When Dwight D. Eisenhower Nearly Fired Bernard Montgomery – The 1945 Allied Command Crisis In January 1945, as World War II raged across Europe, a different kind of battle exploded behind the front lines. At Supreme Headquarters, Dwight D. Eisenhower faced a crisis that threatened to fracture the Western Alliance. His British counterpart, Bernard Montgomery, publicly claimed credit for saving American forces during the Battle of the Bulge — and demanded permanent command of two U.S. armies. The