Simonds, Lt-General Guy

Simonds, Lt-General Guy (1903–74),English-born but Canadian-educated, Canadian Army officer who rose from being a junior staff officer in September 1939 to command 1st Canadian Infantry Division in the Sicilian and Italian campaigns, and then 5th Canadian Armoured Division in the Italian campaign. From January 1944, when he was promoted lt-general, he commanded 2nd Canadian Corps which, as part of Crerar's First Canadian Army, took part in the Normandy landings in June 1944 (see OVERLORD) and in the fighting in north-west Europe which followed. Montgomery thought highly of him and during the 85-day battle for the Scheldt Estuary in the autumn of 1944 he commanded the Second Canadian Army when Crerar was on sick leave.

Simonds proved to be an innovative tactician. He was the first to use artificial moonlight operationally (by playing searchlights on to clouds), and devised the first armoured personnel carriers, and a variety of direction-finding devices to help armoured columns advance at night. His operations (TOTALIZE and TRACTABLE), which aimed to close the Falaise Gap during the Normandy campaign, were brilliantly conceived but were less successful than had been hoped as his Canadian troops were slow to implement them and allowed thousands of Germans to escape.

J. L. Granatstein