Auchinleck, Claude John Ayre

Auchinleck, Claude John Ayre (1884– 1981) British commander in North Africa and the Middle East Auchinleck was the son of an army officer, and, destined from childhood for a military career, he was educated at Wellington and Sandhurst. On graduation, he was assigned as an officer in the Indian Army and saw service during World War I against Turkish forces in the Middle East. During the Great War, he rose rapidly through the ranks, becoming a lieutenant colonel by 1917. After the armistice, he was appointed to a teaching position at the Staff College, then returned to lead troops in India. He attended the Imperial Defence College in 1927 and was assigned to command the 1st Battalion, First Punjab Regiment, which he did during 1929–30. From 1930 to 1933, he taught at the Quetta Staff College, then, appointed to command the Peshawar Brigade, he returned to India's Northwest Frontier during 1933–36 for combat against rebellious tribesmen. In 1936, Auchinleck became deputy chief of the general staff at Indian Army headquarters in Simla, taking command of the Meerut District two years later. Promoted to major general in January 1940, he returned to England as commander of the illfated Anglo-French expeditionary force at Narvik, Norway. Auchinleck supervised the successful evacuation of the force in June and was returned to India to command all British forces there. He was then named commander in chief of British forces in the Middle East in June 1941, but his failure to take the offensive soon lost him the confidence of Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Having learned from Narvik the folly of operating precipitously with unprepared forces, Auchinleck repeatedly protested that he needed more time to forge an effective army. This argument was deeply undercut by the fall of Tobruk in January 1942. Although Auchinleck was able to halt Erwin Rommel's advance toward the Nile at the Battles of El Alamein in June 1942, he was replaced in July by General Harold Alexander and returned to India as commander in chief of operations there. As if to repudiate any aspersions cast on Auchinleck's prowess in high command, he was recognized in 1946 by a promotion to field marshal.