Auchinleck, Sir Claude John Eyre
A Dictionary of World History | Date: 2000
Auchinleck, Sir Claude John Eyre (1884–1981) British field-marshal. He served with distinction in World War I. He commanded the land forces at Narvik in the ineffectual Norwegian campaign in April–May 1940, was commander-in-chief in India (1940–41) and from mid-1941 he commanded in North Africa. He led the advance in Libya, but was driven back by stronger German forces in 1942. When
TOBRUK surrendered, he took personal command of the troops, establishing the key defensive line at El
ALAMEIN. Churchill then replaced him with
MONTGOMERY and he returned to India as commander-in-chief.
© A Dictionary of World History 2000, originally published by Oxford University Press 2000.
