Show OR W EA ON Washington D. D C. C STORY BEHIND MONTGOMERY MONTGOMERY- BRADLEY COMMAND COl SHIFT There is significant background behind the appointment of British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery to command two American armies thereby taking away most of the command of Gen Omar N. N Bradley There are also interesting reasons why it was kept such a hush-hush hush matter from the American Ameri Ameri- can public General Bradley has now been awarded the bronze star by Eisenhower and congratulated by Churchill to take the sting out of his loss of the First and Ninth armies The idea that Bradle Bradley made the transfer himself him him- himself self also has been publicized Despite these maneuvers It is known Inside the war department department depart depart- ment that highest U. U S. S war chiefs opposed the transfer to Montgomery and that it was put across by General Eisenhower anyway Background of the reshuffle goes back to the landing in Normandy 1 last summer when Montgomery was given Caen as his objective while Bradley was to take Cherbourg Bradley reached his objective ahead of schedule in a new type of offensive offensive oft of of- t fighting in which U. U S. S troops did not wait for supplies to come up nor for snipers to be wiped out Montgomery using more conservative conserva conserva- conservative tive slow-moving slow old-fashioned old tactics tac wc tactics tics sat with his army at Caen and t either could not or would not break breakthrough t I through until long after schedule and until Bradley ignoring Montgomery Montgomery Mont Mont- gomery smashed the Nazi lines to the south and started the lightning dash to Paris Montgomery tl Demoted Afterward the Stars and Stripes carried a story that Bradley was being promoted to the rank of full general and would supersede Mont Mont- gomery The Stars and Stripes being being being be be- ing an official army newspaper the story naturally was true But publication publication publication pub pub- in London caused such a furor among the British that the British broadcasting company went wenton on the air with an emphatic denial After Alter that the shift shUt of armies was held up for a while until Montgomery Montgomery Mont Mont- gomery could be made a Field Marshal Marshal Mar Mar- to appease both him and British British British Brit Brit- ish public opinion Bradley then took over command of all the American armies under Eisenhower and Montgomery was left only with the two British and Canadian armies in Holland and Belgium Since then Mont Monty has been waitIng waiting wait wait- Ing for his chance to stage a come come- back His friends of the British press press press-of of whom he has many many have have been doing the same So immediately immediate immediate- ly following the German breakthrough breakthrough break break- through he began pressuring Eisenhower Eisenhower Eisenhower Eisen Eisen- hower to give him the American First and Ninth armies Montgomery is a superb defensive When his back was to the wall at El EI just a few miles from Cairo he did a great job When given offensive jobs lobs as in Sicily at Caen and at Arnhem he failed to make the grade How much of Eisenhower's decision to put Montgomery in command of or the two American armies depended upon his ability as a defensive fighter and how much moch on British pressure Is not known It is known however the transfer of commands was opposed in the war department I and was carefully up hushed for two weeks and not even all of the top-ranking top executives In Inthe Inthe inthe the Pentagon building knew about it Also it is a significant fact that I Eisenhower is answerable to Churchill Churchill Churchill Chur Chur- chill as well as Roosevelt He cannot cannot cannot can can- not be removed by Roosevelt without without with with- out Churchill's OK and he has to get along with both That is an important important important im im- point not realized by many But not to be forgotten Note Rivalry among high rankIng ranking ranking rank rank- ing generals exists in every war probably worse in the last war General General General Gen Gen- eral Pershing and Gen Peyton March U U. S. S chief of staff stall were ere hardly on speaking terms General I Pershing also sent Gen Clarence Ransom Edwards of Boston hero of New England home from France because of clashing personalities CAPITOL CHAFF C C. l At the dinner of the Washington radio correspondents President Roosevelt smoked cigarettes without a holder while Assistant Pres Jimmy Jimmy Jim Jim- my Byrnes used a long black holder C. C l In London they tell Americans Youve got to understand our Winston Win Win- ston stan He believes in government for forthe forthe forthe the people not government by the people bobby sox brigade has bas Invaded invaded invaded in In- the sacred halls of congress Dozens of youngsters crowded the corridor outside the office of Helen Gahagan Douglas last week hoping for tor a glimpse of the comely congresswoman con can from tram Hollywood Her were acquainted with all the roles she had played from the time they were in diapers Q L Frederick of Roy Howards Howard's Howards How ar ards ard's s 's New York World-Telegram World is releasing a series revealing the highest U. U S. S army posts have been taken over by communists This will be news to Joe Stalin |