General Pattons Speech Versus USMC General's Comments

[BlackRain]

GEN GEORGE PATTON'S SPEECH

To Give Some Comparison to the overly politically correct critique of USMC Lieutenant General James N. Mattis recent comments, I humbly submit one of the most decorated US Army generals view points on killing the enemy.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/d/d8/180px-GeorgeSPatton.jpeg
General George S. Patton

"Men, this stuff that some sources sling around about America wanting out of this war, not wanting to fight, is a crock of bull****. Americans love to fight, traditionally. All real Americans love the sting and clash of battle. You are here today for three reasons. First, because you are here to defend your homes and your loved ones. Second, you are here for your own self respect, because you would not want to be anywhere else. Third, you are here because you are real men and all real men like to fight.

When you, here, everyone of you, were kids, you all admired the champion marble player, the fastest runner, the toughest boxer, the big league ball players, and the All-American football players. Americans love a winner. Americans will not tolerate a loser. Americans despise cowards. Americans play to win all of the time. I wouldn't give a hoot in hell for a man who lost and laughed. That's why Americans have never lost nor will ever lose a war; for the very idea of losing is hateful to an American."

The General paused and looked over the crowd. "You are not all going to die," he said slowly. "Only two percent of you right here today would die in a major battle. Death must not be feared. Death, in time, comes to all men. Yes, every man is scared in his first battle. If he says he's not, he's a liar. Some men are cowards but they fight the same as the brave men or they get the hell slammed out of them watching men fight who are just as scared as they are. The real hero is the man who fights even though he is scared. Some men get over their fright in a minute under fire. For some, it takes an hour. For some, it takes days. But a real man will never let his fear of death overpower his honor, his sense of duty to his country, and his innate manhood. Battle is the most magnificent competition in which a human being can indulge. It brings out all that is best and it removes all that is base. Americans pride themselves on being He Men and they ARE He Men. Remember that the enemy is just as frightened as you are, and probably more so. They are not supermen."

"All through your Army careers, you men have bitched about what you call "chicken **** drilling". That, like everything else in this Army, has a definite purpose. That purpose is alertness. Alertness must be bred into every soldier. I don't give a **** for a man who's not always on his toes. You men are veterans or you wouldn't be here. You are ready for what's to come. A man must be alert at all times if he expects to stay alive. If you're not alert, sometime, a German son-of-an-asshole-bitch is going to sneak up behind you and beat you to death with a sockful of ****!" The men roared in agreement.

Patton's grim expression did not change. "There are four hundred neatly marked graves somewhere in Sicily", he roared into the microphone, "All because one man went to sleep on the job". He paused and the men grew silent. "But they are German graves, because we caught the bastard asleep before they did".

The General clutched the microphone tightly, his jaw out-thrust, and he continued, "An Army is a team. It lives, sleeps, eats, and fights as a team. This individual heroic stuff is pure horse ****. The bilious bastards who write that kind of stuff for the Saturday Evening Post don't know any more about real fighting under fire than they know about ****ing!"

The men slapped their legs and rolled in glee. This was Patton as the men had imagined him to be, and in rare form, too. He hadn't let them down. He was all that he was cracked up to be, and more. He had IT!

"We have the finest food, the finest equipment, the best spirit, and the best men in the world", Patton bellowed. He lowered his head and shook it pensively. Suddenly he snapped erect, faced the men belligerently and thundered, "Why, by God, I actually pity those poor sons-of-bitches we're going up against. By God, I do". The men clapped and howled delightedly. There would be many a barracks tale about the "Old Man's" choice phrases. They would become part and parcel of Third Army's history and they would become the bible of their slang.

"My men don't surrender", Patton continued, "I don't want to hear of any soldier under my command being captured unless he has been hit. Even if you are hit, you can still fight back. That's not just bull **** either. The kind of man that I want in my command is just like the lieutenant in Libya, who, with a Luger against his chest, jerked off his helmet, swept the gun aside with one hand, and busted the hell out of the Kraut with his helmet. Then he jumped on the gun and went out and killed another German before they knew what the hell was coming off. And, all of that time, this man had a bullet through a lung. There was a real man!"

Patton stopped and the crowd waited. He continued more quietly, "All of the real heroes are not storybook combat fighters, either. Every single man in this Army plays a vital role. Don't ever let up. Don't ever think that your job is unimportant. Every man has a job to do and he must do it. Every man is a vital link in the great chain. What if every truck driver suddenly decided that he didn't like the whine of those shells overhead, turned yellow, and jumped headlong into a ditch? The cowardly bastard could say, "Hell, they won't miss me, just one man in thousands". But, what if every man thought that way? Where in the hell would we be now? What would our country, our loved ones, our homes, even the world, be like? No, Goddamnit, Americans don't think like that. Every man does his job. Every man serves the whole. Every department, every unit, is important in the vast scheme of this war. The ordnance men are needed to supply the guns and machinery of war to keep us rolling. The Quartermaster is needed to bring up food and clothes because where we are going there isn't a hell of a lot to steal. Every last man on K.P. has a job to do, even the one who heats our water to keep us from getting the 'G.I. ****s'."

Patton paused, took a deep breath, and continued, "Each man must not think only of himself, but also of his buddy fighting beside him. We don't want yellow cowards in this Army. They should be killed off like rats. If not, they will go home after this war and breed more cowards. The brave men will breed more brave men. Kill off the Goddamned cowards and we will have a nation of brave men. One of the bravest men that I ever saw was a fellow on top of a telegraph pole in the midst of a furious fire fight in Tunisia. I stopped and asked what the hell he was doing up there at a time like that. He answered, "Fixing the wire, Sir". I asked, "Isn't that a little unhealthy right about now?" He answered, "Yes Sir, but the Goddamned wire has to be fixed". I asked, "Don't those planes strafing the road bother you? And he answered, "No, Sir, but you sure as hell do!" Now, there was a real man. A real soldier. There was a man who devoted all he had to his duty, no matter how seemingly insignificant his duty might appear at the time, no matter how great the odds. And you should have seen those trucks on the road to Tunisia. Those drivers were magnificent. All day and all night they rolled over those son-of-a-bitching roads, never stopping, never faltering from their course, with shells bursting all around them all of the time. We got through on good old American guts. Many of those men drove for over forty consecutive hours. These men weren't combat men, but they were soldiers with a job to do. They did it, and in one hell of a way they did it. They were part of a team. Without team effort, without them, the fight would have been lost. All of the links in the chain pulled together and the chain became unbreakable."

The General paused and stared challengingly over the silent ocean of men. One could have heard a pin drop anywhere on that vast hillside. The only sound was the stirring of the breeze in the leaves of the bordering trees and the busy chirping of the birds in the branches of the trees at the General's left.

"Don't forget," Patton barked, "you men don't know that I'm here. No mention of that fact is to be made in any letters. The world is not supposed to know what the hell happened to me. I'm not supposed to be commanding this Army. I'm not even supposed to be here in England. Let the first bastards to find out be the Goddamned Germans. Some day I want to see them raise up on their piss-soaked hind legs and howl, 'Jesus Christ, it's the Goddamned Third Army again and that son-of-a-****ing-bitch Patton'."

"We want to get the hell over there", Patton continued, "The quicker we clean up this Goddamned mess, the quicker we can take a little jaunt against the purple pissing Japs and clean out their nest, too. Before the Goddamned Marines get all of the credit."

The men roared approval and cheered delightedly. This statement had real significance behind it. Much more than met the eye and the men instinctively sensed the fact. They knew that they themselves were going to play a very great part in the making of world history. They were being told as much right now. Deep sincerity and seriousness lay behind the General's colorful words. The men knew and understood it. They loved the way he put it, too, as only he could.

Patton continued quietly, "Sure, we want to go home. We want this war over with. The quickest way to get it over with is to go get the bastards who started it. The quicker they are whipped, the quicker we can go home. The shortest way home is through Berlin and Tokyo. And when we get to Berlin", he yelled, "I am personally going to shoot that paper hanging son-of-a-bitch Hitler. Just like I'd shoot a snake!"

"When a man is lying in a shell hole, if he just stays there all day, a German will get to him eventually. The hell with that idea. The hell with taking it. My men don't dig foxholes. I don't want them to. Foxholes only slow up an offensive. Keep moving. And don't give the enemy time to dig one either. We'll win this war, but we'll win it only by fighting and by showing the Germans that we've got more guts than they have; or ever will have. We're not going to just shoot the sons-of-bitches, we're going to rip out their living Goddamned guts and use them to grease the treads of our tanks. We're going to murder those lousy Hun cocksuckers by the bushel-f ucking-basket. War is a bloody, killing business. You've got to spill their blood, or they will spill yours. Rip them up the belly. Shoot them in the guts. When shells are hitting all around you and you wipe the dirt off your face and realize that instead of dirt it's the blood and guts of what once was your best friend beside you, you'll know what to do!"

"I don't want to get any messages saying, "I am holding my position." We are not holding a Goddamned thing. Let the Germans do that. We are advancing constantly and we are not interested in holding onto anything, except the enemy's balls. We are going to twist his balls and kick the living **** out of him all of the time. Our basic plan of operation is to advance and to keep on advancing regardless of whether we have to go over, under, or through the enemy. We are going to go through him like crap through a goose; like **** through a tin horn!"

"From time to time there will be some complaints that we are pushing our people too hard. I don't give a good Goddamn about such complaints. I believe in the old and sound rule that an ounce of sweat will save a gallon of blood. The harder WE push, the more Germans we will kill. The more Germans we kill, the fewer of our men will be killed. Pushing means fewer casualties. I want you all to remember that."

The General paused. His eagle like eyes swept over the hillside. He said with pride, "There is one great thing that you men will all be able to say after this war is over and you are home once again. You may be thankful that twenty years from now when you are sitting by the fireplace with your grandson on your knee and he asks you what you did in the great World War II, you WON'T have to cough, shift him to the other knee and say, "Well, your Granddaddy shoveled **** in Louisiana." No, Sir, you can look him straight in the eye and say, "Son, your Granddaddy rode with the Great Third Army and a Son-of-a-Goddamned-Bitch named Georgie Patton!"


General Patton's Military Awards

Distinguished Service Cross with one oak leaf cluster
Distinguished Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Silver Star with one oak leaf cluster
Legion of Merit
Bronze Star Medal
Purple Heart
Silver Lifesaving Medal
World War I Victory Medal with five battle clasps
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with one silver and two bronze service stars
Mexican Service Medal
American Defense Service Medal
World War II Victory Medal
British Order of the Bath
Order of the British Empire
Belgium Order of Leopold
Belgian Croix de Guerre
French Legion of Honor
French Croix de Guerre
French Liberation Medal
Luxemburg War Cross
Grand Cross of Ouissam Alaouite of French Morocco
Order of the White Lion of Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakian Military Cross
Grand Luxemburg Cross of the Order of Adolphe of Nassau

[Siddar]

When a man is lying in a shell hole, if he just stays there all day, a German will get to him eventually. The hell with that idea. The hell with taking it. My men don't dig foxholes. I don't want them to. Foxholes only slow up an offensive. Keep moving. And don't give the enemy time to dig one either. We'll win this war, but we'll win it only by fighting and by showing the Germans that we've got more guts than they have; or ever will have. We're not going to just shoot the sons-of-bitches, we're going to rip out their living Goddamned guts and use them to grease the treads of our tanks. We're going to murder those lousy Hun cocksuckers by the bushel-f ucking-basket. War is a bloody, killing business. You've got to spill their blood, or they will spill yours. Rip them up the belly. Shoot them in the guts. When shells are hitting all around you and you wipe the dirt off your face and realize that instead of dirt it's the blood and guts of what once was your best friend beside you, you'll know what to do!"


Point well made. woot

[Lokos]

This **** wanted to start WW3 before WW2 had even finished.

He gets no respect from me, whatsoever.

But that's just IMO.

I can understand why some folks admire him.

Regards,
Lokos

[General Zod]

"All real mean like to fight?" What a joke.

[ZaakM433]

This **** wanted to start WW3 before WW2 had even finished.

He gets no respect from me, whatsoever.

But that's just IMO.

I can understand why some folks admire him.

Regards,
Lokos

Shoulda started ww3 back then, woulda solved a lot of issues now...

[ElHombre]

Shoulda started ww3 back then, woulda solved a lot of issues now...

like what are we going to do with that space we didn't have to use for graves?

[ZaakM433]

Shoulda started ww3 back then, woulda solved a lot of issues now...

like what are we going to do with that space we didn't have to use for graves?

graves dont use up more room.

It was the right thing to do, the west as a whole should be ashamed.

[USMC8541]

This **** wanted to start WW3 before WW2 had even finished.

He gets no respect from me, whatsoever.

But that's just IMO.

I can understand why some folks admire him.

Regards,
Lokos

Yea, I guess you are right. Patton was entirely wrong about the Soviet Union and thier intent on strangle holding all of Eastern Europe. He was wrong about Stalin comitting genocide among his own people. He was also wrong about wanting to go after them when WW2 was over. Hell, just think...if we had done what Patton wanted to do...then we would not have had the pure enjoyment of 60 years of Cold War or come within hours of global nuclear conflict in 1962!

Lokos...take your opinion and shove it up your ass.

[USMC8541]

Shoulda started ww3 back then, woulda solved a lot of issues now...

like what are we going to do with that space we didn't have to use for graves?

No, thanks to us not going after them when WW2 was over...Stalin filled those graves with millions of his own people that he slaughtered in paranoia. Not going after him didn't save any lives...maybe American lives...but try telling that to the Russians.

[BlackRain]

When asked by his nephew about his profanity, Patton remarked,

"When I want my men to remember something important, to really make it stick, I give it to them double dirty. It may not sound nice to some bunch of little old ladies at an afternoon tea party, but it helps my soldiers to remember. You can't run an army without profanity; and it has to be eloquent profanity. An army without profanity couldn't fight it's way out of a piss-soaked paper bag."

"As for the types of comments I make," he continued with a wry smile, "sometimes I just, By God, get carried away with my own eloquence."


http://www.thetroubleshooters.com/history025_image002.jpg
Patton Carrying Out His Vow To Piss In The Rhine River


The following is a list of the known units which were met in combat by the various units of the 80th Infantry Division, otherwise known as "Patton's Troubleshooters". This list should not be considered comprehensive, but rather a fair representation of most of the enemy units fought. Any duplications indicate a separate occasion when the same unit was encountered again. Many other units, and sub-units were encountered, but not recorded:



9th Panzer Division

708th Infantry Regiment

708th Infantry Division

9th SS Panzer Division

17th SS Panzer Grenadier Division

116th Panzer Division

48th Infantry Division

15th Panzer Grenadier Division

3rd Panzer Grenadier Division

29th Panzer Grenadier Regiment

2nd Panzer Division

49th SS Brigade

3rd Parachute Replacement Regiment

553rd Division

38th SS Regiment

92nd German Air Force Regiment

LXIII Corps

17th SS Reconnaissance Battalion

559th Division

1431st Fortress Battalion

48th Division

37th SS Division

11th Panzer Division

148th Division

36th Volks Grenadier Division

268th Artillery Regiment, 36th Volks Grenadier Division

36th Infantry Division

347th Infantry Division

476th Engineer Battalion

353rd Infantry Division

34th Panzer Grenadier Regiment

60th Infantry Battalion

48th Regiment

553rd Volks Grenadier Division

115th Panzer Grenadier Regiment, 15th Panzer Grenadier Div.

38th SS Panzer Regiment

1431st Fortress Battalion

126th Regiment

42nd Anti Aircraft Regiment

148th Artillery Regiment

38th Fortress Battalion

36th Division

108th Panzer Brigade

118th Regiment

36th Engineer Battalion

36th Fusiliers Company

165th Regiment

1797th Reconnaissance Battalion

37th SS Regiment

17th Artillery Regiment

352nd Volks Grenadier Division

914th Regiment

7th German Army

LXXXV Corps

5th Parachute Division

Fuehrer Grenadier Brigade

79th Volks Grenadier Division "Katzenberg"

226th Regiment

Unidentified Panzer Division(believed to be either 9th SS,

10th SS, 15th Pz. Gren., or 21st Pz.)

915th Regiment

212th Infantry Regiment

226th Volks Grenadier Regiment, 79th Division

2nd SS Panzer Grenadier Regiment, 1st SS Division

208th Volks Grenadier Regiment

5th Parachute Engineer Battalion

36th Regiment

519th Assault Gun Battalion, Fuehrer Grenadier Brigade

276th Volks Grenadier Division

9th Volks Grenadier Division

Der Fuehrer Brigade

986th Regiment

916th Division

987th Regiment

9th Volks Grenadier Regiment

519th G.H.Q. Heavy A.T. Battalion

406th Volks Artillery Corps

Various German espionage/sabotage teams

6th SS Division

12th SS Division

1352nd Artillery Regiment

1130th Volks Grenadier Regiment

36th Regiment

915th Regiment

116th Regiment

316th Regiment

212th Division

560th Division

352nd Division

9th Division

320th Regiment

79th Volks Grenadier Division

57th Regiment

945th Regiment

915th Regiment

1352nd Anti Tank Battalion

116th Regiment

9th Volks Grenadier Division

2nd Panzer Division

57th Regiment

5th Parachute Division

3rd Panzer Regiment

2nd Panzer Grenadier Regiment

79th Volks Grenadier Division

208th Regiment

135th Artillery Regiment

352nd Volks Grenadier Division

560th Volks Grenadier Division

501st Ordnance Company

2nd Mountain Division

136th Regiment

416th Artillery Regiment

6th SS Mountain Division "Nord"

12th SS Mountain Regiment

677th Mountain Division

38th SS Regiment, 17th SS Panzer Division

Kampfgruppe Huebner

Kampfgruppe Jend

1st German Army

172nd Training Division

Land Pioneers

5th Parachute Division

Miscellaneous Volkssturm Forces

3465th Fortress Infantry Battalion

Kassel Garrison

405th March Battalion

Kampfgruppe Obetz

Kampfgruppe Felles

71st Training Regiment

Kampfgruppe Opitz

German Air Force Replacement Battalion III

38th SS Division "Nibelungen"

Hitler Youth(force of 500)

Miscellaneous Werewolves

Kietel Brigade

1st SS Division

12th SS Hitler Jugend

1st SS Corps

6th SS Army

6th German Army

1st Mountain Division

9th Mountain Division

1st Panzer Division

3rd Panzer Division

5th SS Division "Viking"

1st Ukrainian Division

Miscellaneous Brigades

Miscellaneous Kampfgruppes

Cossack Division

[BlackRain]

"THE FINAL TASK FORCE" - Patton's Army's Last Task

The following story ran in the one and only issue of the 702nd Tank Battalion newspaper, written just after the war;

“It was May 4, 1945 when "D" Company was ordered to move into Austria and become part of a task force that 80th Recon formed. Having been on different task forces before, and knowing they aren't always the healthiest form of exercise, most everyone was sweating out what kind of stuff they would run into. When we took off from Polling, Austria, most of the boys felt in high spirits. Perhaps they figured they had more protection from their armored bicycles than Captain Grimm had from his thin skinned peep, and he was out in front. It was, what the boys commonly call a rat race for about sixty miles. Here and there on the way you'd run into groups of Heinies flying their new battle colors, white. It seemed strange to just ignore them and let them go unescorted to the rear.



After going all day, just about riding at will, we hit the first good size town, Schwanendorf. Things in that town were going on as if the Allies were still in England. German soldiers were walking around as though on furlough. Camouflaged vehicles were to be seen everywhere. The extent of the surprise was topped off when a trainload of troops and German equipment pulled into the town station never expecting to see Americans. The tanks covered the trains while our boys played conductor to the Heinies and showed them their place in the PW lineup. When one of our boys, who speaks German, answered the station, he learned that another train was due about one hour later. We waited for it, but that was too much to ask for; it never showed up.


http://www.thetroubleshooters.com/Sherman07.jpg
Displaced Persons Stream Past GI’s



When Recon learned of an airfield about three kilometers east of the town, some tanks took off, only to see there upon arriving, big bombers taking off. One Heinie, "Recon Joe" was shot down by the tankers. German supply trains and equipment captured in that day's work provided a feast for the Russian and Polish slave workers, who were set free in that day's operation. Because of the distance traveled and the number of prisoners taken, the Task Force was forced to hold up in that town until relieved by the 317th Infantry.



The days following up to VE Day were really days to sweat out. Various reports were being received and one couldn't tell official reports from rumors. One thing was for certain, the SS troopers that were still in front of us were going to hold out. This was the place where Hitler had always threatened to make his last ditch stand, and we wondered how long his ditch stand would last.



The main task force was split up into smaller task forces. We had Task Force Sammons, Task Force James, and Task Force Black. The leap frog method of movement was used. One task force would move out and reconnoiter a town, hold it, and then the next task force would pass them up to follow the same procedure in the next town. Finally the news came that the war was over. But after listening to so many rumors, no one would believe the stories. When the official word came, everyone was happy.



It wasn't like you'd think it should be though. No one jumped all over the place, they were just glad it was over. Most of them spoke about the boys who were unfortunate enough to get it at the last minute. Others thought of the friends they had lost in the many battles across France, Luxembourg, Germany and Austria. One could easily see what the boys would most enjoy. They were hearing on the radio about the big celebrations back home, about the hot spots of Paris going wild, and all the men were wishing they were there. But this was a different kind of a fight, you couldn't stand up and take a bow in front of your audience after beating your opponent."



On May 8, 1945 Associated Press carried a brief story that stated that the 80th Division was the last Allied combat unit to remain active against the Germans, firing the last shot of the war in Europe. The article failed to go into details of that last shot. The New York Times also carried a story stating that it was the 80th Division which was the last to remain in full contact with the Germans. The Times article did go into the detail of mentioning that it was Task Force Smythe which fired the last shot. The article also mentioned that fighter-bombers of the XIX Tactical Air Command were called upon to break up a concentration of two thousand elite SS Troops, but were subsequently "called off to avoid violating the truce."



An interesting sidenote to the matter of the XIX T.A.C. came to this writer's attention in a 1988 telephone interview with the former Intelligence Sergeant of the 702nd Tank Battalion, Otto "Ole" Olson. It seems that the commanders of the above mentioned SS Troops (the 5th SS Panzer Division "VIKING") had balked at surrendering to the 702nd Tank Battalion, instead demanding that Col. Talbot have his men join the SS Troops in fighting the approaching Russians. Col. Talbot told the SS Commander that if he did not convince his men to surrender immediately, Col. Talbot would call in an air strike to bomb the hell out of them. Sgt. Olson told this writer that the idea of the air strike was a bluff as on that particular day air support was not possible. In any case, the SS Commander was convinced and the SS "Viking" Division surrendered, so ending the war.



It is easy to see where the Associated Press and New York Times got the idea that it was the 80th Division who actually fired the final shot of the war, since the 702nd Tank Battalion was attached to the 80th. Although the 702nd was technically a separate and independent unit, it had been an integral part of the 80th since entering the war zone in August, 1944. The majority of the men of the 702nd felt a part of the Division, and the majority of the infantry felt that the 702nd was "their" tanks. There were exceptions to this rule. As a general rule, those infantry officers who disliked the tankers were high ranking rear-echelon types.

[Dennis G]

This **** wanted to start WW3 before WW2 had even finished.

He gets no respect from me, whatsoever.

But that's just IMO.

I can understand why some folks admire him.

Regards,
Lokos

Yea, I guess you are right. Patton was entirely wrong about the Soviet Union and thier intent on strangle holding all of Eastern Europe. He was wrong about Stalin comitting genocide among his own people. He was also wrong about wanting to go after them when WW2 was over. Hell, just think...if we had done what Patton wanted to do...then we would not have had the pure enjoyment of 60 years of Cold War or come within hours of global nuclear conflict in 1962!

Lokos...take your opinion and shove it up your ass.

Agreed, To his dying day, my Uncles greatest memories were serving under Patton. God bless them both.


"All real mean like to fight?" What a joke.

You'll know what its like to be a man soon enough.

[radx]

This **** wanted to start WW3 before WW2 had even finished.

He gets no respect from me, whatsoever.

But that's just IMO.

I can understand why some folks admire him.

Regards,
Lokos

Yea, I guess you are right. Patton was entirely wrong about the Soviet Union and thier intent on strangle holding all of Eastern Europe. He was wrong about Stalin comitting genocide among his own people. He was also wrong about wanting to go after them when WW2 was over. Hell, just think...if we had done what Patton wanted to do...then we would not have had the pure enjoyment of 60 years of Cold War or come within hours of global nuclear conflict in 1962!

Lokos...take your opinion and shove it up your ass.


Actually, Patton was right in that aspect- Stalin did commit genocide against his people (the Purges). His hatred of the bourgeousi (sp? higher upper class, bussiness owner) was so extreme, he would just round them up and send them off to labour camps with atrocious working conditions or just shoot them- millions were killed. There was a conspiracy made against his life, Stalin found out, got really really pissed, then killed alot of the Army's top brass because he got insane with paranoia.

[USMC8541]

I guess you didn't detect the harsh sarcasm in my post.

[samjung23]

Well, there should be a balance between a war and peace.

Some people are...not balanced. As such, they were doomed to fail. Fighting is an admirable spirit, but excessive violence is a disorder.

Patton's demeanor may have been admirable during WWII, but after the fighting ceased, his violence almost tossed him over the edge. Thank god for our rational CINC, or else the worst would have happened.

Here's a list of people I think were/are imbalanced, in terms of violence.

Patton
MacArthur
Napoleon
Genghis Khan
Hitler
Saddam Hussein
Osama Bin Laden
potentially George W. Bush, if he doesn't know when to stop.
potentially Hugo Chavez
Potentially Putin
Edward I
Whoever masterminded all the Crusades
Tojo and the gang

I have obviously missed a few others.

A list of those peacefully imbalanced

Jimmy Carter
Clinton, borderline. He did fight back when he had to, but he really only did the bare minimum.
Jacques Chirac, of course
England, pre-WWII
Any anti-war liberal ( I understand normal people that are not for war. I'm talking about the wackos that make anti-war a crusade.)
Mark Latham
Kofi Annan
Modern Europe.
John Kerry
Ted Kennedy
Barbara Boxer
Janeane Garofolo
I can go on.

In all honesty, I think guys like that USMC commander should resign. His comments do strike me as a sign he's unbalanced. What kind of man honestly thinks it's acceptable to say "It's fun to kill people" on camera? It isn't fun to kill people that could also kill you too! It's not a videogame! While on the outside, a man like that could boost morale, his instability could potentially jeopardize effective operations. I wouldn't want to take that chance. Look what instability did to the Indiana Pacers!

[Apogee]

That man has a statue outside my house, errrr barracks...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v93/jackal419/Art/vid00001.jpg

Of course he's facing the library in a cruel joke, since its rummored that while a cadet he claimed that he was unable to find the library.

[BlackRain]

Enjoy the George S. Patton Quotes/Quotations

"No bastard ever won a war by dying for his country.
He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country."
- Attributed to General George Patton Jr
(from "A Genius for War" by Carlo d'Este)

"An army is a team. It lives, eats, sleeps, fights as a team.
This individuality stuff is a bunch of bull****."
- General George Patton Jr

"Prisoner of War guard companies, or an equivalent organization, should be as far forward as possible in action to take over prisoners of war, because troops heated with battle are not safe custodians. Any attempt to rob or loot prisoners of war by escorts must be dealt strictly with."
- General George S. Patton. ("War as I knew it" 1947)

“It is absurd to believe that soldiers who cannot be made to wear the proper uniform can be induced to move forward in battle. Officers who fail to perform their duty by correcting small violations and in enforcing proper conduct are incapable of leading.”
- General George S. Patton Jr., April 1943

“You cannot be disciplined in great things and indiscipline in small things. Brave undisciplined men have no chance against the discipline and valour of other men. Have you ever seen a few policemen handle a crowd?”
- General George S. Patton Jr, May 1941,
in an address to officers and men of the Second Armored Division.

"War is an art and as such is not susceptible of explanation by fixed formula"
- General George Patton Jr

"If a man does his best, what else is there?"
- General George Patton Jr

"If everyone is thinking alike, someone isn't thinking."
- General George Patton Jr

"Infantry must move forward to close with the enemy. It must shoot in order to move…. To halt under fire is folly. To halt under fire and not fire back is suicide. Officers must set the example"
- General George Patton Jr "War as I knew it" 1947

"Few men are killed by the bayonet, many are scared by it. Bayonets should be fixed when the fire fight starts"
- General George Patton Jr, "War as I knew it" 1947

"All men are timid on entering any fight. Whether it is the first or the last fight, all of us are timid. Cowards are those who let their timidity get the better of their manhood."
- General George Patton Jr, "War as I knew it" 1947

Accept the challenges so that you can feel the exhilaration of victory.
- General George Patton Jr

Success is how high you bounce when you hit bottom.
- General George Patton Jr

Lead me, follow me, or get out of my way.
- General George Patton Jr

Courage is fear holding on a minute longer.
- General George Patton Jr

Pressure makes diamonds.
- General George Patton Jr

May God have mercy upon my enemies, because I won't.
- General George Patton Jr

If you can't get them to salute when they should salute and wear the clothes you tell them to wear, how are you going to get them to die for their country?
- General George Patton Jr

Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity.
- General George Patton Jr

Watch what people are cynical about, and one can often discover what they lack.
- General George Patton Jr

Do your damnedest in an ostentatious manner all the time.
- General George Patton Jr

Wars may be fought with weapons, but they are won by men.
- General George Patton Jr

I am a soldier, I fight where I am told, and I win where I fight.
- General George Patton Jr

"We want to get the hell over there. The quicker we clean up this Goddamned mess, the quicker we can take a little jaunt against the purple pissing Japs and clean out their nest, too. Before the Goddamned Marines get all of the credit."
- General George S. Patton, Jr
(addressing to his troops before Operation Overlord, June 5, 1944)

"Sure, we want to go home. We want this war over with. The quickest way to get it over with is to go get the bastards who started it. The quicker they are whipped, the quicker we can go home. The shortest way home is through Berlin and Tokyo. And when we get to Berlin, I am personally going to shoot that paper hanging son-of-a-bitch Hitler. Just like I'd shoot a snake!"
- General George S. Patton, Jr
(addressing his troops before Operation Overlord, June 5, 1944)

"Make your plans to fit the circumstances."
- General George S. Patton, Jr

"Moral courage is the most valuable and usually the most absent characteristic in men."
- General George S. Patton, Jr

"Take calculated risks."
- General George S. Patton, Jr

"There's a great deal of talk about loyalty from the bottom to the top. Loyalty from the top down is even more necessary and is much less prevalent. One of the most frequently noted characteristics of great men who have remained great is loyalty to their subordinates."
- General George S. Patton, Jr

"You're never beaten until you admit it."
- General George S. Patton, Jr

"It is only by doing things others have not that one can advance."
- General George S. Patton, Jr

"A pint of sweat will save a gallon of blood."
- General George S. Patton, Jr

"All glory is fleeting."
- General George S. Patton, Jr

"A leader is a man who can adapt principles to circumstances."
- General George S. Patton, Jr

"Success demands a high level of logistical and organizational competence."
- General George S. Patton, Jr

"Perpetual peace is a futile dream."
- General George S. Patton, Jr

"It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived."
- General George S. Patton, Jr

"The test of success is not what you do when your on top. Success is how high you bounce when you hit bottom."
- General George S. Patton, Jr

"If I win I can't be stopped! If I lose I shall be dead."
- General George S. Patton, Jr

"Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity."
- General George S. Patton, Jr

"Audacity, audacity, always audacity."
(English translation of the French Proverb)
- General George Patton Jr's Favorite Saying

"Magnificent! Compared to war all other forms of human endeavor shrink to insignificance.
Gold help me, I do love it so!"
- General George Patton Jr

"A good plan executed today is better than a perfect plan executed at some indefinite point in the future."
- General George Patton Jr

There is only one tactical principle which is not subject to change. It is to use the means at hand to inflict the maximum amount of wound, death, and destruction on the enemy in the minimum amount of time."
- General George Patton Jr

"Go forward until the last round is fired and the last drop of gas is expended...then go forward on foot!"
- General George Patton Jr

"It is the unconquerable nature of man and not the nature of the weapon he uses that ensures victory."
- General George Patton Jr

"Fixed fortifications are monuments to the stupidity of man."
- General George Patton Jr

"If you are going to win any battle, you have to do one thing. You have to make the mind run the body. Never let the body tell the mind what to do... the body is never tired if the mind is not tired."
-General George S. Patton

"Just drive down that road, until you get blown up"
- General George Patton, about reconnaissance troops

"You must do your damdest and win."
-General George S. Patton

[BlackRain]

Patton's demeanor may have been admirable during WWII, but after the fighting ceased, his violence almost tossed him over the edge. Thank god for our rational CINC, or else the worst would have happened.

You don't know what the hell you are talking about.

Patton died at the end of WWII in a car accident in Germany on December 21, 1945, and is buried in Luxembourg.

The "CINC" as you put it, had NOTHING to do with 'ceasing' his violence.

Are you on crack? --- you can tell me.

[[AFSOC]]

That man has a statue outside my house, errrr barracks...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v93/jackal419/Art/vid00001.jpg

Of course he's facing the library in a cruel joke, since its rummored that while a cadet he claimed that he was unable to find the library.

he was dyslexic

[California Joe]

Patton had a really high pitched voice you know.

[[AFSOC]]

This **** wanted to start WW3 before WW2 had even finished.

He gets no respect from me, whatsoever.

But that's just IMO.

I can understand why some folks admire him.

Regards,
Lokos

sigh....

many Generals are cocky and make comments that are radical, thats what makes them grrrreat.

[samjung23]

Patton's demeanor may have been admirable during WWII, but after the fighting ceased, his violence almost tossed him over the edge. Thank god for our rational CINC, or else the worst would have happened.

You don't know what the hell you are talking about.

Patton died at the end of WWII in a car accident in Germany on December 21, 1945, and is buried in Luxembourg.

The "CINC" as you put it, had NOTHING to do with 'ceasing' his violence.

Are you on crack? --- you can tell me.

I know that fvkface. DUH!

But he had commented that the US Army should attack Russia. The CINC is in command of Patton. Not sure how military law works, but if Patton disobeyed, I'm sure he would be declared rogue and that his officers would stop working with him. That's why the President is our CINC, not our general. The same situation happened in Korea, when MacArthur was ready to drop nukes on China, only to have Truman stop him

I don't know why you're attacking me, did you take your meds today?

[Elmo]

Well, extreme times, extreme men.

This Patton was quite eager to get a portion of his men killed while staying behind himself. And bragging about is aswell.



"Fixed fortifications are monuments to the stupidity of man."
- General George Patton Jr

Easy to say.



"Just drive down that road, until you get blown up"
- General George Patton, about reconnaissance troops

Indeed.




"All men are timid on entering any fight. Whether it is the first or the last fight, all of us are timid. Cowards are those who let their timidity get the better of their manhood."
- General George Patton Jr, "War as I knew it" 1947

Manhood? While beating up your own f****** troops in a hospital?



"An army is a team. It lives, eats, sleeps, fights as a team.
This individuality stuff is a bunch of bull****."
- General George Patton Jr

Why were you such an egomaniac then, if individuality stuff was a bunch of bull****?

[samjung23]

Well, extreme times, extreme men.

This Patton was quite eager to get a portion of his men killed while staying behind himself. And bragging about is aswell.



"Fixed fortifications are monuments to the stupidity of man."
- General George Patton Jr

Easy to say.



"Just drive down that road, until you get blown up"
- General George Patton, about reconnaissance troops

Indeed.




"All men are timid on entering any fight. Whether it is the first or the last fight, all of us are timid. Cowards are those who let their timidity get the better of their manhood."
- General George Patton Jr, "War as I knew it" 1947

Manhood? While beating up your own f****** troops in a hospital?



"An army is a team. It lives, eats, sleeps, fights as a team.
This individuality stuff is a bunch of bull****."
- General George Patton Jr

Why were you such an egomaniac then, if individuality stuff was a bunch of bull****?

Well said. Too many Americans do not use their brains. It's easy to make statements like that, but harder to make proper and efficient plans. The brainless, hard-charging philosophy works until the enemy stops you cold. That's where the rout begins. Charge of the Light Brigade, anyone? Custer's Last Stand? Patton's lucky he died in a car crash, or he might have had the same fate in Korea, assuming had he lived and hadn't retired.

[Laconian]

I really am getting annoyed at the way some people on this board, who have never led or commanded anybody but themselves and couldn't pour piss out of a boot with the instructions printed on the bottom can make such in depth analysis as to what it takes to be a warrior and a leader of warriors.

Patton, even without the mythic recreation in movies, was one of the the US's great tactical commanders. His ego and personna made him both lauded and despised. His speech, as posted by Black Rain, was delivered to troops on the eve of going into battle. He was supposed to be firing them up, motivating them to go forth and do their duty and FIGHT! Some limp-wristed, panty-waste commander who stands up in front of his troops and extols the values needlepoint and tai-chi is not an inspiring sight.

Patton was also reprimanded for his speeches for two incidents that occurred in Sicily. The first involved the shooting of German prisoners and the second involved the shooting of civilian looters. In both cases defense counsel alluded to the fact the Patton's speeches to units prior to the invasion were the cause of the shootings. He was, in fact, relieved of his command of the 3rd Army for his continued practice of putting Nazis in positions of authority in his post-war area of responsibility.

I am not a Patton worshipper, by the way, but the man knew armored warfare. The working relationship between the 3rd Army and the XIX Tactical Air Group led to the destruction of a vast number of vehicles and troops rom 1 Aug 44 to VE Day.

Favorite Patton quote: "Any officer the fails to take his assigned objective and is not dead or seriously wounded has not done his full duty."


















p

[usa320]

The europeans are just bitter that patton beat their asses...and or embarassed that it took patton to save their asses...


You people talking about how he was violent and ****, speak for yourself... but if i want someone running my army, im not gonna want soemone who is a peace pipe smoking hippy. I want someone who can plan an effective war, and execute it quickly, with minimum casualties on my side and maximum casualties on their side.

The whole point of war is to kill the enemy. To think anything else would be very naive.

[samjung23]

The europeans are just bitter that patton beat their asses...and or embarassed that it took patton to save their asses...


You people talking about how he was violent and ****, speak for yourself... but if i want someone running my army, im not gonna want soemone who is a peace pipe smoking hippy. I want someone who can plan an effective war, and execute it quickly, with minimum casualties on my side and maximum casualties on their side.

The whole point of war is to kill the enemy. To think anything else would be very naive.

War is not just about killing. That's rather naive. You can win wars without killing people, or not killing as many. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. War is rather about overcoming the enemy, forcing them to capitulate, controlling their territory and/or influencing their postwar decisions.

If we simply tried to kill everyone, especially without justification, we would soon find ourselves facing heavier resistance. It isn't a smart idea to have an entire army/insurgent force against you, in addition to the little old ladies and shopkeepers. Where would we get intelligence from? How would that army have any local justification for occupation? How well could we even control the country? There must be a balance.

If the US Army were to operate solely on violence, basically, we would not be a liberating army, we would be the Nazis. And look how well they did.

Thank you.

[HooyahCQB]

McArthur wanted to Nuke Korea. Why aren't you bashing him?

[Kilgor]

I cant believe blackrain (of all people) left out one of pattons most famous quotes.

He gets a cookie if he works out what it is.

[Kilgor]

Lokos wrote:
This **** wanted to start WW3 before WW2 had even finished.

He gets no respect from me, whatsoever.

But that's just IMO.

I can understand why some folks admire him.

Regards,
Lokos


Thats because patten clearly understood that Stalin was no better really than Hitler and one dictatorship was being replaced by another.
Something you dont understand my communist friend.

[DE_Six]

Patton! woot

[Kitsune]

As far as I know, the German military leadership saw Patton as the most dangerous Western Allied general. And in his dashing style of pressing home an attack, he was much more similiar to the likes of Rommel than Montgomery.
Did Patton hate the Germans? I don't think so. He knew Clausewitz, he admired Frederick the Great. It just happened that he had to fight Germany, thats all.
His speeches? Frankly, I do not think that Patton believed everything he told his troops. He wanted to motivate them and since most of them were simple men and not intellectuals he used a simple style of speech, with simple truths, embellished with swearing.
Did he want to continue the war against the Russians? It seems so. And why not, the war was about freedom after all. would have been more honest that way. Just that his superiors would not have it.

There is no denying it: Patton had quite an ego. Or better: he was an arrogant sonofabitch. But many great authors, scientists or artists are. As long as the war was going on, his superiors accepted it. After it had ended they did nor have to do it anymore. The same may happen to this Marine general.

[BlackRain]

Well, extreme times, extreme men.

This Patton was quite eager to get a portion of his men killed while staying behind himself. And bragging about is aswell.



That quote of yours shows you know nothing about the man. Patton was always on the front with his men. He is a highly decorated COMBAT veteran.

General Patton's Military Awards

Distinguished Service Cross with one oak leaf cluster
Distinguished Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Silver Star with one oak leaf cluster
Legion of Merit
Bronze Star Medal
Purple Heart
Silver Lifesaving Medal
World War I Victory Medal with five battle clasps
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with one silver and two bronze service stars
Mexican Service Medal
American Defense Service Medal
World War II Victory Medal
British Order of the Bath
Order of the British Empire
Belgium Order of Leopold
Belgian Croix de Guerre
French Legion of Honor
French Croix de Guerre
French Liberation Medal
Luxemburg War Cross
Grand Cross of Ouissam Alaouite of French Morocco
Order of the White Lion of Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakian Military Cross
Grand Luxemburg Cross of the Order of Adolphe of Nassau

[BlackRain]

I cant believe blackrain (of all people) left out one of pattons most famous quotes.

He gets a cookie if he works out what it is.


"Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no!" - George Patton

I think it is entertaining that the grandchildren of Nazi's are complaining about too much violence by Patton.

[EsoognomEhT]

The europeans are just bitter that patton beat their asses...and or embarassed that it took patton to save their asses...



huhruhruhr, thanks for all those 7 yank pilots that saved us in the Battle of Britain! And I didnt realise Patton was one of those seven...

[Elmo]

That quote of yours shows you know nothing about the man. Patton was always on the front with his men. He is a highly decorated COMBAT veteran.


Oh, and he was buddy of yours? You served together? Killed them evil Germans together?

How many allied Army level commanders were KIA during WWII? He did stay in the back, he wasn't spearheading the advance.

He got the DSC, DSM and purple heart during WWI, where he was still something of a human:


6) George Patton was badly wounded at Meuse Argonne. Later he explained what happened to his daughter.

Just before I was wounded I felt a great desire to run, I was trembling with fear when suddenly I thought of my progenitors and seemed to see them in a cloud over the German lines looking at me. I became calm at once and saying out loud "It is time for another Patton to die" called for volunteers and went forward to what I honestly believed to be certain death. Six men went with me; five were killed and I was wounded so I was not much in error.

and especially


(4) Ruth Patton later wrote about a letter that George Patton sent to her mother during the First World War.

He wrote to her that he had been inspecting a battlefield at night, and that the dead soldiers, as yet unclaimed by the burial teams, were lying there in the moonlight. He said it was hard to tell the Americans and British from the Germans, and they all looked alike - very young and very dead - and he began to think how often their mothers had changed their diapers and wiped their noses, and suddenly the whole concept seemed unbearable, and he decided that the only way to survive under such a stress was to try to think of soldiers as numbers, not as individuals, and that the sooner the allies won, the sooner the slaughter of the innocents would cease.

these experiences most likely made him think that if he can beat fear, everybody must be able to do it. Typical I'm the center of the universe crap.

Don't judge him based on his nationality and flag-waving. Evaluate him based on his actions and statements. Were his methods admirable? Honorable? He was a general, for crying out loud.




(15) General Omar Bradley saw George Patton soon after the incident at 93rd Evacuation Hospital on 10th August 1943.

He was bragging how he had treated this man to snap him out of being a coward. Thought that if he made the man mad, he would be mad enough to fight. That men were showing a yellow streak. He didn't agree with me that every man has a breaking point. Some are low, some are high. We call the low points cowards. To George anyone who didn't want to fight was a coward. He honestly thought he was putting fight into these men. He was pleased with what he had done. He was bragging about the incident. Next day the surgeon of that hospital handed a written report to Brigadier General William B. Kean (the II Corps Chief of Staff). Kean brought it to me. After reading it, I told Kean to put it in a sealed envelope in the safe - only to be opened by Kean or me. I didn't forward the report to Eisenhower because Patton was my Army commander - I couldn't go over Patton's head.


(17) General Omar Bradley wrote about George Patton's character after the Second World War.

Why does he use profanity? Certainly he thinks of himself as a destined war leader. Whenever he addressed men he lapsed into violent, obscene language. He always talked down to his troops. When Patton talked to officers and men in the field, his language was studded with profanity and obscenity. I was shocked. He liked to be spectacular, he wanted men to
talk about him and to think of him. "I'd rather be looked at than overlooked." Yet when Patton was hosting at the dinner table, his conversation was erudite and he was well-read, intellectual and cultured. Patton was two persons: a Jekyll and Hyde. He was living a role he had set for himself twenty or thirty years before. An amazing figure!

I would have relieved him instantly (after the incident at the 93rd Evacuation Hospital) and would have had nothing more to do with him. He was colorful but he was impetuous, full of temper, bluster, inclined to treat the troops and subordinates as morons. His whole concept of command was opposite to mine. He was primarily a showman. The show always seemed to come first

Here is quite a critique:


(18) Harry C. Butcher, Naval Aide to General Dwight D. Eisenhower, wrote about how his boss dealt with George Patton over the incident at 93rd Evacuation Hospital (21st August, 1943)

Ike (Eisenhower) makes a point that in any army one-third of the soldiers are natural fighters and brave; two-thirds inherently are cowards and skulkers. By making the two-thirds fear the possible public upbraiding such as Patton gave during the campaign, the skulkers are forced to fight. Ike said Patton's method was deplorable but his result was excellent. He cited history to show that great military leaders had practically gone crazy on the battlefield in their zeal to win the fight. Patton is like this. Yet Ike feels that Patton is motivated by selfishness. He thinks Patton would prefer to have the war go on if it meant further aggrandizement for him. Neither does he mind sacrificing lives if by so doing he can gain greater fame. So Ike is in a tough spot; Patton is one of his best friends but friendships must be brushed aside



(22) General Dwight D. Eisenhower letter to George Patton (29th April 1944)

I have warned you time and again against your impulsiveness and have flatly instructed you to say nothing that could possibly be misinterpreted. You first came into my command at my own insistence because I believed in your fighting qualities and your ability to lead troops in battle. At the same time I have always been fully aware of your habit of dramatizing yourself and of committing indiscretions for no other apparent purpose than of calling attention to yourself. I am thoroughly weary of your failure to control your tongue and have begun to doubt your all-around judgment, so essential in high military position. My decision in the present case will not become final until I have heard from the War Department. I want to tell you officially and definitely that if you are again guilty of any indiscretion in speech or action. I will relieve you instantly from command

It doesn't take a descendant of a Nazi to criticize him.

source

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/2WWpatton.htm

[California Joe]

Interesting quotes. Reminds me a lot of George Armstrong Custer.

[foxtrot023]

The europeans are just bitter that patton beat their asses...and or embarassed that it took patton to save their asses...


You should read up on history before letting comments like these get out. Patton did not beat "europeans" ass, he did fought hard against the germans. As mentioned before, Patton was the most respected western allied general, as well as the most aggresive one (in a military good way). However your comments reflect poor knowledge on WW2, since the brits and commonwealth formed at least half of the ground troops in the Western theatre. And it was the Allies, with countries like the USSR, UK, US, Canada, Poland (its troops fought bravely on Italy and the Western Front), France, Brasil, India, Australia, NZ, etc, etc that defeated the germans, it was not just Patton or just the americans.

Your comments belittle the great and enormous contribution and sacrifice that the Allies suffered for a common cause (and yes, the US contributed a lot to the defeat of Germany but so did the USSR and the UK- hence the term allies- get it?).

But if you do not believe what I am saying, just go to the nearest library and READ.

PD- My personal opinion is that Patton was a good general that used to its greatest effect the superiority in numbers that the western allies had, but for me he is no match to what I believe is the greatest american general of all times- Robert Lee.

[California Joe]

Your judgement is flawed because you felt the need to actually respond to Knucklehead320. ;)

You do bring up an interesting point though. Lee was a great overall commander but he had brilliant generals under him like Forrest and Jackson. Grant had Sheridan and Sherman. Who should be given the credit for military victories? The commander or his subordinates. When the screw up generals fail miserably they get the blame.

[BlackRain]

How many allied Army level commanders were KIA during WWII? He did stay in the back, he wasn't spearheading the advance.

He got the DSC, DSM and purple heart during WWI, where he was still something of a human:

You should be careful exposing you poor knowledge of military history. It calls into question your judgment in other matters.

Patton was a battlefield commander during WWII not a REMF. He personally led his men in the field.

Examples:

In July 1943, Patton, now a lieutenant general, commanded the U.S. Seventh Army in the invasion of Sicily. In an unofficial race to Messina, the bold Patton beat the cautious British under Bernard Law Montgomery, gaining fame at home and animosity from his Allies. On 17th August 1943, Patton and his troops marched into Messina. The capture of the island made it possible to clear the way for Allied shipping in the Mediterranean.

With the Third Army, Patton extended his reputation as one of the war’s most effective field commanders. On August 1 1944 he led the breakout from the beachhead at Avranches and within two weeks surrounded more than one hundred thousand German soldiers in the Falaise-Argentan Gap. He then continued eastward, reaching the Saar River by the end of the month.

By December 1944, Patton had the Third Army moving toward Metz. When the Germans made their surprise attack in the Ardennes, initiating the Battle of the Bulge, and threatening Allied rear areas, Patton brilliantly swung his command ninety degrees and pushed east to relieve Bastogne and stop the German advance. From the Ardennes, Patton then turned toward Germany and crossed the Rhine River at Oppenheim on March 22, 1945. The Third Army ruthlessly destroyed towns and fortifications that refused to surrender as the advance rapidly continued. Patton encircled and defeated another major German force in the Ruhr Pocket, swept through Bavaria, and penetrated into Czechoslovakia and Austria as the war ended.

COMBAT Photos of Patton

http://www.pattonuncovered.com/assets/images/onshore_sicily.jpg
Patton (left), Gay and others land at the beach near Gela, Sicily, July, 1943. (Look at that comfortable office and golf course!)

http://www.pattonuncovered.com/assets/images/patton_gaffey.jpg
Gaffey and Patton study the map in August, 1944. Note the camaflouge netting in the background - this picture was obviously taken in the field.

http://www.pattonuncovered.com/assets/images/patton_tank.jpg
Patton and Harriman: How many commanders actually rode with their men? Part of Patton’s success was due to the fact that he was always aware of the situation at the front. If his men didn’t have socks, or an officer couldn’t read a map, Patton knew of it and immediately corrected the situtation. His soldiers loved this, and as a consequence Third Army had incredibly high morale. Despite the fact that the Third was constantly in combat, soldiers in other armies were begging to be transferred to Patton’s army.

http://www.pattonuncovered.com/assets/images/patton_mcauliffe.jpg
Patton and McAuliffe

This picture was taken shortly after McAuliffe’s 101st Airborne had been rescued by Patton’s Third Army. McAuliffe delivered the famous “nuts” reply when the Germans asked him to surrender Bastogne. When Patton heard of it, he said that anyone that eloquent deserved to be rescued.







Do a little reading here: http://www.airpower.maxwell.af.mil/airchronicles/cc/decker.html

[Elmo]

You should be careful exposing you poor knowledge of military history. I calls into question your judgment in other matters.

Patton was a battlefield commander during WWII not a REMF. He personally led his men in the field.


How many times was he exposed to enemy (or own) fire? It's easy for him to say that fixed fortifications are a waste of time and all his blood and guts bs while he was not there personally spearheading anything. Do you think he ran in front of his tank columns during the dash to Bastogne?

In no way I am saying he was a REMF, of course he wasn't. But he wasn't in the heat of it either. If this is too difficult to understand, I'm sorry.

[BlackRain]

In no way I am saying he was a REMF, of course he wasn't. But he wasn't in the heat of it either. If this is too difficult to understand, I'm sorry.

Since you are thick headed and refuse to believe history, I will have to spoon feed you.

Stories Involving General Patton in WWII

We know that at various times Patton carried a Colt Pocket Model "hammerless" during World War II, and a Remington Model 51 .380. It was the latter he emptied at a German fighter plane that was strafing his encampment as he stood defiantly in its gunsights.

----

Blood and Guts: Clegg Caffery Chapter 27

I was taking three trucks with gas on them to A Company during the breakout from St. Lo when I came to a crossroad that wasn’t marked as to whether it was cleared of mines or not. So I was sitting there debating what to do, when all of a sudden I look up and I see all those stars shining. It was General Patton, and he wanted to know who was in charge of the trucks.

I told him I was, and he said, "Well, what the hell are you sitting here for?"

I said, "I’m taking gas up to A Company. I know where they are, but I don’t know whether that road is cleared of mines."

And he said, "Well, you take this goddamn truck and drive it down that road, and we’ll find out whether it’s cleared of mines or not, won’t we?"

So I went down the road, at about five miles an hour, every moment wondering if it was going to happen. Needless to say, it must have been cleared of mines or there were none there to begin with, because we made it. We found the tanks and got them gassed up.

That was my encounter with Patton.

Russell Loop

One time we had just pulled up on a four-way crossroad and were waiting for further orders, and here comes Patton and his jeep.

He got out, and he walked right by the officers and went around and shook hands and talked with nearly every one of the enlisted men.

While he was there, a German plane strafed that crossroads both ways, twice. And he just looked up and said, "They must know I’m here." But what he wanted to know was, "Are you getting plenty to eat? Are you getting enough ammunition and gasoline? And is there anything that I can do to make it better?"

And of course we all said, "Yes, send us home." But I got to shake hands with him on the front line.

Clegg Caffery

When we broke through in Normandy, the battalion was acting as a point and protecting the right flank of the 90th Infantry Division as we went down through Avranches. The Headquarters Company had an assault-gun platoon.

We came to this bridge, and I was in charge of the assault-gun platoon. I deployed the vehicles in what I thought was the proper method to protect the bridge site, and just about five minutes later, George Patton approached. He came up in his jeep, and I very quickly ran to him and saluted and told him what the situation was, and his words to me were: "Get the goddamn tanks across that bridge on the east side and do it now!" I saluted very hurriedly and did that right quickly.

Red Rose

Walter Hahn, he was Colonel Randolph’s jeep driver, said Randolph came down with pneumonia somewhere on the road, and he wouldn’t turn himself in. Some of the officers reported him real sick, and the doctor checked him and ordered him to bed. And Hahn said when Patton found out Randolph was in bed — "Now I was standing right there with the jeep, right next to the old building where they had Randolph in because he had pneumonia," Hahn said, "and Patton went in, and he came out in a few minutes," and he said Patton stood and looked at him and said, "You know, I’d give anything in the world if the Third Army had as much confidence in me as the 712th Tank Battalion boys do in Colonel Randolph." And he said tears came into Patton’s eyes. [Lt. Col. George B. Randolph was killed on Jan. 9, 1945, at Nothum, Luxembourg, during the Battle of the Bulge.]

Smoky Stuever


Frank Vratny of Fort Dodge can’t forget the day in 1944 when he stood before an irate German soldier and prepared to die. Vratny was a prisoner of war after being nabbed by the Germans in France several weeks after the bomber he piloted was shot down. Seven of his fellow prisoners had just escaped from the box car they were being moved in and a German sergeant planned to shoot 35 men in retaliation. Weak, wounded and hungry, Vratny was fully prepared to die. ‘‘I was ready to die,’’ he said. ‘‘I had no desire to take any more.’’ His life was spared when a German captain overruled the sergeant. Vratny, 82, remembers that the captain slapped the sergeant to stop him from shooting. That encounter was one of several terrifying World War II experiences for a man whose boyhood love of flying took him from the flak-filled skies over occupied France to the murderous clutches of the Nazis at Buchenwald concentration camp. His captivity ended not long before Germany surrendered when troops personally led by Gen. George S. Patton broke into a prisoner of war camp.

On April 29, 1945, the sound of gunfire intensified and some bullets smacked into the stucco walls of the prison barracks. Suddenly, an American Army tank crashed through the prison gate. ‘‘Of course, everbody was screaming and yelling,’’ Vratny recalled. ‘‘It was a big relief,’’ he added. ‘‘Of course we were kind of stupid about it. We were running out there like there was nothing happening and there were still bullets flying. We could have got killed right there.’’ Not long after the tank broke into the camp Patton arrived in a Jeep. He was immediately mobbed by jubiliant former prisoners. Vratny recalls seeing the general’s trademark ivory-handled pistol hanging from his belt.

Now go away, you have been pwned.

[California Joe]

Did you mean for those quotes to prove he was a huge douchebag? Cause they sort of do.

[BlackRain]

Did you mean for those quotes to prove he was a huge douchebag? Cause they sort of do.

Yeah, liberating Nazi death camps, making sure logistics get through during D-Day, and braving enemy fire to talk to troops is horrible, isn't it?

[Midav]

Did you mean for those quotes to prove he was a huge douchebag? Cause they sort of do.

He may have been as a person but he did more than likely anyone that's ever posted on these boards will ever do :)

[foxtrot023]

Your judgement is flawed because you felt the need to actually respond to Knucklehead320. ;)


I know, I know, but I couldn't resist to try and enlighten a bit the newer generations.

In regards to R. Lee, he definitively had brilliant officers in his charge, specially Stonewall Jackson, but he is without a doubt the person responsible for the outstanding successes that the Army of Virgina had over its counterpart the Army of the Potomach.

He is like Eisenhower and Patton rolled into one.