This is John Batcher, conversation with Professor Lloyd Clark.

His new book is The Commanders, the Leadership journeys of George Patton, Bernard Montgomery, and Erwin Rama.

All three men present for D-Day, 1944, 80th anniversary, we look back on those three men and

how they conducted themselves prior to D-Day, where they came from, what their reputations were based upon.

Bernard Montgomery was in retreat in 1914 from the German onslaught.

He was shot in the chest and he was shot on the leg and he was on the battlefield by himself as his men kept retreating.

I asked a professor what he thought out there, why he took the wrist that he did, what he was making of his life as he lay there in

between life and death. The professor answers about Montgomery as a young man will be the same as a senior commander

commanding the ground forces on D-Day.

Inspiring, always inspiring the people to follow him. Here's Lloyd Clark on Bernard

Montgomery lying between life and death, 1914, as German's advance.

More of this later.

His word was a very confused world during that period.

He certainly felt that he was going to die,

but he also felt that he was going to die, but he also felt that he would die having let down his comrades because

undoubtedly they would be a lesser organization without Bernard Montgomery at the helm.

And although we might sort of say that sword waving was out of date at the time,

I suppose what all of these leaders in 1914 felt is how can I inspire my men to

follow me? How can I give them faith? How can I give them a leadership and they would

do whatever it took even if it meant putting themselves in harm's way.

And that's exactly what Montgomery did and he nearly lost his life doing so.