Evening star., 1945-01-08
Montgomery, Confident Of His D Day Plans,
Spent Time Reading on Lawn, Henry Reveals

of the big French ports on the Brit
ttany coast.
Three or four of the 1st Army di-
visions, who had been on the right
flank, suddenly found themselve,
fighting as units of the Sd Army In
the necessary splitup of territory
Two of these were swung in a great
curve southeast to Lemans and Alen-
con where, being again in lst Army
territory. they became members OF
the 1st Army again. One of these
divisions contacted the British at
Cambois.
But the pattern had resolved itself
into that of three armies fighting
closely co-ordinated but physically
disconnected campaigns. Two OF
these armies were American and the
interlocking between them was
closer than that of either of them
with the British. 1t was at this
point that the 18th Army group
began to function as distinct from
the 21st Army group, which remain
ed under the command of Gen.
Montgomery. Gen. Bradley took
over the command, with Gen.
Hodges commanding the 1st Army
and Gen. Patton the Sd Army.
Situation Still Unclear.
While the situation still is not en-
tirely clear, it would seem that there
was no overall command of both
Army groups except Gen. Eisen-
hover himself. Gen. Montgomery
and Gen. Bradley had equal status
and equal responsibilities, although
one actually outranked the other.
Throughout September the war
assumed roughly the pattern it had
in Normandy-an essentially con-
tinuous American British French
line from the coast of Holland to the
Vosges engaged in co-ordinated
push in a common direction. The
Ardennes breakthrough broke up
this pattern, splitting what had
been essentially a single operation
into separate operations.
Part of the Allied forces, including
ali the British, the American 9Th
and part of the American 1st
Armies, were left on the north OF the
Ardennes bulge. The Sd Army and
part of the 1st Army were left on
the south, with the 7th Army and
the French still further south.
Very roughly, the pattern might
be likened to that in Sicily and Italy
except that one of the campaigns
is being fought by combined
American-British force and the
other by an entirely American force
No New Experience.
Each must have directing head
with the result that Gen. Mont
gomery now commands the COM
bined forces on the north and Gen.
Bradley those of the 1st and Sd
Armies on the south. The former
has no greater combined command
than during the month or so follow
ing D day and it is no new expe-
rience for American troops to serve
under him. Presumably when fight
ing on the western front becomes a
single action again there may be
another reshuff1ing, the nature of
which, of course, is unpredictable.
1t will be reassuring to both
American and British troops en-
gagged in these two actions that the
two commanders remain the two in
dlviduals best liked and most re-
spected by all ranks in France. BY
the ordinary GI-he may be litter
ate or he may be a Ph.D.-to whom
the theatricalS of brass are only els
gusting, Gen. Bradley is worshipped.
l have always been inclined to
think OF him as a greater Stonewall
jackson. He is Jackson, for better
or worse, without Jacksons Calvin
istic austerity. He is Jaokson's equal
as a military tactician. He is Jack
sons equal as hard fighting.
swiftmoving commander of troops.
Not since Hannibal has there been
the equal of the D day landings,
OF the break-through, of the swift
dash across France and Belgium by
the 1st United States Army. I
like to think of Bradley as another
Hannibal.
Picture Of Contemporary.
We know very little about Hanni-
bal. If We could have the picture
OF contemporary. have no doubt
it would be that of a Missouri COL
lege professor, or a scientist in the
Bureau of Standards. And that
would be fair picture of the great
soldier, think, the greatest soldier
in our history, who has led our men
to the edge of Germany. If we
could have a contemporary portrait
of Hannibal there is one thing on
which would bet my life-it would
in nowise resemble the popular pic
ture of an American general.
have seen the tall, stern man.
dressed in CT uniform with three
stars on the shoulder Of his COM
bat jacket, riding in an uncovered
jeep without a windshield through
clouds Of dust along the highways
Of Tunisia and Sicily, oblivious to
road mines and shells breaking
around him, talking to GIs by the
roadside, talking to Gas at Division
heaquarters, talking to stray cor
respondents, giving bits of practical,
fatherly advice in all places, bear
ing all the time on his shoulders
the responsibility of thousands OF
lives, feeling that every soldier killed
was his own boy dead in the ditch.
That is Gen. Bradley.
Lady Monte"
And I remember one day at the
United States Naval base at Lon
donderry. They had brought out Of
her retirement = very picturesque