XVIII Airborne CorpsVerified account

2 of 40: It’s Tuesday! While we're not doing #TuesdayTrivia, as part of our Operation MARKET-GARDEN story, Tragic Ambition, we do have a related question: Which of these Allied Officers was awarded a fifth star first? A. Bradley B. Eisenhower C. Marshall D. Montgomerypic.twitter.com/7eHmObg1Kv

3 of 40: The answer is Field Marshall Sir Bernard Montgomery.pic.twitter.com/QVULn64qJ3

4 of 40: Since the end of WWII, the Army and the Department of Defense have lauded the benefits of international partnership. “We can’t fight alone” has become an oft-repeated sloganpic.twitter.com/F7jbUK8hpI

5 of 40: We talk all the time of our nation’s first ally, France, and her assistance in winning our independence from the British.pic.twitter.com/QkgQw6MhI1

6 of 40: But in the years between Lafayette and WWII, American forces didn’t have a lot of experience working with allies.pic.twitter.com/HLJfqZnn9R

7 of 40: There was the Eight Nation Alliance in 1900, and of course America’s entry into WWI and limited involvement in the Russian Civil War. But WWII was different.pic.twitter.com/XWekSUGxHQ

8 of 40: Especially in the European Theater, the Allies’ ability to work together was crucial to the overall success in defeating the Axis Powers. SHAEF was the top of that alliance. (SHAEF = Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force)pic.twitter.com/5KS6tE9xZI

9 of 40: General Dwight Eisenhower was the commander of SHAEF, and it was up to him to maintain the working relationships between more than a dozen countries AND win the war in Europe.pic.twitter.com/bIDRf9b3li

10 of 40: And like any relationship, alliances aren’t always easy to maintain. Sometimes there are disagreements.pic.twitter.com/RdVcW4LM3R

11 of 40: One of those rough spots manifested in the weeks leading up to Operation Market Gardenpic.twitter.com/ve9scSceft

12 of 40: Just 17 days before the 1st Allied Airborne Army jumped into Nijmegen, Field Marshal Sir Bernard Montgomery is awarded a 5th star. This promotion upset many American generals, for several reasons.pic.twitter.com/Us8fs1xkqL

13 of 40: At the beginning of September 1944, Churchill wisely agreed that Ike would assume command of all Allied ground forces. This effectively meant a *demotion* for Monty, who commanded Allied ground forces successfully up to that pointpic.twitter.com/OTeaBeyQRJ

14 of 40: Although Monty had been awarded the Legion of Merit by the US Congress in 1943 for his actions in North Africa, some felt that Monty’s battle record in Europe was less than perfect.pic.twitter.com/y6nwNNbnJT

15 of 40: By autumn 1944, Monty was under some criticism for his 2-month long effort to capture Caen. Some feel this criticism was mostly unjustified & largely came from people who didn’t understand Monty’s approach.pic.twitter.com/JZdOwZnduS

16 of 40: In truth, the fighting went according to Monty’s plan in Normandy: he had always intended to attract and pin the German panzer divisions on the left flank of the Allied line, enabling Bradley's troops to break out on the right flank.pic.twitter.com/iirQivBAvF

17 of 40: So, after Normandy, here’s the architect of Operation Overlord, Monty, essentially getting demoted in front of the world and removed from his role as Commander of Land Forces.pic.twitter.com/ytP6FhNEcq

18 of 40: Churchill’s promotion of Monty helps take some of the sting out of the demotion.pic.twitter.com/uO7OPtqZkZ

19 of 40: Why promote Monty? Well, the war was coming to a close. That much was clear. To stay a global power, Churchill knew the Brits would need a major role in reshaping Europe after the eventual German surrender.pic.twitter.com/pMLsEDFjf1

20 of 40: By promoting Montgomery, Churchill achieved several political goals. First, as it stood, much of the senior Allied command was now American. So now Monty outranked his boss, Ike.pic.twitter.com/Ajjl7duWDz

21 of 40: Of course, by position, Ike outranked Monty (and that’s what really mattered most in terms of chain of command in Europe).pic.twitter.com/3pU5cewzzA

22 of 40: Second, once the Yanks went home, Churchill ensured that Monty would be the most-senior ranking officer in post-war Europe, thus ensuring the British would have a key role in reshaping the continent after the war.pic.twitter.com/GDP9laRSXN

23 of 40: One thing that would really help Churchill advance these political goals is a daring, successful (and British-led) victory.pic.twitter.com/vzkFOS1926

24 of 40: On paper, they had one. A bold, ambitious strike to close in on and trap the Germans. It was called Operation Comet – an airborne assault by the British 1st Airborne Division (alone) to capture the bridges at Grave, Nijmegen and Arnhem.pic.twitter.com/HDY1mBCBvM

25 of 40: Bad weather delayed Operation Comet, and reports of larger enemy formations meant that while waiting for the clouds to clear, the plan had to evolve to include a ground offensive as well.pic.twitter.com/t1SAcRgJet

26 of 40: As the re-named Operation Market-Garden, it now included 3 airborne divisions (2 US, 1 British) as well as the 1st Polish Independent Parachute Brigade.pic.twitter.com/12wVzDk840

27 of 40: Now the American 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions would be under Monty’s command for the operation.pic.twitter.com/fg10wIj5Hv

28 of 40: There were some concerns raised with the plan (we’ll get to the intelligence warnings tomorrow).pic.twitter.com/MpK4eGeGef

29 of 40: Major General Stanislaw Sosabowski, commander of the Polish Independent Brigade, told Browning (the 1st British Airborne Division commander) that the plan could not possibly succeed.pic.twitter.com/qK8odfjz3B

30 of 40: On September 10th 1944, Monty went to see Eisenhower in Brussels. They met on an airfield in Ike’s plane. Ike approved the plan despite his reservations.pic.twitter.com/Q3OhlbLzmp

31 of 40: So, side note – Not directly related to Operation Market Garden, there was another result of Monty’s promotion: the subsequent promotion to Five Star rank of American generals.pic.twitter.com/7DORQ8H3Ep