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Bernard Law Montgomery ranks among the Second World War's most
highly enigmatic and controversial figures. On the one hand, he was
the best British operational level commander to fight against Germany
during the Second World War. On the other, his deliberate approach
to battle, proved the opposite of aggressive leaders such as
Manstein, Patton and Zhukov; a fact earning Montgomery much
criticism. In particular, Montgomery's leadership in Normandy during
1944 and his cautious pursuit of the retreating Axis armies following
their defeat at El Alamein have earned him much criticism.

Montgomery's decisions will always be shrouded in some mystery.
Nevertheless when putting his decisions into context there are a
number of elements Montgomery must have considered when he
planned his various campaigns. First, Montgomery was likely well
aware his country lacked the manpower reserves to afford costly
mistakes; thus, this knowledge may have played a role in constraining
his aggressiveness. In part because of this reason, Montgomery
believed in striking only when his army was ready, in a tightly
controlled manner that eschewed the aggressive free -wheeling
maneuvers that characterized many of his contemporaries' approach
to offensive warfare. For example, Montgomery's approach to
defeating Rommel at El Alamein, using massive firepower and attacking
in a controlled manner designed to wear down his opponent, would
come to represent the quintessential British approach to conducting
offensives during the remainder of the European War. Indeed, the one
time Montgomery would deviate from a highly conventional approach,
and launch a mini blitzkrieg of his own in the Netherlands during
September of 1944, his offensive would be soundly defeated.

In terms of his personal characteristics, there is less mystery in
regards to explaining Montgomery. Although a high-ranking officer
during the Second World War Montgomery was no stranger to
personal danger, he was a veteran from the First World War, where he
had suffered severe wounds. Montgomery was also incredibly
disciplined and he eschewed smoking or drinking. Montgomery spent
considerable time with his men. He worked at maintaining morale by
seeking to lead through garnering a friendly, personal relationship with
his men. Montgomery's relaxed approach to his men however did not
mean he lacked drive, in fact just as did many of his peers
Montgomery possessed a ruthless drive to succeed. In part the
animosity directed toward Montgomery following the War in part
stemmed from probably the worst aspect of his personality; his
monstrous ego. Although hardly unique, Rommel, Guderian and Patton
were also notoriously fond of themselves, Montgomery exuded
confidence to the point of obnoxiousness. Montgomery actively
sought out the media and public attention. Moreover, he frequently
told anyone that would listen that only he knew how best to defeat
Germany.

In explaining Montgomery's operational level command decisions during
the War his previous combat experiences likely played an important
role. Having fought as an infantryman in World War One, Montgomery
bolstered his experience when he fought in the newly won British
colonies in the Middle East, specifically in Palestine, where mechanized
warfare represented a novelty during the interwar years.
Consequently, his success in defeating Rommel at Alamein, in a set
piece battle, reinforced his underlying training and experience.
Montgomery lacked the visionary boldness of a Manstein yet he was
far from a mediocre commander. In assessing Montgomery's
generalship during the War one battle more than any other is crucial -
El Alamein.

When Montgomery faced down Rommel at El Alamein there is no
question he did so from a position of overwhelming strength and with
crucial advantages provided by intelligence gleaned from ULTRA
intercepts. Nonetheless, other British generals had held commanding
advantages in manpower, equipment and firepower over Rommel in the
North African desert and had repeatedly failed where Montgomery
succeeded. Defeat therefore had proved an outcome few British
Generals inflicted upon Rommel, moreover none produced a defeat the
magnitude Rommel suffered at El Alamein - perhaps Montgomery's
greatest achievement in the War and one the likes of which was
matched by few others.

Picture Courtesy US National Archives, local identifier no.
208-PU-138LL-3