Was Montgomery considered a good general?

Despite his complex character, Montgomery remains one of the best-known generals of the Second World War and one of the British Army’s greatest ever commanders.

Did Montgomery ever lose a battle?

The war was not all victories for Montgomery, however. He suffered his worst defeat in battle during his September 1944 attempt to cross the Rhine River at the Dutch city of Arnhem. Six thousand airborne Allied troops were lost in the failed effort.

Is Montgomery overrated?

Prime Minister Winston Churchill famously said of Montgomery that he was “indomitable in retreat, invincible in advance; insufferable in victory.” American military historian Martin Blumenson, in a 1962 article, famously called Montgomery “the most overrated general of World War II” (see Blumenson 1962, cited under …

What happened to General Montgomery?

LONDON, Wednesday, March 24 — Field Marshal Viscount Montgomery, the most famous British soldier of modern times, died early today, the Ministry of Defense announced. Lord Montgomery died in his sleep at his country home in the south of England where he had been bedridden for several years.

When did Rommel surrender?

He sent two generals to Rommel to offer him poison with the assurance that his name and that of his family would remain unsullied if he avoided a trial. On October 14 Rommel took poison, thus ending his life. He was later buried with full military honours.

What would Erwin Rommel have done if he were Montgomery?

If I were Montgomery, we wouldn’t still be here,” Field Marshal Erwin Rommel said as the Afrika Korps continued pressing against El Alamein in the late summer of 1942. He believed Montgomery would have withdrawn. Rommel was not given to retreats, yet he had little confidence of defeating the Eighth Army.

How did Montgomery react to Rommel’s invasion of Britain?

From intelligence intercepts, Montgomery knew that Rommel hoped to draw the British into the kind of mobile battle of armour against armour that the Afrika Korps excelled at. Montgomery ordered his commanders to fight defensively and not be drawn.

What were the strengths and weaknesses of Erwin Rommel?

Rommel and Montgomery both had their strengths and weaknesses as generals. Rommel was a bold, aggressive offensive general in the Prussian tradition, put into a situation where his tactics created more risk than they would have had he employed them in continental Europe.

Did Montgomery and Rommel ever meet face to face?

But it was only after more than 35 years that he was able to confide his story to a trusted friend – this friend was David Bernard Montgomery. Montgomery and Rommel, WWII adversaries, may not have met face-to-face but their sons did. And more than that, the two became fast friends.