Chief of the Imperial General Staff Alan Brooke, 1st Viscount Alanbrooke

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.