Gott vs. Montgomery?

OK, I was just rambling and stumbled on this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Gott

Gott was slated for the chief British command in North Africa, WWII. What if he had lived? I don't suppose anyone really knows if his command abilities would have surpassed or underperformed those of Montgomery, but one could guess.

By my definition of "butterfly", the death of Gott was very much a butterfly. Did it affect the course of history?
 
OK, I was just rambling and stumbled on this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Gott

Gott was slated for the chief British command in North Africa, WWII. What if he had lived? I don't suppose anyone really knows if his command abilities would have surpassed or underperformed those of Montgomery, but one could guess.

By my definition of "butterfly", the death of Gott was very much a butterfly. Did it affect the course of history?

Very much. Gott was a desert veteran, a man who'd been there for quite some time. The problem is that before his death (and he died a hero, running into a burning plane to rescue wounded men) he admitted that he was tired and that he didn't think that he could beat Rommel. I don't think he had Monty's ruthless determination and his willingness to ride roughshode over the cavalry faction that had by that point stopped cooperating properly with the infantry and which kept charging brainlessly at the German anti-tank guns. Monty stopped all that nonsense.
 
I know that Brookie didn't think Gott was up to the job. He thought Gott exhausted and in need of some rest and relaxation and further thought Gott couldn't bring anything new to the table, that Gott had been in the desert for so long that he was stuck in one mindset and couldn't think outside the box anymore. Alanbrooke favored bringing in a man from outside the army, someone with new ideas and a fresh attitude and so he favored Monty.
 
Gott would have likely managed Alam el Halfa to a standstill, then would have been sacked, put on sick leave for a time, replaced with Monty and later sent to the Indian theatre aside Mountbatten, Slim & Co.
 
I regret having little useful to contribute to this thread beyond remarking that, to any German speaker, the title looks like a well-balanced match. :D
 
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