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George Smith Patton Jr. (November 11, 1885 – December 21, 1945) was a General of the United States Army who commanded the U.S. Seventh Army in the Mediterranean theater of World War II, and the U.S. Third Army in France and Germany following the Allied invasion of Normandy in June 1944.
Born in 1885 to a family with an extensive military background that spanned both the United States and Confederate States armies, Patton attended the Virginia Military Institute and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He studied fencing and designed the M1913 Cavalry Saber, more commonly known as the "Patton Saber", and was sufficiently skilled in the sport of modern pentathlon to compete in the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden.
Patton first saw combat during the Pancho Villa Expedition in 1916, taking part in America's first military action using motor vehicles. As part of the newly formed United States Tank Corps of the American Expeditionary Forces he saw action in World War I, commanding the U.S. tank school in France before being wounded while leading tanks into combat near the end of the war. In the interwar period, Patton remained a central figure in the development of the Army's armored warfare doctrine, serving in numerous staff positions throughout the country. Rising through the ranks, he commanded the 2nd Armored Division at the time of the American entry into World War II.
Patton led U.S. troops into the Mediterranean theater with an invasion of Casablanca during Operation Torch in 1942, and soon established himself as an effective commander through his rapid rehabilitation of the demoralized U.S. II Corps. He commanded the U.S. Seventh Army during the Allied invasion of Sicily, where he was the first Allied commander to reach Messina. There he was embroiled in controversy after he slapped two shell-shocked soldiers under his command, and was temporarily removed from battlefield command. He then was assigned a key role in Operation Fortitude, the Allies' disinformation campaign for Operation Overlord. Following the invasion of Normandy in June 1944, Patton was given command of the Third Army, which conducted a highly successful rapid armored drive across France. Under his decisive leadership the Third Army took the lead in relieving beleaguered American troops at Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge, after which his forces drove deep into Nazi Germany by the end of the war.
During the Allied occupation of Germany Patton was named military governor of Bavaria, but was relieved over his aggressive statements towards the Soviet Union and trivializing denazification. He commanded the United States Fifteenth Army for slightly more than two months. Severely injured in an auto accident, he died in Germany twelve days later, on December 21, 1945.
Patton's colorful image, hard-driving personality and success as a commander were at times overshadowed by his controversial public statements. His philosophy of leading from the front and ability to inspire troops with attention-getting, vulgarity-ridden speeches, such as a famous address to the Third Army, met with mixed receptions, favorably with his troops but much less so among a sharply divided Allied high command. His strong emphasis on rapid and aggressive offensive action proved effective, and he was regarded highly by his opponents in the German High Command. An award-winning biographical film released in 1970, Patton, helped solidify his image as an American folk hero.
Early life
Anne Wilson "Nita" Patton, Patton's sister. She was engaged to John J. Pershing in 1917–18.
George Smith Patton Jr. was born on November 11, 1885[1][2] in San Gabriel, California, to George Smith Patton Sr. and his wife Ruth Wilson. Patton had a younger sister, Anne, who was nicknamed "Nita."[3]
Patton at the Virginia Military Institute, 1907
As a child, Patton had difficulty learning to read and write, but eventually overcame this and was known in his adult life to be an avid reader.[Note 1] He was tutored from home until the age of eleven, when he was enrolled in Stephen Clark's School for Boys, a private school in Pasadena, for six years. Patton was described as an intelligent boy and was widely read on classical military history, particularly the exploits of Hannibal, Scipio Africanus, Julius Caesar, Joan of Arc, and Napoleon Bonaparte, as well as those of family friend John Singleton Mosby, who frequently stopped by the Patton family home when George S. Patton was a child.[3] He was also a devoted horseback rider.[4]
Patton married Beatrice Banning Ayer, the daughter of Boston industrialist Frederick Ayer, on May 26, 1910, in Beverly Farms, Massachusetts. They had three children, Beatrice Smith (born March 1911), Ruth Ellen (born February 1915), and George Patton IV (born December 1923).[5] Beatrice Patton died in 1954 when she was thrown from her horse.[6]
Patton never seriously considered a career other than the military.[4] At the age of seventeen he sought an appointment to the United States Military Academy. Patton applied to several universities with Reserve Officer's Training Corps programs. Patton was accepted to Princeton College but eventually decided on Virginia Military Institute (VMI), which his father and grandfather had attended.[7] He attended the school from 1903 to 1904 and, though he struggled with reading and writing, performed exceptionally in uniform and appearance inspection as well as military drill. While Patton was at VMI, a senator from California nominated him for West Point.[8] He was an initiate of the Beta Commission of Kappa Alpha Order.[9]
In his plebe (first) year at West Point, Patton adjusted easily to the routine. However, his academic performance was so poor that he was forced to repeat his first year after failing mathematics.[10] Patton excelled at military drills though his academic performance remained average. He was cadet sergeant major during his junior year, and the cadet adjutant his senior year. He also joined the football team, but he injured his arm and stopped playing on several occasions. Instead he tried out for the sword team and track and field and specialized in the modern pentathlon.[11] He competed in this sport in the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, and he finished in fifth place - right behind four Swedes.[12]
Patton was ranked #46 out of 103 cadets at West Point, and he graduated on June 11, 1909, and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Cavalry Branch of the United States Army.[13][14]
Ancestry
The Patton family was of Irish, Scots-Irish, English, Scottish, and Welsh ancestry. His great-grandmother came from an aristocratic Welsh family, descended from many Welsh lords of Glamorgan,[4] which had an extensive military background. Patton believed he had former lives as a soldier and took pride in mystical ties with his ancestors.[15][16][17][18] Though not directly descended from George Washington, Patton traced some of his English colonial roots to George Washington's great-grandfather.[19] He was also descended from England's King Edward I through Edward's son Edmund of Woodstock, 1st Earl of Kent.[19] Family belief held the Pattons were descended from sixteen barons who had signed the Magna Carta.[19] Patton believed in reincarnation, and his ancestry was very important to him, forming a central part of his personal identity.[20] The first Patton in America was Robert Patton, born in Ayr, Scotland. He emigrated to Culpeper, Virginia, from Glasgow, in either 1769 or 1770.[21] His paternal grandfather was George Smith Patton, who commanded the 22nd Virginia Infantry under Jubal Early in the Civil War and was killed in the Third Battle of Winchester, while his great-uncle Waller T. Patton was killed in Pickett's Charge during the Battle of Gettysburg. Patton also descended from Hugh Mercer, who had been killed in the Battle of Princeton during the American Revolution. Patton's father, who graduated from the Virginia Military Institute (VMI), became a lawyer and later the district attorney of Los Angeles County. Patton's maternal grandfather was Benjamin Davis Wilson, a merchant who had been the second Mayor of Los Angeles. His father was a wealthy rancher and lawyer who owned a thousand-acre ranch near Pasadena, California.[22][23] Patton is also a descendant of French Huguenot Louis DuBois.[24][25]
Junior officer
Patton's first posting was with the 15th Cavalry at Fort Sheridan, Illinois,[26] where he established himself as a hard-driving leader who impressed superiors with his dedication.[27] In late 1911, Patton was transferred to Fort Myer, Virginia, where many of the Army's senior leaders were stationed. Befriending Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson, Patton served as his aide at social functions on top of his regular duties as quartermaster for his troop.[28]
Patton (at right) fencing in the modern pentathlon of the 1912 Summer Olympics
1912 Olympics
For his skill with running and fencing, Patton was selected as the Army's entry for the first modern pentathlon at the 1912 Olympic Games in Stockholm, Sweden.[29] Of 42 competitors, Patton placed twenty-first on the pistol range, seventh in swimming, fourth in fencing, sixth in the equestrian competition, and third in the footrace, finishing fifth overall and first among the non-Swedish competitors.[30] There was some controversy concerning his performance in the pistol shooting competition, where he used a .38 caliber pistol while most of the other competitors chose .22 caliber firearms. He claimed that the holes in the paper from his early shots were so large that some of his later bullets passed through them, but the judges decided he missed the target completely once. Modern competitions on this level frequently now employ a moving background to specifically track multiple shots through the same hole.[31][32] If his assertion was correct, Patton would likely have won an Olympic medal in the event.[33] The judges' ruling was upheld. Patton's only comment on the matter was:
Patton on his steeplechase horse, Wooltex, in 1914
The high spirit of sportsmanship and generosity manifested throughout speaks volumes for the character of the officers of the present day. There was not a single incident of a protest or any unsportsmanlike quibbling or fighting for points which I may say, marred some of the other civilian competitions at the Olympic Games. Each man did his best and took what fortune sent them like a true soldier, and at the end we all felt more like good friends and comrades than rivals in a severe competition, yet this spirit of friendship in no manner detracted from the zeal with which all strove for success.[31]
Sword design
Following the 1912 Olympics, Patton travelled to Saumur, France, where he learned fencing techniques from Adjutant Charles Cléry, a French "master of arms" and instructor of fencing at the cavalry school there.[34] Bringing these lessons back to Fort Myer, Patton redesigned saber combat doctrine for the U.S. cavalry, favoring thrusting attacks over the standard slashing maneuver and designing a new sword for such attacks. He was temporarily assigned to the Office of the Army Chief of Staff, and in 1913, the first 20,000 of the Model 1913 Cavalry Saber—popularly known as the "Patton saber"—were ordered. Patton then returned to Saumur to learn advanced techniques before bringing his skills to the Mounted Service School at Fort Riley, Kansas, where he would be both a student and a fencing instructor. He was the first Army officer to be designated "Master of the Sword",[35][36] a title denoting the school's top instructor in swordsmanship.[37] Arriving in September 1913, he taught fencing to other cavalry officers, many of whom were senior to him in rank.[38] Patton graduated from this school in June 1915. He was originally intended to return to the 15th Cavalry,[39] which was bound for the Philippines. Fearing this assignment would dead-end his career, Patton travelled to Washington, D.C. during 11 days of leave and convinced influential friends to arrange a reassignment for him to the 8th Cavalry at Fort Bliss, Texas, anticipating that instability in Mexico might boil over into a full-scale civil war.[40] In the meantime, Patton was selected to participate in the 1916 Summer Olympics, but that olympiad was cancelled due to World War I.[41]
Pancho Villa Expedition
Main article: Pancho Villa Expedition
The durability of the 1915 Dodge Brothers Model 30-35 touring car won renown for the new automaker following its use in the 1916 Pancho Villa Expedition[42]
In 1915 Patton was assigned to border patrol duty with A Troop of the 8th Cavalry, based in Sierra Blanca.[43][44] During his time in the town, Patton took to wearing his M1911 Colt .45 in his belt rather than a holster. His firearm discharged accidentally one night in a saloon, so he swapped it for an ivory-handled Colt Single Action Army revolver, a weapon that would later become an icon of Patton's image.[45]
In March 1916 Mexican forces loyal to Pancho Villa crossed into New Mexico and raided the border town of Columbus. The violence in Columbus killed several Americans. In response, the U.S. launched the Pancho Villa Expedition into Mexico. Chagrined to discover that his unit would not participate, Patton appealed to expedition commander John J. Pershing, and was named his personal aide for the expedition. This meant that Patton would have some role in organizing the effort, and his eagerness and dedication to the task impressed Pershing.[46][47] Patton modeled much of his leadership style after Pershing, who favored strong, decisive actions and commanding from the front.[48][49] As an aide, Patton oversaw the logistics of Pershing's transportation and acted as his personal courier.[50]
In mid-April, Patton asked Pershing for the opportunity to command troops, and was assigned to Troop C of the 13th Cavalry to assist in the manhunt for Villa and his subordinates.[51] His initial combat experience came on May 14, 1916 in what would become the first motorized attack in the history of U.S. warfare. A force under his command of ten soldiers and two civilian guides with the 6th Infantry in three Dodge touring cars surprised three of Villa's men during a foraging expedition, killing Julio Cárdenas and two of his guards.[47][52] It was not clear if Patton personally killed any of the men, but he was known to have wounded all three.[53] The incident garnered Patton both Pershing's good favor and widespread media attention as a "bandit killer".[47][54] Shortly after, he was promoted to first lieutenant while a part of the 10th Cavalry on May 23, 1916.[43] Patton remained in Mexico until the end of the year. President Woodrow Wilson forbade the expedition from conducting aggressive patrols deeper into Mexico, so it remained encamped in the Mexican border states for much of that time. In October Patton briefly retired to California after being burned by an exploding gas lamp.[55] He returned from the expedition permanently in February 1917.[56]
World War I
Patton at Bourg in France in 1918 with a Renault FT light tank
After the Villa Expedition, Patton was detailed to Front Royal, Virginia, to oversee horse procurement for the Army, but Pershing intervened on his behalf.[56] After the United States entered World War I, and Pershing was named commander of the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) on the Western Front, Patton requested to join his staff.[47] Patton was promoted to captain on May 15, 1917 and left for Europe, among the 180 men of Pershing's advance party which departed May 28 and arrived in Liverpool, England, on June 8.[57] Taken as Pershing's personal aide, Patton oversaw the training of American troops in Paris until September, then moved to Chaumont and assigned as a post adjutant, commanding the headquarters company overseeing the base. Patton was dissatisfied with the post and began to take an interest in tanks, as Pershing sought to give him command of an infantry battalion.[58] While in a hospital for jaundice, Patton met Colonel Fox Conner, who encouraged him to work with tanks instead of infantry.[59]
On November 10, 1917 Patton was assigned to establish the AEF Light Tank School.[47] He left Paris and reported to the French Army's tank training school at Champlieu near Orrouy, where he drove a Renault FT light tank. On November 20, the British launched an offensive towards the important rail center of Cambrai, using an unprecedented number of tanks.[60] At the conclusion of his tour on December 1, Patton went to Albert, 30 miles (48 km) from Cambrai, to be briefed on the results of this attack by the chief of staff of the British Tank Corps, Colonel J. F. C. Fuller.[61] On the way back to Paris, he visited the Renault factory to observe the tanks being manufactured. Patton was promoted to major on January 26, 1918.[59] He received the first ten tanks on March 23, 1918 at the Tank School at Bourg, a small village close to Langres, Haute-Marne département. The only US soldier with tank-driving experience, Patton personally backed seven of the tanks off the train.[62] In the post, Patton trained tank crews to operate in support of infantry, and promoted its acceptance among reluctant infantry officers.[63] He was promoted to lieutenant colonel on April 3, 1918, and attended the Command and General Staff College in Langres.[64]
In August 1918, he was placed in charge of the U.S. 1st Provisional Tank Brigade (redesignated the 304th Tank Brigade on November 6, 1918). Patton's Light Tank Brigade was part of Colonel Samuel Rockenbach's Tank Corps, part of the American First Army.[65] Personally overseeing the logistics of the tanks in their first combat use by U.S. forces, and reconnoitering the target area for their first attack himself, Patton ordered that no U.S. tank be surrendered.[64][66] Patton commanded American-crewed Renault FT tanks at the Battle of Saint-Mihiel,[67] leading the tanks from the front for much of their attack, which began on September 12. He walked in front of the tanks into the German-held village of Essey, and rode on top of a tank during the attack into Pannes, seeking to inspire his men.[68]
Patton's brigade was then moved to support U.S. I Corps in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive on September 26.[67] He personally led a troop of tanks through thick fog as they advanced 5 miles (8 km) into German lines. Around 09:00, Patton was wounded while leading six men and a tank in an attack on German machine guns near the town of Cheppy.[69][70] His orderly, Private First Class Joe Angelo, saved Patton, for which he was later awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.[71] Patton commanded the battle from a shell hole for another hour before being evacuated. He stopped at a rear command post to submit his report before heading to a hospital. Sereno E. Brett, commander of the U.S. 326th Tank Battalion, took command of the brigade in Patton's absence. Patton wrote in a letter to his wife: "The bullet went into the front of my left leg and came out just at the crack of my bottom about two inches to the left of my rectum. It was fired at about 50 m so made a hole about the size of a [silver] dollar where it came out."[72]
While recuperating from his wound, Patton was brevetted to colonel in the Tank Corps of the U.S. National Army on October 17. He returned to duty on October 28 but saw no further action before hostilities ended with the armistice of November 11, 1918.[73] For his actions in Cheppy, Patton received the Distinguished Service Cross. For his leadership of the brigade and tank school, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal. He was also awarded the Purple Heart for his combat wounds after the decoration was created in 1932.[74]
Inter-war years
Patton as a temporary colonel at Camp Meade, Maryland, 1919
Patton left France for New York City on March 2, 1919. After the war, he was assigned to Camp Meade, Maryland, and reverted to his permanent rank of captain on June 30, 1920, though he was promoted to major again the next day. Patton was given temporary duty in Washington D.C. that year to serve on a committee writing a manual on tank operations. During this time he developed a belief that tanks should be used not as infantry support, but rather as an independent fighting force. Patton supported the M1919 tank design created by J. Walter Christie, a project which was shelved due to financial considerations.[75] While on duty in Washington, D.C., in 1919, Patton met Dwight D. Eisenhower,[76] who would play an enormous role in Patton's future career. During and following Patton's assignment in Hawaii, he and Eisenhower corresponded frequently. Patton sent Eisenhower notes and assistance to help him graduate from the General Staff College.[77] With Christie, Eisenhower, and a handful of other officers, Patton pushed for more development of armored warfare in the interwar era. These thoughts resonated with Secretary of War Dwight Davis, but the limited military budget and prevalence of already-established Infantry and Cavalry branches meant the U.S. would not develop its armored corps much until 1940.[78]
On September 30, 1920, then-Major Patton relinquished command of the 304th Tank Brigade and was reassigned to Fort Myer as commander of 3rd Squadron, 3rd Cavalry.[77] Loathing duty as a peacetime staff officer, he spent much time writing technical papers and giving speeches on his combat experiences at the General Staff College.[75]
In July 1921 Patton became a member of the American Legion Tank Corps Post No. 19.[79] From 1922 to mid-1923 he attended the Field Officer's Course at the Cavalry School at Fort Riley, then he attended the Command and General Staff College from mid-1923 to mid-1924,[77] graduating 25th out of 248.[80] In August 1923, Patton saved several children from drowning when they fell off a yacht during a boating trip off Salem, Massachusetts. He was awarded the Silver Lifesaving Medal for this action.[81] He was temporarily appointed to the General Staff Corps in Boston, Massachusetts, before being reassigned as G-1 and G-2 of the Hawaiian Division at Schofield Barracks in Honolulu in March 1925.[77]
Patton was made G-3 of the Hawaiian Division for several months, before being transferred in May 1927 to the Office of the Chief of Cavalry in Washington, D.C., where he began to develop the concepts of mechanized warfare. A short-lived experiment to merge infantry, cavalry and artillery into a combined arms force was cancelled after U.S. Congress removed funding. Patton left this office in 1931, returned to Massachusetts and attended the Army War College, becoming a "Distinguished Graduate" in June 1932.[82]
In July 1932, Patton (still a Major) was executive officer of the 3rd Cavalry, which was ordered to Washington by Army Chief of Staff General Douglas MacArthur. Patton took command of the 600 troops of the 3rd Cavalry, and on July 28, MacArthur ordered Patton's troops to advance on protesting veterans known as the "Bonus Army" with tear gas and bayonets. Patton was dissatisfied with MacArthur's conduct, as he recognized the legitimacy of the veterans' complaints and had himself earlier refused to issue the order to employ armed force to disperse the veterans. Patton later stated that, though he found the duty "most distasteful", he also felt that putting the marchers down prevented an insurrection and saved lives and property. He personally led the 3rd Cavalry down Pennsylvania Avenue, dispersing the protesters.[83][84] Patton also encountered his former orderly as one of the marchers and forcibly ordered him away, fearing such a meeting might make the headlines.[85]
Patton was promoted to lieutenant colonel in the regular Army on March 1, 1934, and was transferred to the Hawaiian Division in early 1935 to serve as G-2. Patton followed the growing hostility and conquest aspirations of the militant Japanese leadership. He wrote a plan to intern the Japanese living in the islands in the event of an attack as a result of the atrocities carried out by Japanese soldiers on the Chinese in the Sino-Japanese war. In 1937 he wrote a paper with the title "Surprise" which predicted, with what D'Este termed "chilling accuracy", a surprise attack by the Japanese on Hawaii.[86] Depressed at the lack of prospects for new conflict, Patton took to drinking heavily and allegedly began a brief affair with his 21-year-old niece by marriage, Jean Gordon.[87] This supposed affair distressed his wife and nearly resulted in their separation. Patton's attempts to win her back were said to be among the few instances in which he willingly showed remorse or submission.[88]
Patton continued playing polo and sailing in this time. After sailing back to Los Angeles for extended leave in 1937, he was kicked by a horse and fractured his leg. Patton developed phlebitis from the injury, which nearly killed him. The incident almost forced Patton out of active service, but a six-month administrative assignment in the Academic Department at the Cavalry School at Fort Riley helped him to recover.[87] Patton was promoted to colonel on July 24, 1938 and given command of the 5th Cavalry at Fort Clark, Texas, for six months, a post he relished, but he was reassigned to Fort Myer again in December as commander of the 3rd Cavalry. There, he met Army Chief of Staff George C. Marshall, who was so impressed with him that Marshall considered Patton a prime candidate for promotion to general. In peacetime, though, he would remain a colonel to remain eligible to command a regiment.[89]
Patton had a personal schooner named When and If. The schooner was designed by famous naval architect John G. Alden and built in 1939. The schooner's name comes from Patton saying he would sail it "when and if" he returned from war.[90]
World War II
Following the German Army's invasion of Poland and the outbreak of World War II in Europe in September 1939, the U.S. military entered a period of mobilization, and Patton sought to build up the power of U.S. armored forces. During maneuvers the Third Army conducted in 1940, Patton served as an umpire, where he met Adna R. Chaffee Jr. and the two formulated recommendations to develop an armored force. Chaffee was named commander of this force,[91] and created the 1st and 2nd Armored Divisions as well as the first combined arms doctrine. He named Patton commander of the 2nd Armored Brigade, part of the 2nd Armored Division. The division was one of few organized as a heavy formation with many tanks, and Patton was in charge of its training.[92] Patton was promoted to brigadier general on October 2, made acting division commander in November, and on April 4, 1941 was promoted again to major general and made Commanding General (CG) of the 2nd Armored Division.[91] As Chaffee stepped down from command of the I Armored Corps, Patton became the most prominent figure in U.S. armor doctrine. In December 1940, he staged a high-profile mass exercise in which 1,000 tanks and vehicles were driven from Columbus, Georgia, to Panama City, Florida, and back.[93] He repeated the exercise with his entire division of 1,300 vehicles the next month.[94] Patton earned a pilot's license and, during these maneuvers, observed the movements of his vehicles from the air to find ways to deploy them effectively in combat.[93] His exploits earned him a spot on the cover of Life Magazine.[95]
Patton led the division during the Tennessee Maneuvers in June 1941, and was lauded for his leadership, executing 48 hours' worth of planned objectives in only nine. During the September Louisiana Maneuvers, his division was part of the losing Red Army in Phase I, but in Phase II was assigned to the Blue Army. His division executed a 400-mile (640 km) end run around the Red Army and "captured" Shreveport, Louisiana. During the October–November Carolina Maneuvers, Patton's division captured Hugh Drum, commander of the opposing army.[96] On January 15, 1942 he was given command of I Armored Corps, and the next month established the Desert Training Center[97] in the Imperial Valley to run training exercises. He commenced these exercises in late 1941 and continued them into the summer of 1942. Patton chose a 10,000-acre (40 km2) expanse of desert area about 50 miles (80 km) southeast of Palm Springs.[98] From his first days as a commander, Patton strongly emphasized the need for armored forces to stay in constant contact with opposing forces. His instinctive preference for offensive movement was typified by an answer Patton gave to war correspondents in a 1944 press conference. In response to a question on whether the Third Army's rapid offensive across France should be slowed to reduce the number of U.S. casualties, Patton replied, "Whenever you slow anything down, you waste human lives."[99] It was around this time that a reporter, after hearing a speech where Patton said that it took "blood and brains" to win in combat, began calling him "blood and guts". The nickname would follow him for the rest of his life.[100] Soldiers under his command were known at times to have quipped, "our blood, his guts". Nonetheless, he was known to be admired widely by the men under his charge.[101]
North African Campaign
Patton (left) with Rear Admiral Henry Kent Hewitt aboard USS Augusta, off the coast of North Africa, November 1942
See also: Operation Torch and Tunisia Campaign
Under Lieutenant General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Supreme Allied Commander, Patton was assigned to help plan the Allied invasion of French North Africa as part of Operation Torch in the summer of 1942.[102][103] Patton commanded the Western Task Force, consisting of 33,000 men in 100 ships, in landings centered on Casablanca, Morocco. The landings, which took place on November 8, 1942, were opposed by Vichy French forces, but Patton's men quickly gained a beachhead and pushed through fierce resistance. Casablanca fell on November 11 and Patton negotiated an armistice with French General Charles Noguès.[104][105] The Sultan of Morocco was so impressed that he presented Patton with the Order of Ouissam Alaouite, with the citation "Les Lions dans leurs tanières tremblent en le voyant approcher" (The lions in their dens tremble at his approach).[106] Patton oversaw the conversion of Casablanca into a military port and hosted the Casablanca Conference in January 1943.[107]
On March 6, 1943, following the defeat of the U.S. II Corps by the German Afrika Korps, commanded by Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel, at the Battle of Kasserine Pass, Patton replaced Major General Lloyd Fredendall as Commanding General of the II Corps and was promoted to lieutenant general. Soon thereafter, he had Major General Omar Bradley reassigned to his corps as its deputy commander.[108] With orders to take the battered and demoralized formation into action in 10 days' time, Patton immediately introduced sweeping changes, ordering all soldiers to wear clean, pressed and complete uniforms, establishing rigorous schedules, and requiring strict adherence to military protocol. He continuously moved throughout the command talking with men, seeking to shape them into effective soldiers. He pushed them hard, and sought to reward them well for their accomplishments.[109] His uncompromising leadership style is evidenced by his orders for an attack on a hill position near Gafsa which are reported to have ended "I expect to see such casualties among officers, particularly staff officers, as will convince me that a serious effort has been made to capture this objective."[110]
Patton's training was effective, and on March 17, the U.S. 1st Infantry Division took Gafsa, winning the Battle of El Guettar, and pushing a German and Italian armored force back twice. In the meantime, on April 5, he removed Major General Orlando Ward, commanding the 1st Armored Division, after its lackluster performance at Maknassy against numerically inferior German forces. Advancing on Gabès, Patton's corps pressured the Mareth Line.[109] During this time, he reported to British General Sir Harold Alexander, commander of the 18th Army Group, and came into conflict with Air Vice Marshal Sir Arthur Coningham about the lack of close air support being provided for his troops. When Coningham dispatched three officers to Patton's headquarters to persuade him that the British were providing ample air support, they came under German air attack mid-meeting, and part of the ceiling of Patton's office collapsed around them. Speaking later of the German pilots who had struck, Patton remarked, "if I could find the sons of bitches who flew those planes, I'd mail each of them a medal."[111] By the time his force reached Gabès, the Germans had abandoned it. He then relinquished command of II Corps to Bradley, and returned to the I Armored Corps in Casablanca to help plan Operation Husky, the Allied invasion of Sicily. Fearing U.S. troops would be sidelined, he convinced British commanders to allow them to continue fighting through to the end of the Tunisia Campaign before leaving on this new assignment.[111][112]
Sicily Campaign
See also: Allied invasion of Sicily
For Operation Husky, the invasion of Sicily, Patton was to command the Seventh United States Army, dubbed the Western Task Force, in landings at Gela, Scoglitti and Licata to support landings by Bernard Montgomery's British Eighth Army. Patton's I Armored Corps was officially redesignated the Seventh Army just before his force of 90,000 landed before dawn on D-Day, July 10, 1943, on beaches near the town of Licata. The armada was hampered by wind and weather, but despite this the three U.S. infantry divisions involved, the 3rd, 1st, and 45th, secured their respective beaches. They then repulsed counterattacks at Gela,[113] where Patton personally led his troops against German reinforcements from the Hermann Göring Division.[114]
Patton near Brolo, Sicily, in 1943
Initially ordered to protect the British forces' left flank, Patton was granted permission by Alexander to take Palermo after Montgomery's forces became bogged down on the road to Messina. As part of a provisional corps under Major General Geoffrey Keyes, the 3rd Infantry Division under Major General Lucian Truscott covered 100 miles (160 km) in 72 hours, arriving at Palermo on July 21. He then set his sights on Messina.[115] He sought an amphibious assault, but it was delayed by lack of landing craft, and his troops did not land at Santo Stefano until August 8, by which time the Germans and Italians had already evacuated the bulk of their troops to mainland Italy. He ordered more landings on August 10 by the 3rd Infantry Division, which took heavy casualties but pushed the German forces back, and hastened the advance on Messina.[116] A third landing was completed on August 16, and by 22:00 that day Messina fell to his forces. By the end of the battle, the 200,000-man Seventh Army had suffered 7,500 casualties, and killed or captured 113,000 Axis troops and destroyed 3,500 vehicles. Still, 40,000 German and 70,000 Italian troops escaped to Italy with 10,000 vehicles.[117][118]
Patton's conduct in this campaign met with several controversies. When Alexander sent a transmission on July 19 limiting Patton's attack on Messina, his chief of staff, Brigadier General Hobart R. Gay, claimed the message was "lost in transmission" until Messina had fallen. On July 22 he shot and killed a pair of mules that had stopped while pulling a cart across a bridge. The cart was blocking the way of a U.S. armored column which was under attack from German aircraft. When their Sicilian owner protested, Patton attacked him with a walking stick and had his troops push the two mule carcasses off of the bridge.[115] When informed of the massacre of Italian prisoners at Biscari by troops under his command, Patton wrote in his diary, "I told Bradley that it was probably an exaggeration, but in any case to tell the officer to certify that the dead men were snipers or had attempted to escape or something, as it would make a stink in the press and also would make the civilians mad. Anyhow, they are dead, so nothing can be done about it."[119] Bradley refused Patton's suggestions. Patton later changed his mind. After he learned that the 45th Division's Inspector General found "no provocation on the part of the prisoners ... They had been slaughtered" Patton is reported to have said: "Try the bastards."[119] Patton also came into frequent disagreements with Terry de la Mesa Allen Sr. and Theodore Roosevelt Jr. and acquiesced, to their relief, to Bradley.[120]
Slapping incidents and aftermath
Main article: George S. Patton slapping incidents
Patton talks to wounded soldiers preparing for evacuation
Two high-profile incidents of Patton striking subordinates during the Sicily campaign attracted national controversy following the end of the campaign. On August 3, 1943, Patton slapped and verbally abused Private Charles H. Kuhl at an evacuation hospital in Nicosia after he had been found to suffer from "battle fatigue".[121] On August 10, Patton slapped Private Paul G. Bennett under similar circumstances.[121] Ordering both soldiers back to the front lines,[122] Patton railed against cowardice and issued orders to his commanders to discipline any soldier making similar complaints.[123]
Word of the incident reached Eisenhower, who privately reprimanded Patton and insisted he apologize.[124] Patton apologized to both soldiers individually, as well as to doctors who witnessed the incidents,[125] and later to all of the soldiers under his command in several speeches.[126] Eisenhower suppressed the incident in the media,[127] but in November journalist Drew Pearson revealed it on his radio program.[128] Criticism of Patton in the United States was harsh, and included members of Congress and former generals, Pershing among them.[129][130] The views of the general public remained mixed on the matter,[131] and eventually Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson stated that Patton must be retained as a commander because of the need for his "aggressive, winning leadership in the bitter battles which are to come before final victory."[132]
Patton did not command a force in combat for 11 months.[133] In September, Bradley, who was Patton's junior in both rank and experience, was selected to command the First United States Army forming in England to prepare for Operation Overlord.[134] This decision had been made before the slapping incidents were made public, but Patton blamed them for his being denied the command.[135] Eisenhower felt the invasion of Europe was too important to risk any uncertainty, and that the slapping incidents had been an example of Patton's inability to exercise discipline and self-control. While Eisenhower and Marshall both considered Patton to be a skilled combat commander, they felt Bradley was less impulsive or prone to making mistakes.[136] On January 26, 1944, Patton was formally given command of the U.S. Third Army in England, a newly formed field Army, and he was assigned to prepare its inexperienced soldiers for combat in Europe.[137][138] This duty kept Patton busy during the first half of 1944.[139]
Phantom Army
Main article: Invasion of Normandy
The German High Command had more respect for Patton than for any other Allied commander and considered him to be central to any plan to invade Europe from England.[140] Because of this, Patton was made a prominent figure in the deception operation, Fortitude, during the first half of 1944.[141] Through the British network of double-agents, the Allies fed German intelligence a steady stream of false reports about troops sightings and that Patton had been named commander of the First United States Army Group (FUSAG), all designed to convince the Germans that Patton was preparing this massive command for an invasion at Pas de Calais. FUSAG was in reality an intricately constructed fictitious army of decoys, props, and fake radio signal traffic based around Dover to mislead German reconnaissance planes and to make Axis leaders believe that a large force was massing there. This helped to mask the real location of the invasion in Normandy. Patton was ordered to keep a low profile to deceive the Germans into thinking that he was in Dover throughout early 1944, when he was actually training the Third Army.[140] As a result of Operation Fortitude, the German 15th Army remained at the Pas de Calais to defend against Patton's supposed attack.[142] This German field army held its position even after the invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944. Patton flew to France a month later, and then returned to combat command.[143]
Normandy breakout offensive
Main article: Invasion of Normandy
Sailing to Normandy throughout July, Patton's Third Army formed on the extreme right (west) of the Allied land forces,[143][Note 2] and became operational at noon on August 1, 1944, under Bradley's Twelfth United States Army Group. The Third Army simultaneously attacked west into Brittany, south, east toward the Seine, and north, assisting in trapping several hundred thousand German soldiers in the Falaise Pocket between Falaise and Argentan.[145][146]
Patton's strategy with his army favored speed and aggressive offensive action, though his forces saw less opposition than did the other three Allied field armies in the initial weeks of its advance.[147] The Third Army typically employed forward scout units to determine enemy strength and positions. Self-propelled artillery moved with the spearhead units and was sited well forward, ready to engage protected German positions with indirect fire. Light aircraft such as the Piper L-4 Cub served as artillery spotters and provided airborne reconnaissance. Once located, the armored infantry would attack using tanks as infantry support. Other armored units would then break through enemy lines and exploit any subsequent breach, constantly pressuring withdrawing German forces to prevent them from regrouping and reforming a cohesive defensive line.[148] The U.S. armor advanced using reconnaissance by fire, and the .50 caliber M2 Browning heavy machine gun proved effective in this role, often flushing out and killing German panzerfaust teams waiting in ambush as well as breaking up German infantry assaults against the armored infantry.[149]
The speed of the advance forced Patton's units to rely heavily on air reconnaissance and tactical air support.[148] The Third Army had by far more military intelligence (G-2) officers at headquarters specifically designated to coordinate air strikes than any other army.[150] Its attached close air support group was XIX Tactical Air Command, commanded by Brigadier General Otto P. Weyland. Developed originally by General Elwood Quesada of IX Tactical Air Command for the First Army in Operation Cobra, the technique of "armored column cover", in which close air support was directed by an air traffic controller in one of the attacking tanks, was used extensively by the Third Army. Each column was protected by a standing patrol of three to four P-47 and P-51 fighter-bombers as a combat air patrol (CAP).[151]
In its advance from Avranches to Argentan, the Third Army traversed 60 miles (97 km) in just two weeks. Patton's force was supplemented by Ultra intelligence for which he was briefed daily by his G-2, Colonel Oscar W. Koch, who apprised him of German counterattacks, and where to concentrate his forces.[152] Equally important to the advance of Third Army columns in northern France was the rapid advance of the supply echelons. Third Army logistics were overseen by Colonel Walter J. Muller, Patton's G-4, who emphasized flexibility, improvisation, and adaptation for Third Army supply echelons so forward units could rapidly exploit a breakthrough. Patton's rapid drive to Lorraine demonstrated his keen appreciation for the technological advantages of the U.S. Army. The major U.S. and Allied advantages were in mobility and air superiority. The U.S. Army had more trucks, more reliable tanks, and better radio communications, all of which contributed to a superior ability to operate at a rapid offensive pace.[153]
Lorraine Campaign
Main article: Lorraine Campaign
Patton pins a Silver Star Medal on Private Ernest A. Jenkins, a soldier under his command, October 1944
Patton's offensive came to a halt on August 31, 1944, as the Third Army ran out of fuel near the Moselle River, just outside Metz. Patton expected that the theater commander would keep fuel and supplies flowing to support successful advances, but Eisenhower favored a "broad front" approach to the ground-war effort, believing that a single thrust would have to drop off flank protection, and would quickly lose its punch. Still within the constraints of a very large effort overall, Eisenhower gave Montgomery and his Twenty First Army Group a higher priority for supplies for Operation Market Garden.[154] Combined with other demands on the limited resource pool, this resulted in the Third Army exhausting its fuel supplies.[155] Patton believed his forces were close enough to the Siegfried Line that he remarked to Bradley that with 400,000 gallons of gasoline he could be in Germany within two days.[156] In late September, a large German Panzer counterattack sent expressly to stop the advance of Patton's Third Army was defeated by the U.S. 4th Armored Division at the Battle of Arracourt. Despite the victory, the Third Army stayed in place as a result of Eisenhower's order. The German commanders believed this was because their counterattack had been successful.[157]
External video
Booknotes interview with Carlo D'Este on Patton: A Genius for War, January 28, 1996, C-SPAN
The halt of the Third Army during the month of September was enough to allow the Germans to strengthen the fortress of Metz. In October and November, the Third Army was mired in a near-stalemate with the Germans during the Battle of Metz, both sides suffering heavy casualties. An attempt by Patton to seize Fort Driant just south of Metz was defeated, but by mid-November Metz had fallen to the Americans.[158] Patton's decisions in taking this city were criticized. German commanders interviewed after the war noted he could have bypassed the city and moved north to Luxembourg where he would have been able to cut off the German Seventh Army.[159] The German commander of Metz, General Hermann Balck, also noted that a more direct attack would have resulted in a more decisive Allied victory in the city. Historian Carlo D'Este later wrote that the Lorraine Campaign was one of Patton's least successful, faulting him for not deploying his divisions more aggressively and decisively.[160]
With supplies low and priority given to Montgomery until the port of Antwerp could be opened, Patton remained frustrated at the lack of progress of his forces. From November 8 to December 15, his army advanced no more than 40 miles (64 km).[161]
Battle of the Bulge
Main article: Battle of the Bulge
Bradley, Eisenhower and Patton (right) in Bastogne, Belgium, 1945
In December 1944, the German army, under the command of German Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt, launched a last-ditch offensive across Belgium, Luxembourg, and northeastern France. On December 16, 1944, it massed 29 divisions totaling 250,000 men at a weak point in the Allied lines, and during the early stages of the ensuing Battle of the Bulge, made significant headway towards the Meuse River during a severe winter. Eisenhower called a meeting of all senior Allied commanders on the Western Front to a headquarters near Verdun on the morning of December 19 to plan strategy and a response to the German assault.[162]
At the time, Patton's Third Army was engaged in heavy fighting near Saarbrücken. Guessing the intent of the Allied command meeting, Patton ordered his staff to make three separate operational contingency orders to disengage elements of the Third Army from its present position and begin offensive operations toward several objectives in the area of the bulge occupied by German forces.[163] At the Supreme Command conference, Eisenhower led the meeting, which was attended by Patton, Bradley, General Jacob Devers, Major General Kenneth Strong, Deputy Supreme Commander Air Chief Marshal Arthur Tedder, and several staff officers.[164] When Eisenhower asked Patton how long it would take him to disengage six divisions of his Third Army and commence a counterattack north to relieve the U.S. 101st Airborne Division which had been trapped at Bastogne, Patton replied, "As soon as you're through with me."[165] Patton then clarified that he had already worked up an operational order for a counterattack by three full divisions on December 21, then only 48 hours away.[165] Eisenhower was incredulous: "Don't be fatuous, George. If you try to go that early you won't have all three divisions ready and you'll go piecemeal." Patton replied that his staff already had a contingency operations order ready to go. Still unconvinced, Eisenhower ordered Patton to attack the morning of December 22, using at least three divisions.[166]
Patton left the conference room, phoned his command, and uttered two words: "Play ball." This code phrase initiated a prearranged operational order with Patton's staff,
COL Mikel J. Burroughs Maj Marty Hogan SGT John " Mac " McConnell LTC Stephen F. CW5 Jack Cardwell TSgt David L. Cpl (Join to see) Maj William W. 'Bill' Price CPL Dave Hoover SPC Douglas Bolton LTC Greg Henning Maj Bill Smith, Ph.D. Alan K. Lt Col Charlie Brown] PO3 Phyllis Maynard PO2 Kevin Parker SP5 Mark Kuzinski PO1 John Johnson Sgt (Join to see) PVT Mark Zehner
Born in 1885 to a family with an extensive military background that spanned both the United States and Confederate States armies, Patton attended the Virginia Military Institute and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He studied fencing and designed the M1913 Cavalry Saber, more commonly known as the "Patton Saber", and was sufficiently skilled in the sport of modern pentathlon to compete in the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden.
Patton first saw combat during the Pancho Villa Expedition in 1916, taking part in America's first military action using motor vehicles. As part of the newly formed United States Tank Corps of the American Expeditionary Forces he saw action in World War I, commanding the U.S. tank school in France before being wounded while leading tanks into combat near the end of the war. In the interwar period, Patton remained a central figure in the development of the Army's armored warfare doctrine, serving in numerous staff positions throughout the country. Rising through the ranks, he commanded the 2nd Armored Division at the time of the American entry into World War II.
Patton led U.S. troops into the Mediterranean theater with an invasion of Casablanca during Operation Torch in 1942, and soon established himself as an effective commander through his rapid rehabilitation of the demoralized U.S. II Corps. He commanded the U.S. Seventh Army during the Allied invasion of Sicily, where he was the first Allied commander to reach Messina. There he was embroiled in controversy after he slapped two shell-shocked soldiers under his command, and was temporarily removed from battlefield command. He then was assigned a key role in Operation Fortitude, the Allies' disinformation campaign for Operation Overlord. Following the invasion of Normandy in June 1944, Patton was given command of the Third Army, which conducted a highly successful rapid armored drive across France. Under his decisive leadership the Third Army took the lead in relieving beleaguered American troops at Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge, after which his forces drove deep into Nazi Germany by the end of the war.
During the Allied occupation of Germany Patton was named military governor of Bavaria, but was relieved over his aggressive statements towards the Soviet Union and trivializing denazification. He commanded the United States Fifteenth Army for slightly more than two months. Severely injured in an auto accident, he died in Germany twelve days later, on December 21, 1945.
Patton's colorful image, hard-driving personality and success as a commander were at times overshadowed by his controversial public statements. His philosophy of leading from the front and ability to inspire troops with attention-getting, vulgarity-ridden speeches, such as a famous address to the Third Army, met with mixed receptions, favorably with his troops but much less so among a sharply divided Allied high command. His strong emphasis on rapid and aggressive offensive action proved effective, and he was regarded highly by his opponents in the German High Command. An award-winning biographical film released in 1970, Patton, helped solidify his image as an American folk hero.
Early life
Anne Wilson "Nita" Patton, Patton's sister. She was engaged to John J. Pershing in 1917–18.
George Smith Patton Jr. was born on November 11, 1885[1][2] in San Gabriel, California, to George Smith Patton Sr. and his wife Ruth Wilson. Patton had a younger sister, Anne, who was nicknamed "Nita."[3]
Patton at the Virginia Military Institute, 1907
As a child, Patton had difficulty learning to read and write, but eventually overcame this and was known in his adult life to be an avid reader.[Note 1] He was tutored from home until the age of eleven, when he was enrolled in Stephen Clark's School for Boys, a private school in Pasadena, for six years. Patton was described as an intelligent boy and was widely read on classical military history, particularly the exploits of Hannibal, Scipio Africanus, Julius Caesar, Joan of Arc, and Napoleon Bonaparte, as well as those of family friend John Singleton Mosby, who frequently stopped by the Patton family home when George S. Patton was a child.[3] He was also a devoted horseback rider.[4]
Patton married Beatrice Banning Ayer, the daughter of Boston industrialist Frederick Ayer, on May 26, 1910, in Beverly Farms, Massachusetts. They had three children, Beatrice Smith (born March 1911), Ruth Ellen (born February 1915), and George Patton IV (born December 1923).[5] Beatrice Patton died in 1954 when she was thrown from her horse.[6]
Patton never seriously considered a career other than the military.[4] At the age of seventeen he sought an appointment to the United States Military Academy. Patton applied to several universities with Reserve Officer's Training Corps programs. Patton was accepted to Princeton College but eventually decided on Virginia Military Institute (VMI), which his father and grandfather had attended.[7] He attended the school from 1903 to 1904 and, though he struggled with reading and writing, performed exceptionally in uniform and appearance inspection as well as military drill. While Patton was at VMI, a senator from California nominated him for West Point.[8] He was an initiate of the Beta Commission of Kappa Alpha Order.[9]
In his plebe (first) year at West Point, Patton adjusted easily to the routine. However, his academic performance was so poor that he was forced to repeat his first year after failing mathematics.[10] Patton excelled at military drills though his academic performance remained average. He was cadet sergeant major during his junior year, and the cadet adjutant his senior year. He also joined the football team, but he injured his arm and stopped playing on several occasions. Instead he tried out for the sword team and track and field and specialized in the modern pentathlon.[11] He competed in this sport in the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, and he finished in fifth place - right behind four Swedes.[12]
Patton was ranked #46 out of 103 cadets at West Point, and he graduated on June 11, 1909, and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Cavalry Branch of the United States Army.[13][14]
Ancestry
The Patton family was of Irish, Scots-Irish, English, Scottish, and Welsh ancestry. His great-grandmother came from an aristocratic Welsh family, descended from many Welsh lords of Glamorgan,[4] which had an extensive military background. Patton believed he had former lives as a soldier and took pride in mystical ties with his ancestors.[15][16][17][18] Though not directly descended from George Washington, Patton traced some of his English colonial roots to George Washington's great-grandfather.[19] He was also descended from England's King Edward I through Edward's son Edmund of Woodstock, 1st Earl of Kent.[19] Family belief held the Pattons were descended from sixteen barons who had signed the Magna Carta.[19] Patton believed in reincarnation, and his ancestry was very important to him, forming a central part of his personal identity.[20] The first Patton in America was Robert Patton, born in Ayr, Scotland. He emigrated to Culpeper, Virginia, from Glasgow, in either 1769 or 1770.[21] His paternal grandfather was George Smith Patton, who commanded the 22nd Virginia Infantry under Jubal Early in the Civil War and was killed in the Third Battle of Winchester, while his great-uncle Waller T. Patton was killed in Pickett's Charge during the Battle of Gettysburg. Patton also descended from Hugh Mercer, who had been killed in the Battle of Princeton during the American Revolution. Patton's father, who graduated from the Virginia Military Institute (VMI), became a lawyer and later the district attorney of Los Angeles County. Patton's maternal grandfather was Benjamin Davis Wilson, a merchant who had been the second Mayor of Los Angeles. His father was a wealthy rancher and lawyer who owned a thousand-acre ranch near Pasadena, California.[22][23] Patton is also a descendant of French Huguenot Louis DuBois.[24][25]
Junior officer
Patton's first posting was with the 15th Cavalry at Fort Sheridan, Illinois,[26] where he established himself as a hard-driving leader who impressed superiors with his dedication.[27] In late 1911, Patton was transferred to Fort Myer, Virginia, where many of the Army's senior leaders were stationed. Befriending Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson, Patton served as his aide at social functions on top of his regular duties as quartermaster for his troop.[28]
Patton (at right) fencing in the modern pentathlon of the 1912 Summer Olympics
1912 Olympics
For his skill with running and fencing, Patton was selected as the Army's entry for the first modern pentathlon at the 1912 Olympic Games in Stockholm, Sweden.[29] Of 42 competitors, Patton placed twenty-first on the pistol range, seventh in swimming, fourth in fencing, sixth in the equestrian competition, and third in the footrace, finishing fifth overall and first among the non-Swedish competitors.[30] There was some controversy concerning his performance in the pistol shooting competition, where he used a .38 caliber pistol while most of the other competitors chose .22 caliber firearms. He claimed that the holes in the paper from his early shots were so large that some of his later bullets passed through them, but the judges decided he missed the target completely once. Modern competitions on this level frequently now employ a moving background to specifically track multiple shots through the same hole.[31][32] If his assertion was correct, Patton would likely have won an Olympic medal in the event.[33] The judges' ruling was upheld. Patton's only comment on the matter was:
Patton on his steeplechase horse, Wooltex, in 1914
The high spirit of sportsmanship and generosity manifested throughout speaks volumes for the character of the officers of the present day. There was not a single incident of a protest or any unsportsmanlike quibbling or fighting for points which I may say, marred some of the other civilian competitions at the Olympic Games. Each man did his best and took what fortune sent them like a true soldier, and at the end we all felt more like good friends and comrades than rivals in a severe competition, yet this spirit of friendship in no manner detracted from the zeal with which all strove for success.[31]
Sword design
Following the 1912 Olympics, Patton travelled to Saumur, France, where he learned fencing techniques from Adjutant Charles Cléry, a French "master of arms" and instructor of fencing at the cavalry school there.[34] Bringing these lessons back to Fort Myer, Patton redesigned saber combat doctrine for the U.S. cavalry, favoring thrusting attacks over the standard slashing maneuver and designing a new sword for such attacks. He was temporarily assigned to the Office of the Army Chief of Staff, and in 1913, the first 20,000 of the Model 1913 Cavalry Saber—popularly known as the "Patton saber"—were ordered. Patton then returned to Saumur to learn advanced techniques before bringing his skills to the Mounted Service School at Fort Riley, Kansas, where he would be both a student and a fencing instructor. He was the first Army officer to be designated "Master of the Sword",[35][36] a title denoting the school's top instructor in swordsmanship.[37] Arriving in September 1913, he taught fencing to other cavalry officers, many of whom were senior to him in rank.[38] Patton graduated from this school in June 1915. He was originally intended to return to the 15th Cavalry,[39] which was bound for the Philippines. Fearing this assignment would dead-end his career, Patton travelled to Washington, D.C. during 11 days of leave and convinced influential friends to arrange a reassignment for him to the 8th Cavalry at Fort Bliss, Texas, anticipating that instability in Mexico might boil over into a full-scale civil war.[40] In the meantime, Patton was selected to participate in the 1916 Summer Olympics, but that olympiad was cancelled due to World War I.[41]
Pancho Villa Expedition
Main article: Pancho Villa Expedition
The durability of the 1915 Dodge Brothers Model 30-35 touring car won renown for the new automaker following its use in the 1916 Pancho Villa Expedition[42]
In 1915 Patton was assigned to border patrol duty with A Troop of the 8th Cavalry, based in Sierra Blanca.[43][44] During his time in the town, Patton took to wearing his M1911 Colt .45 in his belt rather than a holster. His firearm discharged accidentally one night in a saloon, so he swapped it for an ivory-handled Colt Single Action Army revolver, a weapon that would later become an icon of Patton's image.[45]
In March 1916 Mexican forces loyal to Pancho Villa crossed into New Mexico and raided the border town of Columbus. The violence in Columbus killed several Americans. In response, the U.S. launched the Pancho Villa Expedition into Mexico. Chagrined to discover that his unit would not participate, Patton appealed to expedition commander John J. Pershing, and was named his personal aide for the expedition. This meant that Patton would have some role in organizing the effort, and his eagerness and dedication to the task impressed Pershing.[46][47] Patton modeled much of his leadership style after Pershing, who favored strong, decisive actions and commanding from the front.[48][49] As an aide, Patton oversaw the logistics of Pershing's transportation and acted as his personal courier.[50]
In mid-April, Patton asked Pershing for the opportunity to command troops, and was assigned to Troop C of the 13th Cavalry to assist in the manhunt for Villa and his subordinates.[51] His initial combat experience came on May 14, 1916 in what would become the first motorized attack in the history of U.S. warfare. A force under his command of ten soldiers and two civilian guides with the 6th Infantry in three Dodge touring cars surprised three of Villa's men during a foraging expedition, killing Julio Cárdenas and two of his guards.[47][52] It was not clear if Patton personally killed any of the men, but he was known to have wounded all three.[53] The incident garnered Patton both Pershing's good favor and widespread media attention as a "bandit killer".[47][54] Shortly after, he was promoted to first lieutenant while a part of the 10th Cavalry on May 23, 1916.[43] Patton remained in Mexico until the end of the year. President Woodrow Wilson forbade the expedition from conducting aggressive patrols deeper into Mexico, so it remained encamped in the Mexican border states for much of that time. In October Patton briefly retired to California after being burned by an exploding gas lamp.[55] He returned from the expedition permanently in February 1917.[56]
World War I
Patton at Bourg in France in 1918 with a Renault FT light tank
After the Villa Expedition, Patton was detailed to Front Royal, Virginia, to oversee horse procurement for the Army, but Pershing intervened on his behalf.[56] After the United States entered World War I, and Pershing was named commander of the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) on the Western Front, Patton requested to join his staff.[47] Patton was promoted to captain on May 15, 1917 and left for Europe, among the 180 men of Pershing's advance party which departed May 28 and arrived in Liverpool, England, on June 8.[57] Taken as Pershing's personal aide, Patton oversaw the training of American troops in Paris until September, then moved to Chaumont and assigned as a post adjutant, commanding the headquarters company overseeing the base. Patton was dissatisfied with the post and began to take an interest in tanks, as Pershing sought to give him command of an infantry battalion.[58] While in a hospital for jaundice, Patton met Colonel Fox Conner, who encouraged him to work with tanks instead of infantry.[59]
On November 10, 1917 Patton was assigned to establish the AEF Light Tank School.[47] He left Paris and reported to the French Army's tank training school at Champlieu near Orrouy, where he drove a Renault FT light tank. On November 20, the British launched an offensive towards the important rail center of Cambrai, using an unprecedented number of tanks.[60] At the conclusion of his tour on December 1, Patton went to Albert, 30 miles (48 km) from Cambrai, to be briefed on the results of this attack by the chief of staff of the British Tank Corps, Colonel J. F. C. Fuller.[61] On the way back to Paris, he visited the Renault factory to observe the tanks being manufactured. Patton was promoted to major on January 26, 1918.[59] He received the first ten tanks on March 23, 1918 at the Tank School at Bourg, a small village close to Langres, Haute-Marne département. The only US soldier with tank-driving experience, Patton personally backed seven of the tanks off the train.[62] In the post, Patton trained tank crews to operate in support of infantry, and promoted its acceptance among reluctant infantry officers.[63] He was promoted to lieutenant colonel on April 3, 1918, and attended the Command and General Staff College in Langres.[64]
In August 1918, he was placed in charge of the U.S. 1st Provisional Tank Brigade (redesignated the 304th Tank Brigade on November 6, 1918). Patton's Light Tank Brigade was part of Colonel Samuel Rockenbach's Tank Corps, part of the American First Army.[65] Personally overseeing the logistics of the tanks in their first combat use by U.S. forces, and reconnoitering the target area for their first attack himself, Patton ordered that no U.S. tank be surrendered.[64][66] Patton commanded American-crewed Renault FT tanks at the Battle of Saint-Mihiel,[67] leading the tanks from the front for much of their attack, which began on September 12. He walked in front of the tanks into the German-held village of Essey, and rode on top of a tank during the attack into Pannes, seeking to inspire his men.[68]
Patton's brigade was then moved to support U.S. I Corps in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive on September 26.[67] He personally led a troop of tanks through thick fog as they advanced 5 miles (8 km) into German lines. Around 09:00, Patton was wounded while leading six men and a tank in an attack on German machine guns near the town of Cheppy.[69][70] His orderly, Private First Class Joe Angelo, saved Patton, for which he was later awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.[71] Patton commanded the battle from a shell hole for another hour before being evacuated. He stopped at a rear command post to submit his report before heading to a hospital. Sereno E. Brett, commander of the U.S. 326th Tank Battalion, took command of the brigade in Patton's absence. Patton wrote in a letter to his wife: "The bullet went into the front of my left leg and came out just at the crack of my bottom about two inches to the left of my rectum. It was fired at about 50 m so made a hole about the size of a [silver] dollar where it came out."[72]
While recuperating from his wound, Patton was brevetted to colonel in the Tank Corps of the U.S. National Army on October 17. He returned to duty on October 28 but saw no further action before hostilities ended with the armistice of November 11, 1918.[73] For his actions in Cheppy, Patton received the Distinguished Service Cross. For his leadership of the brigade and tank school, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal. He was also awarded the Purple Heart for his combat wounds after the decoration was created in 1932.[74]
Inter-war years
Patton as a temporary colonel at Camp Meade, Maryland, 1919
Patton left France for New York City on March 2, 1919. After the war, he was assigned to Camp Meade, Maryland, and reverted to his permanent rank of captain on June 30, 1920, though he was promoted to major again the next day. Patton was given temporary duty in Washington D.C. that year to serve on a committee writing a manual on tank operations. During this time he developed a belief that tanks should be used not as infantry support, but rather as an independent fighting force. Patton supported the M1919 tank design created by J. Walter Christie, a project which was shelved due to financial considerations.[75] While on duty in Washington, D.C., in 1919, Patton met Dwight D. Eisenhower,[76] who would play an enormous role in Patton's future career. During and following Patton's assignment in Hawaii, he and Eisenhower corresponded frequently. Patton sent Eisenhower notes and assistance to help him graduate from the General Staff College.[77] With Christie, Eisenhower, and a handful of other officers, Patton pushed for more development of armored warfare in the interwar era. These thoughts resonated with Secretary of War Dwight Davis, but the limited military budget and prevalence of already-established Infantry and Cavalry branches meant the U.S. would not develop its armored corps much until 1940.[78]
On September 30, 1920, then-Major Patton relinquished command of the 304th Tank Brigade and was reassigned to Fort Myer as commander of 3rd Squadron, 3rd Cavalry.[77] Loathing duty as a peacetime staff officer, he spent much time writing technical papers and giving speeches on his combat experiences at the General Staff College.[75]
In July 1921 Patton became a member of the American Legion Tank Corps Post No. 19.[79] From 1922 to mid-1923 he attended the Field Officer's Course at the Cavalry School at Fort Riley, then he attended the Command and General Staff College from mid-1923 to mid-1924,[77] graduating 25th out of 248.[80] In August 1923, Patton saved several children from drowning when they fell off a yacht during a boating trip off Salem, Massachusetts. He was awarded the Silver Lifesaving Medal for this action.[81] He was temporarily appointed to the General Staff Corps in Boston, Massachusetts, before being reassigned as G-1 and G-2 of the Hawaiian Division at Schofield Barracks in Honolulu in March 1925.[77]
Patton was made G-3 of the Hawaiian Division for several months, before being transferred in May 1927 to the Office of the Chief of Cavalry in Washington, D.C., where he began to develop the concepts of mechanized warfare. A short-lived experiment to merge infantry, cavalry and artillery into a combined arms force was cancelled after U.S. Congress removed funding. Patton left this office in 1931, returned to Massachusetts and attended the Army War College, becoming a "Distinguished Graduate" in June 1932.[82]
In July 1932, Patton (still a Major) was executive officer of the 3rd Cavalry, which was ordered to Washington by Army Chief of Staff General Douglas MacArthur. Patton took command of the 600 troops of the 3rd Cavalry, and on July 28, MacArthur ordered Patton's troops to advance on protesting veterans known as the "Bonus Army" with tear gas and bayonets. Patton was dissatisfied with MacArthur's conduct, as he recognized the legitimacy of the veterans' complaints and had himself earlier refused to issue the order to employ armed force to disperse the veterans. Patton later stated that, though he found the duty "most distasteful", he also felt that putting the marchers down prevented an insurrection and saved lives and property. He personally led the 3rd Cavalry down Pennsylvania Avenue, dispersing the protesters.[83][84] Patton also encountered his former orderly as one of the marchers and forcibly ordered him away, fearing such a meeting might make the headlines.[85]
Patton was promoted to lieutenant colonel in the regular Army on March 1, 1934, and was transferred to the Hawaiian Division in early 1935 to serve as G-2. Patton followed the growing hostility and conquest aspirations of the militant Japanese leadership. He wrote a plan to intern the Japanese living in the islands in the event of an attack as a result of the atrocities carried out by Japanese soldiers on the Chinese in the Sino-Japanese war. In 1937 he wrote a paper with the title "Surprise" which predicted, with what D'Este termed "chilling accuracy", a surprise attack by the Japanese on Hawaii.[86] Depressed at the lack of prospects for new conflict, Patton took to drinking heavily and allegedly began a brief affair with his 21-year-old niece by marriage, Jean Gordon.[87] This supposed affair distressed his wife and nearly resulted in their separation. Patton's attempts to win her back were said to be among the few instances in which he willingly showed remorse or submission.[88]
Patton continued playing polo and sailing in this time. After sailing back to Los Angeles for extended leave in 1937, he was kicked by a horse and fractured his leg. Patton developed phlebitis from the injury, which nearly killed him. The incident almost forced Patton out of active service, but a six-month administrative assignment in the Academic Department at the Cavalry School at Fort Riley helped him to recover.[87] Patton was promoted to colonel on July 24, 1938 and given command of the 5th Cavalry at Fort Clark, Texas, for six months, a post he relished, but he was reassigned to Fort Myer again in December as commander of the 3rd Cavalry. There, he met Army Chief of Staff George C. Marshall, who was so impressed with him that Marshall considered Patton a prime candidate for promotion to general. In peacetime, though, he would remain a colonel to remain eligible to command a regiment.[89]
Patton had a personal schooner named When and If. The schooner was designed by famous naval architect John G. Alden and built in 1939. The schooner's name comes from Patton saying he would sail it "when and if" he returned from war.[90]
World War II
Following the German Army's invasion of Poland and the outbreak of World War II in Europe in September 1939, the U.S. military entered a period of mobilization, and Patton sought to build up the power of U.S. armored forces. During maneuvers the Third Army conducted in 1940, Patton served as an umpire, where he met Adna R. Chaffee Jr. and the two formulated recommendations to develop an armored force. Chaffee was named commander of this force,[91] and created the 1st and 2nd Armored Divisions as well as the first combined arms doctrine. He named Patton commander of the 2nd Armored Brigade, part of the 2nd Armored Division. The division was one of few organized as a heavy formation with many tanks, and Patton was in charge of its training.[92] Patton was promoted to brigadier general on October 2, made acting division commander in November, and on April 4, 1941 was promoted again to major general and made Commanding General (CG) of the 2nd Armored Division.[91] As Chaffee stepped down from command of the I Armored Corps, Patton became the most prominent figure in U.S. armor doctrine. In December 1940, he staged a high-profile mass exercise in which 1,000 tanks and vehicles were driven from Columbus, Georgia, to Panama City, Florida, and back.[93] He repeated the exercise with his entire division of 1,300 vehicles the next month.[94] Patton earned a pilot's license and, during these maneuvers, observed the movements of his vehicles from the air to find ways to deploy them effectively in combat.[93] His exploits earned him a spot on the cover of Life Magazine.[95]
Patton led the division during the Tennessee Maneuvers in June 1941, and was lauded for his leadership, executing 48 hours' worth of planned objectives in only nine. During the September Louisiana Maneuvers, his division was part of the losing Red Army in Phase I, but in Phase II was assigned to the Blue Army. His division executed a 400-mile (640 km) end run around the Red Army and "captured" Shreveport, Louisiana. During the October–November Carolina Maneuvers, Patton's division captured Hugh Drum, commander of the opposing army.[96] On January 15, 1942 he was given command of I Armored Corps, and the next month established the Desert Training Center[97] in the Imperial Valley to run training exercises. He commenced these exercises in late 1941 and continued them into the summer of 1942. Patton chose a 10,000-acre (40 km2) expanse of desert area about 50 miles (80 km) southeast of Palm Springs.[98] From his first days as a commander, Patton strongly emphasized the need for armored forces to stay in constant contact with opposing forces. His instinctive preference for offensive movement was typified by an answer Patton gave to war correspondents in a 1944 press conference. In response to a question on whether the Third Army's rapid offensive across France should be slowed to reduce the number of U.S. casualties, Patton replied, "Whenever you slow anything down, you waste human lives."[99] It was around this time that a reporter, after hearing a speech where Patton said that it took "blood and brains" to win in combat, began calling him "blood and guts". The nickname would follow him for the rest of his life.[100] Soldiers under his command were known at times to have quipped, "our blood, his guts". Nonetheless, he was known to be admired widely by the men under his charge.[101]
North African Campaign
Patton (left) with Rear Admiral Henry Kent Hewitt aboard USS Augusta, off the coast of North Africa, November 1942
See also: Operation Torch and Tunisia Campaign
Under Lieutenant General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Supreme Allied Commander, Patton was assigned to help plan the Allied invasion of French North Africa as part of Operation Torch in the summer of 1942.[102][103] Patton commanded the Western Task Force, consisting of 33,000 men in 100 ships, in landings centered on Casablanca, Morocco. The landings, which took place on November 8, 1942, were opposed by Vichy French forces, but Patton's men quickly gained a beachhead and pushed through fierce resistance. Casablanca fell on November 11 and Patton negotiated an armistice with French General Charles Noguès.[104][105] The Sultan of Morocco was so impressed that he presented Patton with the Order of Ouissam Alaouite, with the citation "Les Lions dans leurs tanières tremblent en le voyant approcher" (The lions in their dens tremble at his approach).[106] Patton oversaw the conversion of Casablanca into a military port and hosted the Casablanca Conference in January 1943.[107]
On March 6, 1943, following the defeat of the U.S. II Corps by the German Afrika Korps, commanded by Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel, at the Battle of Kasserine Pass, Patton replaced Major General Lloyd Fredendall as Commanding General of the II Corps and was promoted to lieutenant general. Soon thereafter, he had Major General Omar Bradley reassigned to his corps as its deputy commander.[108] With orders to take the battered and demoralized formation into action in 10 days' time, Patton immediately introduced sweeping changes, ordering all soldiers to wear clean, pressed and complete uniforms, establishing rigorous schedules, and requiring strict adherence to military protocol. He continuously moved throughout the command talking with men, seeking to shape them into effective soldiers. He pushed them hard, and sought to reward them well for their accomplishments.[109] His uncompromising leadership style is evidenced by his orders for an attack on a hill position near Gafsa which are reported to have ended "I expect to see such casualties among officers, particularly staff officers, as will convince me that a serious effort has been made to capture this objective."[110]
Patton's training was effective, and on March 17, the U.S. 1st Infantry Division took Gafsa, winning the Battle of El Guettar, and pushing a German and Italian armored force back twice. In the meantime, on April 5, he removed Major General Orlando Ward, commanding the 1st Armored Division, after its lackluster performance at Maknassy against numerically inferior German forces. Advancing on Gabès, Patton's corps pressured the Mareth Line.[109] During this time, he reported to British General Sir Harold Alexander, commander of the 18th Army Group, and came into conflict with Air Vice Marshal Sir Arthur Coningham about the lack of close air support being provided for his troops. When Coningham dispatched three officers to Patton's headquarters to persuade him that the British were providing ample air support, they came under German air attack mid-meeting, and part of the ceiling of Patton's office collapsed around them. Speaking later of the German pilots who had struck, Patton remarked, "if I could find the sons of bitches who flew those planes, I'd mail each of them a medal."[111] By the time his force reached Gabès, the Germans had abandoned it. He then relinquished command of II Corps to Bradley, and returned to the I Armored Corps in Casablanca to help plan Operation Husky, the Allied invasion of Sicily. Fearing U.S. troops would be sidelined, he convinced British commanders to allow them to continue fighting through to the end of the Tunisia Campaign before leaving on this new assignment.[111][112]
Sicily Campaign
See also: Allied invasion of Sicily
For Operation Husky, the invasion of Sicily, Patton was to command the Seventh United States Army, dubbed the Western Task Force, in landings at Gela, Scoglitti and Licata to support landings by Bernard Montgomery's British Eighth Army. Patton's I Armored Corps was officially redesignated the Seventh Army just before his force of 90,000 landed before dawn on D-Day, July 10, 1943, on beaches near the town of Licata. The armada was hampered by wind and weather, but despite this the three U.S. infantry divisions involved, the 3rd, 1st, and 45th, secured their respective beaches. They then repulsed counterattacks at Gela,[113] where Patton personally led his troops against German reinforcements from the Hermann Göring Division.[114]
Patton near Brolo, Sicily, in 1943
Initially ordered to protect the British forces' left flank, Patton was granted permission by Alexander to take Palermo after Montgomery's forces became bogged down on the road to Messina. As part of a provisional corps under Major General Geoffrey Keyes, the 3rd Infantry Division under Major General Lucian Truscott covered 100 miles (160 km) in 72 hours, arriving at Palermo on July 21. He then set his sights on Messina.[115] He sought an amphibious assault, but it was delayed by lack of landing craft, and his troops did not land at Santo Stefano until August 8, by which time the Germans and Italians had already evacuated the bulk of their troops to mainland Italy. He ordered more landings on August 10 by the 3rd Infantry Division, which took heavy casualties but pushed the German forces back, and hastened the advance on Messina.[116] A third landing was completed on August 16, and by 22:00 that day Messina fell to his forces. By the end of the battle, the 200,000-man Seventh Army had suffered 7,500 casualties, and killed or captured 113,000 Axis troops and destroyed 3,500 vehicles. Still, 40,000 German and 70,000 Italian troops escaped to Italy with 10,000 vehicles.[117][118]
Patton's conduct in this campaign met with several controversies. When Alexander sent a transmission on July 19 limiting Patton's attack on Messina, his chief of staff, Brigadier General Hobart R. Gay, claimed the message was "lost in transmission" until Messina had fallen. On July 22 he shot and killed a pair of mules that had stopped while pulling a cart across a bridge. The cart was blocking the way of a U.S. armored column which was under attack from German aircraft. When their Sicilian owner protested, Patton attacked him with a walking stick and had his troops push the two mule carcasses off of the bridge.[115] When informed of the massacre of Italian prisoners at Biscari by troops under his command, Patton wrote in his diary, "I told Bradley that it was probably an exaggeration, but in any case to tell the officer to certify that the dead men were snipers or had attempted to escape or something, as it would make a stink in the press and also would make the civilians mad. Anyhow, they are dead, so nothing can be done about it."[119] Bradley refused Patton's suggestions. Patton later changed his mind. After he learned that the 45th Division's Inspector General found "no provocation on the part of the prisoners ... They had been slaughtered" Patton is reported to have said: "Try the bastards."[119] Patton also came into frequent disagreements with Terry de la Mesa Allen Sr. and Theodore Roosevelt Jr. and acquiesced, to their relief, to Bradley.[120]
Slapping incidents and aftermath
Main article: George S. Patton slapping incidents
Patton talks to wounded soldiers preparing for evacuation
Two high-profile incidents of Patton striking subordinates during the Sicily campaign attracted national controversy following the end of the campaign. On August 3, 1943, Patton slapped and verbally abused Private Charles H. Kuhl at an evacuation hospital in Nicosia after he had been found to suffer from "battle fatigue".[121] On August 10, Patton slapped Private Paul G. Bennett under similar circumstances.[121] Ordering both soldiers back to the front lines,[122] Patton railed against cowardice and issued orders to his commanders to discipline any soldier making similar complaints.[123]
Word of the incident reached Eisenhower, who privately reprimanded Patton and insisted he apologize.[124] Patton apologized to both soldiers individually, as well as to doctors who witnessed the incidents,[125] and later to all of the soldiers under his command in several speeches.[126] Eisenhower suppressed the incident in the media,[127] but in November journalist Drew Pearson revealed it on his radio program.[128] Criticism of Patton in the United States was harsh, and included members of Congress and former generals, Pershing among them.[129][130] The views of the general public remained mixed on the matter,[131] and eventually Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson stated that Patton must be retained as a commander because of the need for his "aggressive, winning leadership in the bitter battles which are to come before final victory."[132]
Patton did not command a force in combat for 11 months.[133] In September, Bradley, who was Patton's junior in both rank and experience, was selected to command the First United States Army forming in England to prepare for Operation Overlord.[134] This decision had been made before the slapping incidents were made public, but Patton blamed them for his being denied the command.[135] Eisenhower felt the invasion of Europe was too important to risk any uncertainty, and that the slapping incidents had been an example of Patton's inability to exercise discipline and self-control. While Eisenhower and Marshall both considered Patton to be a skilled combat commander, they felt Bradley was less impulsive or prone to making mistakes.[136] On January 26, 1944, Patton was formally given command of the U.S. Third Army in England, a newly formed field Army, and he was assigned to prepare its inexperienced soldiers for combat in Europe.[137][138] This duty kept Patton busy during the first half of 1944.[139]
Phantom Army
Main article: Invasion of Normandy
The German High Command had more respect for Patton than for any other Allied commander and considered him to be central to any plan to invade Europe from England.[140] Because of this, Patton was made a prominent figure in the deception operation, Fortitude, during the first half of 1944.[141] Through the British network of double-agents, the Allies fed German intelligence a steady stream of false reports about troops sightings and that Patton had been named commander of the First United States Army Group (FUSAG), all designed to convince the Germans that Patton was preparing this massive command for an invasion at Pas de Calais. FUSAG was in reality an intricately constructed fictitious army of decoys, props, and fake radio signal traffic based around Dover to mislead German reconnaissance planes and to make Axis leaders believe that a large force was massing there. This helped to mask the real location of the invasion in Normandy. Patton was ordered to keep a low profile to deceive the Germans into thinking that he was in Dover throughout early 1944, when he was actually training the Third Army.[140] As a result of Operation Fortitude, the German 15th Army remained at the Pas de Calais to defend against Patton's supposed attack.[142] This German field army held its position even after the invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944. Patton flew to France a month later, and then returned to combat command.[143]
Normandy breakout offensive
Main article: Invasion of Normandy
Sailing to Normandy throughout July, Patton's Third Army formed on the extreme right (west) of the Allied land forces,[143][Note 2] and became operational at noon on August 1, 1944, under Bradley's Twelfth United States Army Group. The Third Army simultaneously attacked west into Brittany, south, east toward the Seine, and north, assisting in trapping several hundred thousand German soldiers in the Falaise Pocket between Falaise and Argentan.[145][146]
Patton's strategy with his army favored speed and aggressive offensive action, though his forces saw less opposition than did the other three Allied field armies in the initial weeks of its advance.[147] The Third Army typically employed forward scout units to determine enemy strength and positions. Self-propelled artillery moved with the spearhead units and was sited well forward, ready to engage protected German positions with indirect fire. Light aircraft such as the Piper L-4 Cub served as artillery spotters and provided airborne reconnaissance. Once located, the armored infantry would attack using tanks as infantry support. Other armored units would then break through enemy lines and exploit any subsequent breach, constantly pressuring withdrawing German forces to prevent them from regrouping and reforming a cohesive defensive line.[148] The U.S. armor advanced using reconnaissance by fire, and the .50 caliber M2 Browning heavy machine gun proved effective in this role, often flushing out and killing German panzerfaust teams waiting in ambush as well as breaking up German infantry assaults against the armored infantry.[149]
The speed of the advance forced Patton's units to rely heavily on air reconnaissance and tactical air support.[148] The Third Army had by far more military intelligence (G-2) officers at headquarters specifically designated to coordinate air strikes than any other army.[150] Its attached close air support group was XIX Tactical Air Command, commanded by Brigadier General Otto P. Weyland. Developed originally by General Elwood Quesada of IX Tactical Air Command for the First Army in Operation Cobra, the technique of "armored column cover", in which close air support was directed by an air traffic controller in one of the attacking tanks, was used extensively by the Third Army. Each column was protected by a standing patrol of three to four P-47 and P-51 fighter-bombers as a combat air patrol (CAP).[151]
In its advance from Avranches to Argentan, the Third Army traversed 60 miles (97 km) in just two weeks. Patton's force was supplemented by Ultra intelligence for which he was briefed daily by his G-2, Colonel Oscar W. Koch, who apprised him of German counterattacks, and where to concentrate his forces.[152] Equally important to the advance of Third Army columns in northern France was the rapid advance of the supply echelons. Third Army logistics were overseen by Colonel Walter J. Muller, Patton's G-4, who emphasized flexibility, improvisation, and adaptation for Third Army supply echelons so forward units could rapidly exploit a breakthrough. Patton's rapid drive to Lorraine demonstrated his keen appreciation for the technological advantages of the U.S. Army. The major U.S. and Allied advantages were in mobility and air superiority. The U.S. Army had more trucks, more reliable tanks, and better radio communications, all of which contributed to a superior ability to operate at a rapid offensive pace.[153]
Lorraine Campaign
Main article: Lorraine Campaign
Patton pins a Silver Star Medal on Private Ernest A. Jenkins, a soldier under his command, October 1944
Patton's offensive came to a halt on August 31, 1944, as the Third Army ran out of fuel near the Moselle River, just outside Metz. Patton expected that the theater commander would keep fuel and supplies flowing to support successful advances, but Eisenhower favored a "broad front" approach to the ground-war effort, believing that a single thrust would have to drop off flank protection, and would quickly lose its punch. Still within the constraints of a very large effort overall, Eisenhower gave Montgomery and his Twenty First Army Group a higher priority for supplies for Operation Market Garden.[154] Combined with other demands on the limited resource pool, this resulted in the Third Army exhausting its fuel supplies.[155] Patton believed his forces were close enough to the Siegfried Line that he remarked to Bradley that with 400,000 gallons of gasoline he could be in Germany within two days.[156] In late September, a large German Panzer counterattack sent expressly to stop the advance of Patton's Third Army was defeated by the U.S. 4th Armored Division at the Battle of Arracourt. Despite the victory, the Third Army stayed in place as a result of Eisenhower's order. The German commanders believed this was because their counterattack had been successful.[157]
External video
Booknotes interview with Carlo D'Este on Patton: A Genius for War, January 28, 1996, C-SPAN
The halt of the Third Army during the month of September was enough to allow the Germans to strengthen the fortress of Metz. In October and November, the Third Army was mired in a near-stalemate with the Germans during the Battle of Metz, both sides suffering heavy casualties. An attempt by Patton to seize Fort Driant just south of Metz was defeated, but by mid-November Metz had fallen to the Americans.[158] Patton's decisions in taking this city were criticized. German commanders interviewed after the war noted he could have bypassed the city and moved north to Luxembourg where he would have been able to cut off the German Seventh Army.[159] The German commander of Metz, General Hermann Balck, also noted that a more direct attack would have resulted in a more decisive Allied victory in the city. Historian Carlo D'Este later wrote that the Lorraine Campaign was one of Patton's least successful, faulting him for not deploying his divisions more aggressively and decisively.[160]
With supplies low and priority given to Montgomery until the port of Antwerp could be opened, Patton remained frustrated at the lack of progress of his forces. From November 8 to December 15, his army advanced no more than 40 miles (64 km).[161]
Battle of the Bulge
Main article: Battle of the Bulge
Bradley, Eisenhower and Patton (right) in Bastogne, Belgium, 1945
In December 1944, the German army, under the command of German Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt, launched a last-ditch offensive across Belgium, Luxembourg, and northeastern France. On December 16, 1944, it massed 29 divisions totaling 250,000 men at a weak point in the Allied lines, and during the early stages of the ensuing Battle of the Bulge, made significant headway towards the Meuse River during a severe winter. Eisenhower called a meeting of all senior Allied commanders on the Western Front to a headquarters near Verdun on the morning of December 19 to plan strategy and a response to the German assault.[162]
At the time, Patton's Third Army was engaged in heavy fighting near Saarbrücken. Guessing the intent of the Allied command meeting, Patton ordered his staff to make three separate operational contingency orders to disengage elements of the Third Army from its present position and begin offensive operations toward several objectives in the area of the bulge occupied by German forces.[163] At the Supreme Command conference, Eisenhower led the meeting, which was attended by Patton, Bradley, General Jacob Devers, Major General Kenneth Strong, Deputy Supreme Commander Air Chief Marshal Arthur Tedder, and several staff officers.[164] When Eisenhower asked Patton how long it would take him to disengage six divisions of his Third Army and commence a counterattack north to relieve the U.S. 101st Airborne Division which had been trapped at Bastogne, Patton replied, "As soon as you're through with me."[165] Patton then clarified that he had already worked up an operational order for a counterattack by three full divisions on December 21, then only 48 hours away.[165] Eisenhower was incredulous: "Don't be fatuous, George. If you try to go that early you won't have all three divisions ready and you'll go piecemeal." Patton replied that his staff already had a contingency operations order ready to go. Still unconvinced, Eisenhower ordered Patton to attack the morning of December 22, using at least three divisions.[166]
Patton left the conference room, phoned his command, and uttered two words: "Play ball." This code phrase initiated a prearranged operational order with Patton's staff,
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George S. Patton - Wikipedia
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History's Verdict: George S. Patton (WWII Documentary)
George Smith Patton Jr. was a U.S. Army general who commanded the 7th U.S. Army in the Mediterranean and Europe during WWII, but is best known for his leader...
Thank you, my friend TSgt Joe C. for honoring LTG George Smith Patton.
Images:
1. 1918 George S Patton in France in 1918 with a Renault FT light tank
2. 1909 George Patton, USMA Cadet
3. Lieutenant General Patton in North Africa, 1943
4. December 24, 1945, General George S. Patton Jr. was buried in the Luxembourg American Cemetery with full military honors. The cortege arrived at the cemetery at 10 a.m.
History's Verdict: George S. Patton (WWII Documentary)
"George Smith Patton Jr. was a U.S. Army general who commanded the 7th U.S. Army in the Mediterranean and Europe during WWII, but is best known for his leadership of the 3rd U.S. Army in France and Germany following the Allied invasion of Normandy."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3irMIAPmVQ
George Scott Patton graduated with the USMA class of 1909 as graduate number 4,795
He served as ADC to General Black Jack Pershing in the Pancho Villa Expedition in 1916 to 1917
He rescued three drowning boys in Massachusetts in 1923 and was awarded the Congressional Silver Life.
Background from biographics.org/george-s-patton-americas-blitzkrieg-general/
"George S Patton – America’s Blitzkrieg General
By BIOGRAPHICS October 13, 2017
The leading generals of World War Two carried a huge weight on their shoulders. Their decisions could mean the difference between life and death for thousands of men; their actions helped to shape the fate of nations. History has judged some of them as fools, others as butchers, and a handful as military geniuses.
Few, at least on the Allied side, have generated as much controversy in life and death in as George S Patton. The flamboyant American commander never lost a major battle, but his explosive temper almost cost him his career. He survived two World Wars, often placing himself in considerable danger, only to die in unlikely circumstances within months of Germany’s defeat.
The unconventional general was a devout Christian, yet he believed he was just the latest incarnation of a warrior spirit who’d once fought alongside the likes of Julius Caesar and Napoleon Bonaparte. He was the epitome of the rough, tough warrior who reveled in his macho image and seemingly lived only for war. But he could be a surprisingly sensitive individual who cried at funerals and penned poetry1 throughout much of his life.
Early Life
George S Patton was in born in California on November 11, 1885. Twenty years earlier the Patton family had lost much of their wealth when they found themselves on the losing side of America’s civil war. However, by the time of George’s birth the Patton’s were prosperous and influential once again.
The young George knew from an early age that he wanted to be a soldier. His main obstacles were his weaknesses in math and English. This was not a result of any lack of natural ability, but rather because his father’s mistrust of formal education meant that George hadn’t attended school until he reached twelve years of age. He caught up quickly but only narrowly passed the entrance exam for West Point, America’s most prestigious military academy.
While Patton would regularly clash with his superiors during World War Two, his conduct at West Point was exemplary. He was particularly successful at sports such as polo and football, playing with such relentless aggression that he broke several bones. He would later bring this aggression to his method of waging war.
Olympic Games
Patton’s considerable sporting ability did not go unnoticed, and he was selected to represent 2 the United States of America in the Modern Pentathlon at the 1912 Stockholm Olympic Games in 1912. He would compete at riding, shooting, fencing, running and swimming, all skills that Patton excelled at.
In the event it was Patton’s shooting that may have let him down. He fired twenty bullets, but the judges ruled that three of them had missed the target. Patton remained adamant that his aim had actually been too good and his shots had passed through the hole he had already made in the bullseye. It’s possible he was correct, but the judges ruled against him.
At the end of the first day Patton was placed in a slightly disappointing 21st from 41 competitors. Strong performances in each of the remaining events saw him climb all the way to fifth place. It was the first and last time he competed in the Olympic Games, but he didn’t have to wait long to test the accuracy of his shooting in a combat situation.
Bandit Hunting
By 1916 most of the world’s great powers were locked together in seemingly interminable combat. Only the United States had thus far succeeded in avoiding being drawn into the slaughter. However, America did suffer a surprise attack from the direction of Mexico.
On 9 March 1916 four-hundred heavily-armed bandits led by the notorious Francisco “Pancho” Villa stormed across the border. For two hours they ransacked and looted the border town of Columbus, before finally being chased away by the cavalry.
If Villa believed he could hide out safely back in Mexico, he was sorely mistaken. President Woodrow Wilson ordered the US Army to cross the border and put an end to the threat posed by Villa and his bandits. John Pershing 3 was given command of the expeditionary force, and he chose Patton to serve as his aide.
Patton would go on to become famous for his skill at commanding fast-moving motorized forces, so it’s perhaps fitting that while in Mexico he took part in the first motorized action in the history of warfare 4. Travelling in three Dodge Touring cars, Patton and his men launched a raid on Villa’s henchmen.
When the smoke cleared at the end of a brief firefight, three of Villa’s bodyguards lay dead. Patton ordered their bodies to be strapped to the cars for the drive back to headquarters. Pershing was apparently impressed.
“This Patton boy, he’s a real fighter!”
World War One
On 6 April 1917 the United States of America declared war on Germany and entered World War One. Pershing was given command of the American Expeditionary Force, and once again he took George Patton at his side.
Not content to serve as an aide for long, Patton pushed to be given a command of his own. Pershing offered him an infantry battalion but by that time Patton had become fascinated by tanks, powerful yet unreliable weapons still in their infancy since being unleashed by the British at the Somme in September of 1916.
Patton became the first officer assigned to the American Expeditionary Force Tank Corps, was one of the first Americans to learn how to operate a tank, and personally taught the first crews to be assigned to the Tank Corps.
The American Expeditionary Force Tank Corps finally went into action in September 1918, with Patton riding into battle clinging onto the outside of one of the machines. Later that same month he would be badly injured in an act of near-suicidal bravery.
World War One tanks were underpowered, unreliable, and vulnerable without infantry support. So when his tanks became isolated during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive 5, Patton called for volunteers to help him storm the German lines. Only five men stepped forward. They were quickly cut down by a hail of German bullets. Patton himself was badly injured by a piece of shrapnel which hit him in the thigh. He continued to direct the battle from a shell hole, later refusing medical treatment until he had completed and submitted his report.
Patton’s injuries weren’t life threatening, but they were serious. By the time he had recovered sufficiently to return to combat the armistice had been signed and the guns fallen silent.
While Patton’s time at the frontlines had been brief, he had done more than enough to demonstrate that he possessed the kind of raw courage he expected and demanded of those who served under him.
Between the Wars
With the Great War at an end Patton returned to the United States of America where he found a good deal to keep him busy. He learned to fly, drove the latest automobiles, sailed his yacht, mixed with high society, kept a stable of horses, and won hundreds of trophies and ribbons in numerous sporting events.
Such an extravagant lifestyle would ordinarily be well out of reach on a major’s salary. However, in 1910 Patton had married Beatrice Ayer, the extremely wealthy heiress of a Boston industrialist.
The Pattons had more than enough money to do almost anything they wanted, but George had never wavered from his belief that he was destined to be a great soldier. He maintained a special interest in armored warfare, and some visionaries were proclaiming that tanks would become the decisive weapon in any future conflict.
Heinz Guderian in Germany and Charles de Gaulle in France argued that tanks would return mobility to the battlefield, punching through enemy positions to create havoc in the rear. Patton was thinking along similar lines, and he got the chance to test out some of his ideas in 1941 when the US Army held vast wargames 6 across the states of Louisiana and Carolina.
More than 400,000 soldiers and 1,000 aircraft took part in mock battles held over 30,000 square miles. With Germany once again at war with Britain and Russia, and no guarantees that America would be able to remain neutral, it was a much needed opportunity to test out tactics and equipment. It also served as a test of the men who would lead America’s armies into battle.
The battles weren’t real, but they were a close enough approximation for sixty-one men to lose their lives. However, the US Army gained valuable experience, and Patton staked his claim to be arguably the US Army’s finest exponent of armored warfare.
Africa
On 7 December 1941 Japan attacked the United States of America at the naval base of Pearl Harbor. Four days later Germany declared war on America. World War Two had become a truly global war.
With plans for a 1942 Allied invasion of Western Europe having been shelved, the Allied High Command instead chose to strike at Hitler’s Vichy French allies in North Africa. Three separate task forces were launched, with General George Patton taking command of the 35,000 men of the Western Task Force, sailing for Casablanca from Virginia. If Patton had any fears or doubts, then he certainly wasn’t showing them, and he wrote in his diary: “When I realize what I am, I am amazed, but on reflection, who is as good as I am? I know of no one 7.”
“When I realize what I am, I am amazed, but on reflection, who is as good as I am? I know of no one 7.”
The amphibious landings of 8 November were largely unopposed, and despite some fierce resistance as Patton’s men pushed inland the Vichy French signed an armistice later that day.
Far more formidable than the French, however, was Germany’s Erwin Rommel and his Afrika Korps. On 14 February 1943 they attacked in force, striking at US forces in Tunisia’s Atlas Mountains. By 20 February the immediate crisis was over, but the Americans had been pushed back 50 miles, huge amounts of equipment had been abandoned, and 4,000 Americans, including Patton’s own son-in-law, had been captured by the Germans.
With morale on the floor, Eisenhower sacked the commander he held responsible and placed all American troops in Tunisia under Patton’s command. Patton immediately subjected his men to an intensive drill routine and a strict disciplinary code. His methods were far from universally popular, but they got results and within a month Patton was on the offensive defeating the formidable German 10th Panzer Division at the Battle of El Guettar 8.
Patton rapidly built a reputation for himself in North Africa, but it was here that he began his rivalry with Bernard Montgomery, the commander of the British Eighth Army. While Patton was bold, aggressive, and often acted on gut instinct, Montgomery was by nature a far more cautious man who put great store in meticulous planning. Patton believed Eisenhower deferred to Montgomery far too often, a feeling that was only strengthened when the British commander was given the go-ahead to plan the invasion of Sicily.
Sicily and Scandal
The invasion of Sicily was to be a joint operation conducted by the British Eighth Army led by Montgomery and the Seventh US Army commanded by George Patton. Much to Patton’s disgust, Montgomery’s plan placed the main emphasis on the British contingent and cast the Americans in the supporting role.
“This is what you get,” fumed Patton, “when your commander-in-chief (Eisenhower) ceases to be an American and becomes an ally.”
The invasion force landed on the beaches of Sicily on 10 July 1943. By nightfall the Allies had put 80,000 men and 300 tanks ashore. The next day Patton himself came to inspect the beachhead, wading in through the surf even as artillery shells exploded around the beach.
While it soon became clear that the Germans would not be able to hold Sicily, they fought a fierce rear-guard action as they began to evacuate their army to the Italian mainland. As Montgomery’s army became bogged down, Patton decided to take a loose interpretation of his orders. He was expected to support the British, but surely the best way to do so would be to hit the Germans hard. Patton drove the Seventh Army on, his goal now was to beat Montgomery to the city of Messina in the north of the island. He was driven not just by personal ambition, but by a desire to prove the American soldier was the best in the world.
The Sicily campaign 9 was fought at a blistering pace in blazing heat; casualties were inevitable. On 3 August 1943 Patton visited the wounded at a field hospital. When he discovered that one of the patients was physically unhurt but suffering from shellshock, he exploded with rage. Patton slapped the unfortunate man, dragged him from the tent, kicked him in the backside, and threatened to shoot him for cowardice. Unfortunately for Patton, this extraordinary display had been conducted under the noses of a number of journalists.
Patton didn’t seem to realize he’d done anything wrong, but striking a subordinate was a court marital offence. Eisenhower ordered Patton to apologise, begged the witnesses not to report on the incident, and hoped that would be enough to protect his most dangerous weapon in the war against the Nazis.
While Patton won his race to Messina and threw the Nazis out of Sicily, his vicious temper came back to bite him as word of his assault leaked out in the press. There was little more that Eisenhower could do. Patton was removed from his command; it seemed as though his career might be finished.
Operation Overlord
The invasion of Italy followed on almost as a natural consequence of the conquest of Sicily. Patton, who was temperamentally ill-suited to inactivity, could only watch on in frustration.
“Better to fight for something than live for nothing.”
Of even greater importance than the campaign in Italy was the long-awaited invasion of Western Europe, which would take place in June of 1944. This was one of the most difficult operations of the war, but Patton would have no direct role to play in the invasion. He was instead used as a decoy, given command of an entirely fictitious army 10 intended to fool the Germans into believing that a second invasion force was preparing to strike. The ruse worked. The Germans never imagined that the Allies would leave their best offensive general back in Britain while such a vital offensive was being fought in France.
Breakout
Patton’s greatest fear was that the war would be over before he could get back into it. He needn’t have worried. While the success of the initial Allied invasion exceeded expectations, the British and Americans made slow progress as they attempted to push inland. It wasn’t until the end of July that the Americans finally punched a small hole through German lines.
Omar Bradley, commander of the US ground forces, knew that this was the moment to recall Patton to the fray. Bradley regarded Patton as difficult to control, unpredictable, and vulgar, but he recognized his talents. Patton was given command of the newly formed Third Army, a highly mobile force equipped with plenty of armor, and ordered to exploit the breakthrough.
Patton quickly got to work, squeezed his armored divisions through the narrowest of gaps in the German lines, reformed them on the other side, and within a matter of days his Third Army was tearing through open country into Brittany.
“It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived.”
The speed of Patton’s advances often worried his superiors, since he was a risk taker who rarely worried about the danger of an attack to his flanks. Hitler himself thought he had sniffed out an opportunity to exploit the Allied breakout, launch a counterattack, and cut off Patton’s armored spearheads. The idea had its merits in theory, but the German Army lacked the strength to execute the operation in practice. It was instead the Germans who found themselves in danger of being completely encircled at Falaise 11. Patton believed he was in position to slam the jaws of the trap shut. Bradley, a far more cautious commander than Patton, ordered the Third Army to halt at Argentan. Patton was furious but complied with the order, even though he suspected Bradley had been influenced by Montgomery.
Race to the Rhine and the Battle of the Bulge
Hitler’s failed counterattack led to the near collapse of the German Army in France. Patton was free to launch his blitzkrieg assault. His philosophy was of relentless attack, unrelenting pressure that kept the enemy constantly off balance and minimized the Third Army’s casualties.
Patton argued that if he was properly backed he could be across the River Rhine in a matter of weeks. But he once again found himself in competition with Montgomery as each man attempted to secure enough supplies to keep their army moving. As Patton complained, “My men can eat their belts, but my tanks have gotta have gas.”
“My men can eat their belts, but my tanks have gotta have gas.”
Although there were still disagreements amongst the leading Allied generals, they were united in the belief that Hitler’s armies were all but beaten. Germany’s Fuhrer, however, had one last surprise in store. On 16 December 1944 the Germans launched a vast counterattack aimed at a thinly held section of the American lines at the Ardennes. This was the beginning of the battle that would become famous as the Battle of the Bulge. The sudden, furious assault badly rattled most Allied commanders, but Patton recognized at once that Hitler had made a serious strategic error. “Let the sons of bitches go all the way to Paris if they like,” he joked, “then we can really cut them off and chew them up.”
Eisenhower summoned his senior commanders to an emergency conference, where he asked how long it would take Patton to divert his Third Army to the Ardennes. Patton told him he could have three divisions there within 48 hours. This seemingly fantastical claim was met with a mixture of laughter and disbelieving stares, but Patton was entirely serious. He’d anticipated Eisenhower’s request and his staff were already making preparations to disengage the part of the Third Army, wheel it around, and race to the rescue 12 along narrow icy roads.
The Battle of the Bulge gave the Allied High Command a shock, but as Patton had predicted it accomplished nothing and cost Hitler his last reserves. Now the River Rhine was the last significant obstacle the Western Allies had to tackle. The main crossing was to be launched by Montgomery, and he spent two months planning every last detail of the operation, which called for an airborne assault, a huge artillery bombardment, and even the assistance of specialized US Navy vessels.
Montgomery’s crossing was launched on 23rd March, by which time Patton had already stolen his thunder by quietly sneaking a division across under cover of darkness and establishing a bridgehead on the other side. He phoned Bradley to let him know what he’d done: “But don’t tell anyone because the krauts haven’t realized yet.”
Controversial in Life and Death
With the defeat of Germany Patton tried and failed to secure a posting to the Far East to play a part in the war against Japan. Instead he was appointed as Governor of Bavaria, a political post to which he was not well suited.
He fell out with the Russians, refused to remove Nazi personnel from key administrative positions on the basis that there was nobody else qualified to do the job, and got tricked by a reporter into agreeing Nazis joined their party in more-or-less the same way as Americans became Democrats or Republicans.
Patton’s military abilities were not matched by his political instincts, and he had once again succeeded in outraging the press. His subsequent apology was deemed insufficient and he was removed from his post for the second time. Although he didn’t know it, he only had a few months left to live.
On 9 December 1945 Patton was being driven towards a hunting expedition when the vehicle he was travelling in was struck by a truck travelling in the opposite direction. Nobody else was hurt, but Patton was paralyzed from the neck down.
The injured general was rushed to hospital where he died eleven days later. He was buried in Europe alongside the fallen soldiers of his beloved Third Army.
Patton had always wanted to die in battle, instead he’d lost his life as a result of a low speed collision in peacetime. Not everybody accepts the official version of Patton’s demise. It has been suggested that Patton may have been assassinated 13 by the Russians, possibly even in collusion with the US Government, as a result of his outspoken opposition to the Soviet Union."
FYI LTC Wayne Brandon LTC (Join to see) MSgt Robert C Aldi CPT Scott Sharon CMSgt (Join to see) SMSgt Tom Burns SSG Donald H "Don" Bates SSG Jeffrey Leake Sgt (Join to see) SGT Randal Groover SGT Rick Colburn SPC Mike Lake PO3 William Hetrick PO3 Lynn Spalding SPC Mark Huddleston Rhonda Hanson SPC Jordan Sutich PO3 Craig Phillips PVT Mark Zehner
Images:
1. 1918 George S Patton in France in 1918 with a Renault FT light tank
2. 1909 George Patton, USMA Cadet
3. Lieutenant General Patton in North Africa, 1943
4. December 24, 1945, General George S. Patton Jr. was buried in the Luxembourg American Cemetery with full military honors. The cortege arrived at the cemetery at 10 a.m.
History's Verdict: George S. Patton (WWII Documentary)
"George Smith Patton Jr. was a U.S. Army general who commanded the 7th U.S. Army in the Mediterranean and Europe during WWII, but is best known for his leadership of the 3rd U.S. Army in France and Germany following the Allied invasion of Normandy."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3irMIAPmVQ
George Scott Patton graduated with the USMA class of 1909 as graduate number 4,795
He served as ADC to General Black Jack Pershing in the Pancho Villa Expedition in 1916 to 1917
He rescued three drowning boys in Massachusetts in 1923 and was awarded the Congressional Silver Life.
Background from biographics.org/george-s-patton-americas-blitzkrieg-general/
"George S Patton – America’s Blitzkrieg General
By BIOGRAPHICS October 13, 2017
The leading generals of World War Two carried a huge weight on their shoulders. Their decisions could mean the difference between life and death for thousands of men; their actions helped to shape the fate of nations. History has judged some of them as fools, others as butchers, and a handful as military geniuses.
Few, at least on the Allied side, have generated as much controversy in life and death in as George S Patton. The flamboyant American commander never lost a major battle, but his explosive temper almost cost him his career. He survived two World Wars, often placing himself in considerable danger, only to die in unlikely circumstances within months of Germany’s defeat.
The unconventional general was a devout Christian, yet he believed he was just the latest incarnation of a warrior spirit who’d once fought alongside the likes of Julius Caesar and Napoleon Bonaparte. He was the epitome of the rough, tough warrior who reveled in his macho image and seemingly lived only for war. But he could be a surprisingly sensitive individual who cried at funerals and penned poetry1 throughout much of his life.
Early Life
George S Patton was in born in California on November 11, 1885. Twenty years earlier the Patton family had lost much of their wealth when they found themselves on the losing side of America’s civil war. However, by the time of George’s birth the Patton’s were prosperous and influential once again.
The young George knew from an early age that he wanted to be a soldier. His main obstacles were his weaknesses in math and English. This was not a result of any lack of natural ability, but rather because his father’s mistrust of formal education meant that George hadn’t attended school until he reached twelve years of age. He caught up quickly but only narrowly passed the entrance exam for West Point, America’s most prestigious military academy.
While Patton would regularly clash with his superiors during World War Two, his conduct at West Point was exemplary. He was particularly successful at sports such as polo and football, playing with such relentless aggression that he broke several bones. He would later bring this aggression to his method of waging war.
Olympic Games
Patton’s considerable sporting ability did not go unnoticed, and he was selected to represent 2 the United States of America in the Modern Pentathlon at the 1912 Stockholm Olympic Games in 1912. He would compete at riding, shooting, fencing, running and swimming, all skills that Patton excelled at.
In the event it was Patton’s shooting that may have let him down. He fired twenty bullets, but the judges ruled that three of them had missed the target. Patton remained adamant that his aim had actually been too good and his shots had passed through the hole he had already made in the bullseye. It’s possible he was correct, but the judges ruled against him.
At the end of the first day Patton was placed in a slightly disappointing 21st from 41 competitors. Strong performances in each of the remaining events saw him climb all the way to fifth place. It was the first and last time he competed in the Olympic Games, but he didn’t have to wait long to test the accuracy of his shooting in a combat situation.
Bandit Hunting
By 1916 most of the world’s great powers were locked together in seemingly interminable combat. Only the United States had thus far succeeded in avoiding being drawn into the slaughter. However, America did suffer a surprise attack from the direction of Mexico.
On 9 March 1916 four-hundred heavily-armed bandits led by the notorious Francisco “Pancho” Villa stormed across the border. For two hours they ransacked and looted the border town of Columbus, before finally being chased away by the cavalry.
If Villa believed he could hide out safely back in Mexico, he was sorely mistaken. President Woodrow Wilson ordered the US Army to cross the border and put an end to the threat posed by Villa and his bandits. John Pershing 3 was given command of the expeditionary force, and he chose Patton to serve as his aide.
Patton would go on to become famous for his skill at commanding fast-moving motorized forces, so it’s perhaps fitting that while in Mexico he took part in the first motorized action in the history of warfare 4. Travelling in three Dodge Touring cars, Patton and his men launched a raid on Villa’s henchmen.
When the smoke cleared at the end of a brief firefight, three of Villa’s bodyguards lay dead. Patton ordered their bodies to be strapped to the cars for the drive back to headquarters. Pershing was apparently impressed.
“This Patton boy, he’s a real fighter!”
World War One
On 6 April 1917 the United States of America declared war on Germany and entered World War One. Pershing was given command of the American Expeditionary Force, and once again he took George Patton at his side.
Not content to serve as an aide for long, Patton pushed to be given a command of his own. Pershing offered him an infantry battalion but by that time Patton had become fascinated by tanks, powerful yet unreliable weapons still in their infancy since being unleashed by the British at the Somme in September of 1916.
Patton became the first officer assigned to the American Expeditionary Force Tank Corps, was one of the first Americans to learn how to operate a tank, and personally taught the first crews to be assigned to the Tank Corps.
The American Expeditionary Force Tank Corps finally went into action in September 1918, with Patton riding into battle clinging onto the outside of one of the machines. Later that same month he would be badly injured in an act of near-suicidal bravery.
World War One tanks were underpowered, unreliable, and vulnerable without infantry support. So when his tanks became isolated during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive 5, Patton called for volunteers to help him storm the German lines. Only five men stepped forward. They were quickly cut down by a hail of German bullets. Patton himself was badly injured by a piece of shrapnel which hit him in the thigh. He continued to direct the battle from a shell hole, later refusing medical treatment until he had completed and submitted his report.
Patton’s injuries weren’t life threatening, but they were serious. By the time he had recovered sufficiently to return to combat the armistice had been signed and the guns fallen silent.
While Patton’s time at the frontlines had been brief, he had done more than enough to demonstrate that he possessed the kind of raw courage he expected and demanded of those who served under him.
Between the Wars
With the Great War at an end Patton returned to the United States of America where he found a good deal to keep him busy. He learned to fly, drove the latest automobiles, sailed his yacht, mixed with high society, kept a stable of horses, and won hundreds of trophies and ribbons in numerous sporting events.
Such an extravagant lifestyle would ordinarily be well out of reach on a major’s salary. However, in 1910 Patton had married Beatrice Ayer, the extremely wealthy heiress of a Boston industrialist.
The Pattons had more than enough money to do almost anything they wanted, but George had never wavered from his belief that he was destined to be a great soldier. He maintained a special interest in armored warfare, and some visionaries were proclaiming that tanks would become the decisive weapon in any future conflict.
Heinz Guderian in Germany and Charles de Gaulle in France argued that tanks would return mobility to the battlefield, punching through enemy positions to create havoc in the rear. Patton was thinking along similar lines, and he got the chance to test out some of his ideas in 1941 when the US Army held vast wargames 6 across the states of Louisiana and Carolina.
More than 400,000 soldiers and 1,000 aircraft took part in mock battles held over 30,000 square miles. With Germany once again at war with Britain and Russia, and no guarantees that America would be able to remain neutral, it was a much needed opportunity to test out tactics and equipment. It also served as a test of the men who would lead America’s armies into battle.
The battles weren’t real, but they were a close enough approximation for sixty-one men to lose their lives. However, the US Army gained valuable experience, and Patton staked his claim to be arguably the US Army’s finest exponent of armored warfare.
Africa
On 7 December 1941 Japan attacked the United States of America at the naval base of Pearl Harbor. Four days later Germany declared war on America. World War Two had become a truly global war.
With plans for a 1942 Allied invasion of Western Europe having been shelved, the Allied High Command instead chose to strike at Hitler’s Vichy French allies in North Africa. Three separate task forces were launched, with General George Patton taking command of the 35,000 men of the Western Task Force, sailing for Casablanca from Virginia. If Patton had any fears or doubts, then he certainly wasn’t showing them, and he wrote in his diary: “When I realize what I am, I am amazed, but on reflection, who is as good as I am? I know of no one 7.”
“When I realize what I am, I am amazed, but on reflection, who is as good as I am? I know of no one 7.”
The amphibious landings of 8 November were largely unopposed, and despite some fierce resistance as Patton’s men pushed inland the Vichy French signed an armistice later that day.
Far more formidable than the French, however, was Germany’s Erwin Rommel and his Afrika Korps. On 14 February 1943 they attacked in force, striking at US forces in Tunisia’s Atlas Mountains. By 20 February the immediate crisis was over, but the Americans had been pushed back 50 miles, huge amounts of equipment had been abandoned, and 4,000 Americans, including Patton’s own son-in-law, had been captured by the Germans.
With morale on the floor, Eisenhower sacked the commander he held responsible and placed all American troops in Tunisia under Patton’s command. Patton immediately subjected his men to an intensive drill routine and a strict disciplinary code. His methods were far from universally popular, but they got results and within a month Patton was on the offensive defeating the formidable German 10th Panzer Division at the Battle of El Guettar 8.
Patton rapidly built a reputation for himself in North Africa, but it was here that he began his rivalry with Bernard Montgomery, the commander of the British Eighth Army. While Patton was bold, aggressive, and often acted on gut instinct, Montgomery was by nature a far more cautious man who put great store in meticulous planning. Patton believed Eisenhower deferred to Montgomery far too often, a feeling that was only strengthened when the British commander was given the go-ahead to plan the invasion of Sicily.
Sicily and Scandal
The invasion of Sicily was to be a joint operation conducted by the British Eighth Army led by Montgomery and the Seventh US Army commanded by George Patton. Much to Patton’s disgust, Montgomery’s plan placed the main emphasis on the British contingent and cast the Americans in the supporting role.
“This is what you get,” fumed Patton, “when your commander-in-chief (Eisenhower) ceases to be an American and becomes an ally.”
The invasion force landed on the beaches of Sicily on 10 July 1943. By nightfall the Allies had put 80,000 men and 300 tanks ashore. The next day Patton himself came to inspect the beachhead, wading in through the surf even as artillery shells exploded around the beach.
While it soon became clear that the Germans would not be able to hold Sicily, they fought a fierce rear-guard action as they began to evacuate their army to the Italian mainland. As Montgomery’s army became bogged down, Patton decided to take a loose interpretation of his orders. He was expected to support the British, but surely the best way to do so would be to hit the Germans hard. Patton drove the Seventh Army on, his goal now was to beat Montgomery to the city of Messina in the north of the island. He was driven not just by personal ambition, but by a desire to prove the American soldier was the best in the world.
The Sicily campaign 9 was fought at a blistering pace in blazing heat; casualties were inevitable. On 3 August 1943 Patton visited the wounded at a field hospital. When he discovered that one of the patients was physically unhurt but suffering from shellshock, he exploded with rage. Patton slapped the unfortunate man, dragged him from the tent, kicked him in the backside, and threatened to shoot him for cowardice. Unfortunately for Patton, this extraordinary display had been conducted under the noses of a number of journalists.
Patton didn’t seem to realize he’d done anything wrong, but striking a subordinate was a court marital offence. Eisenhower ordered Patton to apologise, begged the witnesses not to report on the incident, and hoped that would be enough to protect his most dangerous weapon in the war against the Nazis.
While Patton won his race to Messina and threw the Nazis out of Sicily, his vicious temper came back to bite him as word of his assault leaked out in the press. There was little more that Eisenhower could do. Patton was removed from his command; it seemed as though his career might be finished.
Operation Overlord
The invasion of Italy followed on almost as a natural consequence of the conquest of Sicily. Patton, who was temperamentally ill-suited to inactivity, could only watch on in frustration.
“Better to fight for something than live for nothing.”
Of even greater importance than the campaign in Italy was the long-awaited invasion of Western Europe, which would take place in June of 1944. This was one of the most difficult operations of the war, but Patton would have no direct role to play in the invasion. He was instead used as a decoy, given command of an entirely fictitious army 10 intended to fool the Germans into believing that a second invasion force was preparing to strike. The ruse worked. The Germans never imagined that the Allies would leave their best offensive general back in Britain while such a vital offensive was being fought in France.
Breakout
Patton’s greatest fear was that the war would be over before he could get back into it. He needn’t have worried. While the success of the initial Allied invasion exceeded expectations, the British and Americans made slow progress as they attempted to push inland. It wasn’t until the end of July that the Americans finally punched a small hole through German lines.
Omar Bradley, commander of the US ground forces, knew that this was the moment to recall Patton to the fray. Bradley regarded Patton as difficult to control, unpredictable, and vulgar, but he recognized his talents. Patton was given command of the newly formed Third Army, a highly mobile force equipped with plenty of armor, and ordered to exploit the breakthrough.
Patton quickly got to work, squeezed his armored divisions through the narrowest of gaps in the German lines, reformed them on the other side, and within a matter of days his Third Army was tearing through open country into Brittany.
“It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived.”
The speed of Patton’s advances often worried his superiors, since he was a risk taker who rarely worried about the danger of an attack to his flanks. Hitler himself thought he had sniffed out an opportunity to exploit the Allied breakout, launch a counterattack, and cut off Patton’s armored spearheads. The idea had its merits in theory, but the German Army lacked the strength to execute the operation in practice. It was instead the Germans who found themselves in danger of being completely encircled at Falaise 11. Patton believed he was in position to slam the jaws of the trap shut. Bradley, a far more cautious commander than Patton, ordered the Third Army to halt at Argentan. Patton was furious but complied with the order, even though he suspected Bradley had been influenced by Montgomery.
Race to the Rhine and the Battle of the Bulge
Hitler’s failed counterattack led to the near collapse of the German Army in France. Patton was free to launch his blitzkrieg assault. His philosophy was of relentless attack, unrelenting pressure that kept the enemy constantly off balance and minimized the Third Army’s casualties.
Patton argued that if he was properly backed he could be across the River Rhine in a matter of weeks. But he once again found himself in competition with Montgomery as each man attempted to secure enough supplies to keep their army moving. As Patton complained, “My men can eat their belts, but my tanks have gotta have gas.”
“My men can eat their belts, but my tanks have gotta have gas.”
Although there were still disagreements amongst the leading Allied generals, they were united in the belief that Hitler’s armies were all but beaten. Germany’s Fuhrer, however, had one last surprise in store. On 16 December 1944 the Germans launched a vast counterattack aimed at a thinly held section of the American lines at the Ardennes. This was the beginning of the battle that would become famous as the Battle of the Bulge. The sudden, furious assault badly rattled most Allied commanders, but Patton recognized at once that Hitler had made a serious strategic error. “Let the sons of bitches go all the way to Paris if they like,” he joked, “then we can really cut them off and chew them up.”
Eisenhower summoned his senior commanders to an emergency conference, where he asked how long it would take Patton to divert his Third Army to the Ardennes. Patton told him he could have three divisions there within 48 hours. This seemingly fantastical claim was met with a mixture of laughter and disbelieving stares, but Patton was entirely serious. He’d anticipated Eisenhower’s request and his staff were already making preparations to disengage the part of the Third Army, wheel it around, and race to the rescue 12 along narrow icy roads.
The Battle of the Bulge gave the Allied High Command a shock, but as Patton had predicted it accomplished nothing and cost Hitler his last reserves. Now the River Rhine was the last significant obstacle the Western Allies had to tackle. The main crossing was to be launched by Montgomery, and he spent two months planning every last detail of the operation, which called for an airborne assault, a huge artillery bombardment, and even the assistance of specialized US Navy vessels.
Montgomery’s crossing was launched on 23rd March, by which time Patton had already stolen his thunder by quietly sneaking a division across under cover of darkness and establishing a bridgehead on the other side. He phoned Bradley to let him know what he’d done: “But don’t tell anyone because the krauts haven’t realized yet.”
Controversial in Life and Death
With the defeat of Germany Patton tried and failed to secure a posting to the Far East to play a part in the war against Japan. Instead he was appointed as Governor of Bavaria, a political post to which he was not well suited.
He fell out with the Russians, refused to remove Nazi personnel from key administrative positions on the basis that there was nobody else qualified to do the job, and got tricked by a reporter into agreeing Nazis joined their party in more-or-less the same way as Americans became Democrats or Republicans.
Patton’s military abilities were not matched by his political instincts, and he had once again succeeded in outraging the press. His subsequent apology was deemed insufficient and he was removed from his post for the second time. Although he didn’t know it, he only had a few months left to live.
On 9 December 1945 Patton was being driven towards a hunting expedition when the vehicle he was travelling in was struck by a truck travelling in the opposite direction. Nobody else was hurt, but Patton was paralyzed from the neck down.
The injured general was rushed to hospital where he died eleven days later. He was buried in Europe alongside the fallen soldiers of his beloved Third Army.
Patton had always wanted to die in battle, instead he’d lost his life as a result of a low speed collision in peacetime. Not everybody accepts the official version of Patton’s demise. It has been suggested that Patton may have been assassinated 13 by the Russians, possibly even in collusion with the US Government, as a result of his outspoken opposition to the Soviet Union."
FYI LTC Wayne Brandon LTC (Join to see) MSgt Robert C Aldi CPT Scott Sharon CMSgt (Join to see) SMSgt Tom Burns SSG Donald H "Don" Bates SSG Jeffrey Leake Sgt (Join to see) SGT Randal Groover SGT Rick Colburn SPC Mike Lake PO3 William Hetrick PO3 Lynn Spalding SPC Mark Huddleston Rhonda Hanson SPC Jordan Sutich PO3 Craig Phillips PVT Mark Zehner
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