Viscount Montgomery's military role in North Africa

At the end of the Second World War, Great Britain's most famous military personage was Field-Marshal the Viscount Bernard Law Montgomery. He was the man who had led the Eighth Army on a victorious crusade across North Africa and had commanded the Commonwealth forces In the successful Allied Invasion of Hitler's "Fortress Europe." Reaching the peak of his career In 1946, his government appointed him Chief of the Imperial General Staff, the highest post obtainable for a British professional soldier. Immensely popular In Britain, the figure of the wiry general In a black beret was recognized the world over. Despite this popularity, Montgomery has also become one of the most controversial commanders of the war. In the wake of the re-evaluation which follows a significant historical event, the soundness of his generalship has been questioned. Vast numbers of the men who participated in the war have published their diaries and memoirs, many of which express criticism of Montgomery's methods. Using these reminiscences, certain writers and historians have re-examined his battles and found fault with his conduct of the operations. Still others contend that he was a commander of genius, and so the arguments continue. [...]