George Smith Patton Jr.(November 11, 1885 – December 21, 1945) He was a leading U.S. Army general in World War II in campaigns in North Africa, Sicily, France and Germany, 1943-45. In World War I he was a senior commander of the new tank corps and saw action in France. After the war he was an advocate of armored warfare but was reassigned to the cavalry. In World War II he commanded major units of North Africa, Sicily, and the European Theater of Operations. The popular image of "Old Blood and Guts", contrasts with the historians' image of a brilliant military leader whose record was also marred by insubordination and some periods of apparent instability.
Family
George S. Patton Jr. was born in San Gabriel, California to George Smith Patton Sr. (September 30, 1856 – June, 1927) and Ruth Wilson. The Pattons were an affluent family. As a boy, Patton read widely in classics and military history. Patton's father was a friend of John Singleton Mosby, a cavalry hero of the Confederate States of America; 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. A great-uncle, Waller T. Patton, perished of wounds received in Pickett's Charge during the Battle of Gettysburg. Another relative, Hugh Weedon Mercer, was a Confederate General.
Patton's grandfather, Colonel George Smith Patton (1833–1864) graduated from Virginia Military Institute (VMI), and was killed at the Battle of Opequon (the Third Battle of Winchester). Patton's father George Smith Patton, VMI class of 1877, was a lawyer. in Pasadena, California and the first mayor of San Marino, California.
Education
Patton attended Virginia Military Institute for one year, where he was a member of the Kappa Alpha Order. He then transferred to West Point. He was compelled to repeat his first "plebe" year after doing poorly in mathematics. He repeated his plebe year with honors, and was appointed Corporal Adjutant (the second highest position for a cadet) eventually graduating in 1909 and receiving his commission as a cavalry officer.
While at West Point, Patton renewed his acquaintance with childhood friend Beatrice Ayer, the daughter of a wealthy textile baron. The two were married shortly after his graduation.
After graduating from West Point, Patton participated in the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, representing the United States in the first-ever modern pentathlon. He finished fifth. He was the only competitor to defeat the French épée champion in the fencing segment of the event while his efforts in the cross-country run were lauded when he exerted himself to the maximum and promptly collapsed upon finishing.
The Patton saber
After the Olympics, Lt. 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 M1913 Cavalry Saber. 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.
Early military career
During the Mexican Expedition of 1916, Patton, while assigned to the 8th Cavalry Regiment in Fort Bliss, Texas, accompanied then-Brigadier General John J. Pershing as his aide during the Mexican Expedition in his pursuit of Pancho Villa, after Villa's forces had crossed into New Mexico and raided the town of Columbus, where they looted and also killed several Americans. 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. For this action, as well as Patton's affinity for the Colt Peacemaker, Pershing titled Patton his "Bandito." 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. While in France under the Third Republic, Patton requested that he be given a combat command and Pershing assigned him to the newly formed United States Tank Corps. Depending on the source, he either led the U.S. Tank Corps or was an observer at the Battle of Cambrai, where the first tanks were used as a significant force. 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.S. Tank Corps, which was part of the American Expeditionary Force and then the First U.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 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. For his combat wounds, he was presented the Purple Heart.
The interwar years
While on duty in Washington, D.C. in 1919, Captain (he reverted from his wartime temporary rank of Colonel) Patton met and became close friends with Dwight D. Eisenhower, who would play an enormous role in Patton's future career. In the early 1920s, Patton petitioned the U.S. Congress to appropriate funding for an armored force, but had little luck. Patton also wrote professional articles on tank and armored car tactics, suggesting new methods for their use. He also continued working on improvements to tanks, coming up with innovations in radio communication and tank mounts. However, the lack of interest in armor created a poor atmosphere for promotion and career advancement so Patton transferred back to the horse cavalry.
In July 1932, Patton served under Army Chief of Staff General Douglas MacArthur, as a major leading 600 troops, including the 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment in an action to disperse the protesting veterans known as the "Bonus Army" in Washington, DC. MacArthur ordered the troops to advance on the protesters with tear gas and bayonets. At one point, when the protesters resisted with bricks and curses, Patton led the last mounted charge of the U.S. Cavalry against homeless Americans. One of the veterans roused by the cavalry was Joseph T. Agelino, who won the Distinguished Service Cross in 1918 for saving Patton's life.
Patton served in Hawaii before returning to Washington to once again ask Congress for funding for armored units. In the late 1930s, Patton was assigned command of Fort Myer, Virginia. Shortly after Germany's blitzkrieg attacks in Europe, Maj. Gen. Adna Chaffee, the first Chief of the U.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. 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.
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 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. Gen. Jacob L. Devers. Patton was subsequently appointed as the commander of the newly activated I Armored Corps by Devers, and was in this position when the corps was assigned to Operation Huskey, the Invasion of North Africa.
On June 3, 1942, Patton believed the Japanese were on a course to invade the new Ally Mexico. He believed the Japanese would use the beaches of Mexico to move north into California. 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. The Japanese invasion fleet eventually landed on Kiska Island on June 6.
North African campaign
In 1942, Major General Patton commanded the Western Task Force of the U.S. Army, which landed on the coast of Morocco in Operation Torch. Patton and his staff arrived in Morocco aboard the heavy cruiser USS Augusta, which came under fire from the French battleship Jean Bart while entering the harbor of Casablanca.
Following the defeat of the U.S. II Corps as part of British 1st Army, by the German Afrika Korps at the Battle of the Kasserine Pass in 1943, General Dwight D. "Ike" Eisenhower assessed the aftermath by sending Major General Omar Nelson Bradley to observe the conditions of the II Corp operations. As a result of his report, Patton was made Lieutenant General and placed in command of II Corps on March 6, 1943. Soon thereafter, Patton had Bradley reassigned to his Corps Command as deputy commander, and thus began a long wartime association between the two diverse personalities for the remainder of the Second World War. Tough in his training, he was generally unpopular with his troops. Both British and US officers had noted the 'softness' and lack of discipline in the II Corps under Lloyd Fredendall. 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 "our blood and his guts". The discipline paid off quickly; by mid-March, the counteroffensive was pushing the Germans east, along with the rest of British 1st Army, while the British Eighth Army commanded by General Bernard Law Montgomery in Tunisia was simultaneously pushing them west, effectively squeezing the Germans out of North Africa.
Sicily campaign
Near Brolo, Sicily. 1943
As a result of his accomplishments in North Africa, Patton was given command of the Seventh Army in preparation for the 1943 invasion of Sicily. The Seventh Army's mission was to protect the left (western) flank of the British Eighth Army as both advanced northwards towards Messina.
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. 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. 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 in which American troops killed seventy-six prisoners of war. Even worse was the "slapping incident" that nearly ended Patton's career in August 1943. While visiting hospitals and commending wounded soldiers, he slapped and verbally abused two privates, whom he thought were exhibiting cowardly behavior. The soldiers were suffering from "shell-shock," now known as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and had no visible wounds. Newsmen decided to keep the incident quiet but the doctors used their own chain of command to inform Eisenhower. Eisenhower thought of sending him home in disgrace, as many newspapers demanded. But after consulting Marshall decided to keep him, but without a major command. Eisenhower had Patton apologize to the individual soldiers and hospital units that witnessed the incidents.
Eisenhower used Patton as a trick to mislead the Germans where the next attack would be, since they assumed Patton would lead the attack. 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. 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. This was part of a sophisticated Allied campaign of military deception, Operation Fortitude. The Germans misallocated their forces as a result, and were too slow to respond to the actual landings at Normandy.
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. 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. 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. Patton used Germany's own blitzkrieg tactics against them, covering 600 miles in just two weeks, from Avranches to Argentan. 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. These early Third Army offensives showed the characteristic high mobility and aggressiveness of Patton's units. 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.
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. Berragan (2003) explains it was due primarily to Patton's ambitions and his refusal to recognize that he was engaged in a secondary line of attack. Patton hoped that the 3d Army's success would keep fuel and supplies flowing to support his advance. Eisenhower, however, maintained a realistic and balanced approach to the ground-war effort. While Eisenhower favored consensus, both Patton and British rival Bernard Law Montgomery, against whom Patton considered himself competing for fuel and supplies, had their own agendas. Patton's agenda resulted in the 3d Army running out of gas in Alsace-Lorraine and reflected his refusal to operate within the rules and physical constraints of supply. 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.
Ardennes offensive
Bradley, Eisenhower, and Patton
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. 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 in Europe in years. It was during the midst of this fighting that the weather had become bitterly cold and snowy, which halted tank operations for a spell. Needing just a full day (24 hours) of good weather, Patton ordered the Third Army Chaplain to come up with some sort of weather prayer (an actual event that was depicted in the movie, "Patton" c.1970 with George C. Scott in the title role). Patton's prayer was well-received for the weather did clear soon after invoking the prayer he received and Patton decorated the chaplain with the DSM (Distinguished Service Medal) on the spot. Following this, he continued ahead with dealing with the German offensive and von Rundstedt.
Patton turned Third 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. By February, the Germans were in full retreat and Patton moved into the Saar Basin of Germany. The bulk of Third Army completed its crossing of the Rhine at Oppenheim on March 22, 1945.
Patton's son in law Johnny Waters was a German prisoner, and in late March Patton used his army for a personal task, rescuing Waters. He planned to use 3000 men but two generals objected and Patton used two companies with 300 men and 15 tanks to raid the Hammelburg POW camp where Waters was held. The raid by Task Force Baum was a total failure and only 35 of the 300 men returned--the rest were captured or killed. Waters was wounded and was left behind. Bradley was outraged at Patton's actions.
Patton was planning to take Prague, Czechoslovakia, when the forward movement of American forces was halted. His troops liberated Pilsen (May 6, 1945) and most of western Bohemia
Brief June 1945 visit to California
Largely overlooked in history is the warm reception he received on June 9, 1945, when he and Lt. 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. 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. He wore his helmet with a straight line of stars, chest full of medals, and two ivory 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 turned over key Nazi historical documents that he had unilaterally gathered (such as the original 1935 Nuremberg Laws) to the Huntington Library. This is a world-class repository of historical original papers, books, and maps, near Pasadena. The existence of this trove of historical papers was kept secret for about 55 years, and only publicized generally in April 2006, in a Los Angeles Times in-depth story. The papers are now on permanent loan to the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles.
Accident and death
On 9 December, in Germany a day before he was due to return to the United States, Patton was severely injured in a road accident. He and his chief of staff, Major General Hobart R. 'Hap' Gay, were on a daytrip to hunt pheasants in the country outside Mannheim. It was a cold, wet, hazy December morning. Their 1939 Cadillac Model 75 was driven by PFC Horace Woodring (1926 - 2003). 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 T/5 Robert L. Thompson appeared out of the haze and made a left-hand turn towards a side road. The 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 21 December 1945 at the military hospital in Heidelberg, Germany with his wife present.
Patton was buried at the Luxembourg American Cemetery and Memorial in Hamm, Luxembourg along with other members of the Third Army. 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 baptised. 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. A statue of General Patton is in the court yard adjacent to the church.
Patton's car was repaired and used by other officers. The car is now on display, with other Patton artifacts, at the Patton Museum of Cavalry and Armor at Fort Knox, Kentucky.
The Patton Family At the Virginia Military Institute Alumni Genealogy & Biography VMI Alumni records are a rich resource for historians and genealogists. This page highlights the Patton family's connection with VMI--Gen. George S. Patton of World War II fame (shown at right as VMI Cadet, 1903) and his ancestors who attended VMI, including his father, grandfather, and great uncles.
The first generation Four of seven Patton brothers attended VMI during the mid-19th century, including George S. Patton (VMI Class of 1852), General Patton's grandfather. They were the sons of John Mercer Patton and Margaret French Williams.
John Mercer Patton Born May 9, 1826 at Culpeper, Virginia; graduate, VMI Class of 1846, standing 8th out of 14; lawyer and judge; Colonel, 21st Virginia Infantry Regiment, CSA; married (first) Sally Lindsay Taylor in 1858, (second), Lucy A. Crump; he died at Ashland, Virginia, October 9, 1898. George Smith Patton Civil War Letters & Portrait Born June 26, 1833, Fredericksburg, VA; graduate, VMI Class of 1852, standing 2nd in a class of 24; after graduation studied law and practiced in Charleston (WVA); married Susan Thornton Glassell; during the Civil War, was commander of the 22nd Virginia Infantry Regiment; killed at the Battle of Winchester in September 1864. Grandfather of Gen. George S. Patton, Jr. (VMI Class of 1907). Waller Tazewell Patton Civil War Letter & Portrait Born July 15, 1835, Fredericksburg, VA.; graduate, VMI Class of 1855, standing 2nd in a Class of 16; after graduation practiced law in Culpeper, VA; Colonel, 7th Virginia Infantry Regiment, CSA; mortally wounded at Gettysburg and died in the College Hosptial at Gettysburg on July 21, 1863. William McFarland Patton Born August 22, 1845, Richmond, Virginia; graduate VMI Class of 1865; while a cadet took part in the Battle of New Market as a cadet sergeant in Company B of the Corps of Cadets; after war was a Civil Engineer and Professor of Engineering at VMI and Virginia Tech (VPI); married (Jan. 7, 1875) Annie Gertrude Jordan (1852-1921), daughter of Samuel F. Jordan and Elizabeth Leibert of Rockbridge, Co., Virginia; he died on May 26, 1905.
The second generation
George S. Patton Born Charleston (now West Virginia), September 30, 1856, the son of George S. Patton and Susan Thornton Glassell; graduate, VMI Class of 1877; after graduation taught at VMI for one year; studied law and became a prominent attorney in Los Angeles, where he was also active in politics; married Ruth Wilson, 1884; children: George S.(b. 1885) and Anne (b. 1887); died June 1927, Los Angeles, CA.
The third generation
General George S. Patton, Jr.(1885-1945) The third Patton to bear the name George Smith; attended VMI for one year (1903-1904) as a member of the Class of 1907; appointed to the United States Military Academy in the spring of 1904 and entered West Point in June. While at VMI he studied Algebra, English, History, Drawing and Latin; he was left tackle on the "scrub" football team, a group which scrimmaged several times a week against the varsity team; a classmate described him as "quiet, straight as a string, courteous, well-mannered, more serious minded than lightsome in conversation."
Letter, Fall 1903, from Cadet Patton to his Aunt
Letter, 1904 January 22, from George S. Patton Sr. discussing West Point appointment. See our photographs database for additional images.
I have no proof, but I believe that it was Mosby whom Patton quoted when he said that the object of war was not to die for one's country but to make the other sunnovabitch die for his. That is just too Mosby not to be from Mosby.
From my friend David Upton ---"It is a classical maxim that it is sweet and becoming to die for one's country; but whoever has seen the horrors of a battle-field feels that it is far sweeter to live for it." Mosby.
I suppose it is possible Patton overheard Mosby say this at one time when he was young and it made an impression on him. In his later years he could have put his own twist to it.
Mosby was known to have been considerably profane when he spoke to men and the saying I gave was much as he would have said even to young Georgie Patton. He was more careful with women and girls, but I would not be at all surprised if he didn't express himself to young George in that way. Of course, what you quoted, he wrote and his writing was far more proper than his speech. In fact, one person who wrote to me about him said that her family knew the Colonel in his old age and that the mother wouldn't let him in the house. He had to converse with the gentlemen of the family on the front porch! Perhaps the lady was too sensitive for I cannot imagine a professional man like Mosby being so profane as to be unwelcome among decent people, but I do know that he could swear with the best of them.
Of course we don't know George's age or the nature of the discussion when he spoke to George about the subject. Very possible you are correct, at any rate when I was in service our CO said the same thing to us pretty much as George may have said to his men.
