Placing the Bell P39 Aircobra.

[tcolvin]

Originally Posted by RodM

You have also failed to mention a key player in what transpired over the first few months from D-Day, and that is Lord Montgomery - or is it that you believe Montgomery was blameless over the lack of intitial progress and the souring of relations between himself, the Americans, and the RAF?
Rod

Rod.

I have to get on with urgent matters, but will revert to this question.

In answer to your direct question, Montgmery was a "little shit" and should never have had command of 21 Army Group. The best qualified was Slim. Montgomery was influenced by Liddell Hart and his theories that speed was more important than armour. Montgomery and Hart believed in cruiser tanks and fighter bombers and 2TAF. Montgomery criminally kept 6 Guards Tank brigade back from Normandy until Caumont because of a personal spat with WSC and because he saw no value in its Churchill tanks, which he tried to abolish completely.
Montgomery was a major part of the problem. But his dreadful relations with the RAF were mostly due to jealousy on the part of Coningham and Tedder, who claimed that any progress of 21 Army Group was made courtesy of 2 TAF and BC. That claim was fraudulent. The question for debate is what exactly remains after stripping away the fraudulent claims. I believe the quantity is almost certainly negative.

Tony