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George Patton
George Patton was a US military officer. Active in both World War 1 and World War 2, he is best remembered for his service as a general in the US Army during World War 2. Patton was known for being outspoken and without reserve as well as being an excellent leader. Questions about General George S. Patton can be directed here.
204 Questions
What were the details of General George S Patton's death?
He died in a hospital of an embolism a few weeks after being involved in a automobile accident in which a stake bed truck made a left turn in front of his limo. At the time of the accident, Patton was sitting on the edge of the rear seat leaning forward looking out the right window. Upon impact, he was thrown into the partition dividing the front and rear seat. The others in the limo were all sitting back and were not seriously hurt. As a result, Patton cut a gash over his right eye and was paralyzed from the neck down.
Who played George S Patton in the movie Patton?
No one played Eisenhower in the movie "Patton," because Eisenhower was never shown. Ike died in 1969 and his family, including widow Mamie, hated Patton because of his remarks about Ike's leadership during the war. The family refused to allow the movie (filmed in 1969-70) to have any actor portray Eisenhower, hence, Ike's deputy, Gen. Beedle Smith (portrayed by Edward Blinn) is always referring to Ike, but he is never shown. In the scene at Verdun on Dec. 19, 1944, just after the German breakthrough in the Ardennes (Battle of the Bulge) Beedle Smith is asking who can break through to Bastogne. In reality, it was Ike leading the conference who asked that question. It is true that Patton had forseen the possibility of a German breakthrough in the Ardennes three days earlier and had planned for three possible attacks against the Germans if they came through.
What breed of horse did George Patton own?
Patton was given a Lipizzaner horse during WWII because he helped save the horses from the Russians.
What tanks did George Patton use?
During the Vietnam War:
1. US forces used M48A3 Patton medium gun tanks and M551 Sheridan light tanks (Armored Airborne Reconnaissance Assault Vehicles).
2. ARVN forces (South Viet Army) used US supplied M41 Walker Bulldog light tanks.
3. Australian forces used Centurion medium gun tanks.
4. NVA (North Viet Army) used Soviet/Chicom supplied T54 or T55 medium gun tanks and PT76 Amphibious light tanks.
During the early stages of the war, there were some old left over WWII Japanese Type 95 light tanks being used by the French supported forces.
What kind of leader was Patton?
GEN George S. Patton commanded Armored Divisions in WWII. His son, also named George S. Patton, commanded the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment (11th ACR) in Vietnam. Both Pattons led from the front on the battlefield.
Son, GEN Patton named his gardens at home after the names of his fallen men from the Vietnam War.
George S Patton Jr horse cavalry?
Yes, under Gen. "Blackjack" Pershing. The US Horse Cavalry wasn't officially disbanded until 1942. The US Army's last "horse cavalry" battle was conducted by the US 26th Cavalry...against Japanese Type 95 light tanks in 1942.
What city did general Patton liberate?
General Patton died in the city of luxenberg because of the blood clot in his brain.
How many medals did George S Patton win?
These are the medals and awards General Patton received.
Distinguished Service Cross (2)
Distinguished Service Medal (3)
Silver Star (2)
Legion of Merit
Bronze Star
Purple Heart
Order of the Bath
Order of the British Empire
What was General George Patton's Weakness?
He graduated near the bottom of his class at West Point. He was not known as a particularly brilliant commander, and did not inspire the confidence nor the adoration that Lee and some of his other subordinates commanded.
Was General George Patton a good leader in World War 2?
General Patton was one of the best US Army commanders of WW2.
Known for wearing pearl handled revolvers, Patton was a great leader of his men. He & Montgomery did not see eye to eye at all. He paraphrased Marshal Pierre Bosquet of the Crimean War by saying 'It's not war, but it is magnificent': But who could justify his own troops stealing supplies intended for the troops of his own army's other corps requirements ? And slapping the face of a man in a field hospital ? Yes, he was a good leader, but good is about it: The debate remains whether Eisenhower should have given Patton his head to cross the Rhine in 1944 rather than go with Montgomery in Market-Garden. Perhaps had he done so Patton might just have won the war in 1944 & be elevated to the heights of great Generalship...
A true warrior, respected and feared by the Germans. Great ability to mobilize an army with great speed. He was one of the best combat leaders of WW2. He was politically inept and his mouth got him trouble often. He also slapped two soldiers suffering from combat fatigue, he was almost relieved of command but was to good to let go. If we had Patton in Vietnam and let him go do his thing without political influence he probably would have ended the war in a year or two.
Why was General George Patton's nickname was old blood and guts?
Patton ran over people's bodies in the road gaining the nickname "old blood and guts"
He did not literally run over bodies. He did give a speech very similar to that depicted at the beginning of the movie "Patton" where he told his troops to spill the enemy's blood.
The nickname was pinned on him largely by his men for his bold, sometimes costly, plans: "His Guts and Our Blood"
What was George Patton's Religion?
Patton firmly believed in being born to fulfil a great destiny and to crush the military enemies of the US wherever they may appear. Of course there has to be a greater being to mark him for his destiny. Patton also talked about several warlord's lives he lived in the past and Patton just being one more incarnation of his ancient spirit.
In the end its always "Patton vs the enemy" with Patton winning, who cares about God, gods or reincarnations? Patton certainly did not!
George s Patton jr middle name?
Patton's middle name was Smith. Though known as a junior, he was actually the third George S. Patton, after his father and grandfather. The grandfather of the WWII general, the original George Smith Patton, was killed in 1864 while serving as colonel of the 22nd Virginia Infantry Regiment in the Confederate Army.
George S. Patton was commissioned a second lieutenant in 1909. He became a full (4 star) general in 1945 after having served throughout WW1 and WW2, as well as in Mexico in 1917. General Patton established a tank training school in France and commanded a tank brigade before he took over US forces in North Africa and Sicily in 1942 and 1943. Early in 1944 he commanded the US Third Army and then led the US armored corp into Germany after D-Day. After the war Patton served as military governor of Bavaria for a short while. He died in December of 1945 as the result of an automobile accident in the US.
Why was george c Patton a hero?
George Patton was the U'S.'s most distinguished combat commander. He was outstanding at training and staff work. His ability to command a staff went back to his experience with General Pershing in Mexico. Again in France during WW1 Pershing appointed Patton to the command of the new Tank Corps.
George Patton was born in San Gabriel, California, on 11th November, 1885. He attended West Point but along with his friend Hodges, was forced to leave after a year because of poor test results. Patton restarted the course and graduated in 1909 (46/103) and won a commission in the cavalry
Patton's first real exposure to battle occurred when he served as a member of legendary General John J. Pershing's staff during the expedition to Mexico. He accompanied Pershing as an aide on his expedition against Francisco "Pancho" Villa into Mexico.
Impressed by Patton's determination, Pershing promoted him to Captain and asked him to command his Headquarters Troop upon their return from Mexico.
"In France In 1917, Pershing selected Patton to become the first member of the newly established United States Tank Corps, where he served until the Corps were abolished in 1920. He took full command of the Corps, directing ideas, procedures and even the design of their uniforms. Along with the British tankers, he and his men achieved victory at Cambrai, France, during the world's first major tank battle in 1917".
NOTE: The above italicized section is a well known, yet notoriously fictional account.
The Real deal:
- George S. Patton Jr. did not lead any U.S. Tanks or troops or anyone else at the Battle of Cambrai. He was certainly not a combatant and almost certainly not even there. The U.S. Tank Corps didn't exist - it was formed at the end of December 1917, a month after the battle, with Samuel Rockenbach in command. At the time of Cambrai the USA had no Tanks, and the only American troops involved were some railroad engineers who got caught in a German counter-attack. On the morning of the attack Patton's Diaries state that he was at the French Tank Training School at Champlieu, 75 miles away. Ten days later, after the offensive had stalled, he visited British Tank H.Q. at Albert, 30 miles from Cambrai. His diaries make no mention of his having observed or in any way participated in the battle.
- Cambrai was not the world's first major tank battle, merely the largest so far. The French used over 130 of their own tanks in April 1917, and the British 200+ in July. Nor was it a victory. After an initial success, almost all the ground gained was retaken by German counter-attacks and more than 70 tanks captured. After 17 days the Front remained almost exactly where it had been.
- The U.S. Tank Corps received its first Tanks in May 1918. Patton first saw action on September 12th, 1918.
Using his first-hand knowledge of tanks, Patton organized the American tank school in Bourg, France and trained the first 500 American tankers. He had 345 tanks by the time he took the brigade into the Meuse-Argonne Operation in September 1918. When they entered into battle, Patton had worked out a plan where he could be in the front lines maintaining communications with his rear command post by means of pigeons and a group of runners. Patton continually exposed himself to gunfire and was shot once in the leg while he was directing the tanks. His actions during that battle earned him the Distinguished Service Cross for Heroism, one of the many medals he would collect during his lifetime.
An outspoken advocate for tanks, Patton saw them as the future of modern combat. Congress, however, was not willing to appropriate funds to build a large armored force. Even so, Patton studied, wrote extensively and carried out experiments to improve radio communications between tanks. He also helped invent the co-axial tank mount for cannons and machine guns.
After WWI, Patton held a variety of staff jobs in Hawaii and Washington, D.C. He graduated from the Command and General Staff School in 1924, and completed his military schooling as a distinguished graduate of the Army War College in 1932.
When the German Blitzkrieg began on Europe, Patton finally convinced Congress that the United States needed a more powerful armored striking force. With the formation of the Armored Force in 1940, he was transferred to the Second Armored Division at Fort Benning, Georgia and named Commanding General on April 11, 1941. Two months later, Patton appeared on the cover of Life magazine. Also during this time, Patton began giving his famous "Blood and Guts" speeches in an amphitheater he had built to accommodate the entire division.
The United States officially entered World War II in December 1941, after the attack on Pearl Harbor. By November 8, 1942, Patton was commanding the Western Task Force, the only all-American force landing for Operation Torch, the Allied invasion of North Africa. After succeeding there, Patton commanded the Seventh Army during the invasion of Sicily in July 1943, and in conjunction with the British Eighth Army restored Sicily to its citizens.
Patton commanded the Seventh Army until 1944, when he was given command of the Third Army in France. Under Patton's command the third army moved rapidly across Europe after the battle of Normandy and exploited German weaknesses with great success, covering the 600 miles across France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Austria and Czechoslovakia. When the Germans launched the massive offensive that began the Battle of the Bulge it was Patton who shifted third Army hundred's of miles in the middle of a severe winter storm to smash into the German flank and relieve Bastogne.
When the Third Army liberated the Buchenwald concentration camp, Patton slowed his pace. He instituted a policy, later adopted by other commanders, of making local German civilians tour the camps. By the time WWII was over, the Third Army had liberated or conquered 81,522 square miles of territory.
In October 1945, Patton assumed command of the Fifteenth Army in American-occupied Germany. On December 9, he suffered injuries as the result of an automobile accident. He died 12 days later, on December 21, 1945 and is buried among the soldiers who died in the Battle of the Bulge in Hamm, Luxembourg.
In addition (More corrected facts to replace common inaccuracies):
- Patton was in command of the Light Tank Brigade, not the Tank Corps (that was Col. Rockenbach). He was in command of about 144 Renault FT tanks, not 345. That appears to be a confusion with the fact that Patton was in command of the 345th Battalion in September 1918.
- Patton did not design the Tank Corps uniform. The U.S. Army did that. Patton asked some of his officers to design a sleeve badge for their existing uniforms and the Tank Corps adopted the result - a triangle divided into red, yellow, and blue arrowheads.
Remembered for his fierce determination and ability to lead soldiers in Battle, Patton is now considered one of the greatest military figures in history. Patton was a scholar of military theory and history. He wrote poetry. He believed he was a reincarnated warrior fated to lead troops in battle.
The movie Patton captured some of his outstanding characteristics and one scene was of him discussing his memories of a historical Battle in Africa.
What is George Patton's official title?
In North Africa Patton was commander of II Corps. In Sicily he commanded the US 7th Army. He was relieved from that command in the furor following his slapping the two soldiers. After D-Day, Patton was given command of the newly activated US 3rd Army, and commanded 3rd Army through to the end of the war. He began the war as a two star Major General, was promoted to three star Lieutenant General, and ended the war as a four star General.
What book did General George Patton read carefully for his mission in France in World War 2?
George Smith Patton had a passion for military history. He admired Alexander the Great, Napoleon, Julius Caesar and great strategists.
He could speak English, French, and was able to read Latin and Ancient Greek.
He had an important knowlegde in French, English and American History. He was one of the most brilliant military historians, and a advanced war tactician of all times.
He used to read classical latin pieces (Thucidyde et Julius Caesar), but also historical books.
Patton is maybe one of the most interesting character in WWII. Audacious, fearless, He took his men (he had a lot of respect for them) from North Africa to Germany, being on every important battle.
When did george s Patton join the military?
when generl george ws in bttle 9866 to foght the mericn french wr.
How did general george s Patton change history?
Which General Patton? There were two, father and son; WWII Patton the father and Vietnam Patton the son. The son was a Colonel commanding the famed 11th ACR Blackhorse regiment in Vietnam and later general; the father commanded the 3rd Army in Europe in WWII and died in a car accident enroute to a hunting trip in Europe in 1945.
Neither changed history but rather contributed to military history. Germany would've lost the war regardless of Patton's participation in it; ; Vietnam would've been lost regardless of Patton junior's contribution.
The only solid change or contribution was Patton senior's legacy of "history" (which can be worded as "glory") in WWII and the 3 US Army medium gun tanks named after him: the M46 Patton, M47 Patton, and the M48 Patton. All were 90mm gun tanks. Patton junior's legacy was being the son of his father and also serving in a war and commanding a famous armored cavalry regiment. No other Pattons have served in combat and commanded an armored unit.
