[Hobilar]

Originally Posted by 515

Montgomery masterminded Operation Market Garden, which was a complete failure.

If punching a 60 mile salient through the German defences and coming close to creating a bridgehead across the Rhine (thus outflanking the Siegfried Line) is a 'complete failure', then I would hate to think what you would consider an 'outstanding success'. Eisenhower. at the time, was extremely pleased with what 21st Army group had achieved, and fill of praise for the brave airborne formations.

OK, so the operation didn't achieve all that ot was meant to do, but this was mainly as a result of bad weather and communications failures. No battle ever goes according to plan (most battle plans rarely survive the first hour of combat). Montgomery, ever the professional soldier, would have taken this into account and (in my opinion) if any criticism of his plan should be made, then it should be that of delaying to implement a 'Plan B' as soon as it became clear that 1st Airborne had encountered serious trouble.