Posted on 09/17/2020 9:40:15 PM PDT by L.A.Justice
In mid-September 1944, things looked great for the Allies. With their foothold in Normandy secured after D-Day and the successful invasion of Southern France in Operation Dragoon, Allied soldiers began an almost unstoppable advance into Nazi-occupied Europe.
German forces were retreating to the safety of the Siegfried Line, a series of hardened defenses and fortifications stretching more than 390 miles along Germany's border with France and the Netherlands.
The successes had Allied planners believing there was a serious chance to end the war by Christmas, and British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery devised a plan he thought would ensure it.
(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...
Eisenhower used his many officers beneath him to form his battle plans. He selected the most gifted. He chose wisely.
________________________________________
I guess we should not be surprised that Ike ended up serving two terms as President...
I think Ike somehow managed to get along with De Gaulle somewhat...
De Gaulle visited Ike in US...They went to Gettysburg...De Gaulle also attended Ike’s funeral...
I think Sir Anthony Hopkins was fine in that movie...
Not as well covered, but Monty was a disaster in the D-Day/Normandy campaign as well.
________________________________________
I think British and Canadian troops did not face too much resistance when they landed...Unlike Americans...
I guess Operation Goodwood was not considered as a “success” by some people...
Monty was the ONLY English general to have anything that could be called success against the Germans.
Never mind that the logistical problems Rommel had in North Africa were due to the RAF and Royal Navy. The RAF based at Malta kept supplies from getting to Rommel. Without resupply he couldn’t keep an offensive going. Of course Monty took credit for everything, megalomaniac that he was.
In the run up to D-Day Churchill became so annoyed with Monty that he demanded of the high command “don’t we have ANYONE ELSE who can fight the Germans?”
_______________________________________________
I think Montgomery was the best British general in European theater...I don’t think Harold Alexander and Claude Auchinleck were as good as Monty...
William Slim was probably the best British general in Pacific theater...
It is a good movie about Netherlands during World War 2... I think Germans successfully penetrated the Dutch Resistance... I think British and Canadian troops had to be careful about advancing into Netherlands... Germans threatened to destroy the dikes and cause flooding... Remember BAND OF BROTHERS on HBO? Was there an episode about Market Garden operation? Maybe somebody watched the series...
In fact throughout the war pretty much the entire British military establishment had barely disguised contempt for the American military. Montgomery made himself particularly hated by men who survived The Battle Of The Bulge. The Battle Of The Bulge was an almost entirely American battle, the biggest and longest continual battle the US Army ever fought. From the time it began on December 16, 1944 until it was declared ''contained'' on January 25, 1945 there was never a day, an hour or a minute that any American unit was not in contact with the enemy. British participation in the battle was minimal but Montgomery made it sound as if he, Montgomery had swooped in and saved the day. I knew a number of American veterans of WW2 who hated Montgomery. One man told me "I'd have shot that Limey bastard quicker than I'd have shot Hitler.
The whole thing was a bad idea from the start.....only one main road which was higher than everything around it (to avoid being flooded) which made vehicles on that road perfect targets. Several key bridges to capture. Panzer divisions resting an refitting right near the 3rd critical objective, not enough transport aircraft.
To top it all off, the British had had a major success when they captured Antwerp which was a desperately needed major port. The Germans heavily fortified the Scheldt estuary to prevent its use and the Allies deployed some understrength Canadian divisions to take it against very stiff German opposition. That mission should have been prioritized. Getting Antwerp in operation would largely solve Allied supply problems setting up the next phase of the campaign - the conquest of the Reich.
If you lived here, you would be home by now.
The key strategic mistake was Ike’s failure to DIRECT Monty to open Antwerp, rather than allowing him to do Market Garden. It was all about logistics.
Was Eisenhower at Antwerp the Biggest Allied Blunder of World War II?
Shoes for industry.
In the 80’s on business I had to pleasure of visiting Nijmegen. The hotel I stayed at had a cafe. When I ordered my lunch the waiter - in almost perfect English - asked me if I wanted a tour of the town. Suspecting a scam I inquired at the front desk about the tour and the clerk highly recommended it and pointed to a man sitting in the lobby. She said please go over to him and ask about the tour. I went over and introduced my self and he asked in I was American. I cautiously replied yes. He jumped up vigorously shook my hand. Turns out he was a 12 year old boy when the battle occurred. He showed my around the area and gave me his first hand account of the battle. No charge. Wound up in a local bar where I couldn’t buy a drink. Yes the locals were/are grateful.
Bookmark
But the heart of the low countries were not freed until after Hitler’s suicide and the German surrender.
Another Firesign Theater fan!
If the British 1st Airborne Division had the proper crystals in their radios, they could have better coordinated with the rest of the Allied commands. Supplies meant for them that were dropping behind the German lines might have been redirected to the areas they held. Then they could have resisted or withdrawn (if necessary) more effectively. The Polish Parachute Brigade might have been spared their disaster.
As it was, the 1st Airborne couldn’t communicate with the rest of the commands in the operation due to the short range of their broadcast radios. This led to worry in the Allied staffs, miscues as supplies (and the Polish airborne troops) bound for them didn’t reach them, and poor coordination in effectively bringing the elements of the division together.
I liked Gene Hackman as the Pole in the movie.
Mistake#1: Allowing British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery command something....
Mistake#2: a single road
Mistake #3: ignored intelligence indicating that two elite SS Panzer divisions had been stationed in the region
Mistake #4: Not asking “Murphy” what he plans to do!!!
No, ultra should be given credit for El Alamein. He had all the information about the German attack in plenty of time. But that was kept secret and they went with the Monty is brilliant story instead.
My dad had the same opinion of Monty. He was a waist gunner on a B17. He also had no use for De Galle. Really got his panties in a wad that after the Americans and British had stormed the beaches and fought through France they had to stop outside of Paris and wait so De Galle could enter Paris first in triumph.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.