Oliver Leese

Oliver Leese was born in London on 26th October, 1884. Educated at Eton College he was commissioned into the British Army in 1914. During the First World War he served on the Western Front in France and was wounded three times.

Leese remained in the British Army and became commander of the Coldstream Guards. He was also chief instructor at the Quetta Staff College in India (1938-40).

In 1940 joined General John Gort and the British Expeditionary Force in France. After Dunkirk he commanded the 29th Brigade that defended Dover during Operation Sealoin.

Leese served under General Bernard Montgomery in North Africa and took part in the successful El Alamein campaign against General Erwin Rommel and the Deutsches Afrika Korps. General Harold Alexander now wanted to give him command of the 1st Army but Montgomery, who considered Leese the best soldier in North Africa, refused to release him.

Leese also served with General Bernard Montgomery and General George Patton in Sicily. In December 1943 Leese replaced Montgomery as commander of the 8th Army. After successfully forcing Albrecht Kesselring to retreat from Italy, he became Commander in Chief of the Allied Land Forces in Southeast Asia.

After the war Leese was Commander in Chief of the Eastern Command (1945-46) before retiring from the British Army. Oliver Leese died on 22nd January, 1978.

Ť World War 2 Figures | World War 2 ť

Tell Your Friends About This Web Site

World War 2 is the best World War 2 information resource on the Internet. We offer information on World War 2 History, World War 2 Timeline, World War 2 Facts, World War 2 Quotes, World War 2 Poems, World War 2 Pictures, World War 2 Posters, World War 2 Propaganda, World War 2 Aircraft, World War 2 Weapons, World War 2 Battles, World War 2 Memorial, World War 2 Links, and more.

Help us make this site better - and have fun! Take our quick survey. Click here!

More Sites

Oliver Leese

Tell Your Friends About This Web Site