Dorman-Smith, Major General Sir Eric ‘Chink’

1895–1969

   Dorman-Smith was a British General who held command in the Desert War. He was stationed in India when the war broke out but he had himself transferred to be Commandant in the Middle East Staff College in Halfa in 1940. He was able to give tactical advice to WAVELL, AUCHINLECK and O’CONNOR on their offensives. In April-June 1942 he became temporary Director of Military Operations in Cairo and then acting Deputy Chief of General Staff to the 8th Army. His ideas inspired the fluid mobile defense at the first Battle of El Alamein. On 6 August 1942 he was dismissed with Auchinleck and never held any important Army position again. He tried to remake his career as an infantry Commander but was removed from his post and in November 1944 was removed from the active list. He was a talented military thinker whose ideas could not be used by the conventional British Army Commanders.