Fair enough Craig, but I wouldn't have called him a coward. Definitely a traitor to the Nazis after his capture. (and weak with Hitler like some other German Generals).

The German Nation would have been mighty relieved if they had broken the ring at Stalingrad.

Anyway a discussion on Von Paulus would be good for another topic on its own.

Monty had plenty of good points as well as bad. He was also on the winning side.

Hi, i am new to this forum and found it while researching for a history project, which happens to be on Montgomery. I know some basic information about him but my project focuses on how he is viewed by historians, particularly those from the UK and US. If anyone could give me some references to some good books, especially ones which are critical of him and from an American viewpoint, i would gladly appreciate the help.

Originally Posted by schoolnoob

Hi, i am new to this forum and found it while researching for a history project, which happens to be on Montgomery. I know some basic information about him but my project focuses on how he is viewed by historians, particularly those from the UK and US. If anyone could give me some references to some good books, especially ones which are critical of him and from an American viewpoint, i would gladly appreciate the help.

Just curious,but why a critical point of view and why American?Do you believe the American view of Monty is more accurate?

Originally Posted by Uncle_Sam

I think of him as a very bad general! If he was commander instead of Eisenhower, we would have lost the war!
Nazis would be marching in Europe like an angry bull in a Texas Rodeo!

He won in Africa simply because Romell was sick in Berlin(Tifus), and when he came back everything went wrong for nazis( ), other wise we would certainly loose Africa , 'till operation "Torch", where Eisenhower would command, and everything would be O.K. !
Eisenhower(my favourite general ) & Monti were not so well friends, 'cause Dwight knew he wasn't a good General.... Every operation he started was failure from the begining! More of our men died brcause of him!

No Prizes for guessing where your from

I need to look at the different perspectives on him and from what i know the British seem to admire and overate him while American historians are more critical. I am looking for books with an American perspective because i need to try to determine why this is the case. So if anyone out there can suggest something it would give me a good boost.

I have personally found Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery one of the most intriguing leaders and personalities of military history.

When I was younger I tended to be very critical of particular military leaders such as Montgomery. Another general that springs to mind is Douglas Haig of WW1 fame. As you may have noticed, I have also had a fascination for George Patton, a rather crazy guy. As I got older and with a bit more reading, I began to realise that these men lived in very complex and dangerous times. The problems encountered demanded very extraordinary men to come to the surface. They had lots of faults but had substantial qualities as well which got them to the top.

I don’t know of any American authors who have done any serious studies of Montgomery. There could be quite a number out there. The prevailing American view is usually a critical one of Monty and that may be warranted in some instances. He could be quite an insufferable character to his contempories and he did make mistakes.

One of the best books I have ever read about Monty and it critically appraises his good points as well as his bad is

MONTGOMERY OF ALAMEIN by Alun Chalfont. (Magnum Books). An English Publication.
ISBN 0 417 01910 6

I thought it was a great book.. It was first published in 1976. If you are looking for criticism of Monty there is plenty here. I came away with more admiration of a very complex man.


I bought my copy in a street market. Try your library. Amazon may be of some help.

Without studying all perspectives, I don't think you're going to get a very good study of ANY military leader. What did the Russians think of Montgomery? The Germans? And yes, the bloody Americans too. What did they think of Monty? While knowing the British point of view is absolutely essential, you're opening yourself up to hometown bias. Hard to be objective in that case.

If the American views are drastically unfair, the more intersting quesiton is: Why is America seeking so dilligently to under-rate Montgomery?

Originally Posted by godofthunder9010

Without studying all perspectives, I don't think you're going to get a very good study of ANY military leader. What did the Russians think of Montgomery? The Germans? And yes, the bloody Americans too. What did they think of Monty? While knowing the British point of view is absolutely essential, you're opening yourself up to hometown bias. Hard to be objective in that case.

If the American views are drastically unfair, the more intersting quesiton is: Why is America seeking so dilligently to under-rate Montgomery?

Your question "Why is America seeking so diligently to under-rate Montgomery?" is one of the sub questions im trying to address. However it is somewhat difficult without any American sources. Perhaps you could tell me the names of some notable US historians who have written about WW2. The only one i can think of is Stephen Ambrose.
As for looking at other perspectives, I'll keep that in mind.

Two other excellent books on Monty are

Monty: The Battles of Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery by Nigel Hamilton (Random House)

The Lonely Leader 1944/1945 by Alistair Horne (Harper Collins).

You will get plenty of criticism of Monty in these two and reasons why he fell out with the Americans in WW2 as well as a lot of other people. Even so, he was still adored by his troops!!!

Can't understand your fixation on finding an American author. Maybe you better stick to Stephen Ambrose.

Montgomery nicked my great grandad's van!