Montgomery's presentation of his plans for D-Day: a case of consent and evade?

摘要

This essay briefly describes the course of British 3rd Division's attempt to capture Caen on D-Day, before addressing the development of the operational plan, its 'ways' and 'means' drivers, and how it was presented and tested, to identify signs of 'consent and evade' behaviour or ambiguity within the command chain. The main finding, that the strongest indications of evasive behaviour are in Montgomery's actions, sets the scene for an examination of the drivers, risks and benefits of practising evasion as opposed to clarity for operational commanders today. While operational commanders need to have political skills, the essay concludes that, in contrast to World War II, today's political and media realities require a tight match of intentions and planning, which has the effect of strengthening the commander's grip on the campaign.