1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, KG , GCB , DSO , PC (17 November 1887 -24 March 1976 )
Often referred to as "Monty", was a British Army officer. He successfully commanded Allied forces at the Battle of El Alamein , a major turning point in World War II , and troops under his command were largely responsible for the expulsion of Axis forces from North Africa. He was later a prominent commander in Italy and North-West Europe, where he was in command of all Allied ground forces during Operation Overlord until after the Battle of Normandy . On 4 May 1945 , on LĂĽneburg Heath , Montgomery accepted the surrender of German forces in northern Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands . Characteristically, this was done plainly in a tent without any ceremony.
Dated the 19th of April, 1968, this posted envelope from "M of Alamein" to Major General Christopher Mam, C.B., O.B.E., M.C., has a handwritten note on the back from Major R.W.J. "Dick" Smith, M.B.E. verifying it's authenticity. It comes with a blank postcard of a painting of the famous war hero (see picture). The markings on the back of the postcard are: Sir Oswald Birley Field Marshall the Viscount Montgomery of Alamain, K.G., G.C.B., D.S.O., Cat. No. LD 5915, Imperial War Museum, Crown Copyright
More background:
Bernard Law Montgomery, 1887-1976, British field marshal. Educated at Sandhurst, he entered the army in 1908 and served in World War I. In World War II he commanded (1939-40) the 3d Division in France until the evacuation of Dunkirk. In 1942 he was sent to Egypt to command the British 8th Army in Africa under the Middle Eastern Command headed by Gen. Sir Harold Alexander. Winning the battle of Alamein and driving the Germans 2,000 miles across Africa into Tunisia made Montgomery an idol of the British public. He led the 8th Army in Sicily and Italy until Dec., 1943. He helped formulate the invasion plan for France, and in the Normandy campaign he was field commander of all ground forces until Aug., 1944, then led the 21st Army Group. When the Germans advanced in the Battle of the Bulge, he was given temporary command of two American armies. Afterward his troops thrust across N Germany to the Baltic, and he headed (1945-46) the British occupation forces in Germany.
He was made field marshal in 1944 and viscount in 1946. He was chief of the imperial general staff from 1946 to 1948, when he became chairman of the commanders in chief in committee under the permanent defense organization of Britain, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. From 1951 to 1958 he was deputy supreme commander of the Allied forces in Europe. His writings include Forward to Victory (1946), Normandy to the Baltic (1947), Forward from Victory (1948), El Alamein to the River Sangro (1948), An Approach to Sanity (1959), The Path to Leadership (1961), and A History of Warfare (1968).
