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Exceptional archive of Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery’s signed wartime “Personal Messages” to the Eighth Army and 21 Army Group, an almost complete and deeply historic collection tracing Montgomery’s command from the desert crisis before El Alamein through the defeat of Germany and the aftermath of victory in Europe. Comprising Montgomery’s stirring battle messages, a privately printed presentation volume, and related material, the archive preserves the voice of Britain’s most celebrated field commander at the very moments his armies helped alter the course of World War II.
The archive includes 39 items signed by Montgomery, including 16 of the 17 Eighth Army messages collected in Forward to Victory—with two additional rare Eighth Army messages not in the book—followed by a near-complete run of signed 21 Army Group messages. Most were signed during the war, with a few signed in postwar years; three messages are also duplicated within the collection.
The Eighth Army sequence opens with Montgomery’s exceedingly rare August 31, 1942 “Special Message to Officers and Men of Eighth Army,” issued during the desert battle against Rommel at Alam el Halfa, boldly declaring: “The Eighth Army bars the way,” and vowing, “there will be no withdrawal and no surrender.” It continues with his October 23, 1942 message before El Alamein, in which Montgomery announces: “We are ready now. The battle which is now about to begin will be one of the decisive battles of history. It will be the turning point of the war.” With characteristic directness, he tells his men that victory will depend on their determination “to fight and to kill—and finally, to win.”
From there, the archive follows the Eighth Army’s relentless advance across North Africa. In his Christmas 1942 message, Montgomery reflects that “it is wonderful what has been achieved since the 23rd October,” while his January 12, 1943 message before Tripoli declares: “Nothing has stopped us since the battle of Egypt began…Nothing will stop us now.” After Tripoli’s capture, Montgomery hailed the 1,400-mile pursuit from Alamein as “probably without parallel in history.” His March 1943 messages are especially vivid, describing the enemy as “caught like a rat in a trap,” promising to give Rommel “a very ‘bloody nose,’” and exhorting the Eighth Army: “Forward to Tunis! Drive the enemy into the sea!”
The North African campaign culminates in Montgomery’s May 14, 1943 message, celebrating the enemy’s complete removal from Africa: “There was no Dunkirk on the beaches of Tunisia,” he writes, adding that it would be a lifelong honor to say, “I marched and fought with the Eighth Army.” The archive then carries forward into Sicily and Italy, with Montgomery’s July 10, 1943 message announcing that “the time has now come to carry the war into Italy,” and his September 2, 1943 message calling the Eighth Army “the first troops of the Allied Armies to land on the mainland of the continent of Europe.” In his final January 1, 1944 farewell to the Eighth Army, Montgomery writes movingly: “I am leaving officers and men who have been my comrades during months of hard and victorious fighting… I will miss you more than I can say.”
The 21 Army Group material is equally compelling, beginning with Montgomery’s June 5, 1944 message on the eve of D-Day: “The time has come to deal the enemy a terrific blow in Western Europe.” He describes the coming invasion as “the honour of striking a blow for freedom which will live in history,” and by June 10 could report that the Allied armies had secured “a good and firm lodgehead on the mainland of France.” His subsequent Normandy messages trace the hard-won development of the campaign: Cherbourg in the west, Caen in the east, “and much territory in between,” followed by the decisive destruction of German forces in the “Normandy pocket,” which Montgomery called “definite, complete and decisive.”
The archive then follows the Allied advance through France, Belgium, Holland, and into Germany. In September 1944, Montgomery writes that the Allies “stand at the door of Germany,” proclaiming the triumphant cry: “Forward into Germany.” His February 7, 1945 message presents the campaign in boxing terms: “we now come to the last and final round; and we want, and will go for, the knock-out blow.” On March 23, as the Rhine crossing began, he urges: “Over the Rhine, then, let us go.” The sequence culminates in Montgomery’s May 8, 1945 V-E Day message, a dignified tribute to sacrifice and Allied unity: “We have won the German war. Let us now win the peace.”
The archive is filled out by a hardbound privately-printed "Collection of General Montgomery's Personal Messages to the Eighth Army, El Alamein–Ortona, 23 October 1942–31 December 1943," printed and bound by Printing and Stationery Services, 21 Army Group, signed and inscribed on the first free end page in fountain pen, "To: Tate Spooner, in memory of our days together in the Eighth Army. B. L. Montgomery, Field-Marshal, Berlin, 27-8-1945"; signed messages from Oliver Leese (May 1944; August 1944; October 1, 1944) and Richard L. McCreery (October 12, 1944; April 1945; May 3, 1945); and an ALS signed "B. L. Montgomery," one page, Headquarters, 21 Army Group letterhead, May 27, 1945, in part: "Thank you for your note. I send you a couple of photographs; and also a signed copy of my last message. I hope you keep well."
A superb and nearly comprehensive Montgomery archive, uniting rare signed field messages and other materials into an extraordinary documentary record of Allied command in the Second World War. From Alam el Halfa and El Alamein to Tripoli, Tunis, Sicily, Normandy, the Rhine, and V-E Day, the collection offers an almost unparalleled signed chronicle of Montgomery’s unmistakable voice—brisk, confident, combative, inspirational, and historic.
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Complete inventory of Montgomery's messages:
EIGHTH ARMY
August 31, 1942 (signed "B. L. Montgomery, General") - "The enemy is now attempting to break through our positions in order to reach Cairo, Suez, and Alexandria, and to drive us from Egypt. The Eighth Army bars the way. It carries a great responsibility, and the whole future of the war will depend on how we carry out our task. We will fight the enemy where we now stand; there will be no withdrawal and no surrender. Every officer and man must continue to do his duty as long as he has breath in his body."
October 23, 1942 (signed "B. L. Montgomery, General") - "When I assumed command of the Eighth Army, I said that the mandate was to destroy Rommel and his Army, and that it would be done as soon as we are ready. We are ready now. The battle which is now about to begin will be one of the decisive battles of history. It will be the turning point of the war. The eyes of the whole world will be on us, watching anxiously which way the battle will swing. We can give them their answer at once: 'It will swing our way.' We have first-class equipment; good tanks; good anti-tank guns; plenty of artillery and plenty of ammunition; and we are backed up by the finest air striking force in the world. All that is necessary is that each one of us, every officer and man, should enter this battle with the determination to see it through—to fight and to kill—and finally, to win."
December 25, 1942 (signed "B. L. Montgomery, General") - "The Eighth Army has turned the enemy out of the famous Agheila position and is now advancing into Tripolitania. It is wonderful what has been achieved since the 23rd October when we started the Battle of Egypt. Before the battle began I sent you a message in which I said:—Let us pray that 'the Lord mighty in battle,' will give us the victory. He has done so, and I know you will all agree with me when I say that we must not forget to thank Him for His great mercies. It is now Christmas time and we are all thinking about our families and friends in the home country…Good luck to you! And in the words of Tiny Tim, in Dickens’ Christmas Carol: 'God bless us all, each one of us.'"
January 12, 1943 (signed "B. L. Montgomery, General") - "The Eighth Army is going to Tripoli. Tripoli is the only town in the Italian Empire overseas still remaining in their possession. Therefore we will take it from them; they will then have no overseas Empire. The enemy will try to stop us. But if each one of us, whether front-line soldier, or officer or man whose duty is performed in some other sphere, puts his whole heart and soul into this next contest—then nothing can stop us. Nothing has stopped us since the battle of Egypt began on 23rd October, 1942. Nothing will stop us now."
January 23, 1943 (signed "B. L. Montgomery, General") - "Today, 23 January, exactly three months after we began the battle of Egypt, the Eighth Army has captured Tripoli and has driven the enemy away to the West towards Tunisia. By skillful withdrawal tactics the enemy has eluded us, though we have taken heavy toll of his army and air forces. The defeat of the enemy in battle at Alamein, the pursuit of his beaten army, and the final capture of Tripoli—a distance of some fourteen hundred miles from Alamein—has all been accomplished in three months. This achievement is probably without parallel in history. It could not have been done unless every soldier in the army had pulled his full weight all the time. I congratulate the whole Army, and send my personal thanks to each one of you for the wonderful support you have given me."
March 6, 1943 (signed "B. L. Montgomery, General") - "The enemy is now advancing to attack us. This is because he is caught like a rat in a trap and he is hitting out in every direction trying to gain time to stave off the day of final defeat in North Africa. This is the very opportunity we want. Not only are we well equipped with everything we need, but in addition the soldiers of the Eighth Army have a fighting spirit and a morale which is right on the top line. We will stand and fight the enemy in our present positions. There must be no withdrawal anywhere, and of course, no surrender…We have plenty of tanks, and provided the defended localities hold firm then we will smash the enemy attack and cause him such casualties that it will cripple him; we will, in fact, give him a very 'bloody nose.' It will then be our turn to attack him. And having crippled himself, he will be unable to stand up to our attack and we will smash right through him…Let us show him what the famous Eighth Army can do. Good luck to each one of you, and good hunting."
March 19, 1943 (signed "B. L. Montgomery, General") - "On 5th March Rommel addressed his troops in the mountains overlooking our positions and said that if they did not take Medenin, and force the Eighth Army to withdraw, then the days of the Axis forces in North Africa were numbered. The next day, 6th March, he attacked the Eighth Army. He should have known that the Eighth Army never withdraws; therefore his attack could only end in failure—which it did. We will now show Rommel that he was right in the statement he made to his troops. The days of the Axis forces in North Africa are indeed numbered…The operations now about to begin will mark the close of the campaign in North Africa…Forward to Tunis! Drive the enemy into the sea!"
April 8, 1943 (signed "B. L. Montgomery, General") - "On 20th March, in a personal message before we began the battle of Mareth, I told you that the Eighth Army would do three things: Deal with the enemy in the Mareth position…Burst through the Gabes Gap…Drive northwards on Sfax, Sousse and finally Tunis. That is now in process of being done; and if we collect in the prisoners at the present rate the enemy will soon have no infantry left to hold his position…I want now to express to you, my soldiers, whatever may be your rank or employment, my grateful thanks for the way in which you have responded to my calls on you and my admiration for your wonderful fighting qualities. I doubt if our Empire has ever possessed such a magnificent fighting machine as the Eighth Army; you have made its name a household word all over the world."
April 28, 1943 (signed "B. L. Montgomery, General") - "We have joined up with the Allied Forces in Northern Tunisia and we no longer operate as an independent Army…I call on every commander and every soldier to give of his best and to keep up the pressure. No one must relax for a moment. Keep the tempo of the operation at a high level. The enemy is caught in a trap and will resist desperately. But bit by bit, and part by part, we will fight him to a standstill and will 'eat the guts' out of him…And so to every officer and man I say: Forward to battle! Do not relax! Keep up the pressure!"
May 14, 1943 (signed "Montgomery of Alamein") - "Now that the campaign in Africa is finished I want to tell you all, my soldiers, how intensely proud I am of what you have done. Before we began the battle of Egypt, last October I said that together, you and I, we would hit Rommel and his Army 'for six' right out of North Africa. And it has now been done. All those well-known enemy Divisions that we have fought, and driven before us over hundreds of miles of African soil from Alamein to Tunis, have now surrendered. There was no Dunkirk on the beaches of Tunisia; the Royal Navy and the R.A.F. saw to it that the enemy should not get away, and so they were all forced to surrender. The campaign has ended in a major disaster for the enemy. Your contribution to the complete and final removal of the enemy from Africa has been beyond all praise. As our Prime Minister said at Tripoli, in February last, it will be a great honour to be able to say in years to come: 'I marched and fought with the Eighth Army.'"
July 10, 1943 (signed "B. L. Montgomery, General, Eighth Army") - "The time has now come to carry the war into Italy, and into the Continent of Europe. The Italian Overseas Empire has been exterminated; we will now deal with the home country. To the Eighth Army has been given the great honour of representing the British Empire in the Allied Force which is now to carry out this task. On our left will be our American Allies. Together we will set about the Italians in their own country in no uncertain way. They came into this war to suit themselves, and they must now take the consequences; they asked for it, and they will now get it…In this operation the combined effort of the three Fighting Services is being applied in tremendous strength, and nothing will be able to stand against it. The three of us together – Navy, Army and Air Force – will see this thing through. I want all of you, my soldiers, to know that I have complete confidence in the successful outcome of this operation."
July 30, 1943 (signed "B. L. Montgomery, General, Eighth Army") - "The Allied Armies landed in Sicily, on Italian soil, on 10th July, magnificently supported by the Royal Navy and the Allied Air Forces, and are, today, in possession of the whole island except for the north-east corner, where the enemy is now hemmed in. I want to tell all of you, soldiers of the Eighth Army, that this has been a very fine performance. On your behalf, I have expressed to the Commander of the Seventh American Army on our left the congratulations of the Eighth Army for the way the American troops have captured and cleaned up more than half the island in record time. We are proud to fight beside our American Allies…And now let us get on with the job. Together, with our American Allies, we have knocked Mussolini off his perch. We will now drive the Germans out of Sicily."
August 18, 1943 (two copies: one signed "B. L. Montgomery, General, Eighth Army," and one signed "Montgomery of Alamein") - "The campaign in Sicily is over. We landed in the island on 10 July. By 20 July, together with our American allies, we had driven the enemy into the north-east corner of the island. On 30th July, I told you we would now drive the Germans out of Sicily. And by 17th August the Germans had been driven out, and the Allied Armies, American and British, were in possession of the whole island. In February last, the Italian overseas empire ceased to exist. Today, 17 August 1943, we have captured our first slice of the Italian home country. In these tremendous events, you, the soldiers of the Eighth Army, have played a very notable part. By your splendid fighting qualities and devotion to duty you have helped to change the whole course of the war."
September 2, 1943 (signed "B. L. Montgomery, General, Eighth Army," adding, "Italy was knocked out of the war on 8 September. B. L. M.") - "Having captured Sicily as our first slice of the Italian home country, the time has now come to carry the battle to the mainland of Italy. To the Eighth Army has been given the great honour of being the first troops of the Allied Armies to land on the mainland of the continent of Europe. We will prove ourselves worthy of this honour. I want to tell all of you, soldiers of the Eighth Army, that I have complete confidence in the successful outcome of the operations we are now going to carry out. We have a good plan, and air support on a greater scale than we have ever had before. There can be only one end to this next battle, and this is: Another success. Forward to Victory! Let us knock Italy out of the war!"
October 23, 1943 (signed "B. L. Montgomery, General, Eighth Army") - "To-day, 23 October, 1943, is the first anniversary of the Battle of Alamein – that great battle that was fought and won by the soldiers of the Empire one year ago. In the message which I issued to the Eighth Army before the battle began, I said: 'The battle now about to begin will be the turning point of the war; it will be one of the decisive battles of history.' And it was so. The decisive victory gained at Alamein was the first episode in events that have altered the whole structure of this war…Every soldier in the Eighth Army, whatever may be his rank or employment, has played a part in these historic events; and every soldier can have a feeling of pride that he has pulled his full weight, and has never failed to answer the call of duty…Together we began this business, and together we will see it through to the end."
November 25, 1943 (signed "B. L. Montgomery, General, Eighth Army") - "The Allies have conquered about one-third of Italy since we invaded the country on 3rd September. But the Germans still hold the approach to Rome, and that city itself. The time has now come to drive the Germans north of Rome…The enemy has been outfought by better troops ever since we first landed in Sicily, and his men don’t like what they are getting. The Germans are, in fact, in the very condition in which we want them. We will now hit the Germans a colossal crack. Good luck to you all. And good hunting as we go forward."
December 25, 1943 (signed "B. L. Montgomery, General, Eighth Army") - "Once again the Eighth Army spends Christmas in the field. This time last year we were in Tripolitania, having just broken through the famous Agheila position; now, we are well north of an east and west line through Rome. And I would say to you, soldiers of the Eighth Army, that you have every right to be very proud of what you have achieved during the past year; every officer and man has done his duty in a manner that is beyond all praise…And to-day we recall the Christmas message: 'Glory to God in the Highest, and on Earth peace, goodwill toward men.' Surely this describes exactly what we are fighting for? Let us, therefore, take it as our battle cry and our motto; and in doing so let us affirm that between us, you and I, we will see this thing through to the end."
January 1, 1944 (signed "B. L. Montgomery, General, Eighth Army") - "I have to tell you, with great regret, that the time has come for me to leave the Eighth Army. I have been ordered to take command of the British Armies in England that are to operate under General Eisenhower – the Supreme Commander. It is difficult to express to you adequately what this parting means to me. I am leaving officers and men who have been my comrades during months of hard and victorious fighting, and whose courage and devotion to duty always filled me with admiration. I feel I have many friends among the soldiery of this great Army. I do not know if you will miss me; but I will miss you more than I can say…In all the battles we have fought together we have not had one single failure; we have been successful in everything we have undertaken…May we meet again soon; and may we serve together again as comrades in arms."
21 ARMY GROUP
June 5, 1944 (signed "B. L. Montgomery, General") - "The time has come to deal the enemy a terrific blow in Western Europe. The blow will be struck by the combined sea, land, and air forces of the Allies – together constituting one great Allied team, under the supreme command of General Eisenhower. On the eve of this great adventure I send to you my best wishes to every soldier in the Allied team. To us is given the honour of striking a blow for freedom which will live in history; and in the better days that lie ahead men will speak with pride of our doings…I want every soldier to know that I have complete confidence in the successful outcome of the operations that we are now about to begin. With stout hearts, and with enthusiasm for the contest, let us go forward to victory."
June 10, 1944 (signed "B. L. Montgomery") - "After four days of fighting the Allied Armies have secured a good and firm lodgehead on the mainland of France. First, we must thank Almighty God for the success we have achieved and for giving us such a good beginning towards the full completion of our task. Second, we must pay a tribute to the Allied Navies and Air Forces for their magnificent cooperation and support; without it, we soldiers could have achieved nothing. Third, I want to personally congratulate every officer and man in the Allied Armies on the splendid results of the last four days…Much yet remains to be done; but together, you and I, we will do it and we will see the thing through to the end."
July 11, 1944 (signed "B. L. Montgomery, General") - "A great deal has happened since my last message to you on 10 June – one month ago; the battle in Normandy has been fierce and hard since then, and much has been achieved. Our gains have been definite and concrete; and we have held everything we have gained, despite the desperate efforts of the enemy to push us back into the sea. On the west flank – Cherbourg. On the east flank – Caen. And much territory in between. And all the time a tremendous struggle with a skillful enemy, whose good fighting qualities and tenacity in battle cannot but attract our admiration. The pace has been hot, and it was clear that someone would have to give ground sooner or later; it was equally clear that the Allied soldiers would see the thing through to the end and would never give up; and so the Germans have been forced to give ground – which is very right and proper…We have given the enemy forces a tremendous pounding, and we know from prisoners what great losses they have suffered. And we have enlarged and extended our lodgment area, and in all that area we are very firm and secure, and we are developing our offensive operations in accordance with our plans."
August 11, 1944 (signed "B. L. Montgomery, General") - "At this time of great opportunity I feel that I want to speak to the officers and men of the Allied Armies in France. We are a great team – American, British, Canadian, and also the soldiers of Fighting France and of Poland – all knit together into one fighting machine, and all working to one plan. We have been through some difficult times since D day and, on occasions, great patience and confidence were necessary if we were not to falter…What a change has come about in the last few weeks. The whole of the Cherbourg peninsula is in our hands, and most of Brittany also; our armies are moving relentlessly eastwards into France; many hundreds of towns and villages have been liberated. The prisoners taken are well over 100,000, and great quantities of enemy equipment and war material have been captured or destroyed. And, best of all, the great bulk of the German forces in NW Europe are in a bad way; we are round behind them in many places, and it is possible that some of them will not get away."
August 21, 1944 (signed "B. L. Montgomery, General") - "On the 11th of August, I spoke to the officers and men of the Allied Armies in NW France. I said we must 'write off' the powerful German force that was causing us so much trouble; we must finish it, once and for all, and so hasten the end of the war. And to-day, ten days later, it has been done. The German armies in North-West France have suffered a decisive defeat; the destruction of enemy personnel and equipment in and about the so-called “Normandy pocket” has been terrific, and it is still going on; any enemy units that manage to get away will not be in a fit condition to fight again for months; there are still many surprises in store for the fleeing remnants. The victory has been definite, complete and decisive. As soldiers, we all want to pay our tribute to the Allied Air Forces. I doubt if ever in the history of war, air forces have had such opportunities, or have taken such good advantage of them. The brave and brilliant work of the pilots has aroused our greatest admiration; without their support, we soldiers could have achieved no success…Having brought disaster to the German forces in NW France, we must now complete the destruction of such of his forces as are still available to be destroyed. After knowing what has happened to their armies in NW France, it is unlikely that these forces will now come to us; so we will go to them…The end of the war is in sight; let us finish off the business in record time."
September 17, 1944 (signed "B. L. Montgomery, General") - "I want today, 17 September, to speak to all soldiers in the Group of Armies under my command. What a change has come over the scene since I last spoke to you on 21 August. Then we were moving up towards the Seine, having inflicted a decisive defeat on the German armies in Normandy. Today the Seine is far behind us; the Allies have removed the enemy from practically the whole of France and Belgium, except in a few places, and we stand at the door of Germany…And now the Allies are closing in on Nazi Germany from the east, from the south, and from the west; her satellite powers have thrown the towel into the ring—they have had enough of the Nazis, and they now fight on our side. Our American Allies are fighting on German soil in many places; very soon we shall all be there…Whatever orders are issued in Germany, and whatever action is taken on them, no human endeavours can now prevent the complete and utter defeat of the armed forces of Germany; their fate is certain, and their defeat will be absolute. The triumphant cry now is 'Forward into Germany.'"
October 23, 1944 (signed "B. L. Montgomery, Field-Marshal, Holland, 23-10-44") - "This day, the 23rd October, is one that will never be forgotten by those of us who fought at Alamein. On this day in 1942 a great operation was launched, and during the following days a great battle was fought. That battle was won decisively, and the victory was the turning point of the war for the Allies; since then the soldiers of the British Empire, of America, and of Russia, have flung the enemy back on every front; they have liberated whole countries, and countless towns and villages, from German tyranny; the end cannot be very far distant. The Eighth Army at Alamein was a truly Imperial Army; it contained fighting men from every part of the Empire; only those splendid Canadian soldiers were not there, and that was because they were helping to guard England and could not be spared. And the men of that great Army that fought at Alamein have scattered all over the world. Some still serve in the Eighth Army in Italy; some are fighting the Japanese; some are fighting here in the armies that landed in Normandy in June last…We have been through some bad times in this war, and we have had to face up to some great disasters. There was a time in the early days when the British Empire stood alone against the combined might of the Axis powers. But we stood firm, and we pulled through; and we acquitted ourselves like men. To-day the disasters are behind us; our armies stand triumphant at the door of Germany. Let us still acquit ourselves like men. Let us remember the words of Kipling: 'If you can meet with triumph and disaster / And treat these two imposters just the same, / Yours is the earth, and everything that’s in it, / And which is more, you’ll be a man, my son.'"
December 25, 1944 (three copies, each signed "B. L. Montgomery, Field-Marshal") - "The forces of the British Empire in Western Europe spend Christmas 1944 in the field. But what a change has come over the scene since last Christmas. The supreme Battle of Normandy carried with it the liberation of France and Belgium. Last Christmas we were in England, expectant and full of hope; this Christmas we are fighting in Germany. The conquest of Germany remains. It would have needed a brave man to say on D day, 6 June, that in three months we would be in Brussels and Antwerp; having liberated nearly the whole of France and Belgium; and in six months we would be fighting in Germany: having driven the enemy back across his own frontiers. But this is what has happened…At Christmas time, whether in our homes or fighting in the field, we like to sing the carols we learnt as children; and in truth, this is indeed a link between us and our families and friends in the home country; since they are singing the same verses. The old words express exactly what we all feel to-day: 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.' That is what we are fighting for, that is what we desire; on earth peace, good will toward men."
February 7, 1945 (signed "B. L. Montgomery, Field-Marshal") - "The operations of the Allies on all fronts have now brought the German war to its final stage. There was a time, some years ago, when it did not seem possible that we could win this war; the present situation is that we cannot lose it; in fact the terrific successes of our Russian allies on the eastern front have brought victory in sight. In 21 Army Group we stand ready for the last round. There are many of us who have fought through the previous rounds; we have won every round on points; we now come to the last and final round; and we want, and will go for, the knock-out blow. The rules of the last round will be that we continue fighting till the final count; there is no time limit. We know our enemy will fight; we must expect him to fight hard to stave off defeat, possibly in the vain hope that we may crack before he does. But we shall not crack; we shall see this thing through to the end. The last round may be long and difficult, and the fighting hard; but we now fight on German soil; we have got our opponent where we want him; and he is going to receive the knock-out blow; a somewhat unusual one, delivered from more than one direction….Into the ring, then, let us go. And do not let us relax till the knock-out blow has been delivered."
February 12, 1945 (signed "B. L. Montgomery") - "I am glad to have this opportunity of being able to speak to all soldiers in the B.L.A. through the first number of Soldier. You and I have come a long way together; we have been through some very bad times and some very good times. And what is the situation today? By no possible conceivable chance can Germany win this war; victory for the Allies, absolute and definite victory, is certain. All that now remains is the conquest of Germany itself. We are fighting on German soil and we have entered the ring of the last round; there is no time limit for this round; we shall continue until our opponent has had enough."
February 12, 1945 (signed "B. L. Montgomery, Field-Marshal") - "I want to send a personal message of warm greeting and welcome to all troops that are coming to join me from Italy and the Mediterranean theatre. I am delighted to think that I shall meet again many old friends. I left the Eighth Army in Italy in December 1943 and ever since then I have watched your operations with great admiration. And while you have been doing your stuff in Italy we on this front have pushed the Germans back into their own country; we now fight on German soil…The operations of the Allies on all fronts have brought the German war to its final stage. Our great Russian Allies are thrusting into Germany from the east, while in the west we have breached the Siegfried Line in many places and are lining up on the Rhine. Germany is ringed round and at bay, and the final round is just starting. This round will continue until final and complete victory has been won, and that day cannot be too far off."
March 23, 1945 (two copies, each signed "B. L. Montgomery, Field-Marshal") - "On the 7th February I told you we were going into the ring for the final and last round; there would be no time limit; we would continue fighting until our opponent was knocked out. The last round is going very well on both sides of the ring – and overhead. In the West, the enemy has lost the Rhineland, and with it the flower of at least four armies — the Parachute Army, Fifth Panzer Army, Fifteenth Army, and Seventh Army; the First Army, further to the south, is now being added to the list. In the Rhineland battles, the enemy has lost about 150,000 prisoners, and there are many more to come; his total casualties amount to about 250,000 since 8th February…The complete and decisive defeat of the Germans is certain; there is no possibility of doubt on this matter…The swifter and the more energetic our action the sooner the war will be over, and that is what we all desire: to get on with the job and finish off the German war as soon as possible. Over the Rhine, then, let us go."
March 30, 1945 (signed "B. L. Montgomery, Field-Marshal" and "F. W. de Guingand") - "[F.W. de Guingand:] 'I am circulating a message I have received from the Commander-in-Chief which should be brought to the notice of all ranks of both Main and Rear Headquarters. My reply is also circulated. I would like to take the opportunity to say how grateful I am for the way all ranks have responded to the heavy demands that have been made upon them all. The Commander-in-Chief’s message, and the way operations are going, are indeed fitting rewards for our efforts.' [Montgomery:] 'I would like to express to you personally, and to all my staff that work under you, my great appreciation for all the work that was done before we launched the Battle of the Rhine. I know well the amount of work that had to be done, and it had to be done in a short time. It could have been done in the time only by a first-class staff. I always feel that at 21 Army Group we have the best staff in the world. Will you please let all the staff know how grateful I am.'"
May 8, 1945 (signed "B. L. Montgomery, Field-Marshal") - "On this day of victory in Europe I feel I would like to speak to all who have served and fought with me during the last few years. What I have to say is very simple, and quite short. I would ask you all to remember those of our comrades who fell in the struggle. They gave their lives that others might have freedom, and no man can do more than that. I believe that He would say to each one of them: 'Well done, thou good and faithful servant.' And we who remain have seen the thing through to the end; we all have a feeling of great joy and thankfulness that we have been preserved to see this day…In the early days of this war the British Empire stood alone against the combined might of the Axis powers. And during those days we suffered some great disasters; but we stood firm: on the defensive, but striking blows where we could. Later we were joined by Russia and America; and from then onwards the end was in no doubt. Let us never forget what we owe to our Russian and American allies; this great Allied team has achieved much in war; may it achieve even more in peace…It has been a privilege and an honour to command this great British Empire team in Western Europe. Few commanders can have had such loyal service as you have given me. I thank each one of you from the bottom of my heart. And so let us embark on what lies ahead full of joy and optimism. We have won the German war. Let us now win the peace."
May 1, 1946 (signed "Montgomery of Alamein, 1972") - "The time has come for me to give up my command in Germany and return to England to prepare myself for the post of Chief of the Imperial General Staff. When I think back to the day I took over at 21 Army Group in January 1944, at that time getting ready to start its great adventure, I feel amazed at what has been achieved. We crossed the Channel, won a great victory in Normandy, advanced through France, Belgium and Holland, and after a winter of bitter fighting with a long L of C, were rewarded by the unconditional surrender of our enemy. We had at last gained the long awaited victory…Sailors, soldiers, airmen, civilians – men and women – we have all been in this business together. I would like to thank each one of you for the support you have given me in my task. The great results that have been achieved have been due to the united effort of a magnificent team, of which I can justly say each one of us can be proud to have been a member."
