 In 1940 Horrocks commanded a battalion during the Battle of France , the first time he served under Bernard Montgomery , the most prominent British commander of the war . Montgomery later identified Horrocks as one of his most able officers , appointing him to corps commands in both North Africa and Europe . In 1943 , Horrocks was seriously wounded and took more than a year to recover before returning to command a corps in Europe . It is likely that this period out of action meant he missed out on promotion ; his contemporary corps commanders in North Africa , Oliver Leese and Miles C. Dempsey , went on to command at army level and above . Horrocks ' wound caused continuing health problems and led to his early retirement from the army after the war . 
