Editing Bernard Montgomery (section)

===British Expeditionary Force===

====Phoney war====

Britain declared war on Germany on 3 September 1939 and the 3rd Division, together with its new [[General Officer Commanding]] (GOC), was deployed to France as part of the [[British Expeditionary Force (World War II)|British Expeditionary Force]] (BEF), commanded by General [[John Vereker, 6th Viscount Gort|Lord Gort]]. Shortly after the division's arrival overseas, Montgomery faced serious trouble from his military superiors and [[Clergy|the clergy]] for his frank attitude regarding the sexual health of his soldiers, but was defended from dismissal by his superior [[Alan Brooke, 1st Viscount Alanbrooke|Alan Brooke]], commander of [[II Corps (United Kingdom)|II Corps]], of which Montgomery's division formed a part.<ref>{{harvnb|Heathcote|1999|p=218,}}</ref> Montgomery had issued a circular on the prevention of venereal disease, worded in such "obscene language" that both the [[Church of England]] and [[Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]] senior [[chaplain]]s objected; Brooke told Monty that he did not want any further errors of this kind, though deciding not to get him to formally withdraw it as it would remove any "vestige of respect" left for him.{{sfn|Alanbrooke|2001|pp=18, 19}}

[[File:The British Expeditionary Force (bef) in France 1939-1940 O812.jpg|thumb|right|Lieutenant-General Alan Brooke, GOC II Corps, with Major-General Bernard Montgomery, GOC 3rd Division, and Major-General [[Dudley Graham Johnson|Dudley Johnson]], GOC [[4th Infantry Division (United Kingdom)|4th Infantry Division]], pictured here in either 1939 or 1940]]

Although Montgomery's new command was a Regular Army formation, comprising the [[7th Infantry Brigade and Headquarters East|7th (Guards)]], and the [[8th Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)|8th]] and 9th Infantry Brigades along with supporting units, he was not impressed with its readiness for battle.{{sfn|Mead|2015|p=39}} As a result, while most of the rest of the BEF set about preparing defences for an expected [[Wehrmacht|German]] attack sometime in the future, Montgomery began training his 3rd Division in [[Offensive (military)|offensive]] tactics, organising several [[Military exercise|exercise]]s, each of which lasted for several days at a time. Mostly they revolved around the division advancing towards an objective, often a river line, only to come under attack and forced to withdraw to another position, usually behind another river.{{sfn|Mead|2015|p=39}} These exercises usually occurred at night with only very minimal lighting being allowed. By the spring of 1940 Montgomery's division had gained a reputation of being a very agile and flexible formation.{{sfn|Mead|2015|p=39}} By then the [[Allies of World War II|Allies]] had agreed to [[French war planning 1920–1940|Plan D]], where they would advance deep into Belgium and take up positions on the [[Dyle (river)|River Dyle]] by the time the German forces attacked. Brooke, Montgomery's corps commander, was pessimistic about the plan but Montgomery, in contrast, was not concerned, believing that he and his division would perform well regardless of the circumstances, particularly in a [[Maneuver warfare|war of movement]].{{sfn|Mead|2015|p=39−40}}

====Battle of France====
{{See also|Battle of France|Battle of Dunkirk|Dunkirk evacuation}}

Montgomery's training paid off when the Germans began their [[Battle of France|invasion of the Low Countries]] on 10 May 1940 and the 3rd Division advanced to its planned position, near the Belgian city of [[Leuven|Louvain]]. Soon after arrival, the division was fired on by members of the Belgian 10th Infantry Division who mistook them for [[Fallschirmjäger|German paratroopers]]; Montgomery resolved the incident by approaching them and offering to place himself under Belgian command,<ref>{{cite book|last=Bond|first=Brian|title=Britain, France, and Belgium, 1939–1940|year=1990|publisher=Brassey's (UK)|page=44|isbn=978-0-08-037700-1}}</ref> although Montgomery himself took control when the Germans arrived.{{sfn|Mead|2015|p=39−40}} During this time he began to develop a particular habit, which he would keep throughout the war, of going to bed at 21:30 every night without fail and giving only a single order—that he was not to be disturbed—which was only very rarely disobeyed.{{sfn|Mead|2015|p=40}}

The 3rd Division saw comparatively little action but, owing to the strict training methods of Montgomery, the division always managed to be in the right place at the right time, especially so during the [[Battle of Dunkirk|retreat into France]].{{sfn|Mead|2015|p=40}} By 27 May, when the [[Belgian Land Component|Belgian Army]] on the left flank of the BEF began to disintegrate, the 3rd Division achieved something very difficult, the movement at night from the right to the left of another division and only 2,000 yards behind it. This was performed with great professionalism and occurred without any incidents and thereby filled a very vulnerable gap in the BEF's defensive line.<ref>{{cite book|last=Lord|first=Walter|title=The Miracle of Dunkirk|year=1999|publisher=The Viking Press|location=London|isbn=978-1-85326-685-0}}</ref>{{sfn|Mead|2015|p=40}} On 29/30 May, Montgomery temporarily took over from Brooke, who received orders to return to the United Kingdom, as GOC of II Corps for the final stages of the [[Dunkirk evacuation]].{{sfn|Mead|2015|p=40}}

The 3rd Division, temporarily commanded by [[Kenneth Anderson (British Army officer)|Kenneth Anderson]] in Montgomery's absence, returned to Britain intact with minimal casualties. Operation Dynamo—codename for the Dunkirk evacuation—saw 330,000 Allied military personnel, including most of the BEF, to Britain, although the BEF was forced to leave behind a significant amount of equipment.<ref name=heath216>{{harvnb|Heathcote|1999|p=216}}</ref>{{sfn|Mead|2015|p=40}}