Evening star., 1945-01-11
London Paper Brands
Bradley Statement
Aur on Montgomery
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
LONDON, Jan. 1.-THE London
Daily Mail said editorially today
that 1t. Zen. Omar N. Bradleys
press conference on the western
front Tuesday was "a slur on Monty"
because Gen. Bradley said Field
Marshal Sir Bernard L. Montgom-
ery's command of the American 1st
and 9th Armies was temporary.
The Mdil recently asserted without
confirmation that Marshal Mont
gomery had foreseen the German
breakthrough in Belgium and had
taken command of the northern
group of armies on his own initiative,
his command being confirmed only
after the fact.
Today's editorial said Gen. Brad
1ey's statement bears only one in
depreciation. 1t is that Field Mar
shal Montgomery is good enough to
be given the position of responsibility
in an emergency, but, when the
danger is over and the ravages of
the enemy are made good his serv-
ices are no longer required except
in comparatively subordinate
capacity.
Fake Broadcast Cited.
"It can be said at once that the
British people would view with dis
may the relegation of this great
soldier to the somewhat meager
share of the front which he held
before Won Rundstedts break
through"
The Mail also mentioned the fake
German broadcast of Monday,
which pretended to be BBC pro-
gram giving Marshal Montgomery
all the credit for stopping the Ger
man breakthrough in Belgium.
It said this broadcast has been
hotly resented in the United States"
and was accepted as authentic
much too hastily" but added, THE
interview which Gen. Bradley gave
to the war correspondents on the
Western front falls into a very diff
ferent category because it was au-
thoritatiVe.
Some of the things he said will
be regarded by the British people
as unnecessarily offensive.
"It is unusual, to say the least,
for one commander in the field to
tell the world what is to be the
future professional status of an
other officer of equal rank. If such
statement had to be made-and
we cannot see the necessity-it
,,,l l~auo ,or,1o y,o,,cb hotter from
the supreme commander.
Resentment Expressed.
The Mail, most outspokenly ma
tionalist among London newspapers,
has expressed quick resentment on
previous occasions to what it con-
sidered Sights offered Marshal
Montgomery, notably last summer,
when a. story emanated unoficially
from supreme headquarters that
Gen. Bradley was to get equal status
with Marshal Montgomery. The
story was denied the next day, but
was confirmed weeks later. The
Mail quickly branded the story an
insult" and demanded that some
body apologize to Marshal Mont
gomery.
Before the present temporary
command shift was announced, the
Mail had suggested editorially that
changes were needed. When the
shift was announced, the Mail called
it promotion" for Marshal Mont
gomery and urged that it be made
permanent.
Express Praises YankS.
Meanwhile, the London Dali EX-
press published, under the headline
Thanks, Yanks," a dispatch from
one of its western front correspond
ents declaring the Germans might
have captured Antwerp and caught
the British I'd Army in fatal trap
if the Americans had not held Bas-
togne.
The dispatch, cabled by Allen
Moorhead, said;
Everything at one moment de-
pended upon the Americans holding
Bastogne. Had they lost it, there
was a reasona bic chance of the Ger
mans swee - on to the coast and
taking Antwerp which would have
meant the encirclement of the Brit
ish armies.
There would have been no escape
route by sea this time. But Gen
Bradley and his Americans hung on
somehow.
Now that full reports are coming
in, they are saying in British head
quarters that Bastogne compares in
Importance with El Alamein (the
turning point of the North African
campaign in its effect upon the
war.
"It is bigger battle than we knew
about-perhaps one of the greatest
American efforts of the war"