Second World War Alan Brooke, 1st Viscount Alanbrooke

1 second world war

1.1 commander in flanders, france , britain
1.2 chief of imperial general staff
1.3 relationship churchill

second world war
commander in flanders, france , britain

following outbreak of second world war, brooke commanded ii corps in british expeditionary force (bef)—which included in subordinate formations 3rd infantry division, commanded major general bernard montgomery. corps commander, brooke had pessimistic view of allies chances of countering german offensive. sceptical of quality , determination of french army, , of belgian army. scepticism appeared justified when on visit french front-line units; , shocked see unshaven men, ungroomed horses , dirty vehicles.

he had little trust in lord gort, commander-in-chief (c-in-c) of bef, whom brooke thought interested in details , incapable of taking broad strategic view. gort, on other hand, regarded brooke pessimist failed spread confidence, , thinking of replacing him.

lieutenant general a. f. brooke sits portrait being painted reginald eves, 30 april 1940.

when german offensive began brooke distinguished himself in handling of british forces in retreat dunkirk. in late may 1940 ii corps held major german attack on ypres-comine canal found left flank exposed capitulation of belgian army. brooke swiftly ordered 3rd division switch corps right flank cover gap. accomplished in complicated night-time manoeuvre. pushing more troops north counter threat embarking troops @ dunkirk german units advancing along coast, ii corps retreated appointed places on east or south-east of shrinking perimeter of dunkirk.

then on 29 may brooke ordered gort return england, leaving corps in montgomery s hands. according montgomery, brooke overcome emotion @ having leave men in such crisis broke down , wept handed on monty on beaches of la panne. told gort proceed home .... (the) task of reforming new armies returned on destroyer (30 may). on june 2nd set out war office find out wanted light heart , no responsibility, , told dill (cigs) return france form new bef; later said hearing command dill 1 of blackest (moments) in war. had realised there no hope of success brittany plan (breton redoubt) keep allied redoubt in france. told secretary war (eden) mission had no military value , no hope of success although not comment on political value. in first conversation prime minister winston churchill (brooke had been rung dill @ 10 downing street) insisted british forces should withdrawn france. churchill objected convinced brooke , around 200,000 british , allied troops evacuated ports in northwestern france.

after returning short spell @ southern command appointed in july 1940 command united kingdom home forces take charge of anti-invasion preparations. have been brooke s task direct land battle in event of german landings. contrary predecessor general sir edmund ironside, favoured static coastal defence, brooke focused on developing mobile reserve swiftly counterattack enemy forces before established. light line of defence on coast assure landings delayed as possible. writing after war, brooke acknowledged had every intention of using sprayed mustard gas on beaches .

brooke believed lack of unified command of 3 services grave danger defence of country. despite this, , fact available forces never reached numbers thought required, brooke considered situation far helpless in case germans invaded. should have desperate struggle , future might have hung in balance, felt given fair share of fortunes of war should succeed in defending these shores , wrote after war. in end, german invasion plan never taken beyond preliminary assembly of forces.

chief of imperial general staff

in december 1941 brooke succeeded field marshal sir john dill chief of imperial general staff (cigs), professional head of british army, in appointment represented army on chiefs of staff committee. in march 1942 succeeded admiral of fleet sir dudley pound chairman of chiefs of staff committee.

for remainder of second world war, brooke foremost military adviser british prime minister, winston churchill (who minister of defence), war cabinet, , britain s allies. cigs, brooke functional head of british army, , chairman of chiefs of staff committee, dominated force of intellect , personality, took leading military part in overall strategic direction of british war effort. in 1942, brooke joined western allies ultimate command, u.s.-british combined chiefs of staff.

brooke (on left) , churchill visit bernard montgomery s mobile headquarters in normandy, france, 12 june 1944.

brooke s focus on mediterranean theatre of operations. here, key issues rid north africa of axis forces , knock italy out of war, thereby opening mediterranean allied shipping, , mount cross channel invasion when allies ready , germans sufficiently weakened.

brooke s , british view of mediterranean operations contrasted american commitment invasion of western europe, led several heated arguments @ many conferences of combined chiefs of staff.

during first years of anglo-american alliance, british got way. @ london conference in april 1942, brooke , churchill seem have misled general george marshall, u.s. army chief of staff, british intentions on landing in france. @ casablanca conference in january 1943, decided allies should invade sicily, under command of general dwight d. eisenhower, decision postponed planned invasion of western europe until 1944. casablanca agreement in fact compromise, brokered largely brooke s old friend field marshal sir john dill, chief of british joint staff mission in washington dc owe him [dill] unbounded debt of gratitude on occasion , in many other similar ones , brooke wrote after war.

the post of cigs less rewarding command in important theatre of war cigs chose generals commanded theatres , decided men , munitions should have. when came finding right commanders complained many officers have been commanders had been killed in first world war , 1 reason behind difficulties british had in beginning of war. when general sir claude auchinleck replaced commander of british eighth army in 1942, brooke preferred lieutenant general bernard montgomery instead of lieutenant general william gott, churchill s candidate. thereafter gott killed in air crash , montgomery received command. brooke later reflect upon tragic event led appointment of montgomery intervention god. earlier in 1942 brooke had been offered command of british forces in middle east. brooke declined, believing knew better other general how deal churchill.

general sir bernard montgomery in staff car general sir harold alexander , general sir alan brooke, during inspection of 8th indian division hq, italy, 15 december 1943.

a year later, war had taken different turn , brooke no longer believed necessary stay @ churchill s side. therefore looked forward taking command of allied invasion of western europe, post brooke believed had been promised churchill on 3 occasions. during first quebec conference in august 1943, decided command go general george marshall. (although in event marshall s work u.s. army chief of staff important him leave washington dc , dwight d. eisenhower appointed instead.) brooke bitterly disappointed, both @ being passed on , of way decision conveyed him churchill, according brooke dealt matter if 1 of minor importance .

statue of field marshal viscount alanbrooke, ministry of defence building, whitehall, london.

brooke or brookie known, reckoned 1 of foremost of heads of british army. quick in mind , speech , respected military colleagues, both british , allied, although uncompromising style make americans wary.

as cigs, brooke had strong influence on grand strategy of western allies. war in west unfolded more or less according plans, @ least until 1943 when american forces still relatively small in comparison british. among crucial of contributions opposition landing in france, important delaying operation overlord until june 1944.

he cautious general great respect german war machine. american planners thought brooke s participation in campaigns of first world war , in 2 evacuations france in second world war made him lack aggression believed necessary victory. according max hastings, brooke s reputation strategist damaged remarks @ trident conference in washington in may 1943, claimed no major operations on continent possible until 1945 or 1946. diary says wanted operations in mediterranean force dispersal of german forces, russia, , produce situation cross channel operations possible churchill entirely repudiated (or half repudiated) paper (the ccos) had agreed on; harry hopkins got him withdraw proposed amendments churchill had aroused suspicions talk of ventures in balkans.

relationship churchill

during years cigs, brooke had stormy relationship winston churchill. brooke frustrated prime minister s habits , working methods, abuse of generals , constant meddling in strategic matters. @ same time brooke admired churchill way inspired allied cause , way bore heavy burden of war leadership. in 1 typical passage in brooke s war diaries churchill described genius mixed astonishing lack of vision – quite difficult man work have ever struck should not have missed chance of working him on earth!

when churchill s many fanciful strategic ideas collided sound military strategy brooke on chiefs of staff committee able stand prime minister. churchill said brooke: when thump table , push face towards him do? thumps table harder , glares @ me. know these brookes – stiff-necked ulstermen , there s no 1 worse deal that! has been claimed part of churchill s greatness appointed brooke cigs , kept him whole war.

brooke particularly annoyed churchill s idea of capturing northern tip of sumatra. in cases brooke did not see political dimension of strategy prime minister did. cigs sceptical british intervention in greek civil war in late 1944 (during dekemvriana), believing operation drain troops central front in germany. @ stage war practically won , churchill saw possibility of preventing greece becoming communist state.

the balance of chiefs of staff committee tilted in october 1943 when admiral sir dudley pound, brooke s predecessor chairman, retired result of poor health , admiral sir andrew cunningham succeeded pound first sea lord , naval representative on chiefs of staff committee. brooke consequence got firm ally in arguments churchill. reflected in serious clash between prime minister , chiefs of staff, regarding british preparations final stages of pacific war. brooke , rest of chiefs of staff wanted build forces in australia while churchill preferred use india base british effort. issue on chiefs of staff prepared resign, in end compromise reached.

despite many disagreements brooke , churchill held affection each other. after 1 fierce clash churchill told chief of staff , military adviser, sir hastings ismay, did not think continue work longer brooke because hates me. can see hatred looking eyes. brooke responded ismay: “hate him? don t hate him. love him. first time tell him agree him when don t time rid of me, can no more use him. when churchill told murmured, ”dear brookie.”

the partnership between brooke , churchill successful 1 , led britain victory in 1945. according historian max hastings, partnership created efficient machine higher direction of war possessed combatant nation, if judgments flawed , ability enforce wishes increasingly constrained .

brooke s diary entry 10 september 1944 particularly revealing of ambivalent relationship churchill:

...and wonderful thing 3/4 of population of world imagine churchill 1 of strategists of history, second marlborough, , other 1/4 have no idea public menace , has been throughout war ! far better world should never know, , never suspect feet of clay of otherwise superhuman being. without him england lost certainty, him england has been on verge of disaster time , again...... never have admired , despised man simultaneously same extent. never have such opposite extremes been combined in same human being