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"Montgomery and his Legions:" A Study of Operational Development, Innovation and Command in 21st Army Group, North-West Europe, 1944-45
Get PDFThis thesis considers armour and infantry unit organization and structure in the British Army during the Second World War, specifically in Montgomery's 21st Army Group in North-West Europe. The strengths and weaknesses of how corps and divisions responded to Montgomery's command system - and in particular the commonality of doctrinal practice - has become an issue of debate among historians. This thesis examines and analyses the factors that produced both an effective weapon and a functional doctrine for combining armour and infantry. It does this by tracking how 21st Army Group moved from 'anarchy' to 'problem solving' under Montgomery's direction.
It shows that far from being either authoritarian or anarchic, Montgomery's ultimate command system actually encouraged commanders to use their initiative within the goals set out by Montgomery in late 1944 in a series of pamphlets. He believed in the imposition of doctrine, but this overlooks mid-July to end-of-September 1944 when he was open to the "bubble-up" of new ideas: albeit post-pamphlets the subsequent price of uniformity of doctrine was a certain apparent inflexibility. By late 1944 when Montgomery's 21st Army Group "stood at the door of Germany", armour-infantry co-operation practice is shown to have involved the coordination of armour originally intended to play different roles; infantry, and artillery on the basis of commonly agreed upon understandings which had been reached by an essentially collaborative process. Once set out in Montgomery's pamphlets, however, no deviation from this framework was subsequently permitted. Simultaneously, success in action depended on commanders exercising their initiative to be proactive to a greater extent than has hitherto been suggested: Montgomery wanted to constrain choices yet he allowed armoured commanders enough freedom of action to respond to challenges within the "master plan".
This thesis thus makes an original contribution to the debate on Montgomery's command style, and its consequences, and more widely on the role of a great commander
The Demidenko story so far [Monkeys discussing controversial author Helen Darville/Demidenko] [picture] /
No full textTitle devised by cataloguer.; Published in the Canberra Times on 22 August 1995.; Part of the Pryor collection of cartoons and drawings.; Also available in an electronic version via the Internet at: http://nla.gov.au/nla.pic-vn3512930. Helen Demidenko's controversial book 'The Hand that Signed the Paper' causes much comment from the 'chatterati' when it wins the 1995 Miles Franklin Award . When the author is later revealed to be Helen Darville and the book itself to be a total invention, the comment continues unabated.--Information supplied by Geoff Pryor
Conference of Dominion Prime Ministers, London, 1944 [picture]
No full textPart of collection: Journey of Prime Minister John Curtin to the United States, Canada and Great Britain, 1944.; Title devised from handwritten inscription on reverse.; "Front Row: Peter Fraser (N.Z) John Curtin (Aust) Winston Churchill (U.K) King George VI, Mackenzie King (Canada) Field Marshall Smuts (South Africa). Back Row (Names unknown)"--Handwritten on reverse.; Negative no.: 2676.; Also available in an electronic version via the Internet at: http://nla.gov.au/nla.pic-vn3582904
Australian Prime Minister John Curtin addressing combined session, Houses of Parliament, Ottawa, Canada, 1944 [picture]
No full textPart of collection: Journey of Prime Minister John Curtin to the United States, Canada and Great Britain, 1944.; Title devised from handwritten inscription on reverse.; "Please credit: The Public Archives of Canada"--Stamped on reverse.; Also available in an electronic version via the Internet at: http://nla.gov.au/nla.pic-vn3111855
Dominion Prime Ministers John Curtin and Peter Fraser leaving the Senate House after being conferred with honorary degrees of Doctor of Law, Cambridge University, 1944 [picture]
No full textPart of collection: Journey of Prime Minister John Curtin to the United States, Canada and Great Britain, 1944.; Title devised from handwritten inscription on reverse.; "Dominion Prime Ministers Conferred with Honorary Degrees - Doctor of Law - Cambridge University. Centre: John Curtin (Aust) & Peter Fraser (N.Z) right. 1944."--Handwritten on reverse.; "Sport & General, Press Agency Limited, London"--Stamped on reverse.; Negative no. : 2685.; Also available in an electronic version via the Internet at: http://nla.gov.au/nla.pic-vn3582942
John Curtin and U.S. Secretary of State Cordell Hull, 1944, with Elsie Curtin in background, Washington D.C? [picture] .
No full textPart of collection: Journey of Prime Minister John Curtin to the United States, Canada and Great Britain, 1944.; Negative no. 2661.; Also available in an electronic version via the Internet at: http://nla.gov.au/nla.pic-vn3583096
John Curtin and Mrs Curtin with Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King, examining Book of Remembrance in Memorial Chamber, Peace Tower, in Parliament House, Ottawa, 1944 [picture]
No full textPart of collection: Journey of Prime Minister John Curtin to the United States, Canada and Great Britain, 1944.; Title devised from handwritten inscription on reverse.; "Australian Prime Ministers John Curtin and Mrs. Curtin with (right) Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King, examining Book of Remembrance in Memorial Chamber, Peace Tower, in Parliament buildings, Ottawa, Canada, 1944."--Handwritten on reverse.; "Please credit: The Public Archives of Canada"--Stamped on reverse.; Negative no. 2664.; Also available in an electronic version via the Internet at: http://nla.gov.au/nla.pic-vn3583310
Caroline Frances Chodzko on her first birthday, July 4, 1944 [picture]
No full textIn album: Cyril Ritchard album of theatrical performance and personal photographs, 1939-1944.; Also available in an electronic version via the Internet at: http://nla.gov.au/nla.pic-vn3666405-s46-a1; Purchased 2005
James Clavell - Author of King Rat - Taipan Shogun - Guest on Mike Walsh shop Sept 21 [picture] /
No full textPublished in the Canberra Times on 27 September 1981.; Part of the Pryor collection of cartoons and drawings
Women volunteer grinding a billet of armour piercing steel at a munitions factory, Australia, 1944 [picture].
No full textTitle devised by cataloguer from caption below photograph.; In album: Women's activities in Australia, prepared for Dr Edith Summerskill MD, MP, Empire Parliamentary Delegation Australia 1944; Inscriptions: "Over a long period a number of women university graduates and students voluntarily perfomed work for Australia's Munitions effort. This university volunteer is grinding a billet of armour piercing steel"--Printed on label below photograph.; Also available in an electronic version via the Internet at: http://nla.gov.au/nla.pic-an11035265-s203
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