Montgomery versus the Americans

Abstract

In the last days of August, the battle in Normandy won, the nominal control of operations passed from Montgomery to Eisenhower as Supreme Commander Allied Expeditionary Force (SCAEF). The transfer was anything but smooth. Apparently Bradley and Montgomery had agreed that the latter would make for Antwerp and the Channel ports and Bradley for Brussels and the Aachen Gap leading to Cologne and the Ruhr. To ensure sufficient force for Bradley’s thrust, Patton would form a reserve on the right flank and then advance on Metz and the Saar as opportunity and the situation on Bradley’s First Army front allowed. SHAEF (Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force) planners had always agreed that the Ruhr and the ports were the prime objectives and that the main weight of the advance should be north of the Ardennes. This policy was compromised by Eisenhower.