Historical Figure
George S. Patton
1885–1945
United States Army general (1885–1945)
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"Los Angeles Homecoming Address" — May 1945
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Biography
George Smith Patton Jr. was a general in the United States Army who commanded the Seventh Army in the Mediterranean Theater of World War II, then the Third Army in France and Germany after the Allied invasion of Normandy in June 1944.
Timeline
The story of George S. Patton, told in moments.
Competes in the modern pentathlon at the Stockholm Olympics, finishing fifth. He designs a new cavalry saber (the M1913 "Patton Saber") for the U.S. Army and studies sword fighting in France.
Leads the Western Task Force during Operation Torch, landing at Casablanca. His first taste of World War II combat. Within months, he's sent to salvage the demoralized II Corps in Tunisia after the disaster at Kasserine Pass. He turns them around in 11 days.
Slaps two shell-shocked soldiers in field hospitals in Sicily, calling them cowards. Eisenhower nearly sends him home. Instead, Patton is pulled from command and used as a decoy for D-Day, leading a fake army group aimed at Calais to fool the Germans.
His Third Army breaks the German encirclement at Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge. He'd pivoted 250,000 men 90 degrees and marched them 100 miles in 48 hours through snow and ice. No other commander in the war achieves anything comparable.
Dies of a pulmonary embolism in a Heidelberg hospital, 12 days after a car accident in Mannheim breaks his neck. He is 60. Buried alongside his soldiers at the Luxembourg American Cemetery. His grave is plain.
In Their Own Words (20)
Fixed fortifications are a monument to the stupidity of man.
Quoted in 50 Military Leaders Who Changed the World (2007) by William Weir, p. 173, 2007
We herd sheep, we drive cattle, we lead people. Lead me, follow me, or get out of my way.
As quoted in Pocket Patriot : Quotes from American Heroes (2005) edited by Kelly Nickell, p. 157, 2005
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.
As quoted in Liberalism is a Mental Disorder : Savage Solutions (2005) by Michael Savage, Ch. 1 : More Patton, Less Patent Leather, p. 4, 2005
In the second place, Harrison and his ilk believe that the Displaced Person is a human being, which he is not, and this applies particularly to the Jews, who are lower than animals.
Diaries, General Patton : A Soldier's Life (2002) by Stanley P. Hirshson, p. 661, 2002
Accept the challenges, so that you may feel the exhilaration of victory.
As quoted in Textbook of Phacoemulsification (1988) by William F. Maloney and Lincoln Grindle, p. 79, 1988
Artifacts (15)
Gen-as Lt. George S. Patton; full portrait, maturity LCCN2017645446
Miscellaneous Items in High Demand, PPOC, Library of Congress
Don't be ridiculous! We're making a movie here! It's Mrs. Robinson!
tle "Mrs. Roosevelt". When Garfunkel reported this indecision over the song's name to the director, Nichols replied, "Don't be ridiculous! We're making a movie here! It's Mrs. Robinson!" Simon and...
I learnt how to finger-pick acoustic guitar from Martin Carthy, who was connecte...
to play in New York City. They wouldn't have me." He was welcomed by England's bohemian folk scene. He recalled, "I learnt how to finger-pick acoustic guitar from Martin Carthy, who was connected to...
a certain kind of New York Jew, almost a stereotype really, to whom music and ba...
y moved to the Kew Gardens Hills section of Flushing, Queens, in New York City. The musician Donald Fagen described Simon's childhood as that of "a certain kind of New York Jew, almost a stereotype...
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