NEW COMMANDS

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20618, 20 November 1941, Page 5

NEW COMMANDS

BRITISH ARMIES CHIEF OF STAFF GEN. BROOKE CHOSEN OTHER CHANGES MADE (Elec. Tel. Copyright—United Press Assn.) (Reed. Nov. 20, 9 a.m.) LONDON, Nov. 19. Important changes in British Army commands have been announced. The Chief of the Imperial General Staff, General Sir John Dill, is to be given the rank of field-marshal and appointed Governor designate of Bombay in succession to Sir Roger Lumley. General Dill relinquishes his present appointment on December 25. General Sir Alan Brooke, Comman-der-in-Chief of the Home Forces, succeeds General Dill as Chief of the Imperial General Staff. Lieut.-General B. C. T. Paget, General Officer Commanding the South-Eastern Command, succeeds General Brooke as Commander-in-Chief of the Home Forces. Lieut.-General Sir Henry Royds Pownall, Vice-Chief of the Imperial General Staff, has been selected for a special appointment. Major-General A. E. Nye succeeds Lieut.-General Pownall as Vice-Chief of the Imperial General Staff. Lieut.-General B. L. Montgomery is appointed as General' Officer Commanding the South-Eastern Command in succession to Lieut.-General Paget. Major-General Nye is 46 years of age. He was commissioned from the ranks in the last war and given his first battalion command with the Warwickshire Regiment in 1937. He was promoted major-general in 1940, when he became Director of Staff Duties at the War Office. Sign of Fighting Days

The Daily Express in a leading article on the army command changes, says: “Changes are usually made after a battle. Then they may be a bad portent. Those we have now made are not. They are a sign that fighting dayr have again come. Men who have been making preparations move aside and the men we have meant for action move up to take tbeir commands. “Those who have been promoted are young as generals go, and know how the Germans fight. We expect hard hitting and quick thinking. We, and not the Germans, must decide how strenuous this battle shall be.” The Daily Mail’s military correspondent says: “The changes are of great significance. They mean that technical knowledge of modern warfare and a more youthful viewpoint are being given higher places in the supreme command of the British Army at the time of its greatest tasks in history.” The military correspondent of the Daily Express says that Major-General Nye is probably the youngest vicechief ever appointed to the British Army. “He is the army’s, mystery man who is described as a soldier born to command,” adds the correspondent. "Since the last war he has studied army co-operation with the Royal Air Force. He has held staff appointments at the War Office and Staff College. He became one of the ‘brains’ of. the War Office when director of staff duties.

Brilliant Strategist

Major-General Nye’s brilliant knowledge of strategy led to his being frequently called into consultation by his chiefs. He is almost unknown to the army at large. He is a quiet, shy man who does not even permit his name to appear in Who’s Who. “General Brooke is the greatest artillery expert in the world. He has an amazing technical knowledge of guns.” The Times, in a leading article, says: “General Brooke, by his leadership of the Second Corps during the withdrawal to Dunkirk and the reorganisation of the British Expeditionary Force after the return from France, revealed qualities fitting him for the highest responsibilities.” The Daily Herald asks what is behind General Dill’s departure. “Is it true that the army, even in wartime, adheres to the iron rules of the age limit?” asks the Daily Herald. “If so, the adherence is crazy. Is there dissatisfaction with General Dill’s conduct of his crucial functions?” The Daily Herald asks the Government to give the nation a more detailed explanation of the reasons for the drastic change. General Dill in a statement said:— “I am always anxious that young men in the army should get on. That can happen only if the older men give way to them. I hand over to General Brooke with the greatest confidence. Lieut.-General Paget is one of our finest generals. Major-General Nye is an officer of my old regiment whom I marked out for rapid advance. Lieut.General Pownall is required for a very important appointment which will be announced soon.

“I leave the service with the deepest regret, but I am glad to say no bitterness.”