What were the similarities and differences between General Patton MacArthur and Eisenhower?

Answer 1

This is just my opinion and it is based only on reported info about the character and personalities of the generals in question. I have no personal experience with any of the individuals. Similarities: MacArthur and Eisenhower were accomplished administrators with substantial Army Staff experience and so understood the stratigic military/political picture and the logistic requirements of an army in the field. They were not 'combat' generals and had not seen any combat since they were junior officers in WWI. Differences: Eisenhower was a politician and was given the post CnC Europe because of his skills as a diplomat. He managed to keep the Allies fighting the Germans and not each other although the ongoing competition between Patton and British FM Montgomery gave him no end of grief. MacArthur was a bit of an egomaniac and did not play well with others. He did not get along with his peers including Adm. Nimitz. He was constaintly feeling shortchanged because the Southwestern Pacific was low on the priority list for resources. However, his staff was fiercely loyal to him. Patton was a loose cannon with all the tact and charm of a rabid Tasmanian Devil. This quality made him hated by his troops, disliked by his peers and superiors, loved by the media(who always love a colorful story), and feared and respected by his enemies. Such was the German's respect for Patton that they held most of their reserves out of Normandy waiting for the expected 'main' attack led by Patton believing that the Allies could not keep their best field general out of the invasion theater. Patton was relentless in his pursuit of his perception of personal destiny. I hope that this is helpful. Eisenhower - More of a politician than a fighting general. A fine mind for grand strategy. He did a fine job of holding the Western allies together. A wonderful administer and a people person. From a reasonably poor background. He needed his army pay. MacArthur - A general with both flashes of genius and of folly with a huge ego. A great administrator. A poor people person. From a reasonably well off background (if my memory serves me correctly). He wanted to nuke red-china during the Korean War (and said it publicly) and strung his troops out near the Chinese border because he believed they would never dare attack. The US Army suffered one of its worst defeats in its history. A self publicist. Patton - A man who though he was the reincarnation of, I think it was, Scipio Africanus. A good fighting general. A low regard for the life's of his soldiers. A high regard for personal glory. Probably the richest officer in the US army. A self publicist. I'm not sure Patton can get all of the credit for the Germans holding their main reserves at Calais. It was the obvious invasion route and the allies did run an extensive miss-information campaign to make them believe so - including a dead British officer (who had died of natural causes) who was dumped into the sea near Spain to make it look as if he had crashed into the sea. He had complete plans of the invasion area handcuffed onto his wrist (false ones of course for the Calais area). The Spanish passed this onto this onto the Germans. The British and the Americans put a lot of effort into making the illusion that their was a real army in the Dover area ready to invade - the Germans were fooled into believing that there were at least twice as many divisions in the UK as there really were. I have read a lot of people saying that the Germans considered Patton to be the allies best general but I have never come across anyone who gives any German quotes or any sources to back this up. In June 1944 Patton didn't have a particularly long or impressive record. Nor was he terribly experienced. In Sicily, which the Germans considered a fighting retreat, both he and Montgomery allowed the German army to escape unmolested with all of their heavy weapons across the straits to Italy. Later in the war Bradley consistently out performed him but he did it in a quiet manner and was not a self publicist in the manner of Montgomery or Patton. I think it is fair to say that the Germans probably thought Patton was the Western allies most aggressive general. The Germans in June 1944 did know that the Americans held him in very high regard as they do so to this day.