Mastermind of Dunkirk and D-Day

It is good question as to why Admiral Ramsay hasn’t achieved the same recognition as, say, Cunningham or Fraser. Whether it was his untimely death in early 1945 or the fact that he hadn’t published his memoirs, this book sets out to redress the omission and succeeds.
The author covers Ramsay’s early career where his eye for detail and efficiency wasn’t always welcomed; his guide on ship painting must have been a First Lt’s nightmare. His professional drive brought him into conflict with his superiors, and despite his acknowledged qualities, he was placed on the retired list in 1938 as a Rear Admiral. As war loomed, he was recalled to his dormant appointment as Flag Officer i/c Dover which had upgraded to an independent command as Vice Admiral Dover. With the end of the Phoney War in Spring 1940 as the Germans overran France and the BEF retreated to the coast around Dunkirk made the evacuation of the BEF vital. By late 26 May, Ramsay was ordered to launch the evacuation, Op Dynamo, with “the greatest vigour”. Some 850 vessels of all sorts were involved with the initial hope of evacuating some 40,000 men. The description of the strain of the evacuation on everyone from Ramsay to the ships companies shows the extraordinary fortitude of all concerned. Ramsay’s qualities of attention to detail, organisational ability and readiness to delegate to those he trusted paid dividends. He fought hard to retain the destroyers, despite heavy losses, and it was these ships that evacuated the greatest number of the staggering total of 338,000 evacuated.
1941 saw the “Channel Dash” of Scharnhorst, Gneisenau and Prinz Eugen and for Ramsay, with very limited resources, an embarrassing debacle. However, he was not held responsible and in 1942, promoted to Admiral, became CinC of Expeditionary Forces. Ramsay’s amphibious career started with Torch, the successful Anglo – US invasion on N Africa. Ramsay’s “sound planning and forethought” was not just recognised by Cunningham, but also by Montgomery. This friendship with Montgomery was evident in the next operation – the invasion of Sicily. Again Ramsay’s meticulous staff work paid dividends and he was the obvious choice for Cunningham to nominate as the Naval Allied CinC for the invasion of Europe. Neptune was the pinnacle of Ramsay’s career; he praised his staff for “their excellent planning and meticulous use of details” – all Ramsay trademarks. By August 1944, Ramsay who was now 61, was both mentally and physically exhausted. In 1945, as the Allies advanced, on 2 January Ramsay flew to meet Montgomery. Tragically, his plane crashed on take off due to pilot error and Ramsay died instantly.
The tributes said it all – Montgomery a “great sailor and English gentleman”, Eisenhower “a warm personal friend” and a long term shipmate who said “one of those who could walk with kings and keep the common touch”. Ramsay is correctly seen as one of the forgotten heroes of the war, with only an incomplete biography written in 1959. Ramsay, away from his service life, was a devoted family man, loved Jane Austen books and longed for the relaxation of home life that he was sadly denied. Bryan Izzard has written a fascinating and complete biography that is a delight to read of the man described as the “mastermind of amphibious operations”. Very highly recommended.