writing as an enthusiast. The result is a most readable book that shows its foundation on thorough research. Monty is one of that handful of successful commanders who has become myth and legend. As is common for great commanders, the many men on whose efforts the success was built remain largely unknown. This book redresses the balance by considering how each of these men made Monty's successes possible and also shows how the General's important talent lay in motivating those below him and then having the wisdom to provide support but to avoid interfering. A great book and a rewarding read. Field Marshal Viscount Montgomery had started his career with a reputation for cautious preparation and maintained that impression through his career. He had a talent for inspiring loyalty amongst his subordinates and that is evidenced by the fact that many of those he inherited when he took command in Egypt remained with him until the end of the war. Some US generals were unkind in considering him over-cautious but the US entered the war late, had suffered no measurable attacks on their home land, made great profit from the war and fielded armies that were learning in battle, having previously enjoyed only theoretical knowledge of war. Perhaps more importantly they had not experienced poor supplies. Montgomery however was, like all British army commanders, accustomed to supply difficulties, shortages of men and essential equipment, and Churchill's habit of changing priorities for what he saw as vital political consideration, but which could mean an advancing commander suddenly found himself denuded of supplies and reinforcements that had been diverted somewhere else. Against this background, Montgomery took over the land forces in Egypt after a number of cycles of advance and retreat where gallant and well-commanded advances were inevitably followed by a lack of supplies that forced a retreat. Accordingly, Monty visited all of his troops, inspired them and made sure that supplies and equipment were collected not just for the next attack but to reinforce and supply the subsequent advance. He was also lucky that American equipment had started to arrive in some numbers and he was able to provide his attacking force with the best available armour and other weapons that were much closer to the technical capability of the German armour and anti-armour. His cautious planning also introduced a major change in approach. Rommel had previously profited by a British failure to identify his habit for flank attacks from the South. Monty quickly saw this German habit and when Rommel next tried it. Monty had adequate numbers of troops in position to frustrate the German strategy. He punctured Rommel's legend of invincibility and then began to develop his own. Prior to the war-changing assault at El Alamein, Monty built a team of subordinates who were gifted in their fields and highly supportive of his style of command. Many of that initial team were still loyally behind him when the German Army surrendered on Luneburg Heath in 1945. The author demonstrates his dedication to thorough research and provides a series of new insights into Monty and his Staff. It is a nicely paced account and includes some good images in the photo plate section.