Frederick Browning
Sir Frederick Arthur Montague "Boy" Browning (born December 20, 1896 in Kensington , † March 14, 1965 in Cornwall ) was a British Lieutenant-General ( lieutenant general ). He gained fame as the commander of the 1st Allied Airborne Army during Operation Market Garden .
Life
Browning's military career began in World War I , where he met Winston Churchill , who later gave him command of the British 1st Airborne Division . He was transferred several times until he was commander of the 2nd Battalion of the Grenadier Guards in 1935 . He remained in this position until the beginning of World War II , when he became the commandant of the Small Arms School . In 1940 he was given command of the 24th Guards Brigade .
In 1941, Browning was appointed Commander of the British 1st Airborne Division by Churchill, which he remained until 1943.
In 1943 he became the commanding general of the British 1st Airborne Corps , which in 1944 was assigned to the newly established 1st Allied Airborne Army. The American Lieutenant-General (Lieutenant General) Lewis H. Brereton was given the command of this Airborne Army and Browning was his deputy. However, Browning himself retained command of the 1st Airborne Corps.
Browning commanded the airborne forces of the 1st Allied Airborne Army during Operation Market Garden , where he landed with his staff near Nijmegen . However, the dispersal of the troops made it difficult to issue orders.
Although Browning was not blamed by Bernard Montgomery for the failure of Operation Market Garden, he was without further promotions and remained Lieutenant General. He was transferred to Southeast Asia and held his last major command as Secretary General in the War Department .
In 1928 Browning took part in the Winter Olympics in St. Moritz as part of the UK bobsleigh team . He and his colleagues took 10th place.
Browning was married to the author Daphne du Maurier from 1932 .
In the film The Bridge of Arnhem , Browning was played by Dirk Bogarde .
Awards
- Distinguished Service Order (1918)
- Companion of the Order of the Bath (1943)
- Commander with Star of the Order Polonia Restituta (1944)
- Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (1946)
- Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (1953)
- Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (1959)
Web links
- Frederick Browning in the Sports-Reference database (English; archived from the original )
- arnhemarchive.org (English)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Browning, Frederick |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Browning, Frederick Arthur Montague (full name); Browning, Boy (nickname) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British Lieutenant-General (Lieutenant General) |
| DATE OF BIRTH | December 20, 1896 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Kensington |
| DATE OF DEATH | March 14, 1965 |
| Place of death | Cornwall |