Australian General Sir John Monash changed the way wars were fought and won. When the British and German High commands of the 1914-1918 War failed to gain the ascendency after fours years of slaughter never before seen in human history, Monash used innovative techniques and modern technology to plan and win major battles that forced Germany to capitulate.
Monash was an engineer by training. He applied the same skills to planning major battles that he did in building countless bridges in Australia when making his fortune before the war. Yet his success was due to much more. He was a lawyer who excelled as an expert witness, and a renaissance man who knew as much about theatre and music as he did about weaponry and military history. Monash maintained that his achievements were due to his combining his engineering work with his part-time soldiering over 33 years in the militia. His mind was expanded in a way not experienced by the career soldier.
Another reason for his extraordinary rise to run the Australian Army, at a critical time in the war, was the strength gained from overcoming what he called his 'handicaps of birth' - having German-Jewish immigrant parents. There were vicious attempts by his enemies in 1914 to force him out of the military because of his German background. Monash was committed to fighting against Germany, with an articulation that was more logical than the reasons put up by other Australians. But the mud of having a 'Boche' background stuck.
Even though he acquitted himself with distinction running a Brigade in the Gallipoli disaster, people questioned his capacity to fight Germans. The sheer force of his intellect, preparation and skills broke through the prejudice. In 1916, he was given the command of the 3rd Division of Australian volunteers, which he trained on Salisbury Plain, England.
King George V heard about the Australian who was making a big impression and came to review his 27,000 soldiers. From that moment, Monash's career accelerated. The King, who had great influence over who ran the war in defence of his Empire, recommended Monash to field marshal Haig, the commander of the British forces. Monash lived up to the King's endorsement leading his 3rd Division on the Western Front in 1917. There was no doubting his capacity to destroy the enemy. Haig made him commander of the Australian Army Corps in mid-1918. Monash took the initiative among the British High Command, which was shell-shocked from repeated failures. His obsessional, brilliant planning, coupled with a ruthless streak, caused him to break the German army in a succession of battles that led to end of the war.
Despite Monash's amazing successes in the military, he was respected and remembered more for his remarkable humanity, a seeming contradiction in a man who created arguably the most formidable killing machine in history.
Author Roland Perry's narrative skills bring to life the fascinating biography of the man whom many have judged as the greatest ever Australian. 'Monash: The Outsider Who Won A War' draws on the subject's comprehensive letter and diary archive - one of the biggest in Australia's history. The result is a riveting portrait that reaches to the heart of the true Monash character. It weaves together the many strands of his life as a romantic, family man, student, engineer, businessman, lawyer, renaissance man, teacher, soldier, leader, and lover of the arts.
