Sir Richard Nugent O'Connor ( English Richard Nugent O'Connor ; August 21, 1889 , Srinagar , British India - June 17, 1981 , London ) - British General and Commander of the British Army in North Africa world war . The commander of the British troops during Operation Compass .
| Richard O'Connor | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Richard Nugent O'Connor | ||||||||
 Richard O'Connor in the fall of 1944. | ||||||||
| Date of Birth | August 21, 1889 | |||||||
| Place of Birth | Srinagar | |||||||
| Date of death | June 17, 1981 (91 year) | |||||||
| Place of death | London | |||||||
| Affiliation |  Great Britain | |||||||
| Type of army |  British army | |||||||
| Years of service | 1909 - 1948 | |||||||
| Rank | General | |||||||
| Battles / Wars | World War I The Second World War | |||||||
| Awards and prizes |
| |||||||
| Retired | since 1948 | |||||||
Content
Biography
O'Connor was born in Srinagar, Kashmir , on August 21, 1889. His father was a major in the regiment of Royal Irish riflemen, and his mother was the daughter of the former governor of one of the central provinces of India [1] [2] . He studied at Wellington College , later at the Royal Military School at Sandhurst . After graduation, he served in the 2nd Battalion of Scottish Riflemen.
During World War I, O'Connor fought in France and Italy. In February 1915 he was awarded the "Military Cross". At the end of the war he was promoted to captain. In April 1936, O'Connor was promoted to colonel and took command of the Peshawar brigade in northwestern India.
Participation in World War II
In August 1939, Richard O'Connor, as part of the 7th Division, was transferred to the fortress of Mersa Matruh , Egypt. In November 1940, he was promoted to lieutenant-general and as commander of the Nile army . From December 8, 1940, he carried out a successful Operation Compass , during which he destroyed three times the superior enemy force.
On April 6, 1941, O'Connor and Philippe Nimes were captured by a German patrol near Derna [3] . O'Connor spent the next two and a half years as a prisoner of war in a camp near Florence in Italy. In September 1943, with the help of the Italian Resistance, he and Nim fled from captivity. Upon returning to England, O'Connor was knighted and promoted to lieutenant general. January 21, 1944 O'Connor became commander of the VIII Corps of the British Army. Together with the corps took part in the landing of the Allies in Normandy . In April 1945 he received the title of full general.
Resignation
In 1948, O'Connor resigned, but did not break ties with the army. He died in London on July 17, 1981.
Awards
- Knight of the Order of the Thistle , April 26, 1971
- Knight of the Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath, June 12, 1947
- Order For Distinguished Service , 1917, 1918
- "Military Cross", 1915
- Legion of Honor
Bibliography
- John Keegan, Churchill's Generals , Cassell Military, Londyn 2007, ISBN 0-304-36712-5
- Papers of General Sir Richard O'Connor KT, GCB, DSO, MC (1889–1981) , King’s College London Liddell Hart Center for Military Archives
- The Other Way in Libya , Time Magazine, April 21, 1941
- Generals Free , Time Magazine, January 31, 1944
Notes
- ↑ Houterman, Hans; Koppestitle, Jeroen. World War II unit histories & officers . The appeal date is August 16, 2007. Archived October 29, 2012
- ↑ Keegan (2005), p. 185.
- Way World War, The Southern Way in Libya , 1941-04-21, retrieved 2009-11-11, Time Inc.