their lowest ebb. The Eighth Army, fighting in the North African campaign, was the only British land force engaging the German Army anywhere in the world. After some early successes against the Italians the British were pushed back following the arrival of the Afrika Korps under Erwin Rommel. Ritchie was originally intended as a temporary appointment until a suitable commander could be found, but in fact ended up commanding the Eighth Army for nearly seven months. He was in command of the Eighth Army at the Battle of Gazala in May–June 1942 where he failed to exercise strong command over the Army and the British and Commonwealth forces were heavily defeated, losing the port of Tobruk. He was sacked by Auchinleck on 25 June prior to the First Battle of El Alamein. The historian Richard Mead has kind words for Ritchie: Auchinleck is often seen as having appointed Ritchie, a relatively junior commander, in order to allow him to closely direct the battle himself while also commander of Middle East Command. Ritchie was criticised heavily both during and after the war for his failure to stop Rommel. Since then several commentators have come to his defence, most notably Field Marshal Sir Michael Carver. Return to the United Kingdom After being replaced as the Eighth Army commander Ritchie was appointed to command the 52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division in September 1942 The division was then being trained in mountain warfare, in the United Kingdom; Ritchie relinquished command to Major-General Edmund Hakewill-Smith in November 1943. Northwest Europe Judged by now fit to command a corps, he was selected to command XII Corps in place of Lieutenant-General Montagu Stopford (who was sent to India), which formed part of Lieutenant-General Miles Dempsey's British Second Army and was chosen to participate in the invasion of Normandy. Ritchie was made a Companion of the Order of the Bath on 1 January 1944. Aided by his BGS, initially Roy Urquhart, later James Cassels, Ritchie led XII Corps during the Battle of Normandy in the middle of 1944 and the subsequent campaign in Western Europe, ending in May 1945 with the end of the war in Europe. Ritchie unlike his Eighth Army predecessor Cunningham, regained an active command following his dismissal, suggesting the esteem in which he was held by Brooke, the Chief of the Imperial General Staff. For his services in Northwest Europe Ritchie was made a Knight