Examines both the strengths and weaknesses of one of Great Britain's most renowned military leaders.

Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery had a dynamic personality that often led to difficulties with political or military superiors but made him an immensely effective leader of men. He identified himself closely with his soldiers whose welfare was his continual concern and whom he treated almost as family. In return, they fought for him magnificently in some of the most important battles of the Second World War.

These battles varied in type, terrain and tactics: defended river crossings including that of the Rhine; amphibious landings including the D-Day landings; defensive encounters including Alam Halfa and the Ardennes; mobile operations including the capture of Tripoli, the ‘left hook’ at the Mareth Line and the dash from the Seine to the Scheldt culminating in the daring attempt to seize the Rhine bridges; ‘set piece’ conflicts against enemies in prepared positions equipped with often superior weapons including Alamein and Normandy.

In addition to describing the battles that made Montgomery the legendary military commander for which he is rightly remembered, this fascinating book examines both his qualities and weaknesses. Notwithstanding the latter, there is no doubt that he fully justified the trust and loyalty that soldiers gave to the man they knew as ‘Monty’.

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Acknowledgements
• Prologue: From the Dyle to the Desert
• Chapter 1 The Battle of Alam Halfa
• Chapter 2 The Battle of El Alamein
• Chapter 3 ‘On to Tripoli!’
• Chapter 4 The Battle of the Mareth Line
• Chapter 5 The Struggle for Sicily
• Chapter 6 River of Blood
• Chapter 7 ‘Neptune’s General’
• Chapter 8 The Battle of Normandy: Trials and Tribulations
• Chapter 9 The Battle of Normandy: Triumph
• Chapter 10 The Race to the Rhine
• Chapter 11 The Fight for the German Frontier
• Chapter 12 To the Baltic ‒ and Beyond
• Chapter 13 Master of the Battlefield
• Bibliography
• Plates