George S. Patton (November 11, 1885-December 21, 1945) was an American Army general noted for winning battles in World Wars I and II. Please use this data for any reference citations. That is not the way to win battles. . He formulated his own views in articles, including his conclusion that Tanks are not motorized cavalry; they are tanks, a new auxiliary arm whose purpose is ever and always to facilitate the advance of the master arm, the Infantry, on the field of battle.Before the next great war he amended that view, recognizing that tanks could be an offensive force of their own. We were lucky in Africa, in Sicily, and in Italy. He staggeredforward a few steps before collapsing. The Third Armys sick rate equaled its battle casualty rate. The vow of Obedience was rigidly enforced. None of Defeats. See if we cant get God to work on our side., Chaplain ONeill: Sir, its going to take a pretty thick rug for that kind of praying., General Patton: I dont care if it takes a flying carpet. He chose the latter, thinking it the quickest way to combat and further promotion. I told them the attack would go on. It's just about him. On February 14, 1943, Rommels Tenth and Twenty-first Panzer Divisions of the Afrika Korps launched an attack against the U.S. position. His voice was actually ratherhigh, certainly not the gravelly bass of George C. Scott in the Hollywoodmovie Patton. June 6, 1944 - Led by Eisenhower, over a million troops (the largest invasion force in history) stormed the beaches at Normandy and began the process of re-taking France. Of course we are willing to die but that is not enough. We straight-arm, and go around, anddodge, and go around . The General Patton I saw there was the Army Commander to whom the welfare of the men under him was a matter of personal responsibility. Born in 1885, Patton attended the Virginia Military Institute and the United States Military . Unsurprisingly, he didnt stay at his command post but roamed the field under fire, directing attacks; his tankers did well and showed plenty of fighting spirit. I should be both ungrateful and wanting in candor if I failed to acknowledge the debt we owe to our Chiefs of Staff, Generals Gaffey and Gay, and to the officers and men of the General and Special Staff Sections of Army Headquarters. Pattons Message Marking the End of World War Two, Pattons Letter to his Troops Before Fighting Rommel in Africa, Pattons Near-Death Experience in World War One, Patton and Eisenhowers Friendship During the Interwar Years. August 10 Patton visited the 93rd Evacuation Hospital in Sicily, Italy, and berated Private Paul Bennett for cowardice. September 22 Taken out of context, Pattons careless comparison of Nazi Party members in Germany to Democratic Party or Republican Party members in the United States stirred much controversy. He died at the age of 60 and he died in a freak accident after the war had been won. . . One cannot read Pattons diaries, letters, speeches, and personal papers without being struck by the frequency with which he appeals to God and turns to the Bible for inspiration. He said, God damn! His most importantpriority was training men for war. To their surprise, they were not opposed by enemy forces. On November 7, 1942, there was a storm but it stopped at 1600. The cards and Training Letter No. I want to talk to you about this business of prayer. Patton rubbed his face in his hands, sat silently for a moment, then rose up and walked to the high window of the office where he stood with his back to ONeill, watching the falling rain. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for . You sure stand in good with the Lord and the soldiers. The General then pinned a Bronze Star Medal on Chaplain ONeill. Duty is the essence of manhood. Americans love to fight. He dragged his commander to a shallowcrater and bandaged his wound, which was bleeding profusely, whilethe Germans kept firing at their position. Coy Eklund, an officer on Pattons staff, confirms a story about Pattons insistence on inspirational sermons: It is no myth that one Sunday morning, after attending church services as he always did, he stalked into my office in the Army barracks in Nancy, France, where I was the senior duty officer. Enough to allow the Allies to break the backbone of the Von Runstedt offensive and turn a temporary setback into a crushing defeat for the enemy. Paralyzed from the neck down, he was taken to a hospital in Heidelberg. He followed his tanks into combat, even helping to dig a path for them through two trenches (and whacking a recalcitrant soldier over the head with a shovel). Each treated of a variety of subjects of corrective or training value to a chaplain working with troops in the field. December 10 Patton served as Commanding Officer, 3d Cavalry, Fort Myer, Virginia. He sat beside her in church each Sunday as she recited the liturgical responses from the Book of Com-mon Prayer, and he developed an amazing capacity to repeat passages at length. While I was in this chapel, I secured a rosary for Mary Scally [his childhood nurse] and had it blessed at the altar. He even directed his chief chaplain to send out a training letter to every unit in the Third Army on the importance of prayer. . It began with the crossing of the River Rhine in March 1945, with forces fanning out and overrunning all of Western Germany until their final surrender on May 8, 1945. . In 1933 General Douglas MacArthur noted that the few tanks that the army had were completely useless for employment against any modern unit on the battle-field., Like their fellow junior officers, Patton and Eisenhower suffered post-war reductions in rank, deplorable living conditions, and miserable pay. . He came from Israels smallest tribe. Before heading tothe field hospital, he insisted that the ambulance driver take him tothe headquarters of the Thirty-fifth Division, where he began to dictatea report on the situation at the battle front. July 6 Patton secretly flew into Normandy, France, while the Germans still believed he would lead the main invading force at Pas de Calais. . Wood replied, We dont want to waste youngsters of your sort in the service of foreign nations. Heres A Summary Of The Events, California Do not sell my personal information. Patton was notblessed with a deep, booming voice. August 3 Patton visited a field hospital in Sicily, Italy, and slapped Charles Kuhl for what he considered cowardice as Kuhl suffered no physical wounds. He studied military history, as well as the last war and current developments. I do not want to be hitthere again. . General Patton : A Soldier's Life (2002) by Stanley P. Hirshson, . Prior to World War II, Patton was posted to Fort Myer in Virginia, near Washington, D.C. A regular churchgoer, he summoned thechaplain and bluntly told him that his sermons were too long. When there is fighting, everyone prays, but now with this constant rainwhen things are quiet, dangerously quiet, men just sit and wait for things to happen. Patton wanted combat and knew he couldnt find it as a staff officer to Pershing; to see action he had to either lead infantry or train to become a tank officer. The defending Germans had pre-positioned at least twenty-five machine gun nests to protect the town. General Pattons communication was not limited to his speeches; he alsoprojected strength in his demeanor and in his dress. General Patton Speech | 6th Armored Division | 31 May 1944 Alyosha 394 subscribers Subscribe 2.3K Share 92K views 4 years ago General George S. Patton speech to the 6th Armored. It was a two-piece dark greencorduroy outfit. France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Austria, and Czechoslovakia bear witness to your exploits. Beatrices dinner was interrupted when the nurse suddenly noticed that Patton had stopped breathing. Patton became famous during this time for his tough motivating speeches to his troupes and earned the nickname "old blood and guts." Invasion of Italy After Pearl Harbor, the U.S. entered World War II. Men this stuff that some sources sling around aboutAmerica wanting out of this war, not wanting to fight,is a crock of bullshit. Although I looked very carefully, I could see no indication of the fighting, but I did recognize the cactus hedge where the tanks got stuck. Confident in his own religious convictions and his knowledge of the Bible, Patton did not hesitate publicly to contradict a chaplains sermon, as this diary entry for Armistice Day, 1943, reveals: We went to a Memorial Service at the cemetery at 1100. Getty Images. . . His active military duty lasted from 1909 to 1945. As the chaplain noted, however, strictly speaking it was the Third Army commanders letter, not ONeills. . These rains are that margin that holds defeat or victory. In his many trials, Patton turned to God and found remarkable serenity. There is one great thing you men will be able to saywhen you go home. We are advancing constantlyand we are not interested in holding onto anything except the enemys balls! An armored divisionis that element of the team which carries out therunning plays. However, they did get across and Napoleon crossed at about the same place and also lost his baggage when the wind shifted. "Patton" (1970) General George Smith Patton, Jr. . 1909 June 11 Patton was promoted to the rank of second lieutenant, 15th Cavalry. I am sure we will have great success. The Army Engineer was called in, and we finally decided that our field topographical company could print the prayer on a small-sized card, making enough copies for distribution to the army. Be seated. The real hero is the man whofights even though he is scared . . 1928 October 6 Pattons mother, Ruth Wilson Patton, died. On the night of March 22, 1945, elements of the Third Army crossed the Rhine at the German town of Oppenheim. Patton's "Blood and Guts" Speech - History (2022) Loading. Pattons communication was not limited to his speeches; he alsoprojected strength in his demeanor and in his dress. The public Patton was brash, self-confident, and boastful. When, in 1916, General Pershing was ordered to lead a punitive expedition into Mexico, Pattons regimentand Pattonwere to stay behind in Texas. Please be advised it is quite profane. . Before he did that, Patton gave himself a crash course in French tanks, which included test-driving them, firing their guns, and even walking the assembly line to see how they were made. In his invasion of Russia in 1812, Napoleon was unprepared for Russias brutal climate, and thousands of his soldiers perished in the severe winter. For this,. Patton ran over people's bodies in the road gaining the nickname "old blood and guts". . On this day, in 1945 one of the greatest American generals of WWII dies. Prior to the termination of active hos-tilities, you had captured in battle 956,000 enemy soldiers and killed or wounded at least 500,000 others. . December 16 Germany launched offensive in the Ardennes known as the Battle of the Bulge. But it was not just a speech, it was a performance. Patton of the brisk, purposeful stride. But between the plan and the operation there is always an unknown. . The soldier who cracks up does not need sympathy or comfort as much as he needs strength. We reached Cairo just at dark, having completed in one day the trip which took the Children of Israel forty years to accomplish. July 25 Spent time in Beverly, Massachusetts hospital with a broken leg. General Patton's speech to the Third Army was given on June 5, 1944, the eve of the Allied invasion of Europe. 1918 January 26 Patton was promoted to the temporary rank of major. As a young officerin World War One, George S. Pattonwas part of thenewly formedUnited States Tank Corpsof theAmerican Expeditionary Forces. When she returned, her husband had already died. The coward is the one who lets his fear overcome his sense of duty. . The day after ONeill had shown Patton the prayer for fair weather for battle and the accompanying Christmas greeting, he presented the general with Training Letter No. Book by Ladislas Farago, 1963. War is a bloody business, a killing business. Lying in a bomb crater, surrounded by the horrors of war, Pattonwas overwhelmed by a deep feeling of warmth and peace, comfortand love. Shoot them in the guts. The II Corps, under the command of Major General Lloyd Fredendall, was driven back twenty-one miles in nine days. Were going tomurder those lousy Hun bastards by the bushel-f***ingbasket. Click here to see more articles in this category. I want the world to know Third Army made it before Monty starts across, he shouted. Fortunately for our fame as soldiers, our enemy is worthy of us. Her fundamental text-book was the Bible. Those who pray do more for the world than those who fight; and if the world goes from bad to worse, it is because there are more battles than prayers. By God, I do! At the end of 1911, he was transferred to Fort Myer, Virginia, where many senior officers lived, making it a prime duty post for an ambitious cavalryman. From General Pattons speech to he Second Armored Division, December 1941: I shall be delighted to lead you against any enemy, confident in the fact that your disciplined valor and high training will bring vic-tory. The Allied war effort was virtually shut down for five days. 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