Postwar
At the end of the conflict, Bols retained his temporary rank of major-general (and his war substantive rank was increased to Colonel) and with it command of the 6th Airborne Division. On 21 September 1945 he traveled to Egypt with his Headquarters staff, arriving shortly after at his final destination, Tel Aviv. The rest of the division followed. He commanded the division whilst it conducted peace-keeping duties in Palestine. After almost three years service in the Middle East, Bols retired from the Army with the honorary rank of major-general (his actual regimental rank was still that of lieutenant-colonel) on 8 January 1948. In 1965, it was reported by The Times that the former Russian General and then Soviet Deputy Defence Minister Konstantin Rokossovsky argued in a journal article that Bols had attempted to use the 6th Airborne Division to 'infiltrate' Russian lines. Rokossovsky claimed that the division had manoeuvered behind Soviet troops advancing towards Lübeck, and Russian troops had only avoided opening fire on the airborne troops when they had recognized the British uniforms they wore.
Bols died at his home at Peppering Eye, near Battle, East Sussex on 14 June 1985, at the age of 81.
Read more about this topic: Eric Bols
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