Book Review - El Alamein to the River Sangro by Field Marshal Montgomery

El Alamein to the River Sangro by Field-Marshal the Viscount Montgomery of Alamein

London: Arrow Books, 1960  (First Published 1948)

Like many of the Allied Generals of World War II, "Monty" has become a controversial figure. Many deride his character, and his caution, but there is little doubt as to  his popularity with the troops under his command. He is mainly remembered now for his leadership of the Eighth Army in the Desert Campaign against Rommel, which is dealt with in the first half of this book.

While Montgomery's memoirs were very outspoken about those he didn't like (he managed to make many enemies during the war, and they weren't all German or Italian), El Alamein to the River Sangro is a very understated and factual account of his command of the Eighth Army. It is very much a description of the disposition of his forces, his development of battle plans and the changes he made on the run during battle, and some forays into the difficulty of what we now call logistics (Montgomery uses the term "administration").

And it was the logistics that Monty was determined to get right before committing to battle at El Alamein in 1942. The war in the Desert to that stage had seen the front yo-yo from Libya to Egypt and back again, as either the Allies or the Axis reached the end of their supply tether. Montgomery's emphasis on ensuring adequate supply, reserve troops, and also insisting on close co-operation between ground and air forces meant that he could attack knowing that he could keep pressing forward.

The Desert war in particular suited Montgomery - set piece battles, followed by movement, with the battle ground being of a size and shape that meant only one General was needed. There were more difficulties for him in Sicily and Italy, where he became second-in-line to the American forces: something he suffered for the rest of his war, to his chagrin.

I was somewhat disappointed by this book - I was hoping to feel more of Monty's character shining through the pages, but I guess I'll have to read his memoirs to get that. I think a reader with a general interest in both the Desert and Italian Campaigns would do better reading a broader history, and those wishing to understand the man himself would do better to read his memoirs.

Cheers for now, from
A View Over the Bell