Neil Ritchie

General Sir Neil Ritchie (July 29, 1897 – December 11, 1983) was a British commanding officer during the Second World War.

Ritchie had the misfortune to hold his highest field command during the earliest phases of the war, when British fortunes were at their lowest ebb. An able officer, he had held posts on the staffs of Wavell, Alanbrooke and Auchinleck and was highly regarded by them all. It was Auchinleck who gave him his highest field command, the Eighth Army, in November 1941. Originally intended as a temporary appointment until a suitable appointment could be found, Ritchie in fact ended up commanding the Eighth Army for over six months. After an initial period of success the British were pushed back, losing the vital port of Tobruk, to the Afrika Korps of Rommel before eventually Ritchie was sacked by Auchinleck in June 1942 prior to the first battle of El Alamein.

Auchinleck is often seen as having appointed Ritchie, a relatively junior commander, in order to allow him to closely direct the battle himself as Commander-in-Chief Middle-East. 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 Lord Carver.