PATTON, GEORGE S. 1885-1945

Major general, u.s. army tank corps

Idiosyncratic Leader

Perhaps no other military figure in American history, with the exception of George Armstrong Custer, was more impetuous, flamboyant, or controversial than Maj. Gen. George S. Patton, nicknamed Old Blood and Guts." A swashbuckler wearing ivory-handled six-guns, he was a great deal more successful in battle than Custer and contributed to the Allied victory at the crucial Battle of the Bulge in 1945. A man consumed by military history and tradition, Patton could nevertheless disregard classic military rules, demonstrating a fearless initiative that often pulled victory from the edge of catastrophe. Considered arrogant by fellow officers and ruthless by his troops, Patton was instrumental in transforming the obsolete U.S. Cavalry into a modern armored corps that defeated some of the best German panzer divisions. Patton sometimes claimed to be the reincarnation of Julius Caesar and often cited Caesar's campaigns against the barbarians during his own operations against the Germans. Believing himself a man of destiny, Patton was ever certain of victory, and his confidence was infectious to his troops.

Military Man

Born to an old Virginia military family, Patton was destined for an army career. He attended the Virginia Military Institute and graduated from West Point in 1909, He served as an aide to Gen. John J. Pershing during the Mexican expedition of 1916 and followed him to Europe the next year, assigned the task of organizing the first tank brigades in World War I. He won a battlefield promotion during the Meuse-Argonne offensive, for which he also received the Distinguished Service Cross and the Distinguished Service Medal. His men initially thought him mad because he seemed oblivious to danger, but eventually Patton's troops considered him blessed by good fortune.

World War II Hero

After World War I Patton shuffled between a series of training posts, where he struggled to maintain his visibility. In 1942 he was finally given command of the First Armored Corps in California, and he trained his men relentlessly in the sand and desert near Death Valley. This practice proved of critical importance in the extremely harsh conditions these men later faced in the Sahara Desert as Patton led Allied armored units to victory over the "Desert Fox," German general Erwin Rommel. After this success Patton joined British tank forces and swept the Nazis from Sicily in thirty-eight days. In 1944, after the Normandy landings had opened breaches in German defenses, Patton's Third Army swept into Brittany and onward toward Paris, helping to create a hopeless situation for the German commander, who soon surrendered. When the Battle of the Bulge began, Patton, anticipating the counteroffensive, turned his forces around and contained the German initiative.

Integration

Despite Patton's reputation as a racist, during the Battle of the Bulge he called up black troops, who, though trained as carefully as white tankers, had always been held in reserve owing to traditional racist doubts about their abilities. The presence of black troops in the armored corps and elsewhere helped to plug the critical gap made by the Germans. After the Battle of the Bulge, Patton kept his black troops with his main force, and many of them were among the first to liberate the Nazi death camps in the west.

Controversial Leader

Patton was sometimes a martinet when his mood was foul, and his temper was legendary. His irascibility more than once got him in trouble with his superiors. He came close to losing his command in 1943 when, while visiting two separate military hospitals in Italy, he struck two soldiers who appeared to be uninjured, accusing them of cowardice. The first man was later shown to be suffering from malaria and dysentery. A week after the first incident Patton confronted another young man who was suffering from shell shock. In the presence of members of the press Patton called the soldier a "yellow son of a bitch" and drew his revolver, threatening to execute the boy on the spot. Only the intervention of the colonel in charge of the hospital stopped Patton, who was severely reprimanded by Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower and threatened with the loss of his command unless he issued a public apology, which he did under protest. As his tank corps entered Germany, Patton publicly stated that he should be given free rein to race toward the distant capital of Berlin and beat the Soviets, engaging them in battle if necessary; his remarks strained relations with America's Soviet allies. Reprimanded once again by Eisenhower, Patton was warned that another breach would prove damaging to his career. Nevertheless, Patton was soon publicly admiring the fighting qualities of the Germans while disparaging the Soviets. He went hunting with a captured German commander and told anyone who would listen that the United States had fought the "wrong enemy" and should be fostering an alliance with the Germans before it was too late to spare Europe from the Russians. Openly contemptuous of the Jews languishing in the squalid death camps, Patton declared that the Allied "de-Nazification" of Germany would deplete Europe of the very people necessary to preserve Western civilization from the "barbarians" of the East. As a result of these statements he was relieved of command and reassigned to a unit drawing up a history of the European campaign—a position to his liking, since he was a first-rate military historian. Shortly after, however, he was injured in a car accident near Mannheim, Germany. Though his injuries did not appear life-threatening, his condition worsened suddenly, and he died in a military hospital on 21 December 1945.

Source:

Ladislaw Farago, The Last Days of Patton (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1981).

George Smith Patton Jr.

The American Army officer George Smith Patton, Ir. (1885-1945), was one of the outstanding tactical commanders of World War II. His campaigns in Sicily, France, and Germany were distinguished by boldness and an imaginative use of armor.

George Patton was born on Nov. 11, 1885, in San Gabriel, Calif. His family was one of the wealthiest in the state. After attending private schools, he went to the U.S. Military Academy, graduating in 1909 and joining the cavalry. He loved horses and was one of the Army's best polo players. He was an eccentric, both at the academy and later in the Army, noted for speaking his mind and for his steady stream of curse words.

Despite his mannerisms—which most of his contemporaries found offensive—Patton was hardworking, intelligent, and courageous. He moved ahead rapidly in the Army. He was the first officer detailed to the Tank Corps in World War I, and he led tanks in action. In 1921 Patton returned to the cavalry. He went back to the armored branch in 1940 and quickly rose to division command.

During World War II, in November 1942, Patton led the American forces landing at Casablanca, Morocco. His first real opportunity to shine came in July 1943, when he led the U.S. 7th Army in the invasion of Sicily. He soon became famous for his daring assaults, rapid marches, and use of armor. He also, however, slapped a hospitalized enlisted man suffering from shell shock (Patton accused him of cowardice). His immediate superior, Gen. Dwight Eisenhower, refused to bow to popular pressure and dismiss Patton but did order him to stay quietly in his headquarters in occupied Sicily.

In spring 1944 Eisenhower brought Patton to England and gave him command of the U.S. 3d Army, which had the task of driving the Germans out of north-central France after the Allies broke out of the Normandy beachhead. Patton activitated the 3d Army early in August 1944 and started it across France, pausing only when his tanks ran out of fuel. By then (late September) he had cleared most of France of the enemy.

Patton's flamboyant character, his caustic remarks to his troops, the pearl-handled pistols he wore on his hips, and most of all his performance combined to make him a national hero. He enjoyed this role, which made it difficult for him to accept Eisenhower's decision to give priority in scarce supplies to the forces of British general Bernard Montgomery. In March 1945 Patton regained the headlines, as he drove the 3rd Army over the Rhine River before Montgomery could get his troops across. Patton then drove through Germany and by the end of the war had his troops in Austria.

Placed in charge of the occupation forces in Bavaria, Patton was soon in trouble. His use of former Nazi officials to help administer the area ran counter to official American policy and made him a target for liberal criticism. He made matters worse when he argued the point to the press. Eisenhower removed him from command. Patton died on Dec. 21, 1945, as a result of an automobile accident in Germany.

Further Reading

Patton's family gathered his diary and other notes and published them as War as I Knew It (1947). Probably the most objective biography of the controversial Patton is the study by Ladislas Farago, Patton: Ordeal and Triumph (1963), which makes judicious use of the Army's official histories of World War II. Robert S. Allen, Lucky Forward: The History of Patton's Third U.S. Army (1947), is a highly laudatory account. Patton's nephew, Fred Ayer, Jr., wrote Before the Colors Fade: Portrait of a Soldier, George S. Patton, Jr. (1964), a sympathetic view by one closely associated with Patton. See also Harry Hodges Semmes, Portrait of Patton (1955), and Charles R. Codman, Drive (1957). □

George Smith Patton, Jr. 1885–1945, American general, b. San Gabriel, Calif. A graduate of West Point (1909), he served in World War I and was wounded while commanding a tank brigade in France. Subsequently he served in the cavalry and the tank corps. In World War II he commanded (1942–43) a corps in North Africa and the 7th Army in Sicily. Despite a brilliant record, a much-publicized incident (Patton slapped a soldier suffering from battle fatigue) cost him his command and delayed until Aug., 1944, promotion to the permanent rank of major general. Patton was a particularly skilled at the rapid advance of his forces as well as the surprise flanking attack. Early in 1944 he was given command of the 3d Army, which spearheaded the spectacular sweep of U.S. forces from Normandy through Brittany and N France, relieved Bastogne in Dec., 1944 (see Battle of the Bulge ), crossed the Rhine (Mar., 1945), and raced across S Germany into Czechoslovakia. As military governor of Bavaria, he was criticized for leniency to Nazis and was removed (Oct., 1945) to take charge of the U.S. 15th Army. Patton was fatally injured in an automobile accident in Germany.

Bibliography: See his autobiography (1947); M. Blumenson, ed., The Patton Papers (2 vol., 1972–74); biographies by F. Ayer, Jr. (1971), C. Peifer, Jr. (1988), and C. D'Este (1995); studies by H. Essame (1974), Z. Favago (1986), M. Blumenson (1985), and J. W. Jordan (2011).

Patton, George S. (1885–1945) military officer, born in San Gabriel, California. Patton was an aide to Gen. John J. Pershing during the army's attempt to capture the Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa (1916–17). Patton accompanied Pershing to France in 1917 and became an expert in tank warfare. He commanded the Western Task Forces whose invasion of North Africa in 1942 led to the French surrender there in only three days. Patton led the Allied invasion of Sicily (1943), another quick victory. He trained the U.S. 3rd Army to follow the Allies into France after D-Day (1944) and won praise for his boldness and surefootedness. Patton's quick action in the Battle of the Bulge (1944–45) was instrumental in stopping the Nazi offensive and led to his becoming a four-star general. However, his concerns about future Soviet aggression led him to oppose rapid denazification of postwar Germany, a controversial position that cost him his command. He died from a broken neck suffered in an automobile accident.

Patton, George Smith (1885–1945) US general. In World War II Patton commanded a corps in North Africa and then the 7th Army in Sicily. He lost his command in 1944 after a publicized incident in which he hit a soldier suffering from battle fatigue, but later led the 3rd Army in the NORMANDY CAMPAIGN. His tendency to make rapid military advance, at times with no regard for supporting units or allies, became evident in 1944 in his spectacular sweep through France, across the Rhine, and into Czechoslovakia. As military governor of Bavaria, he was criticized for his leniency to Nazis. He was killed in a road accident while commanding the US 15th Army.

Patton, George Smith, Jr. (1885–1945) US general. In World War I, he served with the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) in France. During World War II, Patton commanded a tank corps in North Africa, and the 7th Army in Sicily. After the D-Day invasion in 1944, he commanded the 3rd Army in its dash across France and into Germany. As military governor of Bavaria after the war, he was criticized for leniency to Nazis and was removed to command the US 15th Army.

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