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Mayls DempseyBritish military leader
Date of Birth: 15.12.1896
Country:  Great Britain |
Content:
Biography of Miles Dempsey
Miles Christopher Dempsey (15.12.1896, Cheshire - 5.6.1969, Berkshire) was a British military officer and general (14.10.1946). He was the son of an insurance agent. Dempsey received his education at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (1915) and the Staff College. On 17.2.1915, he was commissioned into the Royal Berkshire Princess Charlotte of Wales's Own Regiment. He participated in World War I on the Western Front, and was awarded the Military Cross. From 1923-27, he served as the commanding officer of the cadet company at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. On 11.2.1938, he was appointed as the commander of the 1st Battalion of his regiment, which was sent to France in 1939. On 20.11.1939, he assumed command of the 13th Infantry Brigade, and was evacuated from Dunkirk with them.
Commander and General
In the army, Dempsey earned the nicknames "Lucky" and "Bimbo". From 19.7.1940, he served as the Brigadier General Staff (responsible for operational planning) at the Headquarters of the Canadian Corps. From 15.6.1941, he commanded the 46th (North Midland and West Riding) Division, and from 29.10.1941, the 42nd (East Lancashire) Infantry Division. On 1.11.1941, Dempsey's division was reformed as the 42nd Armoured Division. On 12.12.1942, he replaced General B. Horrocks as the commander of the XIII Corps of the 8th Army under General B. Montgomery. He participated in the operation to capture Sicily and distinguished himself in the battles near Messina. From September 1943, he led the corps in battles in Italy. From 26.1.1944, he commanded the 2nd Army, with which he took part in the Normandy landings on 6.6.1944 and subsequent operations in Northwest Europe. Landing near "Juno", Dempsey's army occupied the Caen-Bayeux area, blocking the German group and allowing the Americans to conduct operations in Normandy. He participated in battles at Falaise and Mortain. On 3.9.1944, Dempsey's forces liberated Brussels, and on 4 September - Antwerp. At the beginning of the "Market Garden" operation, he encountered fierce resistance from the enemy and was unable to link up with the American airborne units trapped in Arnhem.
Later Career and Retirement
From 9.8.1945, Dempsey served as the commander of the 14th Army, stationed in Singapore and Malaya. In 1945-46, he was the Supreme Commander of the Allied Land Forces in Southeast Asia, and in 1946-47, the Commander-in-Chief in the Middle East and simultaneously the General-Adjutant to His Majesty. On 28.8.1947, he retired. From 1947-57, he served as an honorary colonel of the Royal Military Police Corps, and from 1951-67, of the SAS Regiment. From 1947-51, he was the Chairman of the Control Board of Racecourse Totalisators. From 1953-63, he was the director of N. & G. Simonds company, and from 1961-66, the Deputy Chairman of the Board of Courage, Barclay & Simonds Ltd. From 1955, he served as the Chairman of the Board of Greene, King & Sons Ltd. Dempsey authored the memoirs "Operations of the 2nd Army in Europe" (1947).
