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Louis Mountbatten

Surname Mountbatten Given Name Louis Born 25 Jun 1900 Died 27 Aug 1979 Country United Kingdom Category Military-Sea Gender Male

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseLouis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas of Battenberg was born in Windsor Castle, England, United Kingdom into royalty. He was the great grandson of Queen Victoria, a second cousin of King George V, and his father was Prince Louis of Battenberg. His family name was changed to Mountbatten during WW1 as a result of anti-German sentiments in the United Kingdom (Prince Louis was born in Austria). Mountbatten attended Osbourne and Dartmouth Royal Naval college and served aboard the Lion and Elizabeth during WW1. In 1922, he married Edwina Cynthia Annette Ashley, daughter of Wilfred Ashley, 1st Baron Mount Temple, and raised two daughters. Since he had no son, Mountbatten's royal titles were passed on to his older daughter Patricia upon his death.

ww2dbaseWW2 broke out with Mountbatten at the helm of the destroyer HMS Kelly, leading the 5th Destroyer Flotilla. He participated in the Norwegian campaign and then the Mediterranean campaign where he lost his ship at Crete on 23 May 1940 along with 130 of his men. In a political move, Mountbatten was promoted by Prime Minister Winston Churchill to the position of the head of Combined Operations Command, with effective rank of a navy vice admiral, an army lieutenant general, and an air marshal. This move upset some of the more senior military officers who thought Mountbatten was ill-suited for the job. Despite Mountbatten's reputation of being a daring and effective navy commander, he also shouldered part of the burden of the disaster at Dieppe, France, where thousands of Canadian troops lost their lives. In Oct 1943 Churchill appointed Mountbatten to command British forces in Southeast Asia, with goals to reclaim the British colonies of Burma, Malaya, and Singapore. Again, this choice was opposed by many, citing reasons such as his relatively young age to hold a supreme commander position, his poor health for a theater in the tropics, and his general lack of gravitas. Nevertheless, his ability to work with the Americans made this appointment effective.

ww2dbaseAfter the war, Mountbatten was named the Viceroy and Governor-General of India, where he was credited with aiding the establishment of independent India and Pakistan. In 1952, he returned to the Royal Navy as Fourth Sea Lord and commanded the British Mediterranean Fleet until 1955. That year he became the First Sea Lord, and then served as the Chief of Defense Staff in 1959. He was assassinated by the IRA in County Sligo, Ireland.

ww2dbasePrince Philip, the consort of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, is the son of Mountbatten's older sister.

ww2dbaseSources:

Frank McLynn, The Burma Campaign

Wikipedia



Last Major Revision: Jun 2005

Louis Mountbatten Timeline

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