Career Louis_Mountbatten,_1st_Earl_Mountbatten_of_Burma

1 career

1.1 career
1.2 second world war
1.3 last viceroy of india , first governor-general
1.4 career after india , pakistan
1.5 alleged plots against harold wilson

career
early career

mountbatten posted midshipman battlecruiser hms lion in july 1916 and, after seeing action in august 1916, transferred battleship hms queen elizabeth during closing phases of first world war. in june 1917, when royal family stopped using german names , titles , adopted more british-sounding windsor , prince louis of battenberg became louis mountbatten, , created marquess of milford haven. second son acquired courtesy title lord louis mountbatten , known lord louis until created peer in 1946. paid visit of ten days western front, in july 1918.

he appointed executive officer (second-in-command) of small warship hms p.31 on 13 october 1918 , promoted sub-lieutenant on 15 january 1919. hms p.31 took part in peace river pageant on 4 april 1919. mountbatten attended christ s college, cambridge 2 terms, starting in october 1919, studied english literature (including john milton , lord byron) in programme specially designed ex-servicemen. elected term standing committee of cambridge union society, , suspected of sympathy labour party, emerging potential party of government first time.

he posted battlecruiser hms renown in march 1920 , accompanied edward, prince of wales, on royal tour of australia in her. promoted lieutenant on 15 april 1920. hms renown returned portsmouth on 11 october 1920. in 1921 royal navy personnel used civil defence duties serious industrial unrest seemed imminent. mountbatten had command platoon of stokers, many of whom had never handled rifle before, in northern england. transferred battlecruiser hms repulse in march 1921 , accompanied prince of wales on royal tour of india , japan. edward , mountbatten formed close friendship during trip. mountbatten survived deep defence cuts known geddes axe. fifty-two percent of officers of year had had leave royal navy end of 1923; although highly regarded superiors, rumoured wealthy , well-connected officers more retained. posted battleship hms revenge in mediterranean fleet in january 1923.

mountbatten in late 1930s

pursuing interests in technological development , gadgetry, mountbatten joined portsmouth signals school in august 1924 , went on briefly study electronics @ royal naval college, greenwich. mountbatten became member of institution of electrical engineers (iee), institution of engineering , technology (iet), annually awards mountbatten medal outstanding contribution, or contributions on period, promotion of electronics or information technology , application. posted battleship hms centurion in reserve fleet in 1926 , became assistant fleet wireless , signals officer of mediterranean fleet under command of admiral sir roger keyes in january 1927. promoted lieutenant-commander on 15 april 1928, returned signals school in july 1929 senior wireless instructor. appointed fleet wireless officer mediterranean fleet in august 1931, , having been promoted commander on 31 december 1932, posted battleship hms resolution.

in 1934, mountbatten appointed first command – destroyer hms daring. ship new destroyer, sail singapore , exchange older ship, hms wishart. brought wishart port in malta , attended funeral of king george v in january 1936. mountbatten appointed personal naval aide-de-camp king edward viii on 23 june 1936, and, having joined naval air division of admiralty in july 1936, attended coronation of king george vi , queen elizabeth in may 1937. promoted captain on 30 june 1937 , given command of destroyer hms kelly in june 1939.

in july 1939, mountbatten granted patent (uk number 508,956) system maintaining warship in fixed position relative ship.

mountbatten , officers on hms kelvin 1940.


second world war

when war broke out in september 1939, mountbatten became commander of 5th destroyer flotilla aboard hms kelly, became famous exploits. in late 1939 brought duke of windsor exile in france , in may 1940, mountbatten led british convoy in through fog evacuate allied forces participating in namsos campaign during norwegian campaign.

on night of 9/10 may 1940, kelly torpedoed amidships german e-boat s 31 off dutch coast, , mountbatten thereafter commanded 5th destroyer flotilla destroyer hms javelin. rejoined kelly in december 1940, time torpedo damage had been repaired.

kelly sunk german dive bombers on 23 may 1941 during battle of crete; incident serving basis noël coward s film in serve. coward personal friend of mountbatten , copied of speeches film. mountbatten mentioned in despatches on 9 august 1940 , 21 march 1941 , awarded distinguished service order in january 1941.

mountbatten, walter short, , husband kimmel in hawaii 1941

in august 1941, mountbatten appointed captain of aircraft carrier hms illustrious lay in norfolk, virginia, repairs following action @ malta in mediterranean in january. during period of relative inactivity, paid flying visit pearl harbor, 3 months before japanese attack on naval base there. mountbatten, appalled @ base s lack of preparedness, drawing on japan s history of launching wars surprise attacks successful british surprise attack @ battle of taranto had knocked italy s fleet out of war, , sheer effectiveness of aircraft against warships, accurately predicted entry war begin japanese surprise attack on pearl harbor.

mountbatten favourite of winston churchill. on 27 october 1941 mountbatten replaced roger keyes chief of combined operations , promoted commodore.

clockwise lower right, franklin d. roosevelt, winston churchill, hastings ismay, mountbatten: january 1943 in casablanca.

his duties in role included inventing new technical aids assist opposed landings. noteworthy technical achievements of mountbatten , staff include construction of pluto , underwater oil pipeline english coast normandy, artificial harbour constructed of concrete caissons , sunken ships, , development of amphibious tank-landing ships. project mountbatten proposed churchill project habakkuk. massive , impregnable 600-metre aircraft carrier made reinforced ice ( pykrete ): habakkuk never carried out due enormous cost.

as commander of combined operations, mountbatten , staff planned highly successful bruneval raid, gained important information , part of german würzburg radar installation , 1 of machine s technicians on 27 february 1942. mountbatten recognized surprise , speed essential requirements of raid against installation ensure radar captured, , saw airborne assault viable method. in large part responsible planning , organisation of raid @ st. nazaire in mid-1942, operation put out of action 1 of heavily defended docks in nazi-occupied france until after war s end, ramifications of contributed allied supremacy in battle of atlantic. after these 2 successes came dieppe raid of 19 august 1942. central in planning , promotion of raid on port of dieppe. raid marked failure, casualties of 60%, great majority of them canadians. following dieppe raid mountbatten became controversial figure in canada, royal canadian legion distancing him during visits there during later career. relations canadian veterans, blamed him losses, remained frosty after war.

lord louis mountbatten, supreme allied commander, seen during tour of arakan front in february 1944

mountbatten claimed lessons learned dieppe raid necessary planning normandy invasion on d-day 2 years later. however, military historians such former royal marine julian thompson have written these lessons should not have needed debacle such dieppe recognised. nevertheless, direct result of failings of dieppe raid, british made several innovations, notably hobart s funnies – specialized armoured vehicles which, in course of normandy landings, undoubtedly saved many lives on 3 beachheads upon commonwealth soldiers landing (gold beach, juno beach, , sword beach).

mountbatten making address on steps of municipal building in singapore, 1945

in august 1943, churchill appointed mountbatten supreme allied commander south east asia command (seac) promotion acting full admiral. less practical ideas sidelined experienced planning staff led lieutenant-colonel james allason, though some, such proposal launch amphibious assault near rangoon, got far churchill before being quashed.

british interpreter hugh lunghi recounted embarrassing episode occurred during potsdam conference, when mountbatten, desiring receive invitation visit soviet union, repeatedly attempted impress josef stalin former connections russian imperial family. attempt fell predictably flat, stalin dryly inquiring whether time ago had been there. says lunghi, meeting embarrassing because stalin unimpressed. offered no invitation. mountbatten left tail between legs.

during time supreme allied commander of southeast asia theatre, command oversaw recapture of burma japanese general william slim. personal high point receipt of japanese surrender in singapore when british troops returned island receive formal surrender of japanese forces in region led general itagaki seishiro on 12 september 1945, codenamed operation tiderace. south east asia command disbanded in may 1946 , mountbatten returned home substantive rank of rear-admiral.

following war, mountbatten known have largely shunned japanese rest of life out of respect men killed during war, , per will, japan not invited send diplomatic representatives funeral in 1979, though did meet emperor hirohito during state visit britain in 1971, reportedly @ urging of queen.

last viceroy of india , first governor-general

his experience in region , in particular perceived labour sympathies @ time led clement attlee appointing him viceroy of india on 20 february 1947 charged overseeing transition of british india independence no later 30 june 1948. mountbatten s instructions emphasised united india result of transference of power authorised him adapt changing situation in order britain out promptly minimal reputational damage. after arrived, mountbatten concluded situation volatile short wait. although advisers favoured gradual transfer of independence, mountbatten decided way forward quick , orderly transfer of independence before 1947 out. in view, longer mean civil war. viceroy hurried return senior technical navy courses.

lord , lady mountbatten @ mussoorie congress leader sardar patel, daughter manibehn patel , nehru in background

mountbatten fond of congress leader jawaharlal nehru , liberal outlook country. felt differently muslim leader muhammed ali jinnah, aware of power, stating if said single man held future of india in palm of hand in 1947, man mohammad ali jinnah. during meeting jinnah on 5 april 1947, mountbatten tried persuade jinnah of united india, citing difficult task of dividing mixed states of punjab , bengal, muslim leader unyielding in goal of establishing separate muslim state called pakistan.

lord , lady mountbatten mahatma gandhi, 1947

given british government s recommendations grant independence quickly, mountbatten concluded united india unachievable goal , resigned himself plan partition, creating independent nations of india , pakistan. mountbatten set date transfer of power british indians, arguing fixed timeline convince indians of , british government s sincerity in working towards swift , efficient independence, excluding possibilities of stalling process.

among indian leaders, mahatma gandhi emphatically insisted on maintaining united india , while rallied people goal. during meeting mountbatten, gandhi asked mountbatten invite jinnah form new central government, mountbatten never uttered word of gandhi s ideas jinnah. , when mountbatten s timeline offered prospect of attaining independence soon, sentiments took different turn. given mountbatten s determination, nehru , patel s inability deal muslim league , lastly jinnah s obstinacy, indian party leaders (except gandhi) acquiesced jinnah s plan divide india, in turn eased mountbatten s task. mountbatten developed strong relationship indian princes, ruled portions of india not directly under british rule. intervention decisive in persuading vast majority of them see advantages in opting join indian union. on 1 hand, integration of princely states can viewed 1 of positive aspects of legacy. on other, refusal of hyderabad, jammu , kashmir, , junagadh join 1 of dominions led future tension between pakistan , india.

mountbatten brought forward date of partition june 1948 15 august 1947. uncertainty of borders caused muslims , hindus move direction felt majority. hindus , muslims thoroughly terrified, , muslim movement east balanced similar movement of hindus west. boundary committee chaired sir cyril radcliffe charged drawing boundaries new nations. mandate leave many hindus , sikhs in india , many muslims in pakistan possible, radcliffe came map split 2 countries along punjab , bengal borders. left 14 million people on wrong side of border, , many of them fled safety on other side when new lines announced.

lord mountbatten pandit jawaharlal nehru first prime minister of sovereign india in government house, lady mountbatten standing left

when india , pakistan attained independence @ midnight on night of 14–15 august 1947, mountbatten remained in new delhi 10 months, serving india s first governor general until june 1948. on mountbatten s advice, india took issue of kashmir newly formed united nations in january 1948. issue of kashmir become lasting thorn in legacy, 1 not resolved day. accounts differ on future mountbatten desired kashmir. pakistani accounts suggest mountbatten favored accession of kashmir india citing close relationship nehru. mountbatten s own account says wanted maharaja hari singh make mind. viceroy made several attempts mediate between congress leaders, muhammad ali jinnah , hari singh on issues relating accession of kashmir though largely unsuccessful in resolving conflict. after tribal invasion of kashmir, on suggestion india moved secure accession of kashmir hari singh before sending in military forces defence.

lord , lady mountbatten muhammad ali jinnah

notwithstanding self-promotion of own part in indian independence – notably in television series life , times of admiral of fleet lord mountbatten of burma, produced son-in-law lord brabourne, , freedom @ midnight dominique lapierre , larry collins (of main quoted source) – record seen mixed; 1 common view hastened independence process unduly , recklessly, foreseeing vast disruption , loss of life , not wanting occur on british watch, thereby helping occur, in punjab , bengal. john kenneth galbraith, canadian-american harvard university economist, advised governments of india during 1950s, intimate of nehru served american ambassador 1961 1963, particularly harsh critic of mountbatten in regard.

the creation of pakistan never emotionally accepted many british leaders, among them being mountbatten. mountbatten expressed lack of support , faith in muslim league s idea of pakistan. jinnah refused mountbatten s offer serve governor-general of pakistan. when mountbatten asked collins , lapierre if have sabotaged pakistan had known jinnah dying of tuberculosis, replied, probably.

career after india , pakistan

mountbatten arrives on board hms glasgow @ malta assume command of mediterranean fleet, 16 may 1952



lord mountbatten inspects malayan troops in kensington gardens in 1946

after india, mountbatten served commander of 1st cruiser squadron in mediterranean fleet and, having been granted substantive rank of vice admiral on 22 june 1949, became second-in-command of mediterranean fleet in april 1950. became fourth sea lord @ admiralty in june 1950. returned mediterranean serve commander-in-chief, mediterranean fleet , nato commander allied forces mediterranean june 1952. promoted substantive rank of full admiral on 27 february 1953. in march 1953, appointed personal aide-de-camp queen.

mountbatten served final posting @ admiralty first sea lord , chief of naval staff april 1955 july 1959, position father had held forty years prior. first time in royal naval history father , son had both attained such high rank. promoted admiral of fleet on 22 october 1956.

while serving first sea lord, primary concerns dealt devising plans on how royal navy keep shipping lanes open if britain fell victim nuclear attack. today, seems of minor importance @ time few people comprehended potentially limitless destruction nuclear weapons possess , ongoing dangers posed fallout. military commanders did not understand physics involved in nuclear explosion. became evident when mountbatten had reassured fission reactions bikini atoll tests not spread through oceans , blow planet. mountbatten became more familiar new form of weaponry, increasingly grew opposed use in combat yet @ same time realised potential nuclear energy had, regards submarines. mountbatten expressed feelings towards use of nuclear weapons in combat in article military commander surveys nuclear arms race , published shortly after death in international security in winter of 1979–80. after leaving admiralty, lord mountbatten took position of chief of defence staff. served in post 6 years during able consolidate 3 service departments of military branch single ministry of defence. mountbatten appointed colonel of life guards, gold stick in waiting , life colonel commandant of royal marines in 1965. governor of isle of wight 20 july 1965 , first lord lieutenant of isle of wight 1 april 1974.

mountbatten elected fellow of royal society , had received honorary doctorate heriot-watt university in 1968.

in 1969, mountbatten tried unsuccessfully persuade cousin, spanish pretender infante juan, count of barcelona, ease eventual accession of son, juan carlos, spanish throne signing declaration of abdication while in exile. next year mountbatten attended official white house dinner during took opportunity have 20-minute conversation richard nixon , secretary of state william p. rogers, later wrote, able talk president bit both tino [constantine ii of greece] , juanito [juan carlos of spain] try , put on respective points of view greece , spain, , how felt them. in january 1971, nixon hosted juan carlos , wife sofia (sister of exiled king constantine) during visit washington , later year washington post published article alleging nixon s administration seeking franco retire in favour of young bourbon prince.

from 1967 until 1978, mountbatten president of united world colleges organisation, represented single college: of atlantic college in south wales. mountbatten supported united world colleges , encouraged heads of state, politicians , personalities throughout world share interest. under mountbatten s presidency , personal involvement, united world college of south east asia established in singapore in 1971, followed united world college of pacific (now known lester b pearson united world college of pacific) in victoria, british columbia, in 1974. in 1978, mountbatten passed presidency of college great-nephew, prince of wales.

alleged plots against harold wilson

peter wright, in book spycatcher, claimed in may 1968 mountbatten attended private meeting press baron cecil king, , government s chief scientific adviser, solly zuckerman. wright alleged thirty mi5 officers had joined secret campaign undermine crisis-stricken labour government of harold wilson , king mi5 agent. in meeting, king allegedly urged mountbatten become leader of government of national salvation. solly zuckerman pointed out rank treachery , , idea came nothing because of mountbatten s reluctance act.

in 2006, bbc documentary plot against harold wilson alleged there had been plot involving mountbatten oust wilson during second term in office (1974–76). period characterised high inflation, increasing unemployment , widespread industrial unrest. alleged plot revolved around right-wing former military figures supposedly building private armies counter perceived threat trade unions , soviet union. believed labour party, (and still is) partly funded affiliated trade unions, unable , unwilling counter these developments , wilson either soviet agent or @ least communist sympathiser – claims wilson denied. documentary alleged coup planned overthrow wilson , replace him mountbatten using private armies , sympathisers in military , mi5.

the first official history of mi5, defence of realm (2009), tacitly confirmed there plot against wilson , mi5 did have file on him. yet made clear plot in no way official , activity centred on small group of discontented officers. had been confirmed former cabinet secretary lord hunt, concluded in secret inquiry conducted in 1996 there absolutely no doubt @ few, few, malcontents in mi5...a lot of them peter wright right-wing, malicious , had serious personal grudges – gave vent these , spread damaging malicious stories labour government.