He pushed them hard, and sought to reward them well for their accomplishments. Patton rather caustically replied: "Have taken Trier with two divisions. [201], Patton attracted controversy as military governor when it was noted that several former Nazi Party members continued to hold political posts in the region. [224] His attitudes were likely cultivated from his upbringing and family roots in the Confederate South. President Woodrow Wilson forbade the expedition from conducting aggressive patrols deeper into Mexico, so it remained encamped in the Mexican border states for much of that time. The best thing that has ever happened to me thus far is the honor and privilege of having commanded the Third Army. Through his charisma, exemplified by a flamboyant and well-publicized image, he stimulated, better than any other high-ranking U.S. army commander, American troops to an aggressive desire to close with and destroy the enemy. [86] While on duty in Washington, D.C., in 1919, Patton met Dwight D. Eisenhower,[87] who would play an enormous role in Patton's future career. The Third Army simultaneously attacked west into Brittany, south, east toward the Seine, and north, assisting in trapping several hundred thousand German soldiers in the Falaise Pocket between Falaise and Argentan. [150][151] This duty kept Patton busy during the first half of 1944. He was relieved of command of the Third Army on October 7, and in a somber change of command ceremony, Patton concluded his farewell remarks, "All good things must come to an end. Biographer Martin Blumenson, who was Third Army Historian and also edited Patton's papers, sums up this period tersely: "Clearly, he had become delusional. Patton developed phlebitis from the injury, which nearly killed him. [147] This decision had been made before the slapping incidents were made public, but Patton blamed them for his being denied the command. The first American tank designed after the war became the M46 Patton.[220]. [176] At the Supreme Command conference, Eisenhower led the meeting, which was attended by Patton, Bradley, General Jacob Devers, Major General Kenneth Strong, Deputy Supreme Commander Air Chief Marshal Arthur Tedder, and several staff officers. He competed in the modern pentathlon in the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden. Born in 1885, Patton attended the Virginia Military Institute and the United States Military Academy at West Point. Bio by John R. Bacak. [49], In 1915, Lieutenant Patton was assigned to border patrol duty with A Troop of the 8th Cavalry, based in Sierra Blanca. He studied fencing and designed the M1913 Cavalry Saber, more commonly known as the "Patton Saber". [66] While in a hospital for jaundice, Patton met Colonel Fox Conner, who encouraged him to work with tanks instead of infantry. During the Allied occupation of Germany, Patton was named military governor of Bavaria, but was relieved for making aggressive statements towards the Soviet Union and trivializing denazification. [20][21][22][23] Though not directly descended from George Washington, Patton traced some of his English colonial roots to George Washington's great-grandfather. [10], In his plebe (first) year at West Point, Patton adjusted easily to the routine. The jeep because we have so many God-awful drivers. The nickname would follow him for the rest of his life. However, his academic performance was so poor that he was forced to repeat his first year after failing mathematics. Patton, who had been told he had no chance to ever again ride a horse or resume normal life, at one point commented, "This is a hell of a way to die." She unsheathed one of the swords and chased "Saber George" around the room, cursing with expletives that should have made her warrior husband proud. Patton then drove to Hatch Memorial Shell and spoke to some 20,000, including a crowd of 400 wounded Third Army veterans. I Corps in the MeuseArgonne offensive on September 26. He was very bold and preferred large movements. What we are doing is to utterly destroy the only semi-modern state in Europe so that Russia can swallow the whole. Actually the Germans are the only decent people in Europe. Everyone has their eyes on you and is expecting great things from you. On June 7, he arrived in Bedford, Massachusetts, for extended leave with his family, and was greeted by thousands of spectators. [45] Arriving in September 1913, he taught fencing to other cavalry officers, many of whom were senior to him in rank. When the message arrived, Trier had already fallen. He would reprise the role in 1986 in the made-for-television film The Last Days of Patton. Patton's maternal grandfather was Benjamin Davis Wilson, a merchant who had been the second Mayor of Los Angeles. [119] Patton oversaw the conversion of Casablanca into a military port and hosted the Casablanca Conference in January 1943. As part of a provisional corps under Major General Geoffrey Keyes, the 3rd Infantry Division under Major General Lucian Truscott covered 100 miles (160km) in 72 hours, arriving at Palermo on July 21. [59] His initial combat experience came on May 14, 1916, in what would become the first motorized attack in the history of U.S. warfare. He was awarded the Silver Lifesaving Medal for this action. He walked in front of the tanks into the German-held village of Essey, and rode on top of a tank during the attack into Pannes, seeking to inspire his men. For his leadership of the tank brigade and tank school, he was awarded the Army Distinguished Service Medal, the citation for which reads: The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Army Distinguished Service Medal to Colonel (Tank Corps) George Smith Patton, Jr. (ASN: 0-2605), United States Army, for exceptionally meritorious and distinguished services to the Government of the United States, in a duty of great responsibility during World War I. Patton family - Social Networks and Archival Context From November 8 to December 15, his army advanced no more than 40 miles (64km). He would not work so I hit him over the head with a shovel". Patton, Robert H. The Pattons: A Personal History of an American Family. Snippet - The Birth of Beatrice Banning Ayer - Minnegate Press [6] At the age of seventeen he sought an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. [177] When Eisenhower asked Patton how long it would take him to disengage six divisions of his Third Army and commence a counterattack north to relieve the U.S. 101st Airborne Division which had been trapped at Bastogne, Patton replied, "As soon as you're through with me. Each column was protected by a standing patrol of three to four P-47 and P-51 fighter-bombers as a combat air patrol (CAP). [190] Patton later said he felt the correct decision would have been to send a Combat Command, which is a force about three times larger. An award-winning biographical film released in 1970, Patton, helped popularize his image. Early pictures of American General George S Patton in Africa during There is another woman's presence: The ashes of the general's widow, Beatrice Ayer Patton were strewn over his grave by their children several years after her death. The friendship resulted in marriage in 1910 which lasted over thirty years and . She enjoyed the life of privilege & attended prestigious finishing schools. "[202], Patton, in his new role, oversaw the displaced persons camps in Bavaria, which contained a majority of Jews who had survived Germany's concentration camps in the Holocaust. He commanded the United States Fifteenth Army for slightly more than two months. Patton had accepted the post because of his love of history, but quickly lost interest. In this speech he aroused some controversy among the Gold Star Mothers when he stated that a man who dies in battle is "frequently a fool",[195] adding that the wounded are heroes. The Third Army claimed to have killed, wounded, or captured 1,811,388 German soldiers, six times its strength in personnel. [249] On the other hand, Roosevelt's successor, Harry S. Truman, appears to have taken an instant dislike to Patton, at one point comparing both him and Douglas MacArthur to George Armstrong Custer. Patton later changed his mind. This has led . [84], In addition, he was also awarded the Purple Heart for his combat wounds after the decoration was created in 1932. [180] Within a few days, more than 133,000 Third Army vehicles were rerouted into an offensive that covered an average distance of over 11 miles (18km) per vehicle, followed by support echelons carrying 62,000 tonnes (61,000 long tons; 68,000 short tons) of supplies.[181]. Sereno E. Brett, commander of the U.S. 326th Tank Battalion, took command of the brigade in Patton's absence. Addressing the 761st Tank Battalion Patton also said, Men, you are the first Negro tankers ever to fight in the American Army. 1912 June 14 Patton sailed for Europe to participate in the Olympic Games in Stockholm, Sweden. [192] In mid-May, Patton flew to Paris, then London for rest. [113] Soldiers under his command were known at times to have quipped, "our blood, his guts". [221] Other actors who have portrayed Patton include Stephen McNally in the 1957 episode "The Patton Prayer" of the ABC religion anthology series, Crossroads, John Larch in the 1963 film Miracle of the White Stallions, Kirk Douglas in the 1966 film Is Paris Burning?, George Kennedy in the 1978 film Brass Target, Darren McGavin in the 1979 miniseries Ike, Robert Prentiss in the 1988 film Pancho Barnes, Mitchell Ryan in the 1989 film Double Exposure: The Story of Margaret Bourke-White, Lawrence Dobkin in a 1989 episode of the miniseries War and Remembrance, Edward Asner in the 1997 film The Long Way Home, Gerald McRaney in the 2004 miniseries Ike: Countdown to D-Day, Dan Higgins in a 2006 episode of the miniseries Man, Moment, Machine, Kelsey Grammer in the 2008 film An American Carol,[221] and Ed Harris in Resistance (2020). ", Once when a gasoline lantern had exploded in his face and he was badly burned, he wrote to her on October 7, 1916, "I love you with all my heart and would have hated worst to have been blinded because I could not have seen you.". HISTORY | Ayer Mansion He married Beatrice Banning Ayer on 25 May 1910, in Beverly, Essex, Massachusetts, United States. Central Star Psychiatric Health Facility (PHF) 4411 E Kings Canyon Rd., Bldg. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. [154] Through the British network of double-agents, the Allies fed German intelligence a steady stream of false reports about troops sightings and that Patton had been named commander of the First United States Army Group (FUSAG), all designed to convince the Germans that Patton was preparing this massive command for an invasion at Pas de Calais. [214] The 1986 film The Last Days of Patton tells the story of his last few months. Third Army logistics were overseen by Colonel Walter J. Muller, Patton's G-4, who emphasized flexibility, improvisation, and adaptation for Third Army supply echelons so forward units could rapidly exploit a breakthrough. [34] Patton had a high-pitched voice and worried that this would make it impossible for him to inspire his troops. As a child, Patton had difficulty learning to read and write, but eventually overcame this and was known in his adult life to be an avid reader. She was an expert equestrian, a fine lecturer and an able sailor with a sloop of her own. [191] Later that month, Patton, Bradley, and Eisenhower toured the Merkers salt mine as well as the Ohrdruf concentration camp, and seeing the conditions of the camp firsthand caused Patton great disgust. [169] In late September, a large German Panzer counterattack sent expressly to stop the advance of Patton's Third Army was defeated by the U.S. 4th Armored Division at the Battle of Arracourt. [27][28][29] Patton is also a descendant of French Huguenot Louis DuBois. After a brief Episcopal service, she was cremated. Patton remained outspoken but unabashed in his racism throughout his life. [209], On September 28, 1945, after a heated exchange with Eisenhower over the denazification controversy, Patton was relieved of his military governorship. [105] Patton was promoted to brigadier general on October 2, made acting division commander in November, and on April 4, 1941, was promoted again to major general and made Commanding General (CG) of the 2nd Armored Division. [187] Patton later boasted he had urinated into the river as he crossed. Lgendes hawaiiennes by Beatrice Banning Ayer Patton, 1932, Socit d'dition "Les Belles lettres" edition, in French / franais After Patton accompanied Eisenhower to a Yom Kippur service in one of the camps, he referred to the Jews at the service as a "stinking mass of humanity," and complaining about their hygiene, said: "Of course, I have seen them since the beginning and marveled that beings alleged to be made in the form of God can look the way they do or act the way they act. George Patton | Facts, Biography, Quotes, World War II, & Death [139] Eisenhower suppressed the incident in the media,[140] but in November journalist Drew Pearson revealed it on his radio program. Historical Society Dedicated to the Life, Career, and Achievements of General George S. Patton, Jr. George S. Patton Papers: Diaries, 19101945, Newspaper clippings about George S. Patton, Five Famous Locals Who Were Veterans: Gen. George S. Patton, Jr. (18851945) at Pasadena now.com, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=George_S._Patton&oldid=1152693032, Honorary Companions of the Order of the Bath, Honorary Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire, Modern pentathletes at the 1912 Summer Olympics, Olympic modern pentathletes of the United States, Recipients of the Croix de guerre (Belgium), Recipients of the Croix de Guerre (France), Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States), Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army), Recipients of the Order of the White Lion, United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni, United States Army generals of World War II, United States Army personnel of World War I, United States Army Cavalry Branch personnel, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0. He believed that he might have been a military leader killed in action in Napoleon's army or a Roman legionary in a previous life. [109] Patton had a preoccupation with bravery,[8] wearing his rank insignia conspicuously in combat, and at one point during World War II, he rode atop a tank into a German-controlled village seeking to inspire courage in his men. Official date of rank of September 1, 1943. While he was initially buried in the middle of a plot like every other service member, the large number of visitors to his grave damaged the cemetery grounds, and his remains were moved to their current location at the front of the grave plots. [219] Patton's impact on armored warfare and leadership were substantial, with the U.S. Army adopting many of Patton's aggressive strategies for its training programs following his death. [86], In July 1921 Patton became a member of the American Legion Tank Corps Post No. [42] Bringing these lessons back to Fort Myer, Patton redesigned saber combat doctrine for the U.S. cavalry, favoring thrusting attacks over the standard slashing maneuver and designing a new sword for such attacks. The halftrack because the boys in it go all heroic, thinking they are in a tank. Gen. George Smith Patton Jr. (1885-1945) FamilySearch She was bilingual in French and translated many French army manuals into english. There was not a single incident of a protest or any unsportsmanlike quibbling or fighting for points which I may say, marred some of the other civilian competitions at the Olympic Games. [54][62] Shortly after, he was promoted to first lieutenant while a part of the 10th Cavalry on May 23, 1916. Includes family papers consisting mainly of Patton's letters to his wife, Beatrice Banning Ayer Patton, and his father, George S. Patton (1856-1927). He commanded the U.S. In addition to his other Asiatic characteristics, the Russian has no regard for human life and is an all out son of bitch, barbarian, and chronic drunk. The friendship resulted in marriage in 1910 which lasted over thirty years and . [88] With Christie, Eisenhower, and a handful of other officers, Patton pushed for more development of armored warfare in the interwar era. Huguenots migration: descendants' contributions to America. [249], For the most part, British commanders did not hold Patton in high regard. Patton repeatedly boasted of his sexual success with Gordon, and his wife and family plainly believed that the two were lovers. [61] The incident garnered Patton both Pershing's good favor and widespread media attention as a "bandit killer". FUSAG was in reality an intricately constructed fictitious army of decoys, props, and fake radio signal traffic based around Dover to mislead German reconnaissance planes and to make Axis leaders believe that a large force was massing there. George S. Patton - Wikipedia The 15th Army at this point consisted only of a small headquarters staff working to compile a history of the war in Europe. [142][143] The views of the general public remained mixed on the matter,[144] and eventually Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson stated that Patton must be retained as a commander because of the need for his "aggressive, winning leadership in the bitter battles which are to come before final victory. In October Patton briefly retired to California after being burned by an exploding gas lamp. Advancing on Gabs, Patton's corps pressured the Mareth Line. Anyhow, they are dead, so nothing can be done about it. Patton, Beatrice Banning Ayer, 1886-1953 Title Close Social Networks and Archival Context SNAC is a discovery service for persons, families, and organizations found within archival collections at cultural heritage institutions. He continuously moved throughout the command talking with men, seeking to shape them into effective soldiers. This meant that Patton would have some role in organizing the effort, and his eagerness and dedication to the task impressed Pershing. Beatrice Smith Waters (Patton) (1911 - 1952) - Genealogy After the war, he was assigned to Camp Meade, Maryland, and reverted to his permanent rank of captain on June 30, 1920, though he was promoted to major again the next day. She enjoyed a life of privilege and attended prestigious finishing schools. She enjoyed the life of privilege & attended prestigious finishing schools. "[228] He also suggested facetiously that his Third Army could "drive the British back into the sea for another Dunkirk. [113] He was known to oversee training maneuvers from atop a tank painted red, white and blue. His firearm discharged accidentally one night in a saloon, so he swapped it for an ivory-handled Colt Single Action Army revolver, a weapon that would later become an icon of Patton's image.
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