Bernard Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein
Bernard Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein was bornon 17 November 1887 in Kennington, British, is Allied Commander in World War II. Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery was a British Army officer who achieved international fame for his services as an Allied commander in World War II. A highly experienced army officer, he had served as a junior officer in the Royal Warwickshire Regiment during the World War I. He sustained injuries when he was shot by a sniper yet he returned to the war front as soon as he recovered in a display of courage and patriotism. Born as the son of a clergyman, Montgomery had a difficult childhood growing with up a physically abusive and indifferent mother. He became a bully as a result of his troubled childhood and was almost expelled from the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, because of his unruly and violent behavior. Over time, he evolved into a disciplined and courageous young man and was commissioned into the Royal Warwickshire Regiment as a second lieutenant. This marked the beginning of his long and illustrious career which saw him serve in both the World Wars. Recognized as a first-rate trainer of troops following his services in World War I, he had been given the command of the 8th Infantry Division in Palestine during World War II. In the post war period, he became deputy commander of the Supreme Headquarters of NATO, serving for seven years.
He died on 24 March 1976 in Alton, Hampshire, England, United Kingdom, at the age of 88
From 1948 to 1951, he served as the Chairman of the Western European Union's commanders-in-chief committee and was then made the deputy commander of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization under Dwight Eisenhower
He served as the Chief of the Imperial General Staff from 1946 to 1948, but was not successful in this position as he lacked the political and diplomatic skills required for this job
Montgomery was the one who accepted the unconditional surrender of the German forces on May 4, 1945 at Lüneburg Heath, east of Hamburg
He played a major role in the invasion of Normandy in 1944 following which he was promoted to Field Marshal
The British Prime Minister Winston Churchill appointed him commander of the British Eighth Army in North Africa in 1942
The World War II broke out in 1939 and during the early months of the war he led a division in France and commanded the southeastern section of England in anticipation of a German invasion after the evacuation of Allied troops from Dunkirk
His beloved wife died of an infection in 1937 leaving him devastated
He met Elizabeth Carver, the widow of Oswald Carver who was killed in World War I, in 1927 and married her
In the years following the World War I he attended the Staff College and was promoted to the rank of Major in July 1925
He was severely wounded in October 1914 when he was shot through the right lung by a sniper
He was promoted to lieutenant in 1910 and was made adjutant of the 1st Battalion of his regiment at Shorncliffe Army Camp in 1912
His first overseas service was in late 1908 in India
Bernard Law Montgomery was born on 17 November 1887, in Kennington, London, to an Anglo-Irish Church of Ireland minister, the Reverend Henry Montgomery, and his wife, Maud
