| George Smith Patton | |
|---|---|
| November 11, 1885 – December 21, 1945 (aged 60) | |
 |
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| Nickname | Old Blood and Guts |
| Place of birth | San Gabriel, California |
| Place of death | Heidelberg, Germany |
| Allegiance |  United States of America |
| Service/branch |  United States Army |
| Years of service | 1909-06-11–1945-12-21 |
| Rank | General |
| Commands held | Machinegun Platoon/3/15th Cavalry Regiment K/3/15th Cavalry Regiment A/1/7th Cavalry Regiment Hqs Troop/American Expeditionary Force 302nd Tank Center 1st Light Tank Battalion 1st Light Tank Regiment 1st Tank Brigade 304th Tank Brigade 3/3rd Cavalry Regiment 5th Cavalry Regiment 3rd Cavalry Regiment 2/2nd Armored Division 2nd Armored Division US 1st Armored Corps Desert Training Center US 1st Armored Corps U.S. II Corps US 1st Armored Corps U.S. Seventh Army U.S. Third Army U.S. Fifteenth Army |
| Battles/wars | Mexican Expedition World War I World War II |
| Awards | Distinguished Service Cross (2) Distinguished Service Medal (3) Silver Star (2) Bronze Star Purple Heart Order of the Bath Order of the British Empire |
| Relations | Major General George Patton IV (son) |
George Smith Patton GCB, OBE (November 11, 1885 – December 21, 1945) was a leading U.S. Army general in World War II in campaigns in North Africa, Sicily, France, and Germany, 1943–1945. Events 308 - The Congress of Carnuntum: Attempting to keep peace within the Roman Empire, the leaders of the Tetrarchy declare Year 1885 ( MDCCCLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Events 69 - The end of the Year of the four emperors: Following Galba, Otho and Vitellius, Vespasian Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar San Gabriel is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Heidelberg is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. As of 2006 over 140000 people live within the city's area The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The United States Army is a military organization whose primary mission is to "provide necessary forces and capabilities. Year 1909 ( MCMIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting Events 1184 BC - Trojan War: Troy is sacked and burned according to the calculations of Eratosthenes. Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar Events 69 - The end of the Year of the four emperors: Following Galba, Otho and Vitellius, Vespasian The 66th Armor Regiment is the oldest Armored unit in the United States Army, tracing its lineage to the beginning of the Tank Service in February 1918 under The 66th Armor Regiment is the oldest Armored unit in the United States Army, tracing its lineage to the beginning of the Tank Service in February 1918 under The 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment is a Regiment of the United States Army currently stationed at Fort Hood TX. The 2nd Armored Division of the United States Army &mdashnicknamed Hell On Wheels &mdash played an important role during World War II in the invasions The US II Corps was a Corps of the United States Army and the first American formation of any size to see combat in Europe or Africa The Seventh United States Army, formerly the United States Army Europe, is the land component of United States European Command. United States Army Central, formerly the Third United States Army was a field army of the United States Army. The Fifteenth United States Army was the last Field army to see service in northwest Europe during World War II and was the final command of the legendary Gen The Punitive Expedition (officially known in the United States as the Mexican Expedition) was a Military operation conducted by the United States World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The Distinguished Service Cross (DSC is the second highest military decoration that can be awarded to a member of the United States Army, awarded for extreme This article concerns the United States Army Distinguished Service Medal The Silver Star is the third highest military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the United States Armed Forces. The Bronze Star Medal is a United States Armed Forces individual military decoration which may be awarded for bravery acts of merit or meritorious service The Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those who have been wounded or killed while serving The Most Honourable Order of the Bath (formerly The Most Honourable Military Order of the Bath) is a British Order of chivalry founded by George The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British Order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. George Smith Patton (formerly George Patton IV) ( December 24, 1923 in Boston Massachusetts - June 27, 2004 in South The Most Honourable Order of the Bath (formerly The Most Honourable Military Order of the Bath) is a British Order of chivalry founded by George The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British Order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. Events 308 - The Congress of Carnuntum: Attempting to keep peace within the Roman Empire, the leaders of the Tetrarchy declare Year 1885 ( MDCCCLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Events 69 - The end of the Year of the four emperors: Following Galba, Otho and Vitellius, Vespasian Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar The United States Army is a military organization whose primary mission is to "provide necessary forces and capabilities. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including In World War I he was a senior commander of the new tank corps and saw action in France. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All After the war he was an advocate of armored warfare but was reassigned to the cavalry. Armoured warfare or tank warfare is the use of Armoured fighting vehicles in Modern warfare. In World War II he commanded both corps and armies in North Africa, Sicily, and the European Theater of Operations. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including During World War II, the North African Campaign, also known as the Desert War, took place in the North African desert from June 10, 1940 The Allied invasion of Sicily, codenamed Operation Husky, was a major World War II campaign in which the Allies took Sicily from the Axis The European Theater of Operations (ETO is the term used in the United States to refer to US operations north of Italy and
Family
George Smith Patton was born in San Gabriel Township, California (in what is now the city of San Marino), to George Smith Patton Sr. San Marino is an affluent city in Los Angeles County, California, USA. (November, 1856 – June, 1927) and Ruth Wilson. Events in November All Saints' Day (formerly All Hallows Day a Christian holy day is celebrated on November 1, the day after Halloween Year 1856 ( MDCCCLVI) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year Year 1927 ( MCMXXVII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Ruth Beverly Wilson was married to Jacob Epstein. Epstein had been wounded in the Spanish Civil War after he volunteered for the International Brigades Although he was technically the third George Smith Patton he was given the name Junior. The Pattons were an affluent family of Scottish descent. The Scots people ( Scots Gaelic: Albannaich) are a Nation and an Ethnic group indigenous to Scotland. As a boy, Patton read widely in classics and military history. Patton's father was an acquaintance of John Singleton Mosby, a cavalry hero of the Confederate Army in the U.S. Civil War, serving first under J.E.B. Stuart and then as a guerrilla fighter. John Singleton Mosby ( December 6 1833 &ndash May 30 1916) also known as the "Gray Ghost" was a Confederate Partisan The Cavalry (from French cavalerie) is the second oldest of the Combat Arms, and as Soldiers or Warriors who fought mounted on A hero (from Greek grc ἥρως hērōs) in Greek mythology and Folklore, was originally a Demigod, the offspring of a mortal and The War Department was established by the Confederate Congress in an act on February 21, 1861. Causes of the war See also Origins of the American Civil War, Timeline of events leading to the American Civil War The coexistence of a slave-owning South James Ewell Brown "Jeb" Stuart ( February 6, 1833 &ndash May 12, 1864) was an American soldier from Virginia and a Guerrilla warfare is the unconventional warfare and combat with which a small group of combatants use mobile tactics (ambushes raids etc The younger Patton grew up hearing Mosby's stories of military glory. From an early age, the young Patton sought to become a general and hero in his own right.
Patton came from a long line of soldiers including General Hugh Mercer of the American Revolution. Hugh Mercer ( January 17, 1726 &ndash January 12, 1777) was a Physician, a Brigadier general in the Continental In this article the inhabitants of the thirteen colonies that supported the American Revolution are primarily referred to as "Americans" with occasional references to "Patriots" [1] His great grandfather John M. Patton was a governor of Virginia. John Mercer Patton ( August 10, 1797 October 29, 1858) was a nineteenth century politician and lawyer from Virginia. A great-uncle, Waller T. Patton, perished of wounds received in Pickett's Charge during the Battle of Gettysburg. Waller Tazewell Patton ( July 15, 1835 &ndash July 21, 1863) was a Professor, Attorney, and an officer of the Confederate See also Battle of Gettysburg See also [[Gettysburg Battlefield]] [[Gettysburg Confederate order of battle]] [[Confederate order of battle]] and [[Gettysburg Union order Background and movement to battle See also [[Gettysburg Campaign]] [[Gettysburg Battlefield]] [[Gettysburg Confederate order of battle]] [[Confederate order of battle]] Another relative, Hugh Weedon Mercer, was a Confederate General. Hugh Weedon Mercer ( November 27, 1808 &ndash June 9, 1877) was an officer in the United States Army and then a Confederate
His 7th great-grandfather was Louis Dubois, a French Huguenot immigrant, who with 11 others founded the town of New Paltz, New York. Louis DuBois was a Huguenot colonist in New Netherland who with two of his sons and nine other refugees founded the village of New Paltz New York The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France (or French Calvinists) from the sixteenth to the eighteenth
Patton's paternal grandparents were Colonel George Smith Patton and Susan Thornton Glassell. Colonel ( RP ˈkɜnəl GA ˈkɜrnəl is a Military rank of a Commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every country Patton's grandfather, born in Fredericksburg, graduated from Virginia Military Institute (VMI), Class of 1852, second in a class of 24. Fredericksburg is an Independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia and is located 50 miles south of Washington D The Virginia Military Institute ( VMI) located in Lexington Virginia, is the oldest state-supported military college and one of six senior After graduation, George Smith Patton studied law and practiced in Charleston. When the American Civil War broke out, he served in the 22nd Virginia Infantry of the Confederate States of America. Causes of the war See also Origins of the American Civil War, Timeline of events leading to the American Civil War The coexistence of a slave-owning South The Confederate States of America (also called the Confederacy, the Confederate States, and CSA) formed as the government set up from 1861
Dying at the Battle of Opequon(the Third Battle of Winchester), Patton's grandfather left behind a namesake son, born in Charleston, Virginia (now West Virginia). Background Maj Gen Philip H Sheridan was given command of the Army of the Shenandoah and sent to the Shenandoah Valley to deal with the Confederate threat of Lt Charleston is the Capital of the US state of West Virginia. It is located at the confluence of the Elk and West Virginia ( is a state in the Appalachian Upland South, and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States, bordered by The second George Smith Patton (born George William Patton in 1856, changing his name to honor his late father in 1868) was one of four children. Graduating from the Virginia Military Institute in 1877, Patton's father served as L. Year 1877 ( MDCCCLXXVII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common A. County District Attorney and the first City Attorney for the city of Pasadena, California and the first mayor of San Marino, California. The prosecutor is the chief legal representative of the prosecution in countries with either the Common law Adversarial system, or the civil law Pasadena ( is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. A mayor (from the Latin māior, meaning "greater" is a modern title used in many countries for the highest ranking officer in a municipal government San Marino is an affluent city in Los Angeles County, California, USA. He was a Wilsonian Democrat with a romantic nostalgia for the lost cause of the Confederate States of America, was disgusted by Reconstruction, and publicly advocated the "continued supremacy" of "Aryan civilization. The Confederate States of America (also called the Confederacy, the Confederate States, and CSA) formed as the government set up from 1861 Aryan is an English word derived from the Sanskrit " Ārya " meaning "noble" or "honorable" " This certainly helped to shape George, Jr. 's attitudes as evidenced when he took his daughter, Ruth Ellen, to see Robert E. Lee's grave, and handing her a small Confederate flag, told her, "You're so unreconstructed. "
His maternal grandparents were Benjamin Davis Wilson, (December 1, 1811 to March 11, 1878), the namesake of Southern California's Mount Wilson, and his second wife, Margaret Hereford. Benjamin Davis Wilson ( December 1, 1811 - March 11, 1878) was a California statesman and politician Events 800 - Charlemagne judges the accusations against Pope Leo III in the Vatican Year 1811 ( MDCCCXI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Events 1425 BC - Thutmose III, Pharaoh of Egypt, dies (according to the Low Chronology of the 18th Dynasty Year 1878 ( MDCCCLXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Southern California, or So Cal, is defined as the southern portion of the U Mount Wilson is one of the more prominent peaks in the San Gabriel Mountains, part of the Angeles National Forest in Los Angeles County California, USA Wilson was a self-made man who was orphaned in Nashville, Tennessee, and made his fortune as a fur trapper and adventurer during the Indian Wars and the war against Mexico, before marrying the daughter of a Mexican land baron and settling in what would become California's San Gabriel Valley. California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. The San Gabriel Valley is one of the principal valleys of southern California.
Patton's mother kept paintings, and statues, of Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson on the wall in their home. Robert Edward Lee (January 19 1807 &ndash October 12 1870 was a career United States Army officer, an Engineer, and among the most celebrated Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson (January 21 1824 &ndash May 10 1863 was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, and probably the Patton admired them as he knelt to say his prayers, initially thinking that they were portraits of God and Jesus. God is the principal or sole Deity in Religions and other belief systems that worship one deity. Jesus of Nazareth (7–2 BC / BCE —26–36 AD / CE)
Patton, along with many other members of his family, was a staunch believer in reincarnation. He often claimed to behold visions of his ancestors. Anecdotal evidence indicates that he held himself to be the reincarnation of the Carthaginian general Hannibal, or a Roman legionary, or a Napoleonic marshal, etc. Hannibal (Pronounced in Phoenician: Hanniba'al means " Ba'al is my grace " or " Ba'al has given me grace " 247 BC &ndash [2]
He was married to Beatrice Banning Ayer (January 12, 1886 - September 30, 1953), the daughter of a wealthy textile baron, on May 26, 1910. Together they had three children, Beatrice Smith (March 19, 1911–October 24, 1952), Ruth Ellen (February 28, 1915–November 25, 1993) and George Smith Patton (December 24, 1923–June 30, 2004). George Smith Patton (formerly George Patton IV) ( December 24, 1923 in Boston Massachusetts - June 27, 2004 in South
Education
Patton attended Virginia Military Institute for one year, where he rushed VMI's chapter of the Kappa Alpha Order. The Virginia Military Institute ( VMI) located in Lexington Virginia, is the oldest state-supported military college and one of six senior History Kappa Alpha Order was originally founded as Phi Kappa Chi on December 21 1865, at Washington and Lee University in Lexington Virginia. He then transferred to the United States Military Academy. "USMA" redirects here For other uses see USMA (disambiguation The United States Military Academy (also known as USMA, The Academy compelled him to repeat his first "plebe" year after doing poorly in mathematics. Plebs were the general body of landowners of Roman Citizens in Ancient Rome. He repeated his plebe year with honors, and was appointed Cadet Adjutant (the second highest position for a cadet) eventually graduating in 1909 and receiving his commission as a cavalry officer.
The Fifth Olympiad
Patton participated in the Fifth Olympiad (Stockholm, 1912), representing the United States in the first-ever modern pentathlon. The 1912 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad, were an International Multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1912 in ('stɔkhɔlm is Sweden 's Capital and its largest City. It is the site of the national Swedish government, the parliament, and the The modern pentathlon is a Sports contest that includes five events derived from the Greek root of pente, meaning five Patton performed well in each event:
Pistol shooting
Patton scored 10, 10, 10, 9, 8; 10, 10, 10, 0, 0; 10, 10, 9, 9, 8; and 10, 10, 10, 9, 7. He placed 21st out of 42 contestants. Even though his bullet holes were clustered together in the center of the target, the Judges decided one bullet had missed the target altogether. Patton maintained that two of his bullets must have gone through the same hole.
300 meter freestyle swimming
Patton placed sixth out of 37 contestants in a competition event.
Fencing
Patton placed third out of 29 contestants, and gave the Frenchman who eventually won the Gold medal his only defeat of the Pentathlon. Gold Medal is an Album by American band The Donnas, released in 2004 (see 2004 in music) The weapon employed was the European dueling sword, which weighed 1. The European dueling sword in the narrow sense is a basket and cage hilted weapon in use specifically in Duels from the late 17th to the 19th century 25 to 1. 5 pounds, was 2 inches in circumference at the hilt and tapered to the point, and had a bell guard 5 inches in diameter.
Equestrian cross-country steeplechase
Patton and two Swedes turned in perfect performances, but he placed third in timing, so he finished in third place. Riders were started singly at five minute intervals over the course, which included cross-country terrain, 25 designated jumps, and 50 minor unmarked obstacles.
Four kilometer cross-country foot race
Patton competed against three Swedes, three Britons, three Russians, two Frenchmen, two Danes, and one Austrian. Runners were started at one minute intervals; they then left the stadium and proceeded over cross-country terrain in a loop that brought them back to the stadium. They started and finished in front of the Swedish royal boxes. Patton hit the wall 50 yards from the finish line then fainted after crossing the line at a walk. He finished third out of 15 contestants.
Scoring controversy
He finished the modern Pentathlon in fifth place. He used a . 38 caliber. The holes in the paper were so large that some of his other bullets passed through them, and the judges said he missed the target completely (Modern competitions on this level frequently now employ a moving background to specifically track multiple shots through the same hole). [3]. [4] There was much controversy about Patton’s finish in the pistol shooting, but the judges’ ruling prevailed. If Patton had prevailed, it is highly likely that he would have won the Gold medal instead of fifth place. As it was, Patton neither complained, nor made excuses. Patton's only comment was that ". . . 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 regret to say marred some of the other civilian competitions at the Olympic Games. Each man did his best and took what fortune sent 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. "
The Patton Saber
After the Olympics, Lieutenant Patton was made the Army's youngest-ever "Master of the Sword. " While Master of the Sword, Patton improved and modernized the Army's Cavalry Saber fencing techniques and designed the Model 1913 Cavalry Saber. The Model 1913 Cavalry Saber was designed by Second Lieutenant (later General George S It had a large, basket-shaped hilt mounting a straight, double-edged, thrusting blade designed for use by heavy cavalry. Now known as the “Patton” Saber, it was heavily influenced by the 1908 and 1912 Pattern British Army Cavalry Swords. The 1908 Pattern Cavalry Trooper's Sword (and the 1912 Pattern the equivalent for officers) was the last service sword
These weapons were never used as intended. At the beginning of U. S. involvement in World War I, several American cavalry units armed with sabers were brought to the front but they were held back; the nature of war had changed, making horse-mounted troops easy prey for enemy troops carrying quick-firing guns. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All The slashing and thrusting saber attacks had become obsolete.
Early military career
During the Mexican Expedition of 1916, Patton was assigned to the 8th Cavalry Regiment[5] in Fort Bliss, Texas. The Punitive Expedition (officially known in the United States as the Mexican Expedition) was a Military operation conducted by the United States Year 1916 ( MCMXVI) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year The 8th Cavalry Regiment was constituited July 28 1866 and organized as a regiment on September 21 1866 at Camp Reynolds, Fort Bliss is a United States Army Military installation of approximately -- the second largest in the Army behind the adjacent White Sands Missile Texas ( is a state geographically located in the South Central United States and is also known as the Lone Star State. He accompanied then-Brigadier General John J. Pershing as his aide during the Punitive Expedition in his pursuit of Pancho Villa, after Villa's forces had crossed into New Mexico, raided and looted the town of Columbus, and killed several Americans. Brigadier General is the lowest ranking General Officer in some countries usually sitting between the ranks of Colonel and Major General. John Joseph "Black Jack" Pershing, GCB ( September 13, 1860 – July 15, 1948) was an officer in the United States Army The Punitive Expedition (officially known in the United States as the Mexican Expedition) was a Military operation conducted by the United States Doroteo Arango Arámbula ( June 5 1878 &ndash July 20 1923) better known as Francisco or " Pancho " Villa During his service, Patton, accompanied by ten soldiers of the 6th Infantry Regiment, killed two Mexican leaders, including "General" Julio Cardenas, commander of Villa's personal bodyguard. The 6th Infantry Regiment (“The Regulars” was formed in 1812 For this action, as well as Patton's affinity for the Colt Peacemaker, Pershing titled Patton his "Bandito". The Colt Single Action Army Handgun (also known as the Colt Peacemaker, Single Action Army or SAA, Colt. Patton's success in this regard gained him a level of fame in the United States, and he was featured in newspapers across the nation.
World War I
At the onset of the USA's entry into World War I, General Pershing promoted Patton to the rank of captain. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All John Joseph "Black Jack" Pershing, GCB ( September 13, 1860 – July 15, 1948) was an officer in the United States Army See " Captain " for other versions of this rank In the uniformed services of the United States, captain is a federal While in France, Patton requested that he be given a combat command and Pershing assigned him to the newly formed United States Tank Corps. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Depending on the source, he either led the U. S. Tank Corps or was an observer at the 1917 Battle of Cambrai, where the first tanks were used as a significant force. The Battle of Cambrai ( 20 November - 3 December 1917) was a British campaign of World War I. A tank is a tracked, Armoured fighting vehicle designed for Front-line combat which combines Operational mobility and tactical As the U. S. Tank Corps did not take part in this battle the role of observer is the most likely. From his successes (and his organization of a training school for American tankers in Langres, France), Patton was promoted to major and then lieutenant colonel and was placed in charge of the U. Langres is a town and commune of eastern France. It is a subprefecture of the Haute-Marne departement, in the Champagne-Ardenne This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Major is a Military rank the use of which varies according to country Please see " Lieutenant Colonel " for other countries which use this rank In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps S. Tank Corps, which was part of the American Expeditionary Force and then the First U. The American Expeditionary Forces or AEF was the United States military force sent to Europe in World War I. S. Army. He took part in the Battle of Saint-Mihiel, September 1918, and was wounded by machine gun fire as he sought assistance for tanks that were mired in the mud. The Battle of Saint-Mihiel was a World War I battle fought between September 12 - 15 1918 involving the American Expeditionary Force and 48000 French Year 1918 ( MCMXVIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common For other uses of the phrase see Machine Gun (disambiguation. The bullet passed through his upper thigh and for years afterwards, when Patton was inebriated at social events, he would drop his pants to show his wound and called himself a "half-assed general. " While Patton was recuperating from his wounds, hostilities ended.
For his service in the Meuse-Argonne Operations, Patton received the Distinguished Service Medal and the Distinguished Service Cross, and was given a battlefield promotion to a full colonel. The Meuse-Argonn Offensive, also called the Battle of the Argonne Forest, was a part of the final Allied offensive of World War I (and known as the Grand The Distinguished Service Medal is the highest non-valorous military and civilian decoration of the United States of America military which is issued for exceptionally meritorious The Distinguished Service Cross (DSC is the second highest military decoration that can be awarded to a member of the United States Army, awarded for extreme Colonel ( RP ˈkɜnəl GA ˈkɜrnəl is a Military rank of a Commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every country For his combat wounds, he was presented the Purple Heart. The Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those who have been wounded or killed while serving
The interwar years
While on duty in Washington, D.C. in 1919, Captain (he reverted from his wartime temporary rank of Colonel) Patton met Dwight D. Eisenhower, who would play an enormous role in Patton's future career. Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D Year 1919 ( MCMXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (October 14 1890 – March 28 1969 was President of the United States from 1953 until 1961 and a five-star general In the early 1920s, Patton petitioned the U.S. Congress to appropriate funding for an armored force, but had little luck. The 1920s is sometimes referred to as the " Jazz Age " or the " Roaring Twenties " when speaking about the United States and Canada The United States Congress is the bicameral Legislature of the federal government of the United States of America, consisting of two houses Patton also wrote professional articles on tank and armored car tactics, suggesting new methods for their use. A military armored (or armoured) car (see spelling differences) is a wheeled armored vehicle lighter than other armored fighting vehicles primarily He also continued working on improvements to tanks, coming up with innovations in radio communication and tank mounts. Radio is the transmission of signals by Modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible Light. A tank gun is the main armament of a Tank. Modern tank guns are large- Caliber high-velocity guns capable of firing Kinetic energy penetrators However, the lack of interest in armor created a poor atmosphere for promotion and career advancement so Patton transferred back to the horse cavalry. The Cavalry (from French cavalerie) is the second oldest of the Combat Arms, and as Soldiers or Warriors who fought mounted on
In July 1932, Patton served under Army Chief of Staff General Douglas MacArthur, as a major leading 600 troops, including the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, in an action to disperse the protesting veterans known as the "Bonus Army" in Washington, D.C.. The Chief of Staff of the United States Army ( CSA) is the highest ranking officer in the United States Army and is member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General MacArthur redirects here for other meanings see General MacArthur (disambiguation. Major is a Military rank the use of which varies according to country The 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment is a Regiment of the United States Army currently stationed at Fort Hood TX. The self-named Bonus Expeditionary Force was an assemblage of some 43000 marchers — 17000 World War I veterans their families and affiliated groups who protested Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D MacArthur ordered the troops to advance on the protesters with tear gas and bayonets. A lachrymatory agent or lachrymator (from lacrima meaning "a tear " in Latin) (commonly referred to as tear gas) is a A bayonet (from French baïonnette) is a Knife - Dagger - or spike-shaped Weapon designed to fit on or over the muzzle At one point, when the protesters resisted with bricks and curses, Patton led the last mounted charge of the U. S. Cavalry. One of the veterans rousted by the cavalry was Joe Angelo, who had received the Distinguished Service Cross in 1918 for saving Patton's life. Joe Angelo was an American veteran of World War One and recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross, who was later involved in the Bonus Army movement of the 1930s
Patton served in Hawaii before returning to Washington to once again ask Congress for funding for armored units. The State of Hawaii ( or həˈwaɪʔiː Hawaiian: Mokuāina o Hawaii) is a state in the United States located on an Archipelago in the Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D In the late 1930s, Patton was assigned command of Fort Myer, Virginia. The 1930s were described as an abrupt shift to more radical and conservative lifestyles as countries were struggling to find a solution to the Great Depression. Fort Myer is a US Army post adjacent to Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County Virginia, across the Potomac River The Commonwealth of Virginia ( is an American state Shortly after Germany's blitzkrieg attacks in Europe, Maj. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Blitzkrieg (German for "lightning war" is a popular name for an Offensive operational-level Military doctrine which involves an initial Gen. Adna Chaffee, the first Chief of the U. Adna Romanza Chaffee Jr (September 23 1884&ndashAugust 22 1941 was a major general in the United States Army, called the "Father of the Armored Force" S. Army's newly created Armored Force was finally able to convince Congress of the need for armored divisions. This led to the activation of the 1st and 2nd Armored Divisions in 1940. Col. Patton was given command of the 2nd Armored Brigade, US 2nd Armored Division in July 1940. A brigade is a Military unit Echelon: is The 2nd Armored Division of the United States Army &mdashnicknamed Hell On Wheels &mdash played an important role during World War II in the invasions He became the Asst. Division Commander the following October, and was promoted to Brigadier General on the second day of that month. Patton served as the acting Division Commander from November 1940 until April 1941. He was promoted to Major General on 4 April and made Commanding General of the 2nd Armored Division 7 days later. Major General or Major-General is a Military rank used in many countries Events 1581 - Francis Drake completes a circumnavigation of the world and is knighted by Elizabeth I.
World War II
During the buildup of the U.S. Army prior to its entry into World War II, Patton commanded the 2nd Armored Division which performed with mixed results in both the Louisiana Maneuvers and Carolinas Maneuvers in 1941. The United States Army is a military organization whose primary mission is to "provide necessary forces and capabilities. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The 2nd Armored Division of the United States Army &mdashnicknamed Hell On Wheels &mdash played an important role during World War II in the invasions The Louisiana Maneuvers were a series of military exercises held all over North Louisiana, including Fort Polk, Camp Claiborne and Camp Livingston The 2nd Armored Division was stationed at Fort Benning, Georgia, until the unit, along with its commander, was ordered to the newly established Desert Training Center in Indio, California by the Chief of the Armored Force, Maj. Fort Benning is a United States Army post located southwest Indio California, is a US city located in the Coachella Valley of Southern California's Desert region Gen. Jacob L. Devers. General Jacob "Jake" Loucks Devers ( September 8, 1887 - October 15, 1979) who is best remembered for his command of the Patton was subsequently appointed commander of the newly activated I Armored Corps by Devers, and was in this position when the corps was assigned to Operation Torch, the Invasion of North Africa. Operation Torch (initially called Operation Gymnast) was the British - American invasion of French North Africa in World War II In preparation for this invasion, Patton trained his troops in the Imperial Valley. The Imperial Valley is a region of southeastern California ( USA) located in part between the Colorado River and the Salton Sea, which He commenced these exercises in late 1941, and continued them well into the summer of 1942. Patton chose a 10,000 square acre expanse of unforgiving desert known for its blistering temperatures, sandy arroyos and absolute desolation. It was a close match for the terrain Patton and his men would encounter during the campaigns in North Africa. To this day, history buffs can still find tank tracks, foxholes and spent shell casing in an area about 50 miles southeast of Palm Springs. Palm Springs is a desert city in Riverside County, California, approximately 111 miles (177 km east of Los Angeles and 136 miles (225 km northeast of
On June 3, 1942, Patton believed the Japanese were on a course to invade Mexico. Events 350 - Roman usurper Nepotianus, of the Constantinian dynasty, proclaims himself Roman Emperor, entering Year 1942 ( MCMXLII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The United Mexican States ( or commonly Mexico (ˈmɛksɪkoʊ () is a federal constitutional Republic in North America. He believed the Japanese would use the beaches of Mexico to move north into California. The Empire of Japan ( {{unicode|Kyūjitai}}: ja 大日本帝國 Shinjitai: ja 大日本帝国 pronounced Dai Nippon Teikoku California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. For three days, Patton had his troops on high alert to move within minutes to meet the invading Japanese at the tip of the Gulf of California. " Sea of Cortez " redirects here For the book by John Steinbeck, see The Log from the Sea of Cortez. [6] The Japanese invasion fleet eventually landed on Kiska Island on June 6. The Aleutian Islands campaign was a struggle over the Aleutian Islands, part of Alaska, in the Pacific campaign of World War II. Events 1508 - Maximilian I Holy Roman Emperor, is defeated in Friulia by Venetian forces; he is forced to sign a three-year
North African campaign
In 1942, Major-General Patton commanded the Western Task Force of the U. During World War II, the North African Campaign, also known as the Desert War, took place in the North African desert from June 10, 1940 Year 1942 ( MCMXLII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Major General or Major-General is a Military rank used in many countries S. Army, which landed on the coast of Vichy French-held Morocco in Operation Torch. Vichy France, or the Vichy regime are the common terms used to describe the government of France from July 1940 to August 1944 Morocco (المغرب "al-Maghrib" officially the Kingdom of Morocco (المملكة المغربية is a country located in North Africa Operation Torch (initially called Operation Gymnast) was the British - American invasion of French North Africa in World War II Patton and his staff arrived in Morocco aboard the heavy cruiser USS Augusta, which came under fire from the Vichy French battleship Jean Bart while entering the harbor of Casablanca. Beginnings The Augusta a "Treaty" cruiser of 10000 tons normal displacement was laid down on 2 July 1928 at Newport News Virginia, by Pictures Casablanca (in Standard Arabic: الدار البيضاء ad-Dār al-Bayḍāʼ; Moroccan Arabic: dar beïda الدار البيضا
In 1943, following the defeats of the U.S. II Corps (then part of British 1st Army) by the German Afrika Korps at the Battle of Sidi Bou Zid and again at the Battle of the Kasserine Pass, General Dwight D. "Ike" Eisenhower wanted an assessment of the corps. Year 1943 ( MCMXLIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The US II Corps was a Corps of the United States Army and the first American formation of any size to see combat in Europe or Africa The First Army was a field army of the British Army that existed during the First and Second World Wars First World War The German Afrikakorps ( German: Deutsches Afrikakorps DAK) was the original German blocking force (Sperrverband = Armored Blocking Force in Libya The Battle of Sidi Bou Zid was a World War II battle that took place during the Tunisia Campaign, fought between the 10th and the 21st Panzer The Battle of Kasserine Pass took place in World War II during the Tunisia Campaign. Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (October 14 1890 – March 28 1969 was President of the United States from 1953 until 1961 and a five-star general After Kasserine, Eisenhower sent Major-General Omar Bradley to observe the conditions of the II Corps operationally. Major General or Major-General is a Military rank used in many countries Omar Nelson Bradley KCB ( February 12, 1893 &ndash April 8, 1981) was one of the main U
On 6 March 1943, as a result of Bradley's report, Patton replaced Major-General Lloyd Fredendall as commander of the II Corps. Events 1079 - Omar Khayyám completes the Iranian calendar. 1454 - Thirteen Years' War: Delegates of Year 1943 ( MCMXLIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Major General or Major-General is a Military rank used in many countries Lloyd Fredendall ( December 28, 1883 - October 4, 1963) was an American General during World War II. The US II Corps was a Corps of the United States Army and the first American formation of any size to see combat in Europe or Africa Patton was also promoted to Lieutenant-General. This article is about a United States military rank For other countries that use a similar rank see Lieutenant General. Soon thereafter, Patton had Bradley reassigned to his Corps Command as deputy commander. Thus began a long wartime association between the two diverse personalities.
Tough in his training, Patton was generally unpopular with his troops. However, they preferred to serve with him because they thought he was their best chance to get home alive. Both British and US officers had noted the "softness" and lack of discipline in the II Corps under Fredendall. Lloyd Fredendall ( December 28, 1883 - October 4, 1963) was an American General during World War II. Patton required all personnel to wear steel helmets, even physicians in the operating wards, and required his troops to wear the unpopular lace-up leggings and neckties. A system of fines was introduced to ensure all personnel shaved daily and observed other uniform requirements. While these measures did not make Patton popular, they did tend to restore a sense of discipline and unit pride that may have been missing earlier. In a play on his nickname, troops joked that it was "his guts and our blood".
The discipline Patton required paid off quickly. By mid-March 1943, the counter-offensive of the U. Events in March American Red Cross Month Fire Prevention month ( The Philippines) Women's History Month ( United Year 1943 ( MCMXLIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. S. II Corps, along with the rest of British 1st Army, pushed the Germans and Italians eastwards. The First Army was a field army of the British Army that existed during the First and Second World Wars First World War Meanwhile the British Eighth Army, commanded by Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, simultaneously pushed them westwards. The Eighth Army was one of the best-known formations in World War II, fighting in the North African and Italian campaigns It was a British For other meanings see Field Marshal (disambiguation Field marshal is a military officer rank Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, KG, GCB, DSO, PC, (məntˈgʌmərɪ əv ˈæləmeɪn This effectively squeezed the Germans and Italians into a smaller and smaller portion of Tunisia and out of North Africa altogether by mid-May. Tunisia (تونس Tūnis officially the Tunisian Republic ( is a country located in North Africa. North Africa or Northern Africa is the Northernmost Region of the African Continent, separated by the Sahara from Sub-Saharan MAY ( also known as: Mei メイ 메이 is a Korean singer well known in South Korea for singing the song "Miracle"
Sicily campaign
As a result of his accomplishments in North Africa, Patton received command of the Seventh Army in preparation for the 1943 invasion of Sicily. The Seventh United States Army, formerly the United States Army Europe, is the land component of United States European Command. The Allied invasion of Sicily, codenamed Operation Husky, was a major World War II campaign in which the Allies took Sicily from the Axis The Seventh Army's mission was to protect the left (western) flank of the British Eighth Army as both advanced northwards towards Messina. The Eighth Army was one of the best-known formations in World War II, fighting in the North African and Italian campaigns It was a British
The Seventh Army repulsed several German counterattacks in the beachhead area before beginning its push north. Meanwhile, the Eighth Army stalled south of Mount Etna in the face of strong German defenses. The Army Group commander, Harold Alexander, exercised only the loosest control over his two commanders. Field Marshal Harold Rupert Leofric George Alexander 1st Earl Alexander of Tunis KG OM GCB GCMG CSI DSO Montgomery therefore took the initiative to meet with Patton in an attempt to work out a coordinated campaign.
Patton formed a provisional Corps under his Chief of Staff, and quickly pushed through western Sicily, liberating the capital, Palermo, and then swiftly turned east towards Messina. Sicily ( Italian and Sicilian: Sicilia) is an autonomous region of Italy. Palermo ( Sicilian: Palermu, Greek: Panormus, al-Madinah during Muslim rule is a historic City in US forces liberated Messina in accordance with the plan jointly created by Montgomery and Patton. However, the Italians and Germans had air and naval supremacy over their withdrawal routes and evacuated all of their soldiers and much of their heavy equipment across the straits of Messina onto the Italian mainland.
Slapping incident and removal from command
Patton's bloodthirsty speeches resulted in controversy when it was claimed one inspired the Biscari Massacre, where American troops who followed his instructions to be ruthless were jailed after killing seventy-six prisoners of war, although Patton and their senior officers were not charged with any wrong-doing. The Biscari massacre describes two World War II incidents in which US troops were involved in killing unarmed German and Italian prisoners of war at A similar event is the Canicattì massacre which saw Sicilian civilians (including one 11 year old girl) killed by a group of soldiers ultimately under Patton's command. The Canicattì slaughter was an incident that occurred in Canicattì, Italy following liberation by American forces
Even worse for him was the "slapping incident", which occurred on August 3, 1943[7] that nearly ended Patton's career. The matter became known after newspaper columnist Drew Pearson revealed it on his November 21 radio program, reporting that General Patton had been "severely reprimanded" as a result. Drew Pearson is the name of Drew Pearson (journalist American journalist (1897–1969 Drew Pearson (football player American football [8] Allied Headquarters denied that Patton had been reprimanded, but confirmed that Patton had slapped a soldier.
According to witnesses, General Patton was visiting patients at a military hospital in Sicily, and came upon a 24-year old soldier who was weeping. Patton asked "What's the matter with you?" and the soldier replied, "It's my nerves, I guess. I can't stand shelling. " Patton "thereupon burst into a rage" and "employing much profanity, he called the soldier a 'coward'" and ordered him back to the front. As a crowd gathered, including the hospital's commanding officer, the doctor who had admitted the soldier, and a nurse, Patton then "struck the youth in the rear of the head with the back of his hand". Reportedly, the nurse "made a dive toward Patton, but was pulled back by a doctor" and the commander intervened. Patton went to other patients, then returned and berated the soldier again. [9]
When General Eisenhower learned of the incident, he ordered Patton to make amends, after which, it was reported, "Patton's conduct then became as generous as it had been furious," and he apologized to the soldier "and to all those present at the time,"[10] After the film Patton was released in 1970, Charles H. Kuhl recounted the story and said that Patton had slapped him across the face and then kicked him as he walked away. "After he left, they took me in and admitted me in the hospital, and found out I had malaria," Kuhl noted, adding that when Patton apologized personally (at Patton's headquarters) "He said he didn't know that I was as sick as I was. " Kuhl, who later worked as a sweeper for Bendix Corporation in Mishawaka, Indiana, added that Patton was "a great general" and added that "I think at the time it happened, he was pretty well worn out himself. The Bendix Corporation was an American manufacturing and engineering company which during various times in its 60 year existence made brake systems aeronautical hydraulics "[11] Kuhl died on January 24, 1971. [12]
As it turned out, Patton had slapped another soldier ten days earlier, though Kuhl's story was the one that received publicity. [13] Other reporters had decided to keep the incident quiet, and Kuhl's parents had avoided mention of the matter "because they did not wish to make trouble for General Patton. "[14] Eisenhower thought of sending Patton home in disgrace, as many newspapers demanded. But after consulting with George Marshall, Eisenhower decided to keep Patton, but without a major command. George Catlett Marshall Jr (December 31 1880 &ndash October 16 1959 was an American military leader Chief of Staff of the Army, Secretary of Eisenhower used Patton's "furlough" as a trick to mislead the Germans as to where the next attack would be, since they assumed Patton would lead the attack and he was the general they feared the most. ˈfɝloʊ}} is a temporary leave of absence especially from duty in the [[armed services]] or from a [[prison]] term During the 10 months Patton was relieved of duty, his prolonged stay in Sicily was interpreted by the Germans to be indicative of an upcoming invasion of southern France. Later, a stay in Cairo was interpreted as heralding an invasion through the Balkans. Cairo () which means "the Vanquisher" or "the Triumphant" is the capital and largest city of Egypt. German intelligence misinterpreted what happened and made faulty plans as a result.
In the months before the June 1944 Normandy invasion, Patton gave public talks as commander of the fictional First U.S. Army Group (FUSAG), which was supposedly intending to invade France by way of Calais. First United States Army Group was a fictitious Army Group invented by the Allies in World War II prior to D-Day, as part of Operation Quicksilver Calais (kaˈlɛ in English often kæˈleɪ traditional English pronunciation /ˈkælɨs/ Kales is a town in northern France. This was part of a sophisticated Allied campaign of military disinformation, Operation Fortitude. Operation Fortitude was the codename for the Deception operations used by the Allied forces during World War II in connection with the Normandy landings The Germans misallocated their forces as a result, and were slow to respond to the actual landings at Normandy.
In a story recounted by Professor Richard Holmes, just three days before D-Day, during a reception in the London Ritz Hotel, Patton shouted across a crowded reception in the direction of Eisenhower "I'll see you in Calais!", much to the consternation of all those around him. The ploy appears to have worked as reports of overnight troop movements North from Normandy were detected by Bletchley Park code decrypts. Bletchley Park, also known as Station X, is an estate located in the town of Bletchley, in Buckinghamshire, and (since 1967 part of Milton Keynes
Normandy
Following the Normandy invasion, Patton was placed in command of the U.S. Third Army, which was on the extreme right (west) of the Allied land forces. United States Army Central, formerly the Third United States Army was a field army of the United States Army. Beginning at noon on August 1, 1944, he led this army during the late stages of Operation Cobra, the breakout from earlier slow fighting in the Normandy hedgerows. Events 30 BC - Octavian (later known as Augustus enters Alexandria, Egypt, bringing it under the control of the Roman Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Operation Cobra was the codename for the World War II operation planned by United States Army General Omar Bradley to break out from the The Third Army simultaneously attacked west (into Brittany), south, east towards the Seine, and north, assisting in trapping several hundred thousand German soldiers in the Chambois pocket, between Falaise and Argentan, Orne. During August 1944 the Falaise pocket was the area between the four towns of Trun, Argentan, Vimoutiers and Chambois near Falaise Falaise is a commune in the Calvados département in the Basse-Normandie region in Normandy, northwestern Argentan is a commune, and the capital of two cantons and of an arrondissement of the Orne department in northwestern France Orne is a department in the northwest of France named after the Orne River.
Patton used Germany's own blitzkrieg tactics against them, covering 60 miles in just two weeks, from Avranches to Argentan. Blitzkrieg (German for "lightning war" is a popular name for an Offensive operational-level Military doctrine which involves an initial Avranches is a commune in the Manche department in the Basse-Normandie region in northwestern France. Argentan is a commune, and the capital of two cantons and of an arrondissement of the Orne department in northwestern France Patton's forces were part of the Allied forces that freed northern France, bypassing Paris. The city itself was liberated by the French 2nd Armored Division under French General Leclerc, insurgents who were fighting in the city, and the US 4th Infantry Division. The 2nd Armored Division (2e Division Blindée 2e DB commanded by General Leclerc, fought during the final phases of World War II in the Western Front Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque ( November 22, 1902 – November 28, 1947) was a French general during World War II The 4th Infantry Division is a modular division of the United States Army based at Fort Carson, Colorado, with four Brigade combat The French 2nd Armored Division had recently been transferred from the 3rd Army, and many soldiers of that Division thought they were still part of 3rd Army. These early 3rd Army offensives showed the characteristic high mobility and aggressiveness of Patton's units. Patton demonstrated an understanding of the use of combined arms by using the XIX Tactical Air Command of the Ninth Air Force to protect his right (southern) flank during his advance to the Seine. Ninth Air Force (Air Forces Central is a Numbered Air Force in Air Combat Command (ACC
Rather than engage in set-piece slugging matches, Patton preferred to bypass centers of resistance and use the mobility of US units to the fullest, defeating German defensive positions through maneuver rather than head-on fighting whenever possible. He was able to do this in part because of his systematic exploitation of ULTRA, a highly classified system that was very successful in reading German Enigma machine ciphers. ULTra ("Urban Light Transport" is a Personal rapid transit system from Advanced Transport Systems Ltd a company based in Cardiff, Wales. The Enigma machine is any one of a family of related electro-mechanical Rotor machines used to generate Ciphers for the Encryption and decryption of Still, Patton was able to continue these tactics despite German radio silence during preparation for the Ardennes Offensive (Battle of the Bulge). The Ardennes Offensive (16 December 1944 – 25 January 1945 was a major German offensive launched towards the end of World War II through the forested Ardennes Mountains
Lorraine
General Patton's offensive, however, came to a screeching halt on August 31, 1944, as the Third Army literally ran out of gas near the Moselle River, just outside of Metz, France. Lorraine Campaign is a term used by US Army historians to describe operations of the U Events 1056 - Byzantine Empress Theodora becomes ill dying suddenly a few days later without children to succeed the Throne Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Moselle (Moselle Mosel Musel is a River flowing through France, Luxembourg and Germany. Metz (mɛs in French) is a city in the northeast of France, capital of the Lorraine région and Préfecture This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Berragan (2003) argues it was due primarily to Patton's ambitions and his refusal to recognize that he was engaged in a secondary line of attack. Others suggest that General John C.H. Lee, commander of the Zone of Communication, chose that time to move his headquarters to the more comfortable environs of Paris. John Clifford Hodges Lee ( August 1, 1887 &ndash August 30, 1958) was a U The Services Of Supply or 'SOS' branch of the Army was created on February 28, 1942 by Executive Order Number 9082 "Reorganizing the Army and the War Department" Some 30 truck companies were diverted to that end, rather than providing support to the fighting armies.
Patton expected that the Theater Commander would keep fuel and supplies flowing to support successful advances. However, Eisenhower favored a "broad front" approach to the ground-war effort, knowing 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 21st Army Group a strong priority for supplies for Operation Market Garden. Operation Market Garden ( September 17, 1944 – September 25, 1944) was an Allied military operation fought in the Netherlands
The combination of supply priority to Montgomery, and diversion of resources to moving the Communications Zone, coupled with Patton's refusal to attack slowly, resulted in the 3rd Army running out of gas in Alsace-Lorraine while exploiting German weakness. The Services Of Supply or 'SOS' branch of the Army was created on February 28, 1942 by Executive Order Number 9082 "Reorganizing the Army and the War Department"
Patton's experience suggested that a major US and allied advantage was in mobility. This led to a greater number of US trucks, higher reliability of US tanks, better radio communications, all contributing to superior ability to operate at a high tempo. Slow attacks were wasteful and resulted in high losses; they also permitted the Germans to prepare multiple defensive positions rather than withdraw from one defense to another after inflicting heavy casualties on US and allied forces. He refused to operate that way.
The time needed to resupply was just enough to allow the Germans to further fortify the fortress of Metz. In October and November, the Third Army was mired in a near-stalemate with the Germans, with heavy casualties on both sides. By November 23, however, Metz had finally fallen to the Americans, the first time the city had been taken since the Franco-Prussian War. Events 800 - Charlemagne arrives at Rome to investigate the alleged crimes of The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War ( 19 July, 1870 — 10 May, 1871
Ardennes offensive
In late 1944, the German army made a last-ditch offensive across Belgium, Luxembourg, and northeastern France in the Ardennes Offensive (better known as the Battle of the Bulge), nominally led by German Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt. The Ardennes Offensive (16 December 1944 – 25 January 1945 was a major German offensive launched towards the end of World War II through the forested Ardennes Mountains Omar Nelson Bradley KCB ( February 12, 1893 &ndash April 8, 1981) was one of the main U Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (October 14 1890 – March 28 1969 was President of the United States from 1953 until 1961 and a five-star general Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Kingdom of Belgium is a Country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters as well as those Luxembourg (Groussherzogtum Lëtzebuerg Grand-Duché de Luxembourg Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small Landlocked country in Western Europe, bordered by The Ardennes Offensive (16 December 1944 – 25 January 1945 was a major German offensive launched towards the end of World War II through the forested Ardennes Mountains The Ardennes Offensive (16 December 1944 – 25 January 1945 was a major German offensive launched towards the end of World War II through the forested Ardennes Mountains Karl Rudolf Gerd von Rundstedt ( December 12, 1875 - February 24, 1953) was a Generalfeldmarschall of the German On December 16, 1944, the German army massed 29 divisions (totaling some 250,000 men) at a weak point in the Allied lines and made massive headway towards the Meuse River during one of the worst winters Europe had seen in years. Events 755 - An Lushan revolts against Chancellor Yang Guozhong at Fanyang, initiating the An Shi Rebellion Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Meuse (in Dutch and in German: "Maas" in Latin: "Mosa" in Celtic:"Mus" (the rootword presumingly It was during the midst of this fighting that the weather had become bitterly cold and snowy, which halted tank operations for a time.
Needing just one full day (24 hours) of good weather, Patton ordered the Third Army Chaplain, (COL) James O'Neill, to come up with a prayer beseeching God to grant this. The weather did clear soon after the prayer was recited, and Patton decorated O'Neill with the Bronze Star on the spot. The Bronze Star Medal is a United States Armed Forces individual military decoration which may be awarded for bravery acts of merit or meritorious service [15] Following this, he continued ahead with dealing with the German offensive and von Rundstedt.
Patton turned the 3rd Army north abruptly (a notable tactical and logistical achievement), disengaging from the front line to relieve the surrounded and besieged 101st Airborne Division pocketed in Bastogne. Bastogne ( Dutch: Bastenaken, German: Bastenach, Luxembourgish: Baaschtnech) is a Belgian municipality By February, the Germans were in full retreat and Patton moved into the Saar Basin of Germany. Saarland (ˈzaːɐ̯lant in German; French: Sarre) is one of the 16 federal states (German Bundesländer) of Germany. The bulk of 3rd Army completed its crossing of the Rhine at Oppenheim on March 22, 1945. Oppenheim is a small town (about 7000 inhabitants on the Upper Rhine ( Rheinhessen) between Mainz and Worms. Events 238 - Gordian I and his son Gordian II are proclaimed Roman emperor. Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar
Patton was planning to take Prague, Czechoslovakia, when the forward movement of American forces was halted. Prague (ˈprɑːg Praha (ˈpraɦa see also other names) is the Capital and Largest city of the Czech Republic. His troops liberated Pilsen (May 6, 1945) and most of western Bohemia. Events 1527 - Spanish and German troops sack Rome; some consider this the end of the Renaissance. Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar Bohemia (Čechy; Bohemia Czechy is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands, currently the
U. S. Third Army battle performance
The battle performance of the U.S. Third Army under Patton's command, from the start of its operations in Normandy until VE-Day, is said to have been outstanding. United States Army Central, formerly the Third United States Army was a field army of the United States Army. According to Charles M. Province,
The enemy lost an estimated 1,280,688 captured [including 515,205 captured after the end of combat in the last week of the war - ed. ], 144,500 killed, and 386,200 wounded, adding up to 1,811,388. By comparison, the Third Army suffered 16,596 killed, 96,241 wounded, and 26,809 missing in action for a total of 139,646 casualties. [16]
Prisoners of war taken during or after military engagements can be counted, whereas an opposing military force’s losses in killed and wounded can usually be only estimated, and there has been a tendency in all military forces at all times to exaggerate casualties inflicted on the enemy. The above figures on German troops killed or wounded by Patton’s Third Army seem questionable considering the overall relation between Allied and German casualties during the 1944/45 campaign in northwestern Europe. According to Charles B. MacDonald,
Since D-day in Normandy the Germans in the west alone had lost 263,000 dead, 49,000 permanently disabled, and 8,109,000 captured. Allied casualties were 186,900 dead, 545,700 wounded, and 109,600 missing (some later declared dead and others later repatriated as prisoners of war). [17]
If both Province’s and MacDonald’s figures are accurate, this would mean that Patton’s Third Army inflicted 55% of all German KIA or DOW during the 1944/45 campaign in northwestern Europe (144,500 out of 263,000), whereas its own losses of these categories were only 9% of the Allies’ total losses (16,596 out of 186,900). Killed in action ( KIA or K I A) is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces by other Killed in action ( KIA or K I A) is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces by other While Patton’s Third Army would have inflicted much higher losses on the enemy than it suffered, all other Allied units, on average, would have suffered losses that were considerably higher than those they inflicted on the enemy:
Overall 1944/45 Campaign German KIA/DOW: 263,000; Allied KIA/DOW: 186,900; German KIA/DOW per 100 Allied KIA/DOW: 141
Patton’s Third Army German KIA/DOW: 144,500; Allied KIA/DOW: 16,596; German KIA/DOW per 100 Allied KIA/DOW: 871
Other Allied units German KIA/DOW: 118,500; Allied KIA/DOW: 170,304; German KIA/DOW per 100 Allied KIA/DOW: 70
Unless the total number of German combat fatalities during this campaign was much higher than stated by MacDonald, this means either of the following:
a) The command, troops and tactics of Patton’s Third Army were much superior to those of all other Allied units that took part in the 1944/45 campaign in northwestern Europe;
b) Province's figure on German combat fatalities inflicted by Patton’s Third Army is a considerable exaggeration.
Brief June 1945 visit to California
Largely overlooked in history is the warm reception he received on June 9, 1945, when he and Lt. Events 53 - Roman Emperor Nero marries Claudia Octavia 62 - Claudia Octavia commits Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar Gen. Jimmy Doolittle were honored with a parade through Los Angeles and a reception at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum before over 100,000 people that evening. General James Harold "Jimmy" Doolittle USAF (14 December 1896 &ndash 27 September 1993 was an American Aviation pioneer Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is a large outdoor sports Stadium in the University Park neighborhood of Los Angeles California at Exposition The next day, Patton and Doolittle toured the metropolitan Los Angeles area. Patton spoke in front of the Burbank City Hall and at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. Burbank is a city in Los Angeles County California, United States. Burbank City Hall is the site of the municipal government of Burbank, California, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Rose Bowl is an outdoor football Stadium in Pasadena California, near Los Angeles. Pasadena ( is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. He wore his helmet with a straight line of stars, chest full of medals, and two ivory[18] handle trademark pistols. He punctuated his speech with some of the same profanity he had used with the troops. He spoke about conditions in Europe and the Russian allies to the adoring crowds. This may be the only time in America when the civilian people, en masse, heard and saw the famous warrior on the podium.
This was also the time when he quietly turned over an original copy of the 1935 Nuremberg Laws, which he had smuggled out of Germany in violation of JCS 1067, to the Huntington Library, a world-class repository of historical original papers, books, and maps, near Pasadena. The Nuremberg Laws ( German: Nürnberger Gesetze) of 1935 were denaturalization laws passed in Nazi Germany. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. The Morgenthau Plan was a plan for the occupation of Germany after World War II that advocated measures intended to remove Germany's ability to wage war The Huntington Library Art Collections and Botanical Gardens (or The Huntington) is an educational and research institution established by Henry E Pasadena ( is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. He instructed physicist Robert Millikan, then the chairman of the board of trustees of the Huntington Library to make no official record of the transaction, and to not make the materials available for public inspection during Patton's lifetime. A physicist is a Scientist who studies or practices Physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning Robert Andrews Millikan (March 22 1868 – December 19 1953 was an American experimental physicist, and Nobel laureate in physics for his measurement The Huntington Library Art Collections and Botanical Gardens (or The Huntington) is an educational and research institution established by Henry E The Huntington Library retained the Nuremberg Laws in a basement vault in spite of a legal instruction in 1969 by the general's family to turn over all of his papers to the Library of Congress. The Huntington Library Art Collections and Botanical Gardens (or The Huntington) is an educational and research institution established by Henry E The Nuremberg Laws ( German: Nürnberger Gesetze) of 1935 were denaturalization laws passed in Nazi Germany. Year 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Library of Congress is the De facto National library of the United States and the research arm of the United States Congress On June 26, 1999, Robert Skotheim, then the president of the Huntington Library announced that the Library was to permanently loan the Nuremberg Laws to the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles, where they are currently on display. Events 363 - Roman Emperor Julian is killed during the retreat from the Sassanid Empire. Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) The Huntington Library Art Collections and Botanical Gardens (or The Huntington) is an educational and research institution established by Henry E The Nuremberg Laws ( German: Nürnberger Gesetze) of 1935 were denaturalization laws passed in Nazi Germany. The Skirball Cultural Center is a facility in Los Angeles California devoted to Jewish culture and heritage
Accident and death
On December 9, 1945, in Germany a day before he was due to return to the United States, Patton was severely injured in a road accident. Events 536 - Byzantine General Belisarius enters Rome while the Ostrogothic garrison peacefully leaves the city Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar He and his chief of staff, Major General Hobart R. "Hap" Gay, were on a daytrip to hunt pheasants in the country outside Mannheim. Lieutenant General Hobart Raymond Gay ( May 16, 1894, Rockport Illinois - August 19, 1983, El Paso Texas) was Mannheim is a City in Germany. With 327318 inhabitants it is the second-largest city in the state of Baden-Württemberg after the capital Stuttgart Their 1939 Cadillac Model 75 was driven by PFC Horace Woodring (1926 - 2003). The Series 70 (models 70 and 75 was Cadillac 's full-size V8 -powered car from the 1930s through 1950s Patton sat in the back seat, on the right with General Gay on his left, as per custom. At 11:45 near Neckarstadt, (Käfertal), a 2½ ton truck driven by Technical Sergeant Robert L. Thompson hit the car containing the general head on. According to reports, Thompson appeared out of the haze and made a left-hand turn towards a side road, and the general's Cadillac smashed into the truck. General Patton was thrown forward and his head struck a metal part of the partition between the front and back seats. Gay and Woodring were uninjured. Paralyzed from the neck down, George Patton died of an embolism on December 21, 1945 at the military hospital in Heidelberg, Germany with his wife present. In Medicine, an embolism occurs when an object (the embolus, plural emboli) migrates from one part of the Body (through circulation Events 69 - The end of the Year of the four emperors: Following Galba, Otho and Vitellius, Vespasian Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar Heidelberg is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. As of 2006 over 140000 people live within the city's area
Patton was buried at the Luxembourg American Cemetery and Memorial in Hamm, Luxembourg along with other members of the Third Army. The Luxembourg American Cemetery and Memorial is located in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg. Hamm is a quarter in eastern Luxembourg City, in southern Luxembourg. [19] On March 19, 1947, his body was moved from the original grave site in the cemetery to its current prominent location at the head of his former troops. A cenotaph was placed at the Wilson-Patton family plot at the San Gabriel Cemetery in San Gabriel, California, adjacent to the Church of Our Saviour (Episcopal), where Patton was baptized and confirmed. A cenotaph is a tomb or a Monument erected in honour of a person or group of persons whose remains are elsewhere San Gabriel is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. In the narthex of the sanctuary of the church is a stained glass window honor which features, among other highlights of Patton's career, a picture of him riding in a tank. The narthex of a church is the entrance or lobby area located at the end of the Nave, at the far end from the church's main Altar. A statue of General Patton is between the church and the family plot. Patton's car was repaired and used by other officers. The car is now on display, with other Patton artifacts, at the General George Patton Museum at Fort Knox, Kentucky. A cultural artifact is a human-made object which gives information about the Culture of its creator and users The General George Patton Museum (formerly the Patton Museum of Cavalry and Armor is a museum in Fort Knox Kentucky dedicated to General George S Fort Knox is a United States Army post in Kentucky south of Louisville and north of Elizabethtown. The Commonwealth of Kentucky ( is a state located in the East Central United States of America.
Controversies and criticism
Patton more than once caused political irritations and was criticized for some controversial faux pas, such as the "Sicily slapping incident" in 1943. Patton, in several reports, insisted on the highest standard of order and grooming within his army's area and imposed fines for anyone who violated his strict guidelines.
Patton has a reputation today as a general who was very impatient with the officers under him, compared to Omar Bradley, his colleague and later superior, but the truth is much more complicated. Patton actually fired only one general during World War II, Orlando Ward, and only after repeated warnings, whereas Bradley sacked more than a dozen generals during the war with little provocation. Orlando Ward (born in Macon Missouri, November 4[[ 891]]- died Denver Colorado February 4[[ 972]] was a career United States Army
Patton's problems with humor, his image, and the press
Unlike Dwight D. Eisenhower, who was popular with troops partly for his self-deprecating humor, Patton disliked jokes aimed at himself. Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (October 14 1890 – March 28 1969 was President of the United States from 1953 until 1961 and a five-star general Soldiers stationed in the Pacific theater of war were not pleased with what was going on in the European continent and disliked him for his perceived disregard for the lives of his troops. Patton actually had the utmost respect for the men serving in his command but had no regard for men who had "Battle Fatigue. "[20] The cartoonist Bill Mauldin ridiculed Patton several times in his comics, prompting Patton to summon Sergeant Mauldin to his headquarters for a dressing-down. William Henry "Bill" Mauldin ( October 29, 1921 &ndash January 22, 2003) was a two-time Pulitzer Prize -winning On the other hand, he was himself capable of the occasional blunt witticism: "The two most dangerous weapons the Germans have are our own armored halftrack and jeep. A half-track is a civilian or military vehicle with regular wheels on the front for steering and Caterpillar tracks on the back to propel the vehicle and carry most of the Jeep is an Automobile Marque (and registered trademark of Chrysler. The halftrack because the boys in it go all heroic, thinking they are in a tank. The jeep because we have so many God-awful drivers. " During the Battle of the Bulge, he famously remarked that the Allies should "let the sons-of-bitches [Germans] go all the way to Paris, then we'll cut 'em off and round 'em up!" He also suggested that the German forces could attack towards the British and create "another Dunkirk". The Ardennes Offensive (16 December 1944 – 25 January 1945 was a major German offensive launched towards the end of World War II through the forested Ardennes Mountains The Battle of Dunkirk was the defense and evacuation of the British and Allied forces that had been separated from the main body of the French defenses by the German advance His remarks frequently ridiculed General Montgomery and at times the Soviet Red Army, contributing to inter-Allied discord. Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, KG, GCB, DSO, PC, (məntˈgʌmərɪ əv ˈæləmeɪn The Red Army ( Russian: Рабоче-Крестьянская Красная Армия R aboche- K rest'yanskaya K rasnaya A rmiya In the context of coalition warfare, these remarks were occasionally harmful. Eisenhower wisely used Patton's high profile with the press to contribute to Operation Fortitude; he knew the press would report on his appearances in Britain and that the Germans would pick up these reports. Operation Fortitude was the codename for the Deception operations used by the Allied forces during World War II in connection with the Normandy landings
Patton deliberately cultivated a flashy, distinctive image in the belief that this would motivate his troops. He was usually seen wearing a highly polished helmet, riding pants, and high cavalry boots. He carried flashy ivory-handled, nickel-plated revolvers as his most famous sidearms (a Colt Single Action Army . The Colt Single Action Army Handgun (also known as the Colt Peacemaker, Single Action Army or SAA, Colt. 45 (aka "Peacemaker") and later the addition of a S&W Model 27 . The Smith & Wesson (S&W Model 27 is the original.357 Magnum Revolver and was first produced in 1935; production ceased in the 1990s 357). His vehicles carried oversized rank insignia and loud sirens. His speech was riddled with profanities. The toughness of his image and character appeared well-suited to the conditions of battle. Patton received many eulogies from the reporters who had followed him, including a tribute from a UPI writer who wrote, "Gen. George S. Patton believed he was the greatest soldier who ever lived. He made himself believe he would never falter through doubt. This absolute faith in himself as a strategist and master of daring infected his entire army, until the men of the second American corps in Africa, and later the third army in France, believed they could not be defeated under his leadership. "[21]
Task Force Baum controversy
On March 24, 1945, shortly after completing his crossing of the Rhine, Patton ordered US XII Corps commander Major General Manton Eddy to undertake an immediate operation to liberate the OFLAG XIII-B prison camp at Hammelburg, some 80 kilometers behind enemy lines. Events 1401 - Mongol emperor Timur sacks Damascus. 1603 - James VI of Scotland Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar The XII Corps ( Twelfth Army Corps) was a Corps of the Union Army during the American Civil War. Manton Sprague Eddy ( Chicago, May 16, 1892 - Fort Benning, April 10, 1962) was a lieutenant general of the United Oflag XIII-B was a German Army World War II Prisoner-of-war camp camp for officers, originally in Langwasser near Nuremberg. Hammelburg is a town in the district of Bad Kissingen, in Lower Franconia, Bavaria, Germany. Eddy strongly argued against the necessity and prudence of the raid, reportedly going so far as to refuse to pass the order to the US 4th Armored Division without General Dwight D. Eisenhower's approval. The 4th Armored Division of the United States Army was an armored division that compiled a distinguished career in the European theater of World War II Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (October 14 1890 – March 28 1969 was President of the United States from 1953 until 1961 and a five-star general Patton, having no desire to involve Eisenhower (who was already well acquainted with Patton's headstrong tendencies and would likely have cancelled the operation), flew to the XII Corps command post at Undenheim, waited until Eddy left for dinner, and personally delivered the operation order to Brigadier General Hoge of the US 4th Armored Division. The XII Corps ( Twelfth Army Corps) was a Corps of the Union Army during the American Civil War. Undenheim is a municipality in the Mainz-Bingen district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. William Morris Hoge ( January 13, 1894 &ndash 29 October 1979) was a General of the United States Army. The 4th Armored Division of the United States Army was an armored division that compiled a distinguished career in the European theater of World War II Noting that intelligence indicated a strong Wehrmacht and possible SS Panzer presence in the area (as well as its relative distance from the front line), Hoge and "Combat Command B" commander Lieutenant Colonel Creighton Abrams told Patton that no less than a full Combat Command would be required. Creighton Williams Abrams Jr ( September 15 1914 – September 4 1974) was a United States Army General who commanded military Patton rejected this, insisting that only a limited task force be sent. He planned to use 3,000 men but ultimately used two companies with 300 men and 15 tanks to raid the Hammelburg POW camp. He also mandated that his aide-de-camp and personal friend, Major Alexander Stiller accompany the force "to gain experience. "[22]
The task force, named Task Force Baum (after its leader, Captain Abraham Baum), fought valiantly through significant resistance to liberate the camp, but was too exhausted and reduced in size from 52 hours of continuous fighting to break out of the noose of Wehrmacht reinforcements that rapidly swarmed into the area to surround them. Task Force Baum was a Secret and Controversial World War II Task force setup by U The raid by Task Force Baum was a total failure, and only 35 of the 300 men returned; the rest were captured or killed. Task Force Baum was a Secret and Controversial World War II Task force setup by U
After the news of the operation became public, it was revealed that Patton's motivation for ordering the operation against apparent common sense and the strident objections of his officers was most probably personal: he had been informed on February 9th by General Eisenhower that his son-in-law, Lieutenant Colonel John K. Waters, captured in North Africa in 1943, was being held at Hammelburg. John Knight Waters ( 1906 - January 9, 1989) was an United States Army four star general who served as commander U Until this information came out, Patton had always insisted he had no knowledge of the location of Waters. Upon further review, Patton's explanation for insisting that Stiller go along also didn't hold water; as a decorated World War I officer, Stiller had already seen significantly more combat than most of the men in Task Force Baum, and (most importantly) as a personal friend of Patton's family, he had met Waters and would be able to identify him. Furthermore, Patton had always insisted that the operation to liberate the camp at Hammelburg was motivated by a deep concern for the welfare and safety of captured US servicemen, yet in an ironic twist, after Stiller was captured, Patton refused to try to liberate the camp where he and other survivors were being held, even though it was much closer to the 3rd Army line of advance than Hammelburg had been, and contained nearly twice as many troops. Patton's superior, General Omar Bradley, later famously characterized the raid as "a wild goose-chase that ended in a tragedy. Omar Nelson Bradley KCB ( February 12, 1893 &ndash April 8, 1981) was one of the main U "[22]
After the German surrender
After the surrender of May 8, 1945 eliminated the threat of Nazi Germany, Patton was quick to assert the Soviet Union would cease to be an ally of the United States. Events 589 - Reccared summons the Third Council of Toledo 1450 - Jack Cade's Rebellion: Kentishmen Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar He was concerned that some 25,000 American POWs had been liberated from POW camps by the Soviets, but were never returned to the US. In fact, he urged his superiors to evict the Soviets from central and eastern Europe. Patton thought that the Red Army was weak, under-supplied, and vulnerable, and the United States should act on these weaknesses before the Soviets could consolidate their position. In this regard, he told then-Undersecretary of War Robert P. Patterson that the "point system" being used to demobilize Third Army troops was destroying it and creating a vacuum that the Soviets would exploit. Robert Porter Patterson (Sr ( February 12, 1891 - January 22, 1952) was the United States Under Secretary of War under President Franklin Roosevelt "Mr. Secretary, for God’s sake, when you go home, stop this point system; stop breaking up these armies," pleaded the general. "Let’s keep our boots polished, bayonets sharpened, and present a picture of force and strength to these people, the Soviets. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 This is the only language they understand. " Asked by Patterson — who would become Secretary of War a few months later — what he would do, Patton replied: "I would have you tell the Red Army where their border is, and give them a limited time to get back across. The Red Army ( Russian: Рабоче-Крестьянская Красная Армия R aboche- K rest'yanskaya K rasnaya A rmiya Warn them that if they fail to do so, we will push them back across it. "
On a personal level, Patton was disappointed by the Army's refusal to give him a combat command in the Pacific Theater of Operations. The Pacific Theater of Operations (PTO was the World War II military activity in the Pacific Ocean and the countries bordering it a geographic scope Unhappy with his role as the military governor of Bavaria and depressed by his belief that he would never fight in another war, Patton's behavior and statements became increasingly erratic. Bavaria ( German:, with an area of 70553 Km² (27241 square miles and almost 12 He also made many anti-Russian statements in letters home. Various explanations beyond his disappointments have been proposed for Patton's behavior at this point. Carlo D'Este, in Patton: A Genius for War, writes that "it seems virtually inevitable . . . that Patton experienced some type of brain damage from too many head injuries" from a lifetime of numerous auto- and horse-related accidents, especially one suffered while playing polo in 1936. Polo is a team sport played outdoors on Horseback in which the objective is to score goals against an opposing team Year 1936 ( MCMXXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.
It should be noted, however, that many of the controversial opinions he expressed were common (if not exactly popular) at the time and his outspoken opposition to post-surrender denazification is still widely debated today. Denazification (Entnazifizierung was an Allied initiative to rid German and Austrian society culture press economy judiciary and politics of any Many still laud his generous treatment of his former German enemies and his early recognition of the Soviet threat, while detractors say his protests reflect the views of a bigoted elitist. Whatever the cause, Patton found himself once again in trouble with his superiors and the American people. While speaking to a group of reporters, he compared the Nazis to losers in American political elections, and that being a Nazi in Germany was just being a member of a political party, "like being a Democrat in the States. Nazism, which was a short name for National Socialism (Nationalsozialismus refers primarily to the Ideology and practices of the National Socialist German Nazism, which was a short name for National Socialism (Nationalsozialismus refers primarily to the Ideology and practices of the National Socialist German Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. " Patton was soon relieved of command of Third Army and transferred to the Fifteenth Army, a paper command preparing a history of the war.
Attitude on race
The use of black troops during the push to the Siegfried Line offers some insight into Patton's racial attitude. The first black tank unit, the 761st "Black Panther" Tank Battalion, was assigned to Patton in the fall of 1944, at his request. The 761st Tank Battalion, was a United States Army Tank Battalion during World War II. As the 761st was about to enter combat, Patton reviewed the battalion and addressed the men:
Men, you're the first Negro tankers to ever fight in the American Army. I would never have asked for you if you weren't good. I have nothing but the best in my Army. I don't care what color you are as long as you go up there and kill those Kraut sons of bitches. Everyone has their eyes on you and is expecting great things from you. Most of all your race is looking forward to you. Don't let them down and damn you, don't let me down![23]
– George S. Patton, The 761st "Black Panther" Tank Battalion in World War II"
However, like many military officers Patton expressed his doubts about using black men in combat. On returning to headquarters afterwards, he remarked, "They gave a good first impression, but I have no faith in the inherent fighting ability of the race. "[23] He only accepted the 761st because he desperately needed all the ground power he could get. Even after the war, Patton was not inclined to reform his perception of black soldiers. In War As I Knew It, he relates the interaction described above, and comments, "Individually they were good soldiers, but I expressed my belief at the time, and have never found the necessity of changing it, that a colored soldier cannot think fast enough to fight in armor. "[24]
D'Este explains that "on the one hand he could and did admire the toughness and courage" of some black soldiers but his writings can also be frequently read as "disdaining them and their officers because they were not part of his social order. " Historian Hugh Cole points out that Patton was the first American military leader to integrate the rifle companies "when manpower got tight. "
Patton's views on blacks seem mild and even generous compared to remarks he made about Jews and other ethnic groups he encountered throughout his military career (much less his legendary hatred of the Russians). PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ The Russian people (Русские— Russkie) are an East Slavic Ethnic group, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries He generally considered those who were not of Northern European ancestry to be dirty and uncivilized. However, his statements regarding history show this did not amount to lack of respect for the military accomplishments of other races. He expressed his manifestly antisemitic feelings about Jews with his writings:
This happened to be the feast of Yom Kippur, so they were all collected in a large, wooden building, which they called a synagogue. It behooved General Eisenhower to make a speech to them. We entered the synagogue, which was packed with the greatest stinking bunch of humanity I have ever seen. When we got about halfway up, the head rabbi, who was dressed in a fur hat similar to that worn by Henry VIII of England and in a surplice heavily embroidered and very filthy, came down and met the General . . . The smell was so terrible that I almost fainted and actually about three hours later lost my lunch as the result of remembering it[25]
– George S. Patton, "After the Holocaust: Rebuilding Jewish Lives in Post War Germany"
[others may believe]. . . that the Displaced Person is a human being, which he is not, and this applies particularly to the Jews, who are lower than animals. [26]
However, he was nonetheless horrified at what he found when his Third Army liberated Buchenwald concentration camp. Buchenwald concentration camp (German Konzentrationslager or 'KZ' Buchenwald) was a Nazi concentration camp established on the Ettersberg (Etter Mountain near Local German citizens claimed that they didn't know what was going on. He ordered American troops to round up the roughly 2000 local Germans and march them through the camps. He wanted them to see the atrocities firsthand.
Though many of his attitudes were common, as with all of his opinions, he was often exceptionally blunt in his expression of them. He once wrote:
The difficulty in understanding the Russian is that we do not take cognizance of the fact that he is not a European, but an Asiatic, and therefore thinks deviously. We can no more understand a Russian than a Chinese or a Japanese, and from what I have seen of them, I have no particular desire to understand them except to ascertain how much lead or iron it takes to kill them. In addition to his other amiable characteristics, the Russian has no regard for human life and they are all out sons-of-bitches, barbarians, and chronic drunks. [27]
– George S. Patton
Relations with Eisenhower
The relationship between George S. Patton and Dwight Eisenhower has long been of interest to historians in that the onset of World War II completely reversed the roles of the two men in the space of just under two years. Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (October 14 1890 – March 28 1969 was President of the United States from 1953 until 1961 and a five-star general When Patton and Eisenhower met in the mid 1920s, Patton was six years Eisenhower’s senior in the Army and Eisenhower saw Patton as a leading mind in tank warfare.
Between 1935 and 1940, Patton and Eisenhower developed a very close friendship to the level where the Patton and Eisenhower families were spending summer vacations together. Summer vacation (also called summer holidays or summer break) is a vacation in the Summertime between School years in which students In 1938, Patton was promoted to full colonel and Eisenhower, then still a lieutenant colonel, openly admitted that he saw Patton as a friend, superior officer, and mentor.
Upon the outbreak of World War II, Patton’s expertise in mechanized warfare was recognized by the Army, and he was quickly made a brigadier general and, less than a year later, a major general. In 1940, Lt. Col. Eisenhower petitioned Major General Patton, offering to serve under the tank corps commander. Patton accepted readily, stating that he would like nothing better than for Eisenhower to be placed under his command.
George Marshall, recognizing that the coming conflict would require all available military talent, had other plans for Eisenhower. George Catlett Marshall Jr (December 31 1880 &ndash October 16 1959 was an American military leader Chief of Staff of the Army, Secretary of In 1941, after five years as a relatively unknown lieutenant colonel, Eisenhower was promoted to colonel and then again to brigadier general in just 6 months time. Patton was still senior to Eisenhower in the Regular Army, but this was soon not the case in the growing conscript army (known as the Army of the United States). Please see Regular Army (disambiguation for countries other than the United States that use this term The United States Regular Army The Army of the United States is the official name for the Conscription (U In 1942, Eisenhower was promoted to major general and, just a few months later, to lieutenant general — outranking Patton for the first time. When the Allies announced the invasion of North Africa, Major General Patton suddenly found himself under the command of his former subordinate, now one star his superior. North Africa or Northern Africa is the Northernmost Region of the African Continent, separated by the Sahara from Sub-Saharan
In 1943, Patton became a lieutenant general one month after Eisenhower was promoted to full (four-star) general. Patton was unusually reserved in never publicly commenting on Eisenhower's hasty rise. Patton also reassured Eisenhower that the two men’s professional relationship was unaffected. Privately however, Patton was often quick to remind Eisenhower that his permanent rank in the Regular Army, then still a one-star brigadier general, was lower than Patton’s Regular Army commission as a two-star major general.
When Patton came under criticism for the "Sicily slapping incident" (see above), Eisenhower met privately with Patton and reprimanded him, but then reassured Patton that he would not be sent home to the United States for his conduct. For the 19th century Scottish jurist/politician see George Patton Lord Glenalmond. Many historians have speculated that, had it been anybody other than Eisenhower, Patton would have been demoted and court-martialed. A court-martial (plural courts-martial) is a Military court. These military courts can determine Punishments for members of the Military subject Of the two slapped soldiers, one was AWOL from his unit, and reported diarrhea (which could be induced by eating the issue yellow soap). In Military terminology desertion is the Abandonment of a " Duty " or post without permission from one's Government or superior In Medicine, diarrhea, also spelled diarrhoea (see spelling differences) is frequent loose or liquid Bowel movements Acute diarrhea The other had malaria, but had been labeled by the hospital unit as a "battle fatigue" case.
Eisenhower is also credited with giving Patton a command in France, after other powers in the Army had relegated Patton to various unimportant duties in England. It was in France that Patton found himself in the company of another former subordinate, Omar Bradley, who had also become his superior. Omar Nelson Bradley KCB ( February 12, 1893 &ndash April 8, 1981) was one of the main U As with Eisenhower, Patton behaved with professionalism and served under Bradley with distinction.
After the close of World War II, Patton (now a full General) became the occupation commander of Bavaria, and made arrangements for saving the world-famous Lipizzaner stallions of Vienna. Bavaria ( German:, with an area of 70553 Km² (27241 square miles and almost 12 The Lipizzan or Lipizzaner ( Slovene Lipicanec) is a breed of Horse closely associated with the Spanish Riding School The horse ( Equus caballus) is a hoofed ( Ungulate) Mammal, one of eight living species of the family Equidae. Vienna ( in Wien; see also other names) is the Capital of Austria, and is also one of the nine States of Austria. Patton was relieved of duty after openly revolting against the punitive occupation directive JCS 1067. The Morgenthau Plan was a plan for the occupation of Germany after World War II that advocated measures intended to remove Germany's ability to wage war [28] His view of the war was that with Hitler gone, the German army could be rebuilt into an ally in a potential war against the Russians, whom Patton notoriously despised and considered a greater menace than the Germans. Hi and welcome to Wikipedia! Please understand that this article is frequently vandalized and vandalism is reverted immediately During this period, he wrote that the Allied victory would be in vain if it led to a tyrant worse than Hitler and an army of "Mongolian savages" controlling half of Europe. Eisenhower had at last had enough, relieving Patton of all duties and ordering his return to the United States. When Patton openly accused Eisenhower of caring more about a political career than his military duties, their friendship effectively came to an end. In addition, Patton was highly critical of the victorious Allies use of German forced labor. Unfree labour is a generic or collective term for those work relations especially in modern or early modern history in which people are employed against their will He commented in his diary "I’m also opposed to sending PW’s to work as slaves in foreign lands (in particular, to France) where many will be starved to death. " He also noted "It is amusing to recall that we fought the revolution in defence of the rights of man and the civil war to abolish slavery and have now gone back on both principles". [29] (See also Eisenhower and German POWs). Canadian Novelist James Bacque has alleged that US General Dwight '''Eisenhower''' oversaw the deaths by starvation or exposure of one million German
When the biography of George Patton was aired on the A&E network, a single quote perhaps best described the relationship and destinies of George Patton and Dwight Eisenhower:
| “ | [The] course of World War II would lead these two men to very different ends: one to the office of President of the United States and the other to a soldier's grave on a foreign shore. A biography (from the Greek words bíos (βίος meaning "life" and gráphein (γράφειν meaning "to write" is an account A&E is a cable and Satellite television network with headquarters in Manhattan and offices in Stamford, Atlanta, The President of the United States is the Head of state and Head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in United States by | ” |
Near the end of the war (February 1945), Eisenhower ranked the capabilities of U. S. generals in Europe. Omar Bradley and Carl Spaatz he rated as the best. Omar Nelson Bradley KCB ( February 12, 1893 &ndash April 8, 1981) was one of the main U Carl Andrew "Tooey" Spaatz GBE (June 28 1891 &ndash July 14 1974 was an American general in World War II, and the first Chief of Walter Bedell Smith was ranked number 2, and Patton number 3, followed by Mark Clark, and Lucian Truscott. General Walter Bedell "Beetle" Smith GBE KCB ( October 5, 1895 – August 9, 1961) was Dwight Mark Wayne Clark ( May 1, 1896 – April 17, 1984) was an American general during World War II and the Korean War Lucian King Truscott Jr ( January 9, 1895 &ndash September 12, 1965) was a US Army General, who successively commanded
Bradley himself had been asked by Eisenhower to rank all the generals in December of 1945, and he ranked them as follows: Bedell Smith #1, Spaatz #2, Courtney Hodges #3, Elwood Quesada #4, Truscott #5, and Patton #6 (others were also ranked)[30]
These rankings probably included factors other than Patton's success as a battle leader. General Courtney Hicks Hodges ( January 5, 1887 &ndash January 16, 1966) was an American military officer, most Elwood Richard "Pete" Quesada ( April 13, 1904 &ndash February 9, 1993) was a U As to that, Alan Axelrod in his book Patton (Palgrave Macmillan, 2006) quotes German Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt as stating "Patton was your best" and, surprisingly, Joseph Stalin as stating that the Red Army could neither have planned nor executed Patton's advance across France. Karl Rudolf Gerd von Rundstedt ( December 12, 1875 - February 24, 1953) was a Generalfeldmarschall of the German Joseph Stalin ( ნამდვილი გვარი ჯუღაშვილი|Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili; March 5 1953 was General Secretary of the Communist Party D'Este reports that even Hitler begrudgingly respected Patton, once calling him "that crazy cowboy general. "
It should also be pointed out that Spaatz and Quesada were actually generals in the U.S. Army Air Forces, which was still part of the U. The United States Army Air Forces ( USAAF) was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II. S. Army during the Second World War. Today they would be considered U.S. Air Force generals. Therefore, it may be futile to compare them to Patton, since they were given an utterly different mission.
Rank comparison to Eisenhower
| Rank | Patton | Eisenhower | Component |
| Second Lieutenant | June 11, 1909 | June 12, 1915 | United States Army |
| First Lieutenant | May 23, 1916 | July 1, 1916 | United States Army |
| Captain | May 15, 1917 | May 15, 1917 | United States Army |
| Major | January 26, 1918 | June 17, 1918 | National Army |
| Lieutenant Colonel | March 30, 1918 | October 14, 1918 | National Army |
| Colonel | October 17, 1918 | N/A | National Army |
| Captain (Peacetime reversion) | June 30, 1920 | June 30, 1920 | Regular Army |
| Major | July 1, 1920 | July 2, 1920 | Regular Army |
| Lieutenant Colonel | March 1, 1934 | July 1, 1936 | Regular Army |
| Colonel | July 1, 1938 | March 11, 1941 | Regular Army |
| Brigadier General | October 1, 1940 | September 29, 1941 | Army of the United States |
| Major General | April 4, 1941 | March 27, 1942 | Army of the United States |
| Lieutenant General | March 12, 1943 | July 7, 1942 | Army of the United States |
| Brigadier General | August 16, 1944[31] | N/A | Regular Army |
| Major General | August 16, 1944[32] | N/A | Regular Army |
| General | April 14, 1945 | February 11, 1943 | Army of the United States |
| General of the Army | N/A | December 20, 1944 | Army of the United States |
Patton, the film
Patton was the focus of the epic 1970 Academy Award-winning film Patton, with the title role played by George C. Scott in an iconic, Academy Award winning performance. Second Lieutenant is the lowest commissioned officer Military rank in many Armed forces. The United States Army is a military organization whose primary mission is to "provide necessary forces and capabilities. First Lieutenant is a Military rank. The rank of Lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations (see Comparative military ranks Major is a Military rank the use of which varies according to country The National Army was the combined Conscript and volunteer force that was formed by the United States War Department in 1917 to fight in World War I. Please see " Lieutenant Colonel " for other countries which use this rank In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps See also Colonel In the United States Army, the United States Marine Corps and the United States Air Force, colonel Please see Regular Army (disambiguation for countries other than the United States that use this term The United States Regular Army Brigadier General is the lowest ranking General Officer in some countries usually sitting between the ranks of Colonel and Major General. Major General or Major-General is a Military rank used in many countries The Army of the United States is the official name for the Conscription (U This article is about a United States military rank For other countries that use a similar rank see Lieutenant General. Brigadier General is the lowest ranking General Officer in some countries usually sitting between the ranks of Colonel and Major General. Major General or Major-General is a Military rank used in many countries General of the Army (GA is a five-star General officer and is the highest possible rank in the United States Army. Patton (UK Patton Lust for Glory) is a 1970 biography drama War film, which tells the story of General George S Year 1970 ( MCMLXX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. "The Oscar" redirects here for the film see The Oscar (film. Patton (UK Patton Lust for Glory) is a 1970 biography drama War film, which tells the story of General George S George Campbell Scott (October 18 1927 - September 22 1999 was an American stage and film Actor, director, and producer. "The Oscar" redirects here for the film see The Oscar (film. As a result of the movie and its now-famous opening monologue in front of a gigantic American flag, which is based on portions of speeches he made at different times (Patton's Speech to the Third Army made to troops shortly before the Normandy invasion), Patton has come to symbolize a warrior's ferocity and aggressiveness. Although the movie is based upon Ladislas Farago's Patton: Ordeal and Triumph and Omar Bradley's A Soldier's Story, historians have stated the movie's accuracy could be tinged with some bias, noting the heavy influence of Omar Bradley as senior military advisor and writer. Omar Nelson Bradley KCB ( February 12, 1893 &ndash April 8, 1981) was one of the main U Bradley, played in the movie by Karl Malden, had a tumultuous relationship with Patton and the movie's treatment of him could be seen as hagiographic. Karl Malden (born on March 22, 1912) is an American Actor of Serbian origin known for his expansive manner Hagiography ( is the study of Saints. A hagiography, from Greek (hağios (ἅγιος "holy" or "saint" and graphē (γραφή Still, many Patton contemporaries, including many who knew him personally or served with him, applauded Scott's portrayal as being extremely accurate in capturing the essence of the man. Other historians have praised the film for its generally accurate and balanced portrayal of Patton as a complex, capable, and flawed leader. Another source used by these and other authors is the "Button Box" manuscript written by Patton's wife, Beatrice Ayer Patton. [33]
The image of Patton in the movie is somewhat misleading since the opening monologue is delivered from a stage in front of what sounds like a very large audience. The real George Patton was not known as a good public speaker. He was very self-conscious and knew that his high-pitched voice risked making him sound less commanding, unlike the gravelly voice of George C. Scott, who confidently delivered a finely tuned and concise speech. The movie writers of Patton, Francis Ford Coppola and Edmund H. North, however, changed the wording here and there, often for the sake of toning it down and removing the general's obscenities. Francis Ford "Frank" Coppola (born April 7, 1939) is a five-time Academy Award -winning American Film director, Edmund Hall North ( March 12, 1911 - August 28, 1990) was an American Screenwriter who shared an Academy Award
Legacy
- General George Patton Museum at Fort Knox, Kentucky. The General George Patton Museum (formerly the Patton Museum of Cavalry and Armor is a museum in Fort Knox Kentucky dedicated to General George S Fort Knox is a United States Army post in Kentucky south of Louisville and north of Elizabethtown. The Commonwealth of Kentucky ( is a state located in the East Central United States of America.
- A museum dedicated to Patton, and his efforts training a million soldiers for African desert combat, is located at the site of his Desert Training Center in Chiriaco Summit, California. Chiriaco Summit is a small unincorporated town and travel stop located along Interstate 10 in the Colorado Desert of Southern California A statue of Patton can be seen from nearby Interstate 10. Interstate 10 ( I-10) is the southernmost east-west coast-to-coast Interstate highway in the United States.
- Two active United States Army installations are named in memory of General Patton. The United States Army is a military organization whose primary mission is to "provide necessary forces and capabilities. Patton Barracks in Heidelberg, Germany, houses the headquarters for the United States Army Garrison Heidelberg. Heidelberg is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. As of 2006 over 140000 people live within the city's area The US Army Garrison Heidelberg is made up of a number of United States Military installations in and around Heidelberg Germany. Patton Army Air Field, located on Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, provides rotary-wing aviation support for Army units in southern Kuwait. Camp Arifjan is a United States Army installation located in the Emirate of Kuwait which accommodates elements of the US Air Force, US Navy, Camp Arifjan is a United States Army installation located in the Emirate of Kuwait which accommodates elements of the US Air Force, US Navy, The State of Kuwait ( دولة الكويت IPA [dawlatt̪ alkuwajt̪]) is a sovereign Arab Emirate on the coast of the Persian Gulf, enclosed
- The Patton series of tanks, including the M60 Patton are named for him. The M60 Patton was the fourth and last of the Patton series medium tanks of the U
- Patton's son, George S. Patton IV, also became an Army officer and served at the tail end of World War II (he was in his last year at West Point when his father was killed). George Smith Patton (formerly George Patton IV) ( December 24, 1923 in Boston Massachusetts - June 27, 2004 in South He also served in Korea and Vietnam, advancing to the rank of major general in his own right. One of his last assignments was as Commander, 2nd Armored Division, U. S. Army, the same unit his father commanded at the start of World War II, thereby making father and son the first Army officers to command the same Army division. Patton retired from active duty in 1980 and retired to a horse farm in Virginia. He died in 2004, aged 80.
- A chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution is named for Patton[34]
- Patton's granddaughter, Margaret Georgina Patton, became a practicing Catholic nun. The National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution ( SAR) is a Louisville Kentucky -based Fraternal organization in the United States
- At the Episcopal Church of Our Savior in San Gabriel, California, there is a stained glass window depicting Patton as a version of Saint George. San Gabriel (the Spanish translation of Saint Gabriel) is the Archangel Gabriel and could mean one of several places Ecuador In Christian hagiography Saint George is one of the most venerated saints in the Anglican Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodox He is shown in a tank fighting a dragon festooned swastikas. The dragon is a Legendary creature of which some interpretation or depiction appears in almost every culture worldwide The swastika (from Sanskrit: svástika sa स्वस्तिक Hindu IS CORRECT if 'ि' is positioned incorrectly see -->) is The lettering in the window reads "I fought a good fight. "
- He also left behind a 63' Alden Schooner, called the "When and If". He called it "When and If" because of what he said to his wife, "'When' the war is over and 'If' I survive we're gonna sail her around the world. "
Awards and decorations
At the time of General Patton's death, he was authorized the following awards and decorations.
United States awards
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Distinguished Service Cross with one oak leaf cluster |
 |
Distinguished Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters |
 |
Silver Star with one oak leaf cluster |
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Legion of Merit |
 |
Bronze Star |
 |
Purple Heart |
 |
Silver Lifesaving Medal |
 |
Mexican Service Medal |
  |
World War I Victory Medal with five battle clasps |
  |
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with one silver and two bronze service stars |
 |
American Defense Service Medal |
 |
World War II Victory Medal |
 |
In 1955, the U. Ribbon bars are small devices that are worn by Military, Police, Fire Service personnel or by civilians. The Distinguished Service Cross (DSC is the second highest military decoration that can be awarded to a member of the United States Army, awarded for extreme An oak leaf cluster or oakleaves is a common device which is placed on U This article concerns the United States Army Distinguished Service Medal The Silver Star is the third highest military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the United States Armed Forces. The Legion of Merit is a military decoration of the United States armed forces that is awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding The Bronze Star Medal is a United States Armed Forces individual military decoration which may be awarded for bravery acts of merit or meritorious service The Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those who have been wounded or killed while serving The Lifesaving Medal is a civil and military decoration of the United States Coast Guard which was first established by Act of Congress 20 June 1874 later authorized The Mexican Service Medal is an award of the United States military which was established by General Orders of the United States War Department on December The World War I Victory Medal is a decoration of the United States military which was first created in 1919 designed by James Earle Fraser. A medal bar or medal clasp is a thin metal bar attached to the ribbon of a Military decoration, Civil decoration, or other Medal. The European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal is a military decoration of the United States armed forces which was first created on November 6 The American Defense Service Medal is a decoration of the United States military which was created in 1941 by Executive Order of President Franklin Roosevelt The World War II Victory Medal is a decoration of the United States military which was created by an act of Congress in July 1945. S. Army posthumously presented General Patton with the Army of Occupation Medal for service as the first occupation commander of Bavaria. The Army of Occupation Medal is a military decoration of the United States military which was established by the United States War Department in |
Foreign and international awards
- Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath
- Officer of the Order of the British Empire
- Belgian Order of Leopold
- Belgian Croix de Guerre
- French Legion of Honor
- French Croix de Guerre
- Luxemburg War Cross
- Grand Luxemburg Cross of the Order of Adolphe of Nassau
- Grand Cross of Ouissam Alaouite of Morocco
- Order of the White Lion of Czechoslovakia
- Czechoslovakian War Cross
Dates of rank
| No pin insignia for 2nd Lts. The Most Honourable Order of the Bath (formerly The Most Honourable Military Order of the Bath) is a British Order of chivalry founded by George The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British Order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Croix de Guerre (sometimes lowercase in French Croix de guerre, meaning "Cross of War" is a military decoration of both France and The Croix de Guerre (sometimes lowercase in French Croix de guerre, meaning "Cross of War" is a military decoration of both France and The Luxembourg War Cross is a military decoration of Luxembourg which was first created on 17 April 1945 by the Grand Duchess Charlotte The Civil and Military Order of Merit of Adolphe of Nassau (Ordre du Mérite Civil et Militaire d'Adolphe de Nassau is a military decoration of Luxembourg which was created The Order of Ouissam Alaouite or the Royal Order of Al-Alaoui is a military decoration of Morocco which is bestowed by the King of Morocco upon those The Order of the White Lion is the highest order of the Czech Republic, which continues a Czechoslovak order of the same name created in 1922 as an The Czechoslovak War Cross (Československý válečný kříž in Czech) is a Military decoration of the former state of Czechoslovakia which was issued in 1909 | Second Lieutenant, Regular Army: June 11, 1909 |
 |
First Lieutenant, Regular Army: May 23, 1916 |
 |
Captain, Regular Army: May 15, 1917 |
 |
Major, National Army: January 26, 1918 |
 |
Lieutenant Colonel, National Army: March 30, 1918 |
 |
Colonel, National Army: October 17, 1918 |
|
|
Reverted to permanent rank of Captain, Regular Army: June 30, 1920 |
|
|
Major, Regular Army: July 1, 1920 |
|
|
Lieutenant Colonel, Regular Army: March 1, 1934 |
|
|
Colonel, Regular Army: July 1, 1938 |
 |
Brigadier General, Army of the United States: October 2, 1940 |
 |
Major General, Army of the United States: April 4, 1941 |
 |
Lieutenant General, Army of the United States: March 12, 1943 |
|
|
Brigadier General, Regular Army: August 16, 1944[31] |
|
|
Major General, Regular Army: August 16, 1944[32] |
 |
General, Army of the United States: April 14, 1945 |
Trivia
- Patton's serial number while in the United States Army was O-2605. Second Lieutenant is the lowest commissioned officer Military rank in many Armed forces. Please see Regular Army (disambiguation for countries other than the United States that use this term The United States Regular Army Events 1184 BC - Trojan War: Troy is sacked and burned according to the calculations of Eratosthenes. Year 1909 ( MCMIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting First Lieutenant is a Military rank. The rank of Lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations (see Comparative military ranks Please see Regular Army (disambiguation for countries other than the United States that use this term The United States Regular Army Events 1430 - Siege of Compiègne: Joan of Arc is captured by the Burgundians while leading an army to relieve Compiègne Year 1916 ( MCMXVI) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year See " Captain " for other versions of this rank In the uniformed services of the United States, captain is a federal Please see Regular Army (disambiguation for countries other than the United States that use this term The United States Regular Army Events 1252 - Pope Innocent IV issues the Papal bull Ad exstirpanda, which authorizes but also limits the Year 1917 ( MCMXVII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Major is a Military rank the use of which varies according to country The National Army was the combined Conscript and volunteer force that was formed by the United States War Department in 1917 to fight in World War I. Events 1340 - King Edward III of England is declared King of France. Year 1918 ( MCMXVIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Lieutenant Colonel ( Lieutenant-Colonel in English from the French grade 's spelling is a rank of Commissioned officer in the armies Events 240 BC - 1st recorded Perihelion passage of Halley's Comet. Year 1918 ( MCMXVIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Colonel ( RP ˈkɜnəl GA ˈkɜrnəl is a Military rank of a Commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every country Events 539 BC - King Cyrus The Great of Persia marches into the city of Babylon, releasing the Jews from almost Year 1918 ( MCMXVIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common See " Captain " for other versions of this rank In the uniformed services of the United States, captain is a federal Please see Regular Army (disambiguation for countries other than the United States that use this term The United States Regular Army Events 350 - Roman usurper Nepotianus, of the Constantinian dynasty, is defeated and killed by troops of the Usurper Year 1920 ( MCMXX) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display 1920 of the Gregorian calendar Major is a Military rank the use of which varies according to country Please see Regular Army (disambiguation for countries other than the United States that use this term The United States Regular Army "July 1st" redirects here For the Ayumi Hamasaki song see H (song. Year 1920 ( MCMXX) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display 1920 of the Gregorian calendar Lieutenant Colonel ( Lieutenant-Colonel in English from the French grade 's spelling is a rank of Commissioned officer in the armies Please see Regular Army (disambiguation for countries other than the United States that use this term The United States Regular Army Events 86 BC - Lucius Cornelius Sulla, at the head of a Roman Republic army enters in Athens, removing the Tyrant Year 1934 ( MCMXXXIV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full 1934 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Colonel ( RP ˈkɜnəl GA ˈkɜrnəl is a Military rank of a Commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every country Please see Regular Army (disambiguation for countries other than the United States that use this term The United States Regular Army "July 1st" redirects here For the Ayumi Hamasaki song see H (song. Year 1938 ( MCMXXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Brigadier General is the lowest ranking General Officer in some countries usually sitting between the ranks of Colonel and Major General. The Army of the United States is the official name for the Conscription (U Events 1187 - Siege of Jerusalem: Saladin captures Jerusalem after 88 years of Crusader rule Year 1940 ( MCMXL) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Major General or Major-General is a Military rank used in many countries The Army of the United States is the official name for the Conscription (U Events 1581 - Francis Drake completes a circumnavigation of the world and is knighted by Elizabeth I. Year 1941 ( MCMXLI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (the link will display 1941 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Lieutenant General is a Military rank used in many countries The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the The Army of the United States is the official name for the Conscription (U Events 538 - Witiges, king of the Ostrogoths ends his siege of Rome and retreats to Ravenna, leaving Year 1943 ( MCMXLIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Brigadier General is the lowest ranking General Officer in some countries usually sitting between the ranks of Colonel and Major General. Please see Regular Army (disambiguation for countries other than the United States that use this term The United States Regular Army Events 1384 - The Hongwu Emperor of Ming China, Emperor Dong hears a case of a couple who tore paper money bills while fighting Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Major General or Major-General is a Military rank used in many countries Please see Regular Army (disambiguation for countries other than the United States that use this term The United States Regular Army Events 1384 - The Hongwu Emperor of Ming China, Emperor Dong hears a case of a couple who tore paper money bills while fighting Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Army of the United States is the official name for the Conscription (U Events 43 BC - Battle of Forum Gallorum: Mark Antony, besieging Julius Caesar 's assassin Decimus Junius Brutus in Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar [35]
- Patton's summer home was located in Hamilton, Massachusetts. Hamilton is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The town has since dedicated its central park to Patton, boasting a World War II-era tank in the center of town, and the town's school sports teams play under the name "Generals". In addition, the French Government bestowed two statues to the town commemorating Patton's service to their nation. They were improved in 2003 and sit at the entrance to Patton Park.
- One of Patton's revolvers was a . 45 caliber Colt Single-Action Army model, serial number 332088, with a 4 ¾ inch barrel, ivory handles, and a nickel-plated finish. The Colt Single Action Army Handgun (also known as the Colt Peacemaker, Single Action Army or SAA, Colt. It was delivered from the Colt factory to Shelton Payne Arms Company in El Paso, Texas on March 4th, 1916, where it was further customized before then-2nd Lt. Patton took possession of it, shortly before Pershing's campaign into Mexico against Pancho Villa. Doroteo Arango Arámbula ( June 5 1878 &ndash July 20 1923) better known as Francisco or " Pancho " Villa It is believed that two notches carved into the left-hand ivory grip are to commemorate Patton's killing of Villa's most notorious lieutenants.
- His other revolver was a Smith & Wesson .357 Magnum with a 3 ½ inch barrel, serial number 47022. Smith & Wesson ( ( S&W) is the largest manufacturer of Handguns in the United States. (The large-frame . 357 Magnums would later become designated Model 27, when S&W switched to using a numerical system for naming their various models of handguns. The Smith & Wesson (S&W Model 27 is the original.357 Magnum Revolver and was first produced in 1935; production ceased in the 1990s ) It was shipped directly to him in Hawaii from the S&W factory on October 18th, 1935. Patton had the ivory grips fitted to it later.
- During World War II, Patton also carried a Colt Pocket Hammerless semiautomatic pistol. The Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammerless is.32 ACP self-loading Semi-automatic pistol introduced by Colt Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company of Hartford These guns were issued as self-defense weapons to US Army and Air Force senior officers and generals from the 1940s to the 1970s.
- Patton's white bull terrier, Willie (short for William the Conqueror) has been portrayed by some historians as being faithful, yet cowardly, and by others as highly aggressive and fearless. The Bull Terrier or English Bull Terrier is a breed of Dog in the Terrier family [15][36]
- Patton was a descendant of a first cousin of George Washington, Frances Gregory. George Washington (February 22 1732 December 14 1799 served as the first President of the United States of America (1789&ndash1797 and led the Gregory married Francis Thornton III, a first cousin twice removed of James Madison and three times removed of Zachary Taylor. James Madison Jr (March 16 1751 – June 28 1836 was an American Politician, the fourth President of the United States (1809–1817 and one of the Founding Zachary Taylor (November 24 1784 &ndash July 9 1850 was an American military leader and the twelfth President of the United States.
- Patton was named the class exemplar for the United States Air Force Academy's class of 2005, the only non-aviator to receive this honor. The United States Air Force Academy ( USAFA or Air Force) is an accredited college for the undergraduate education of officers for the United States Air
- In June 2007, David Greer, an executive of Royal Dutch Shell seconded to the Sakhalin-2 project in Russia, resigned after using in a motivational memo several stirring phrases from a speech given by General Patton in 1944, without acknowledging the source.
See also
Notes
- ^ Biography of General Hugh Mercer
- ^ Patton and Hannibal
- ^ Blumenson, Martin (1972). Royal Dutch Shell plc, commonly known simply as Shell, is a multinational oil company of Dutch and British origins The Sakhalin II (Сахалин-2 project is one of the biggest oil and gas developments in the world Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending Plagiarism is the unauthorized use or close imitation of the language and thoughts of another author and the representation of them as one's own original work During World War II, the North African Campaign, also known as the Desert War, took place in the North African desert from June 10, 1940 The Tunisia Campaign (also known as the Battle of Tunisia was a series of World War II battles that took place in Tunisia in the North African Campaign THE PATTON PAPERS: 1885-1940. Boston, Massachusetts: Houghton Mifflin, pp 231—234. Houghton Mifflin Company is a leading educational Publisher in the United States. ISBN 0-395-12706-8.
- ^ Blumenson, Martin (1998). THE PATTON PAPERS: 1885-1940. New York, New York: De Capo Press, pp 231—234. The City of New York ISBN 0-395-12706-8.
- ^ 8th Cavalry Regiment - Early History
- ^ Manning, Scott (2006-09-30). Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1399 - Henry IV is proclaimed King of England. 1744 - France and Spain defeat the What if Japan Invaded Mexico in June of 1942?. Digital Survivors. Retrieved on 2006-11-29. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1777 - San Jose California, is founded as el Pueblo de San José de Guadalupe
- ^ "Private Wrote Family About Being Cuffed," The Port Arthur News, Nov. 24, 1943, p6
- ^ "Reprimand for Patton is Denied," The Fresno Bee, November 22, 1943, p1
- ^ "Patton Regrets Slapping Soldier," San Antonio Light, November 23, 1943, p1
- ^ Id. at p. 8
- ^ "Gen. Patton Slap Haunts Former GI," Charleston Daily Mail, March 25, 1970, p12
- ^ "GI Slapped by Gen. Patton in Sicily Is Dead," The Cedar Rapids Gazette, February 2, 1971, p7.
- ^ Charleston Daily Mail, 3/25/70, Id.
- ^ Port Arthur News, 11/24/43, Id.
- ^ a b Carlo D'Este. Patton : A Genius for War HarperCollins, (1995).
- ^ The Patton Society Research Library The Third Army in WWII
- ^ GI - World War II Commemoration
- ^ Province, Charles M. The Unknown Patton. CMP Publications, 2002. p16.
- ^ American Battle Monuments Commission
- ^ "The Day of Battle" Rick Atkinson pp. 148 Atkinson's citation from "The Patton Story: He Slapped, He Raged, He Sobbed in Anger," Cincinnati Post, Feb. 28, 1947, 26, from McCormick Research Center, First Division Museum, Cantigny, Ill.
- ^ Virgil Pinkley, "Gen. George Patton Believed Himself Greatest Soldier'; Entire Army Felt Same Way," reprinted in Nevada State Journal, December 23, 1945, p15.
- ^ a b Whiting, Charles. "48 Hours to Hammelburg: Patton's Secret Mission", Ballantine (New York), 1970
- ^ a b Wilson, Joe W. The 761st "Black Panther" Tank Battalion in World War II". Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, 1999. p53.
- ^ Patton, George S. War As I Knew It. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1947. p160.
- ^ Brenner, Michael. "After the Holocaust: Rebuilding Jewish Lives in Post War Germany". P. 15, Princeton University Press.
- ^ Angelika Königseder and Juliane Wetzel: Waiting for Hope - Jewish Displaced Persons in Post-World War II Germany. Evanston, Illinois, 2001. Northwestern University Press. ISBN 0810114771.
- ^ The Unknown Patton Chapter Ten (The Patton Philosophy)
- ^ Walter L. Dorn "The Debate Over American Occupation Policy in Germany in 1944-1945" Political Science Quarterly, Vol. 72, No. 4. (Dec. , 1957), pp. 481-501.
- ^ John Dietrich. The Morgenthau Plan: Soviet Influence on American Postwar Policy (2002) pg. 127
- ^ from the Papers of David Eisenhower and Omar Bradley as quoted by Russell F. Weigley in his book Eisenhower's Lieutenants, 1981. p758.
- ^ a b Official Date Of Rank of 1943-09-01
- ^ a b Official Date Of Rank of 1943-09-02
- ^ http://www.washtimes.com/books/20050723-092118-1294r.htm
- ^ Gen. George S. Patton, Jr. Chapter website
- ^ World War II Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross - Citations
- ^ D. Year 1943 ( MCMXLIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 462 - Possible start of first Byzantine indiction cycle. Year 1943 ( MCMXLIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 44 BC - Pharaoh Cleopatra VII of Egypt declares her son co-ruler as Ptolemy XV Caesarion. A. Lande. I Was With Patton, page 271
References
Primary Sources
- George S. Patton, Jr. , War As I Knew It;Houghton Mifflin
ISBN 0-395-73529-7 ;(1947/1975); (Soft Cover)
ISBN 0-395-08704-6 (1947/1975); (Hard Cover) - George S. Patton, Jr. , The poems of General George S. Patton, Jr. : lines of fire, edited by Carmine A. Prioli. Edwin Mellen Press, 1991.
- Patton's photographs: war as he saw it. ed by Kevin Hymel Potomac Books,
ISBN 1-57488-871-4 (2006) (Hard Cover);
ISBN 1-57488-872-2 (2006) (Soft Cover; Alkali Paper). - Blumenson, Martin. The Patton Papers. Vol. 1, 1885-1940. ;
ISBN 0-395-12706-8 (Hard Cover) Houghton Mifflin Co. , 1972. 996 pp.
ISBN 0-306-80717-3 (Soft Cover; Alkali Paper) Da Capo Press; 1998; 996 pp. - Blumenson, Martin. The Patton Papers: Vol. 2, 1940-1945. ;
ISBN 0-395-18498-3 (Hard Cover); Houghton Mifflin, 1974. 889 pp.
ISBN 0-306-80717-3 (Soft Cover; Alkali Paper); Da Capo Press, 1996. 889 pp. - Patton, Robert H. The Pattons: A Personal History of An American Family;
ISBN 1-57488-127-2 (Soft Cover); Crown Publishers (1994); Brassey's (1996) 320 pp. - Platt, Anthony M. with O'Leary, Cecilia E. "Bloodlines: Recovering Hitler's Nuremberg Laws, From Patton's Trophy To Public Memorial. ";
ISBN 1-59451-140-3 (paperback); Paradigm Publishers, 2006. 268 pp.
Secondary sources
- Sobel, Brian. The Fighting Pattons
ISBN 0-440-23572-2 (Soft Cover) Dell Publishing, 1997; Praeger Publishers Reprint, July, 2000. - Axelrod, Alan. Patton: A Biography. Palgrave Macmillan, 2006. 205 pp.
- Berragan, G. W. "Who Should Bear Primary Responsibility for the Culmination of Patton's Us Third Army on the Moselle in 1944? Are There Lessons for Contemporary Campaign Planning?" Defence Studies 2003 3(3): 161-172. Issn: 1470-2436 Fulltext in Ingenta and Ebsco.
- Martin Blumenson. Patton: The Man Behind the Legend, 1885-1945 (1985) ISBN 0-688-06082-X
- Blumenson, Martin. The Battle of the Generals: The Untold Story of the Falaise Pocket - the Campaign That Should Have Won World War II. 1993. 288 pp.
- Carlo D'Este. Patton : A Genius for War HarperCollins, (1995). 978 pp. ISBN 0-06-016455-7
- Dietrich, Steve E. "The Professional Reading of General George S. Patton, Jr. " Journal of Military History 1989 53(4): 387-418. Issn: 0899-3718 Fulltext in Jstor
- Essame, H. Patton: A Study in Command. 1974. 280 pp.
- Stanley P. Hirshson. General Patton: A Soldier's Life. (2002) ISBN 0-06-000982-9
- Ladislas Farago. Patton: Ordeal and Triumph. ISBN 1-59416-011-2
- Nye, Roger H. The Patton Mind: The Professional Development of an Extraordinary Leader. Avery, 1993. 224 pp.
- Pullen, John J. "'You Will Be Afraid. '" American Heritage 2005 56(3): 26-29. Issn: 0002-8738 Fulltext in Ebsco. Patton's March 1945 was made famous by the movie, which sanitized it. Patton used harsh and foul language and castigated cowards, or "psychoneurotics," and those who used self-inflicted wounds to get out of combat. The basic message was "shoot and keep shooting. "
- Rickard, John Nelson. Patton at Bay: The Lorraine Campaign, September to December 1944. Praeger, 1999. 295 pp.
- Dennis Showalter. Patton and Rommel: Men of War in the Twentieth Century (2005). ISBN 978-0-425-20663-8.
- Smith, David Andrew. George S. Patton: A Biography. Greenwood, 2003. 130 pp.
- Spires, David N. Patton's Air Force: Forging a Legendary Air-Ground Team. Smithsonian Inst. Pr. , 2002. 377 pp.
- Brenton G. Wallace. Patton & His Third Army ISBN 0-8117-2896-X
- Russell F. Weigley. Eisenhower's Lieutenants: The Campaign of France and Germany 1944-1945, (1990)
- Wilson, Dale Eldred. `Treat 'Em Rough'! The United States Army Tank Corps in the First World War. Temple U. Press (1990). 352 pp.
External links
- The Patton Society Homepage
- On Spartacus Schoolnet
- General George Patton Museum
- Patton: Ordeal and Triumph by Ladislas Farago
- Patton Uncovered
- Lost Victory - Strasbourg, November 1944
- National Museum of Military History
| Preceded by Courtney Hodges |
Commanding General of the Third United States Army 1944–1945 |
Succeeded by Lucian K. Truscott |
| Preceded by First |
Commanding General of the Seventh United States Army 10 July 1943 to 1 January 1944 |
Succeeded by Mark Wayne Clark |
General Courtney Hicks Hodges ( January 5, 1887 &ndash January 16, 1966) was an American military officer, most United States Army Central, formerly the Third United States Army was a field army of the United States Army. Lucian King Truscott Jr ( January 9, 1895 &ndash September 12, 1965) was a US Army General, who successively commanded The Seventh United States Army, formerly the United States Army Europe, is the land component of United States European Command. Events 48 BC - Battle of Dyrrhachium, Julius Caesar barely avoids a catastrophic defeat to Pompey in Macedonia. Year 1943 ( MCMXLIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Mark Wayne Clark ( May 1, 1896 – April 17, 1984) was an American general during World War II and the Korean War
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