Chapter Three Hundred and Twenty Cunning Montgomery
At ten o'clock in the morning on May 10, when the German Army Group B had just attacked Belgium, the British Expeditionary Force immediately advanced eastward and entered Belgium.
Lord Gert, commander of the expeditionary force, took Lieutenant General Brooke's 2nd Corps as the vanguard, while Brooke took Montgomery's 3rd Division as the vanguard, with the 4th Division and the 50th Division at the rear.
Under the leadership of Montgomery, the 3rd Division quickly advanced to the line of the Deer River. The entire process was as accurate as a clock, and almost every step did not deviate from the original plan. When they arrived at the specified area on the night of the 10th, they also encountered
Arriving at the Belgian 10th Division holding the second line of defense.
For this division, which was still second-rate in the Belgian Army, Montgomery, who had always been strict with his troops, had no regard for it.
Sometimes, the more people, the stronger the combat effectiveness. What really determines the combat effectiveness of an army is the quality of equipment, high morale, training level and the quality of soldiers, not the number of people!
Those Belgian troops with low combat effectiveness, poor equipment, and weak fighting will could not be counted on when attacking, and Montgomery was not optimistic about defending.
He even felt that if these useless Belgian troops were left to fight with the British army, perhaps even his own well-trained soldiers would be adversely affected.
When the Belgian soldiers began to rout, the British soldiers who might have been able to hold on would have their morale lowered by the Belgians, and even be routed together. The black sheep refer to those Belgian troops.
Perhaps because there were no German troops nearby, when Montgomery's 3rd Division arrived at the position of the Belgian 10th Division, most of the Belgian soldiers were still sleeping. For a division-level unit, there were not even many security personnel arranged.
"Huh! These Belgians are so stupid!" Montgomery said angrily: "If they were enemies, I only need one regiment to wipe out their entire division."
In his heart, Montgomery had despised these Belgian troops over and over again. He was almost convinced that since even the 10 divisions known as the main force of the Belgian army could not withstand the German attack for a whole morning, now this second-rate Belgian division,
There is even less hope.
On the side, the adjutant who had been working with Montgomery for several months saw that he was in a bad mood, so he said: "General, who called them our allies? Now we have to use one division to protect them.
."
"I don't have that much energy to protect a group of losers," Montgomery said with an ugly face as he looked at the loose camp of the Belgian 10th Division: "If these idiots dare to break up our defensive formation when they are defeated, I will not hesitate.
Let the machines sweep them away!"
Therefore, Montgomery sent a request to the headquarters of the Belgian 10th Division with the intention of sending away as many of these allies as possible, asking them to withdraw their troops and allow the British army to take over the existing front line alone in the Ruwan area.
However, the commander of the Belgian 10th Division rejected Montgomery's kind suggestion to withdraw his troops, and insisted: "The 10th Division was ordered to defend Louvain, and they would never leave the defense zone without the king's order telling them to give up."
Montgomery almost couldn't hold back the curse words for this conceited idiot. Since you were ordered to defend, you should defend well. What is your attitude towards such a loose defense deployment? Are you giving the German army a record!
Having no other choice, Montgomery quickly reported to his superior, Lieutenant General Brooke, and asked him to ask Lord Gott to negotiate with the King of Belgium as soon as possible so that he could readjust the front line.
It is a pity that the King of Belgium, under the influence of his captain of the guard, was too conceited to allow the British army to take over the Louvain line of defense.
As the commander-in-chief of the expeditionary force, Gort did not take any follow-up measures. He only suggested that Brooke's 2nd Army move Montgomery's 3rd Division to the left of the 1st Army of the British Expeditionary Force at 6 pm on May 11.
In this way, damage to the meaningless dignity of the Belgian army was avoided.
But Montgomery saw what Bigot understood. He determined that Louvain was an important fortress leading to Brussels, the capital of Belgium. This city and its nearby highlands were too important to be left to Belgium's 10th Army, which still used mules and horses for transportation.
Division defense.
Montgomery valued Louvain's defensive strength more than the dignity of the military.
Therefore, when the Belgian army on the front line continued to retreat and the German army was approaching, Montgomery decided to withdraw his division behind the Belgian 10th Division and build a new defensive position close to the Belgian 10th Division.
For this reason, Montgomery, who had always been conceited, lowered his stature and said to Major General Rooke, the commander of the Belgian 10th Division: "General, my division will accept your command without reservation and recommend strengthening your defense line as a reserve force."
Luke was very happy after hearing this, and immediately agreed to Montgomery's arrangement and left this "reserve team".
When the news reached the British headquarters, it immediately caused shock. Commander Gott asked Commander Brooke to go to the 3rd Division immediately to find out the situation, but Montgomery said that the military did not need to worry because he was about to drive out the Belgians.
Walk.
Montgomery explained that once the Germans arrived, he would be able to easily use the Germans to defeat the Belgians and then take over the front line. Before that, let the self-righteous Belgian 10th Division act as a forward security force for the British 3rd Division.
Nothing wrong with that.
With a division-level force standing in front of them who are willing to serve as cannon fodder, the 3rd Division does not have to worry all day long about a sudden German attack. Even if the sky falls, the Belgian 10th Division in front will hold on first.
Therefore, while the Belgian 10th Division anxiously watched and waited for news from the front line, Montgomery and the officers and soldiers of the British 3rd Division were unusually calm.
During this period of the war, Montgomery even developed a habit of falling asleep shortly after dinner. During the day, he went out and walked around the front line all day long, meeting with subordinate commanders, listening to their reports, making decisions and giving verbal orders.
In the afternoon, Montgomery returned to the division headquarters, met with the staff, issued orders for that night and the next day. Then he ate and went to bed.
Except in emergencies, he is not allowed to be disturbed while sleeping.
It can be said that the Belgian cannon fodder troops that refused to leave actually became an early warning insurance for Montgomery to defend Louvain.
As long as they are there, the British 3rd Division does not have to worry about being attacked by the Germans. They have an entire division of early warning troops, which can be said to be a big deal. After all, they are only one division in total.
It stands to reason that at most a battalion-level early warning force should be established.
In this defensive deployment, Montgomery used his flexible methods to effectively prove his general ability.