Patton

George Smith Patton, Jr. (November 11, 1885 – December 21, 1945) was a United States Army general, best known for his flamboyant character and his command of the Seventh United States Army, and later the Third United States Army, in the European Theater of World War II.

Born in 1885 to a privileged family with an extensive military background, Patton attended the Virginia Military Institute, and later the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He participated in the 1912 Olympic Modern Pentathlon, and was instrumental in designing the M1913 "Patton Saber". Patton first saw combat during the Pancho Villa Expedition in 1916, taking part in America's first military action using motor vehicles. He later joined the newly formed United States Tank Corps of the American Expeditionary Forces and saw action in World War I, first commanding the U.S. tank school in France before being wounded near the end of the war. In the interwar period, Patton remained a central figure in the development of armored warfare doctrine in the U.S. Army, serving in numerous staff positions throughout the country. Rising through the ranks, he commanded the U.S. 2nd Armored Division at the time of the U.S. entry into World War II.

Patton led U.S. troops into the Mediterranean theater with an invasion of Casablanca during Operation Torch in 1942, where he later established himself as an effective commander through his rapid rehabilitation of the demoralized U.S. II Corps. He commanded the Seventh Army during the Invasion of Sicily, where he was the first allied commander to reach Messina. There he was embroiled in controversy after he slapped two shell-shocked soldiers under his command, and was temporarily removed from battlefield command for other duties such as participating in Operation Fortitude's disinformation campaign for Operation Overlord. Patton returned to command the Third Army following the invasion of Normandy in 1944, where he led a highly successful, rapid armored drive across France. He led the relief of beleaguered U.S. troops at Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge, and advanced his army into Nazi Germany by the end of the war.

After the war, Patton became the military governor of Bavaria, but he was relieved of this post because of his statements on denazification. He commanded the Fifteenth United States Army for slightly more than two months. Patton died following an automobile accident in Europe on December 21, 1945.

Patton's colorful image, hard-driving personality and success as a commander were at times overshadowed by his controversial public statements regarding the Soviet Union, which were out of accord with American foreign policy. But his philosophy of leading from the front and his ability to inspire his troops with vulgarity-ridden speeches, such as a famous address to the Third Army, attracted favorable attention. His strong emphasis on rapid and aggressive offensive action proved effective. While Allied leaders held sharply differing opinions on Patton, he was regarded highly by his opponents in the German High Command. A popular, award-winning biographical film released in 1970 helped transform Patton into an American folk hero.

Contents

• 1 Early life and education
• 2 Junior officer
• 3 Pancho Villa Expedition
• 4 World War I
• 5 Interwar years
• 6 World War II
  • 6.1 North African Campaign
  • 6.2 Sicily Campaign
  • 6.3 Slapping incidents and aftermath
  • 6.4 Normandy breakout offensive
  • 6.5 Lorraine Campaign
  • 6.6 Battle of the Bulge
  • 6.7 Advance into Germany
• 7 Postwar
  • 7.1 Death
• 8 Legacy
  • 8.1 Image
  • 8.2 As viewed by Allied and Axis leaders
• 9 See also
• 10 Notes
  • 10.1 Footnotes
  • 10.2 Citations
• 11 References
• 12 External links

George Smith Patton Jr. was born on November 11, 1885^[1][2] in San Gabriel, California, to George Smith Patton Sr. and his wife Ruth Wilson. Patton had a younger sister, Anne. The family was of Irish, Scotch-Irish, and English ancestry^{[3] [4]} and had an extensive military background. His English ancestry had been in what is now the United States since the colonial era, going all the way back to colonial Virginia. His English ancestry could be traced back to sixteen of the Barons who signed the Magna Carta.^[5] Furthermore, though he was not descended from George Washington, he was related to some of the same English colonial ancestors as Washington, being descended from Washington's great grandfather.^[6]

He was also descended from Edward I of England through Edward's son Edmund of Woodstock, 1st Earl of Kent.^[7][8]

His paternal grandfather was George Smith Patton who commanded the 22nd Virginia Infantry under Jubal Early in the Civil War and was killed in the Third Battle of Winchester, [ABRAM PENDLETON KIA] while his great uncle Waller T. Patton was killed in Pickett's Charge during the Battle of Gettysburg. Patton also descended from Hugh Mercer, who had been killed in the Battle of Princeton during the American Revolution.Patton's father graduated from the Virginia Military Institute (VMI), but did not pursue a military career, instead becoming a lawyer and later the district attorney of Los Angeles County.Patton's maternal grandfather was Benjamin Davis Wilson, who had been Mayor of Los Angeles and a successful merchant. He was popular among the Spanish-speaking founders of modern Los Angeles, who affectionately called him "Benito", the Spanish for "Benjamin". Mount Wilson in the San Gabriel Mountains above San Marino, is named after him. ^[9]The family was prosperous, and George Patton lived a privileged childhood on the family's 2,000-acre (810 ha) estate.^[10]

Patton at Virginia Military Institute

As a child, Patton had difficulty learning to read and write, but eventually overcame this and was known in his adult life to be an avid reader.^{[Note 1]} He was tutored from home until the age of eleven, when he was enrolled in Stephen Clark's School for Boys, a private school in Pasadena, for six years. Patton was described as an intelligent boy and was widely read on classical military history, particularly the exploits of Julius Caesar, Joan of Arc, Napoleon Bonaparte, and Scipio Africanus as well as family friend John Singleton Mosby.^[11] He was also a devoted horseback rider.^[4] During a family summer trip to Catalina Island in 1902, Patton met Beatrice Banning Ayer, the daughter of Boston industrialist Frederick Ayer.^[12] The two wed on May 26, 1910 in Beverly Farms, Massachusetts. They had three children, Beatrice Smith (born March 1911),^[13] Ruth Ellen (born February 1915),^[14] and George Patton IV (born December 1923).^{[15][Note 2]}

Patton never seriously considered a career other than the military,^[4] so in 1902, he wrote a letter to Senator Thomas R. Bard seeking an appointment to the United States Military Academy. Bard required Patton to complete an entrance exam. Fearing that he would perform poorly in this exam, Patton and his father applied to several universities with Reserve Officer's Training Corps programs. Patton was accepted to Princeton University but eventually decided on the Virginia Military Institute.^[12] He attended VMI from 1903 to 1904 and struggled with reading and writing but performed exceptionally in uniform and appearance inspection as well as military drill, earning the admiration of fellow cadets and the respect of upperclassmen. While at VMI, Patton became a member of the Kappa Alpha Order fraternity. On March 3, 1904, after Patton continued letter-writing and good performance in the entrance exam, Bard recommended him for West Point.^[16]

In his plebe year at West Point, Patton adjusted easily to the routine.^[17] Still, his academic performance was so poor that he was forced to repeat his first year after failing mathematics.^[18] Studying throughout his summer break, Patton returned and showed substantial academic improvement. For the remainder of his career at the academy, Patton excelled at military drills though his academic performance remained average. He was cadet sergeant major his junior year, and cadet adjutant his senior year. He also joined the football team but injured his arm and ceased playing on several occasions, instead trying out for the Sword Team and track and field,^[19] quickly becoming one of the best swordsmen at the academy.^[20] Patton graduated from the academy ranked 46 out of 103.^[21] He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the cavalry on June 11, 1909.^[22]

Junior officer

Patton's first posting was with the 15th Cavalry at Fort Sheridan, Illinois,^[23] where he established himself as a hard-driving leader who impressed superiors with his dedication.^[24] In late 1911, Patton and his family transferred to Fort Myer, Virginia, where many of the Army's senior leaders were stationed. Befriending Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson, Patton served as his aide at social functions on top of his regular duties as quartermaster for his troop.^[13]

For his skill with running and fencing, Patton was selected as the Army's entry for the first-ever modern pentathlon for the 1912 Olympic Games in Stockholm, Sweden.^[25]

...

In 1915 Patton was assigned to border patrol duty with A Company of the 8th Cavalry, based in Sierra Blanca.^[38][39] During his time in this rough border town, Patton took to wearing his M1911 Colt .45 in his belt rather than a holster, emulating a cowboy image. This firearm discharged 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. He transferred to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, for a brief time later in 1915.^[40]

In March 1916 Mexican forces loyal to Pancho Villa crossed into New Mexico and raided the border town of Columbus. The violence in Columbus killed several Americans. In response, the U.S. launched a punitive expedition into Mexico against Villa. Chagrined to discover that his unit would not participate, Patton appealed to expedition commander John J. Pershing, and was named as personal aide to Pershing for the expedition. This meant Patton would have some role in organizing the effort, and his eagerness and dedication to the task impressed Pershing.^[41][42] Patton modeled much of his leadership style after Pershing, who favored strong, decisive leadership and commanding from the front.^[43][44] As an aide, Patton oversaw the logistics of Pershing's transportation and acted as his personal courier.^[45]

In mid-April, Patton asked Pershing for the opportunity to command troops, and was attached to Troop C of the 13th Cavalry to assist in the manhunt for Villa and his subordinates.^[46] Patton's first experience with combat came on May 14, 1916 in what would become the first motorized attack in the history of U.S. warfare. Patton, leading a force of ten soldiers and two civilian guides with the 6th Infantry in three Dodge touring cars, surprised three of Villa's men during a foraging expedition, killing Julio Cárdenas and two of his guards.^[42][47]

It was not clear if Patton personally killed any of the three men, but he was known to have wounded all three.^[48] The incident garnered Patton both Pershing's good favor and widespread media attention as a "bandit killer."^[42][49] Shortly after, he was promoted to first lieutenant while a part of the 10th Cavalry on May 23, 1916.^[38] Patton remained in Mexico until the end of the year. President Woodrow Wilson forbade the expedition from conducting aggressive patrols deeper into Mexico, so they remained encamped for much of that time. In October Patton briefly returned to California after being burned by an exploding gas lamp.^[50] He returned from the expedition permanently in February 1917.^[51]

World War I

Patton in France in 1918 with a Renault FT light tank

Following the expedition, Patton was initially detailed to Front Royal, Virginia, to oversee horse procurement for the Army, but Pershing intervened on his behalf.^[51] After the U.S. entered World War I, and Pershing was named commander of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF), Patton requested to join his staff.

...

Patton left France for New York City on March 2, 1919. After the war he was assigned to Camp Meade, Maryland, and reverted to his permanent rank of captain on June 30, 1920, though he was promoted to major again the next day. Patton was given temporary duty in Washington D.C. that year to serve on a committee writing a manual on tank operations. In this time he developed a belief that tanks should not be used as infantry support, but rather as an independent fighting force. Patton supported the M1919 tank design created by J. Walter Christie, a project which was shelved due to financial considerations.^[69]

While on duty in Washington, D.C., in 1919, Patton met Dwight D. Eisenhower,^[70] who would play an enormous role in Patton's future career. During and following Patton's assignment in Hawaii, he and Eisenhower corresponded frequently. Patton sent Eisenhower notes and assistance to help him graduate from the General Staff College.^[15] With Christie, Eisenhower, and a handful of other officers, Patton pushed for more development of armored warfare in the interwar era. These thoughts resonated with Secretary of War Dwight Davis, but the limited military budget and prevalence of already-established Infantry and Cavalry branches meant the U.S. would not develop its armored corps much until 1940.^[71]

WWII

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_S._Patton

^north ^{africa, Rommell,} ^D ^Day? ^Battle ^of ^Bulge

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