The bet between Montgomery and Eisenhower
General Montgomery and Captain Evans in front of the Theresa Leta B-17 “Flying Fortress”
A bet between WWII commanders. An American plane and a British General. An Eagle Scout from Tennessee and one of the greatest leaders of the Allied Forces.
Young Captain Evans had only just finished his 27th mission in North Africa when he received highly unusual orders. Colonel Upthegrove, “Uppie”, had sent word that the captain should report to his tent at 0730 hours. As he approached the tent, Evans observed his commander striking his palm with a piece of rolled up paper. He was visibly perturbed.
Richard Eager described the moment that would change the trajectory of his WWII experience, indeed, his military career:
Uppie usually smiled when he was greeting one of his Captains at an early morning hour at the beginning of a new day. But the prospects for a smile this morning didn’t appear to be that great.
Quickly, I unrolled the paper, which was thrust into my hands and let my eyes scan down the page. I read near the bottom, “by order of General Eisenhower’s Supreme Allied Headquarters, Algiers, through General Doolittle’s 12th Air Force Headquarters, Constantine, Algeria, North Africa.”
My eyes then jumped quickly to “Captain Richard E. Evans. AO-397378, 99th Bombardment Group, 12th Air Force, North Africa, ETO, is hereby relieved of his current duty assignment, is transferred to the British 8th Army and is directed to report without delay to The Army Commander, General Sir Bernard Law Montgomery.”
I glanced at my Group Commander, and I’m afraid my mouth dropped to the full-open position. A second paragraph stipulated, “A combat-ready B-17 with full ammo and combat aircrew will be assigned to Captain Evans for the period of this duty.”
After a moment of silence, Uppie spoke first. “Dick, dammit.” He asked after a moment, “What do you know about this boondoggle? You related to Ike, or Jimmie Doolittle, or somebody up the line whom I don’t know about? Level with me.”
No, Richard Eager, was not related to any “top brass”, but the assignment of an American crew and American plane to a British General came as a surprise to everyone involved, except perhaps General Montgomery himself! Indeed, Montgomery and Eisenhower had made a bet, one which the American commander did not consider to be more than a friendly joke between leaders. On the contrary, Montgomery had every intention of calling in the bet and did just that.
Where would Captain Evans and “Monty” fly together? What was the dynamic between the famous Field Marshal and his B-17 pilot and crew? Did American English and British English translate over the deserts of North Africa?! You will have to read Richard Eager to appreciate these poignant and humorous stories in all their detail.
But if you would like to learn more about the bet between “Monty” and “Ike”, these wonderful blogs by Steve Hunnisett, historian, Blizawalker guide and Richard Eager researcher, provide a great introduction
Captain Evans, Monty and the Flying Fortress – Part One
Captain Evans, Monty and the Flying Fortress - Part Two
I started to leave, but Uppie added, “And, Dick, let’s not be busting Monty’s butt in that US flying machine. It would be a black mark on your service record. I doubt you’d ever make Major. You might not even make it back to the States. And, sure as sin, Churchill would want to know how it happened and Ike and Doolittle would pass the job on to me of having to hand-carry your accident report to Whitehall in London.”
Then Uppie, who was becoming a second father to me and to others as well in his 99th Bomb Group, ignored my salute, smiled warmly and extended his hand.
Further Articles
Barbara (“Bobbie”) Evans Kinnear, daughter of Colonel Richard Ernest Evans, joins historian and author, James Holland, on his podcast, “We Have Ways of Making You Talk”