George S Patton

General George Patton was given the name “Old Blood and Guts” by his men. He was an American General that soldiers admired and enemies feared intensely. He had a reputation for being reckless, daring, and Innovative.

From a young age he was groomed for the military. He rose through the ranks of the Army, and became one of the most elite generals of the 20th century. His innovation and tactics still influence the battlefield to this day. George Smith Patton JR. was born on November 11, 1885, in San Gabriel, California.

Both his father and grandfather graduated from the Virginia Military Institute (VMI).Patton’s grandfather was a personal student of the legendary Civil War general Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, and later became the commander of the 22nd Virginia Infantry during the Civil War. (Patton 9) “Similarly, His grandfathers brother, Waller Tazewell Patton, was wounded at Second Bull Run, and then fell in Pickett’s Charge at the Battle of Gettysburg. ” (Patton 9) Patton was very proud of his family’s military and aristocratic background. It was a pride that he frequently mentioned in his personal diaries. It was because of his lineage that Patton thought it was his destiny to become a great military commander.

Patton excelled at the Virginia Military institute for one year; he then transferred to the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1905. (Biography Resource Center) Patton graduated from West Point in 1909. “He first received considerable notice when in 1916, serving as an unofficial aide to General John J. Pershing, Patton participated in the punitive expedition into Mexico.

” (Biography Resource Center, George S Patton) Patton was always searching for the opportunity to gain a reputation as a formidable commander. He got his chance in a battle with Mexican guerilla leader Pancho Villa.Patton personally shot and killed three of Pancho Villa’s bodyguards. .

(Biography Resource Center, George S Patton) Patton would soon have another chance for in glory in Sicily, July 1943, he led the U. S. 7th Army in the invasion of Sicily. “He soon became famous for his daring assaults, rapid marches, and use of armor” (Biography Resource Center, George Smith Patton Jr. ) Within a 38-day span, Patton swept across Italy and successfully drove the Italians and German out of Sicily. (The History Channel website.

Jul 24, 2010) In Patton’s endless pursuit of glory he made good use of the press.The world would soon learn that Patton’s forces had killed or wounded 6,000 Italian troops and captured over 44,000 more. Patton had finally solidified his place in history as a great military commander. He was recognized by most, as the best general America possessed. His sweep through Sicily was almost perfect. It was only tarnished by the famous “slapping incident.

” General Patton ruled the army with an iron fist. He demanded the highest standards of discipline. All men of age were to be clean shaven for battle everyday. All officers were obligated to wear neckties into battle.

His ruthless fierce demeanor gained him admiration from his followers and fear from his enemies. One day on his visits to the hospital he encountered a solider that did not appear wounded. In his diary he wrote, “I also met the only arrant coward I have ever seen in this Army…I asked him what was the matter, and he said he just couldn’t take it… I slapped his face with my gloves, and kicked him out of the hospital. ” There was also a second incident that was more severe.

“Lt. General George S. Patton, Jr. , entered the receiving tent… The next patient was sitting huddled up and shivering.When asked what the trouble was, the man replied,” It’s my nerves,” and began to sob.

The general screamed at him…”your nerves, hell; you are just a Goddamned coward, you yellow son of a bitch. ” He then slapped the man... he then slapped the helmet liner off his head…He then turned to the man… and said “your going back to the front lines and you may get shot and killed, but your going to fight.

” (The Patton Papers 1940- 1945 331,332) Patton continued on to tell the man that if he did not fight he would have him killed by a firing squad.He then went on to threaten to kill the man himself as Patton reached for his pistol. (The Patton Papers 1940- 1945 332) Once word got back to the United States, President Dwight D. Eisenhower relieved General Patton of his command. General Patton made a public apology for his actions and sat on the sidelines of the war for the next year.

Patton would have his chance for redemption in 1944. He was given command of the Third Army. The sweep across France and the Battle of the Buldge would be the pinnacle of Patton’s career. The Battle of the Buldge was an amazing logistical feat.The German Army was going to attack an American weak point with a force of 250,000 men.

Patton stopped his campaign that was headed west. In 24 hours he turned the entire Third Army north to counter attack the Germans. After the defeat of the Germans at the Battle of the Buldge, Patton “then joined the Seventh Army in sweeping the Saar and the Palatinate, where they took 100,000 prisoners. ” Shortly after the war was over, “George Patton died in Heidelberg, Germany, on 21 December 1945 from injuries suffered in an automobile accident twelve days earlier.

(Gale Virtual Reference Library June 25, 2010) Patton’s lightning fast war tactics still inspire the shock and awe military campaigns of today. His lessons of unwavering discipline and military study are instilled in all soldiers to this day. He was the first commander to use tank battalions in battle, and his vision of combined arms tactics is flourishing today. General Patton was undoubtedly one of the greatest military commanders in history. Field Marshall Gerd Von Rundstedt, The German commander of WWII said without hesitation, Patton was America’s best. Patton 1) “In a stunningly candid appraisal, Marshal Joseph Stalin declared: The Red Army could not have conceived and certainly not have executed the advance made by the Third Army across France” (Patton 1) “Old Blood and Guts” Patton had redeemed himself, captured glory once again, and set his legend in stone.

Works Cited Axelrod, Alan. PATTON. 2006. BLUMENSON, MARTIN.

THE PATTON PAPERS 1940-1945. 1974. “General George Patton” History Study Center, Pro Quest. Jul 26, 2010.

“George Smith Patton. ” 2010. The History Channel website. Jul 26 2010. "George S.

Patton. " American Decades. Gale Research, 1998.Reproduced in Biography Resource Center.

Farmington Hills, Mich. : Gale, 2010. "George Smith Patton. "Dictionary of American Biography, Supplement 3: 1941-1945. American Council of Learned Societies, 1973. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center.

Farmington Hills, Mich. : Gale, 2010. "George Smith Patton, Jr. " Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2nd ed. 17 Vols. Gale Research, 1998.

Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich. : Gale, 2010. “Invasion of Sicily. ” 2010. The History Channel website.

Jul 26 2010. “Patton, George Smith, Jr. (1885-1956) Gale Virtual Reference Library. Jul 25, 2010.