General patton car accident

George S. Patton

United States Army general (–)

"Patton" and "George Patton" redirect here. For other uses, see Patton (disambiguation) and George Patton (disambiguation).

George Smith Patton III (11 November – 21 December ) was a general in the United States Army who commanded the Seventh Army in the Mediterranean Theater of World War II, then the Third Army in France and Germany after the Alliedinvasion of Normandy in June

Born in , Patton attended the Virginia Military Institute and the United States Military Academy at West Point.

He studied fencing and designed the M Cavalry Saber, more commonly known as the "Patton Saber." He competed in the modern pentathlon in the Summer Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden. Patton entered combat during the Pancho Villa Expedition of , the United States' first military action using motor vehicles. He fought in World War I as part of the new United States Tank Corps of the American Expeditionary Forces: he commanded the U.S.

tank school in France, then led tanks into combat and was wounded near the end of the war. In the interwar period, Patton became a central figure in the development of the army's armored warfare doctrine, serving in numerous staff positions throughout the country. At the United States' entry into World War II, he commanded the 2nd Armored Division.

Patton led U.S. troops into the Mediterranean theater with an invasion of Casablanca during Operation Torch in , and soon established himself as an effective commander by rapidly rehabilitating the demoralized II Corps. He commanded the U.S. Seventh Army during the Allied invasion of Sicily, where he was the first Allied commander to reach Messina.

There he was embroiled in controversy after he slapped two shell-shocked soldiers, and was temporarily removed from battlefield command. He was assigned a key role in Operation Fortitude, the Allies' military deception campaign for Operation Overlord. At the start of the Western Allied invasion of France, Patton was given command of the Third Army, which conducted a highly successful rapid armored drive across France.

Under his decisive leadership, the Third Army took the lead in relieving beleaguered American troops at Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge, after which his forces drove deep into Nazi Germany by the end of the war.

During the Allied occupation of Germany, Patton was named military governor of Bavaria, but was relieved for making aggressive statements towards the Soviet Union and questioning denazification.

He commanded the United States Fifteenth Army for slightly more than two months. Severely injured in an auto accident, he died in Germany twelve days later, on 21 December

Patton's colorful image, hard-driving personality, and success as a commander were at times overshadowed by his controversial public statements.

General george patton quotes: Patton died from pulmonary edema and congestive heart failure on December 21, , after a car accident that paralyzed him. He was buried in Germany with military ceremony and near a fallen soldier.

His philosophy of leading from the front, and his ability to inspire troops with attention-getting, vulgarity-laden speeches, such as his famous address to the Third Army, was received favorably by his troops, but much less so by a sharply divided Allied high command. His sending the doomed Task Force Baum to liberate his son-in-law, Lieutenant Colonel John K.

Waters, from a prisoner-of-war camp further damaged his standing with his superiors. His emphasis on rapid and aggressive offensive action proved effective, and he was regarded highly by his opponents in the German High Command. An award-winning biographical film released in , Patton, helped popularize his image.

Early life

George Smith Patton Jr.

was born on 11 November , in the Los Angeles suburb of San Gabriel, California, to George Smith Patton Sr. and his wife, Ruth Wilson, the daughter of Benjamin Davis Wilson, the second mayor of Los Angeles, and Margaret Hereford, a widow from Virginia.^[3] The wealthy Patton family resided at Lake Vineyard, built by Benjamin Wilson, on acres (52&#;ha) in present-day San Marino, California.^[4] Patton had a younger sister, Anne, nicknamed "Nita".

Nita became engaged to John J. Pershing, Patton's mentor, in , but the engagement ended because of their separation during Pershing's time in France during World War I.

As a child, Patton had difficulty learning to read and write, but eventually overcame this and was known in his adult life to be an avid reader.^[a] He was tutored from home until the age of eleven, when he was enrolled in Stephen Cutter Clark's^[6] Classical School for Boys, a private school in Pasadena, for six years.^[7] Patton was described as an intelligent boy and was widely read in classical military history, particularly the exploits of Hannibal, Scipio Africanus, Julius Caesar, Joan of Arc, and Napoleon Bonaparte, as well as those of family friend John Singleton Mosby, who frequently stopped by the Patton family home when George was a child.

He was also a devoted horseback rider.

Patton never seriously considered a career other than the military. At the age of seventeen he sought an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. He also applied to several universities with military corps of cadet programs, and was accepted to Princeton, but eventually decided on Virginia Military Institute (VMI), which his father and grandfather had attended.^[9] He attended the school from to , and though he struggled with reading and writing, performed exceptionally in uniform and appearance inspection, as well as military drill.

While he was at VMI, Senator Thomas R. Bard nominated him for West Point. He was an initiate of the Beta Commission of Kappa Alpha Order.^[12]

In his plebe (first) year at West Point, Patton adjusted easily to the routine. However, his academic performance was so poor that he was forced to repeat his first year after failing mathematics.

He excelled at military drills, though his academic performance remained average. He was cadet sergeant major during his junior year, and the cadet adjutant his senior year. He also joined the football team, but he injured his arm and stopped playing on several occasions. Instead he tried out for the sword team and track and field and specialized in the modern pentathlon.

He competed in this sport in the Summer Olympics in Stockholm, and he finished in fifth place—right behind four Swedes.

Patton graduated number 46 out of cadets at West Point on 11 June ,^[16] and received a commission as a second lieutenant in the Cavalry branch of the United States Army.

At age 24, Patton married Beatrice Banning Ayer, the daughter of Boston industrialist Frederick Ayer, on 26 May , in Beverly Farms, Massachusetts.

They had three children, Beatrice Smith (born March ), Ruth Ellen (born February ), and George Patton IV (born December ). Patton's wife Beatrice died on 30 September , from a ruptured aneurysm^[20] after falling while riding her horse in a hunt with her brother and others at the Myopia Hunt Club in South Hamilton, Massachusetts.^[21]

Patton was an Episcopalian.^[22]

Ancestry

The Patton family was of English, Irish, Scots-Irish, Scottish, French and Welsh ancestry.

His great-grandmother came from an aristocratic Welsh family, descended from many Welsh lords of Glamorgan, which had an extensive military background. Patton believed he had formerly lived as a soldier and took pride in mystical ties with his ancestors.^[23]^[24]^[25] Though not directly descended from George Washington, Patton traced some of his English colonial roots to George Washington's great-grandfather.

He is a 1st cousin six times removed of George Washington.^[27]

He was also descended from England's King Edward I through Edward's son Edmund of Woodstock, 1st Earl of Kent. Family belief held the Pattons were descended from sixteen barons who had signed Magna Carta. Patton believed in reincarnation, stating that he had fought in previous battles and wars before his time, additionally, his ancestry was very important to him, forming a central part of his personal identity.^[28] The first Patton in North America was Robert Patton, born in Ayr, Scotland.

He emigrated to Culpeper, Virginia, from Glasgow, in either or

George Patton, Jr.'s paternal grandfather was George Smith Patton, who commanded the 22nd Virginia Infantry under Jubal Early in the Civil War and was killed in the Third Battle of Winchester, while his great-uncle Waller T. Patton was killed in Pickett's Charge leading the 7th Virginia Infantry regiment during the Battle of Gettysburg.

Patton also descended from Hugh Mercer, who had been killed in the Battle of Princeton during the American Revolutionary War. Patton's father, who graduated from the Virginia Military Institute (VMI), became a lawyer and later the district attorney of Los Angeles County. Patton's maternal grandfather was Benjamin Davis Wilson, a merchant who had been the second Mayor of Los Angeles.^[30]

His father was a wealthy rancher and lawyer who owned a one-thousand-acre (&#;ha) ranch near Pasadena, California.^[30]^[31] Wilson had married into one of the original Southern California settler families by marrying Ramona Yorba, who was the daughter of prominent Californio (Spanish and Mexican settlers in California) Bernardo Yorba, after whom the city of Yorba Linda is named.

Patton is also a descendant of French Huguenot Louis DuBois.^[33]^[34]

Personality

George S. Patton is believed to have had narcissistic personality disorder by many modern psychologists and historians.^[35]^[36]

Early military career

Patton's first posting was with the 15th Cavalry at Fort Sheridan, Illinois, where he established himself as a dilligent leader who impressed superiors with his dedication.

In late , Patton was transferred to Fort Myer, Virginia, where many of the Army's senior leaders were stationed. Befriending Secretary of WarHenry L. Stimson, Patton served as his aide at social functions on top of his regular duties as quartermaster for his troop. Patton had a high-pitched voice and worried that this would make it impossible for him to inspire his troops.^[40]

Olympics

For his skill in running and fencing, Patton was selected as the Army's entry for the first modern pentathlon at the Olympic Games in Stockholm, Sweden.

Patton was the only American among the 42 pentathletes, who were all officers.^[42] Patton placed twenty-first on the pistol range, seventh in swimming, fourth in fencing, sixth in the equestrian competition, and third in the footrace, finishing fifth overall and first among the non-Swedish competitors.

There was some controversy concerning his performance in the pistol shooting competition, in which he used a caliber U.S.

Army-issue pistol while most of the other competitors chose caliber firearms. He claimed that the holes in the paper from his early shots were so large that a later bullet passed through them, but the judges decided that one of his bullets missed the target completely. Modern competitions at this level frequently now employ a moving backdrop specifically to track multiple shots through the same hole.

If his assertion was correct, Patton would likely have won an Olympic medal in the event. The judges' ruling was upheld. Patton's only comment on the matter was:

The high spirit of sportsmanship and generosity manifested throughout speaks volumes for the character of the officers of the present day.

There was not a single incident of a protest or any unsportsmanlike quibbling or fighting for points which I may say, marred some of the other civilian competitions at the Olympic Games. Each man did his best and took what fortune sent them like a true soldier, and at the end we all felt more like good friends and comrades than rivals in a severe competition, yet this spirit of friendship in no manner detracted from the zeal with which all strove for success.

Sword design

Following the Olympics, Patton traveled to Saumur, France, where he learned fencing techniques from Adjutant Charles Cléry, a French "master of arms" and instructor of fencing at the cavalry school there.

Bringing these lessons back to Fort Myer, Patton redesigned saber combat doctrine for the U.S. cavalry, favoring thrusting attacks over the standard slashing maneuver and designing a new sword for such attacks. He was temporarily assigned to the Office of the Army Chief of Staff, and in , the first 20, of the Model Cavalry Saber—popularly known as the "Patton saber"—were ordered.

Patton then returned to Saumur to learn advanced techniques before bringing his skills to the Mounted Service School at Fort Riley, Kansas, where he would be both a student and a fencing instructor. He was the first Army officer to be designated "Master of the Sword", a title denoting the school's top instructor in swordsmanship.

Arriving in September , he taught fencing to other cavalry officers, many of whom were senior to him in rank.

Patton graduated from this school in June He was originally intended to return to the 15th Cavalry, which was bound for the Philippines. Fearing this assignment would dead-end his career, Patton travelled to Washington, D.C., during 11 days of leave and convinced influential friends to arrange a reassignment for him to the 8th Cavalry at Fort Bliss, Texas, anticipating that instability in Mexico might boil over into a full-scale civil war.

In the meantime, Patton was selected to participate in the Summer Olympics, but that Olympiad was cancelled due to World War I.

Pancho Villa Expedition

Main article: Pancho Villa Expedition

In , Lieutenant Patton was assigned to border patrol duty with A Troop of the 8th Cavalry, based in Sierra Blanca.

During his time in the town, Patton took to wearing his M Colt in his belt rather than a holster. His firearm discharged accidentally one night in a saloon, so he swapped it for an ivory-handled Colt Single Action Army revolver, a weapon that would later become an icon of Patton's image.

In March , Mexican forces loyal to Pancho Villa crossed into New Mexico and raided the border town of Columbus.

The violence in Columbus killed several Americans. In response, the U.S. launched the Pancho Villa Expedition into Mexico. Chagrined to discover that his unit would not participate, Patton appealed to expedition commander John J. Pershing, and was named his personal aide for the expedition. This meant that Patton would have some role in organizing the effort, and his eagerness and dedication to the task impressed Pershing.

Patton modeled much of his leadership style after Pershing, who favored strong, decisive actions and commanding from the front. As an aide, Patton oversaw the logistics of Pershing's transportation and acted as his personal courier.

In mid-April, Patton asked Pershing for the opportunity to command troops, and was assigned to Troop C of the 13th Cavalry to assist in the manhunt for Villa and his subordinates.

His initial combat experience came on 14 May , in what would become the first motorized attack in the history of U.S. warfare. A force of ten soldiers and two civilian guides, under Patton's command, with the 6th Infantry in three Dodge touring cars surprised three of Villa's men during a foraging expedition, killing Julio Cárdenas and two of his guards.

It was not clear if Patton personally killed any of the men, but he was known to have wounded all three. The incident garnered Patton both Pershing's good favor and widespread media attention as a "bandit killer". Shortly after, he was promoted to first lieutenant while a part of the 10th Cavalry on 23 May Patton remained in Mexico until the end of the year.

President Woodrow Wilson forbade the expedition from conducting aggressive patrols deeper into Mexico, so it remained encamped in the Mexican border states for much of that time. In October Patton briefly retired to California after being burned by an exploding gas lamp. He returned from the expedition permanently in February

World War I

After the Villa Expedition, Patton was detailed to Front Royal, Virginia, to oversee horse procurement for the army, but Pershing intervened on his behalf.

After the United States entered World War I, in April , and Pershing was named commander of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) on the Western Front, Patton requested to join his staff. Patton was promoted to captain on 15 May , and left for Europe, among the men of Pershing's advance party which departed 28 May and arrived in Liverpool, England, on 8 June.

Taken as Pershing's personal aide, Patton oversaw the training of American troops in Paris until September, then moved to Chaumont and was assigned as a post adjutant, commanding the headquarters company overseeing the base.

General george patton death General George S. Patton , commander of the U. He was 60 years old. Descended from a long line of military men, Patton graduated from the West Point Military Academy in He represented the United States in the Olympics-as the first American participant in the pentathlon.

Patton was dissatisfied with the post and began to take an interest in tanks, as Pershing sought to give him command of an infantry battalion. While in a hospital for jaundice, Patton met ColonelFox Conner, who encouraged him to work with tanks instead of infantry.

On 10 November , Patton was assigned to establish the AEF Light Tank School.

He left Paris and reported to the French Army's tank training school at Champlieu near Orrouy, where he drove a Renault FTlight tank. On 20 November, the Britishlaunched an offensive towards the important rail center of Cambrai, using an unprecedented number of tanks. At the conclusion of his tour on 1 December, Patton went to Albert, 30 miles (48&#;km) from Cambrai, to be briefed on the results of this attack by the chief of staff of the British Tank Corps, ColonelJ.

F. C. Fuller. On the way back to Paris, he visited the Renault factory to observe French tanks being manufactured. Patton was promoted to major on 26 January He received the first ten tanks on 23 March , at the tank school at Bourg, a small village close to Langres, Haute-Marne département. The only US soldier with tank-driving experience, Patton personally backed seven of the tanks off the train.

In the post, Patton trained tank crews to operate in support of infantry, and promoted its acceptance among reluctant infantry officers. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel on 3 April , and attended the Command and General Staff College in Langres.

In August , he was placed in charge of the U.S. 1st Provisional Tank Brigade (redesignated the th Tank Brigade on 6 November ).

Patton's Light Tank Brigade was part of Colonel Samuel Rockenbach's Tank Corps, part of the American First Army. Personally overseeing the logistics of the tanks in their first combat use by U.S. forces, and reconnoitering the target area for their first attack himself, Patton ordered that no U.S. tank be surrendered.

Patton commanded American-crewed Renault FT tanks at the Battle of Saint-Mihiel, leading the tanks from the front for much of their attack, which began on 12 September. He walked in front of the tanks into the German-held village of Essey, and rode on top of a tank during the attack into Pannes, seeking to inspire his men.

While outside the village of Essey he had his first chance meeting with Brigadier General Douglas MacArthur, then commanding a brigade of the 42nd "Rainbow" Division, who, at just thirty-eight, was already one of the most highly decorated officers in the AEF, and with whom Patton would serve later in his career.

Patton's brigade was then moved to support I Corps for the upcoming Meuse–Argonne offensive, which began on September He personally led a troop of tanks through thick fog as they advanced 5 miles (8&#;km) into German lines.

Around , Patton was wounded while leading six men and a tank in an attack on German machine guns near the town of Cheppy. His orderly, Private First ClassJoe Angelo, saved Patton, for which he was later awarded the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC). Patton commanded the battle from a shell hole for another hour before being evacuated.

Although the 35th Division (of which Patton's tank troop was a component) eventually captured Varennes, it did so with heavy losses.^[86] Trying to move his reserve tanks forward, Patton relates that he might have killed one of his own men, stating: "Some of my reserve tanks were stuck by some trenches.

So I went back and made some Americans hiding in the trenches dig a passage. I think I killed one man here. He would not work so I hit him over the head with a shovel."^[87]

Patton stopped at a rear command post to submit his report before heading to a hospital. Sereno E. Brett, commander of the U.S.

th Tank Battalion, took command of the brigade in Patton's absence. Patton wrote in a letter to his wife: "The bullet went into the front of my left leg and came out just at the crack of my bottom about two inches to the left of my rectum. It was fired at about 50&#;m&#;[&#;ft] so made a hole about the size of a [silver] dollar where it came out."

While recuperating from his wound, Patton was promoted to temporary colonel in the Tank Corps of the U.S.

National Army on 17 October. He returned to duty on 28 October but saw no further action before hostilities ended on his 33rd birthday with the armistice of 11 November For his actions in Cheppy, Patton received the Silver Star, later upgraded to the DSC. The citation for the medal read:

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, 9 July , takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to Colonel (Armor) George Smith Patton, Jr.

(ASN: ), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with Tank Corps, A.E.F., near Cheppy, France, 26 September Colonel Patton displayed conspicuous courage, coolness, energy, and intelligence in directing the advance of his brigade down the valley of the Aire. Later he rallied a force of disorganized infantry and led it forward, behind the tanks, under heavy machine-gun and artillery fire until he was wounded.

Unable to advance further, Colonel Patton continued to direct the operations of his unit until all arrangements for turning over the command were completed.^[90]

For his leadership of the tank brigade and tank school, he was awarded the Army Distinguished Service Medal, the citation for which reads:

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, 9 July , takes pleasure in presenting the Army Distinguished Service Medal to Colonel (Tank Corps) George Smith Patton, Jr.

(ASN: ), United States Army, for exceptionally meritorious and distinguished services to the Government of the United States, in a duty of great responsibility during World War I. By his energy and sound judgment, Colonel Patton rendered very valuable services in his organization and direction of the Tank Center at the Army schools at Langres, France.

In the employment of Tank Corps troops in combat he displayed high military attainments, zeal, and marked adaptability in a form of warfare comparatively new to the American Army.^[90]

In addition, he was also awarded the Purple Heart for his combat wounds after the decoration was created in

On 11 November , World War I ended.

In the months and years that followed Patton was haunted by his experience in the Meuse–Argonne. Although he emerged from the war with honours and acclaim, the year took its toll and the price was indeed high. Contrary to his image as a tough guy, Patton was deeply affected by the horror of war and suffered from post-traumatic stress.

What had been a high on the battlefield turned into the giant letdown that is so common to soldiers who have been in combat.

Inter-war years

Patton left France for New York City on 2 March After the war, he was assigned to Camp Meade, Maryland, and reverted to his permanent rank of captain on 30 June , though he was promoted to major again the next day.

Patton was given temporary duty in Washington D.C. that year to serve on a committee writing a manual on tank operations. During this time he developed a belief that tanks should be used not as infantry support, but rather as an independent fighting force. Patton supported the M design created by J. Walter Christie, a project which was shelved due to financial considerations.

While on duty in Washington, D.C., in , Patton met Dwight D. Eisenhower, who would play an enormous role in Patton's future career. During and following Patton's assignment in Hawaii, he and Eisenhower corresponded frequently. Patton sent notes and assistance to help Eisenhower graduate from the General Staff College. With Christie, Eisenhower, and a handful of other officers, Patton pushed for more development of armored warfare in the interwar era.

These thoughts resonated with Secretary of War Dwight Davis, but the limited military budget and prevalence of already-established Infantry and Cavalry branches meant the U.S. would not develop its armored corps much until

On 30 September , then-Major Patton relinquished command of the th Tank Brigade and was reassigned to Fort Myer as commander of 3rd Squadron, 3rd Cavalry.

Loathing duty as a peacetime staff officer, he spent much time writing technical papers and giving speeches on his combat experiences at the General Staff College.

In July Patton became a member of the American Legion Tank Corps Post No. ^[97] Maj. Patton led the rescue effort after the January blizzard destroyed the Knickerbocker Theatre in D.C.^[98]^[99] From to mid he attended the Field Officer's Course at the Cavalry School at Fort Riley, then he attended the Command and General Staff College from mid to mid, graduating 25th out of In August , Patton saved several children from drowning when they fell off a yacht during a boating trip off Salem, Massachusetts.

He was awarded the Silver Lifesaving Medal for this action. He was temporarily appointed to the General Staff Corps in Boston, Massachusetts, before being reassigned as G-1 and G-2 of the Hawaiian Division at Schofield Barracks in Honolulu in March

Patton was made G-3 of the Hawaiian Division for several months, before being transferred in May to the Office of the Chief of Cavalry in Washington, D.C., where he began to develop the concepts of mechanized warfare.

A short-lived experiment to merge infantry, cavalry and artillery into a combined arms force was cancelled after U.S. Congress removed funding. Patton left this office in , returned to Massachusetts and attended the Army War College, becoming a "Distinguished Graduate" in June

In July , Patton (still a Major) was executive officer of the 3rd Cavalry, which was ordered to Washington by Army Chief of Staff General Douglas MacArthur.

Patton took command of the troops of the 3rd Cavalry, and on 28 July, MacArthur ordered Patton's troops to advance on protesting veterans known as the "Bonus Army" with tear gas and bayonets. Patton was dissatisfied with MacArthur's conduct, as he recognized the legitimacy of the veterans' complaints and had himself earlier refused to issue the order to employ armed force to disperse the veterans.

Patton later stated that, though he found the duty "most distasteful", he also felt that putting the marchers down prevented an insurrection and saved lives and property. He personally led the 3rd Cavalry down Pennsylvania Avenue, dispersing the protesters. Patton also encountered his former orderly, Joe Angelo, as one of the marchers and forcibly ordered him away, fearing such a meeting might make the headlines.

Patton was promoted to lieutenant colonel in the regular Army on 1 March , and was transferred to the Hawaiian Division in early to serve as G During this posting, Patton feuded with his commander, Hugh Aloysius Drum, another Pershing protégé.^[]^[] At a polo match in which Patton was playing, Drum was among the spectators and rebuked Patton for his use of angry profanity during the game.^[] The civilian players, who were members of Hawaii's wealthy elite on friendly terms with the equally wealthy and elite Patton, humiliated Drum by standing up for Patton.^[] Patton followed the growing hostility and conquest aspirations of the militant Japanese leadership.

He wrote a plan to intern the Japanese living in the islands in the event of an attack as a result of the atrocities carried out by Japanese soldiers on the Chinese in the Sino-Japanese war. In he wrote a paper with the title "Surprise" which predicted, with what D'Este termed "chilling accuracy", a surprise attack by the Japanese on Hawaii.

Depressed at the lack of prospects for new conflict, Patton took to drinking heavily and allegedly began a brief affair with his year-old niece by marriage, Jean Gordon. This supposed affair distressed his wife and nearly resulted in their separation. Patton's attempts to win her back were said to be among the few instances in which he willingly showed remorse or submission.

Patton continued playing polo and sailing in this time.

After sailing back to Los Angeles for extended leave in , he was kicked by a horse and fractured his leg. Patton developed phlebitis from the injury, which nearly killed him. The incident almost forced Patton out of active service, but a six-month administrative assignment in the Academic Department at the Cavalry School at Fort Riley helped him to recover.

Patton was promoted to colonel on 24 July , and given command of the 5th Cavalry at Fort Clark, Texas, for six months, a post he relished, but he was reassigned to Fort Myer again in December as commander of the 3rd Cavalry. There, he met the Army's Deputy Chief of Staff, George C. Marshall, who was so impressed with him that Marshall considered Patton a prime candidate for promotion to general.

In peacetime, though, he would remain a colonel to remain eligible to command a regiment. When Malin Craig retired as Chief of Staff of the United States Army in , Drum was a candidate to succeed him.^[]^[] Drum wanted the position badly enough to set aside his feud with Patton and ask Patton to intercede with the retired but still influential Pershing.^[]^[] Despite these efforts, Drum was passed over in favor of Marshall.^[]^[]

Patton had a personal schooner named When and If.

The schooner was designed by famous naval architect John G. Alden and built in The schooner's name comes from Patton saying he would sail it "when and if" he returned from war.^[]

World War II

Following the German Army's invasion of Poland and the outbreak of World War II in Europe in September , the U.S.

military entered a period of mobilization, and Colonel Patton sought to build up the power of U.S. armored forces. During maneuvers the Third Army conducted in , Patton served as an umpire, where he met Adna R. Chaffee Jr. and the two formulated recommendations to develop an armored force. Chaffee was named commander of this force, and created the 1st and 2nd Armored Divisions as well as the first combined arms doctrine.

He named Patton commander of the 2nd Armored Brigade, part of the 2nd Armored Division. The division was one of few organized as a heavy formation with many tanks, and Patton was in charge of its training. Patton was promoted to brigadier general on 2 October, made acting division commander in November when Charles L.

Scott assumed command of I Armored Corps, and on 4 April , was promoted again to major general as Commanding General (CG) of the 2nd Armored Division. As Chaffee stepped down from command of the I Armored Corps, Patton became the most prominent figure in U.S. armor doctrine. In December , he staged a high-profile mass exercise in which 1, tanks and vehicles were driven from Columbus, Georgia, to Panama City, Florida, and back.

He repeated the exercise with his entire division of 1, vehicles the next month.

General george patton death car Border War. Patton entered combat during the Pancho Villa Expedition of , the United States' first military action using motor vehicles. In the interwar period, Patton became a central figure in the development of the army's armored warfare doctrine, serving in numerous staff positions throughout the country. Patton led U. He commanded the U.

Patton earned a pilot's license and, during these maneuvers, observed the movements of his vehicles from the air to find ways to deploy them effectively in combat. His exploits earned him a spot on the cover of Life magazine.

General Patton led the division during the Tennessee Maneuvers in June , and was lauded for his leadership, executing 48 hours' worth of planned objectives in only nine.

During the September Louisiana Maneuvers, his division was part of the losing Red Army in Phase I, but in Phase II was assigned to the Blue Army. His division executed a mile (&#;km) end run around the Red Army and "captured" Shreveport, Louisiana. During the October–November Carolina Maneuvers, Patton's division captured Drum, the commander of the opposing army.

Drum was embarrassed and became the subject of mockery.^[] After soldiers from Isaac D. White's battalion detained Drum,^[] the exercise umpires ruled that the circumstances would not have transpired in combat, so he was allowed to return to his headquarters, enabling the exercise to continue and Drum to save face.^[] Despite the umpires' actions, the incident indicated to senior leaders that Drum might not be prepared to command large bodies of troops under the modern battlefield conditions the Army would face in World War II, so he was not considered for field command.^[]^[b]

On 15 January , a few weeks after the American entry into World War II, he succeeded Scott as commander of I Armored Corps, and the next month established the Desert Training Center in the Coachella Valley region of Riverside County in California, to run training exercises.

He commenced these exercises in late and continued them into the summer of Patton chose a 10,acre (40&#;km²) expanse of desert area about 50 miles (80&#;km) southeast of Palm Springs.

General george patton biography Considered one of the most successful combat generals in U. He died on December 21, in Heidelberg, Germany. Born November 11, , in San Gabriel, California, as a young boy, Patton set his sights on becoming a war hero. Striving to follow in their footsteps, he enrolled in Virginia Military Institute in A year later, he attended the U.

From his first days as a commander, Patton strongly emphasized the need for armored forces to stay in constant contact with opposing forces. His instinctive preference for offensive movement was typified by an answer Patton gave to war correspondents in a press conference. In response to a question on whether the Third Army's rapid offensive across France should be slowed to reduce the number of U.S.

casualties, Patton replied, "Whenever you slow anything down, you waste human lives." It was around this time that a reporter, after hearing a speech where Patton said that it took "blood and brains" to win in combat, began calling him "blood and guts". The nickname would follow him for the rest of his life. Soldiers under his command were known at times to have quipped, "our blood, his guts".

General george patton death photos

Museum tentatively plans to reopen at noon Thursday, Jan. Check Back for Updates. General George S. Patton, Jr. Top Image: General George S.

Nonetheless, he was known to be admired widely by the men under his charge.

North African campaign

See also: Operation Torch and Tunisian campaign

Under Lieutenant GeneralDwight D. Eisenhower, the Supreme Allied Commander, Patton was assigned to help plan the Allied invasion of French North Africa as part of Operation Torch in the summer of Patton commanded the Western Task Force, consisting of 33, men in ships, in landings centered on Casablanca, Morocco.

The landings, which took place on 8 November , were opposed by Vichy French forces, but Patton's men quickly gained a beachhead and pushed through fierce resistance. Casablanca fell on 11 November and Patton negotiated an armistice with French General Charles Noguès. The Sultan of Morocco was so impressed that he presented Patton with the Order of Ouissam Alaouite, with the citation "Les Lions dans leurs tanières tremblent en le voyant approcher" (The lions in their dens tremble at his approach).

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Patton oversaw the conversion of Casablanca into a military port and hosted the Casablanca Conference in January

On 6 March , following the defeat of the U.S. II Corps by the German Afrika Korps, commanded by GeneralfeldmarschallErwin Rommel, at the Battle of Kasserine Pass, Patton replaced Major General Lloyd Fredendall as Commanding General of the II Corps and was promoted to lieutenant general.

Soon thereafter, he had Major General Omar Bradley reassigned to his corps as its deputy commander. With orders to take the battered and demoralized formation into action in 10 days' time, Patton immediately introduced sweeping changes, ordering all soldiers to wear clean, pressed and complete uniforms, establishing rigorous schedules, and requiring strict adherence to military protocol.

He continuously moved throughout the command talking with men, seeking to shape them into effective soldiers. He pushed them hard, and sought to reward them well for their accomplishments. His uncompromising leadership style is evidenced by his orders for an attack on a hill position near Gafsa, in which he ended by reportedly saying, "I expect to see such casualties among officers, particularly staff officers, as will convince me that a serious effort has been made to capture this objective."

Patton's training was effective, and on 17 March, the U.S.

1st Infantry Division took Gafsa participating in the indecisive Battle of El Guettar, and pushing a German and Italian armored force back twice. In the meantime, on 5 April, he removed Major General Orlando Ward, commanding the 1st Armored Division, after its lackluster performance at Maknassy against numerically inferior German forces.

Advancing on Gabès, Patton's corps pressured the Mareth Line. During this time, he reported to British GeneralSir Harold Alexander, commander of the 18th Army Group, and came into conflict with Air Vice MarshalSir Arthur Coningham about the lack of close air support being provided for his troops. By the time his force reached Gabès, the Germans had abandoned it.

He then relinquished command of II Corps to Bradley, and returned to the I Armored Corps in Casablanca to help plan Operation Husky, the Allied invasion of Sicily. Fearing U.S. troops would be sidelined, he convinced British commanders to allow them to continue fighting through to the end of the Tunisia Campaign before leaving on this new assignment.