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SOURCE: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_S._Patton
George
S. Patton (PHOTO SOURCE: http://izquotes.com/quote/258438)
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AUTHOR: George Smith Patton, Jr.
(November 11, 1885 – December 21, 1945) was a general in the United States
Army, best known for his command of the Seventh United States Army, and later
the Third United States Army, in the European Theater of World War II.
Born in 1885
to a privileged family with an extensive military background, Patton attended
the Virginia Military Institute, and later the U.S. Military Academy at West
Point. He participated in the 1912 Olympic pentathlon, and was instrumental in
designing the M1913 "Patton Saber". Patton first saw combat during
the Pancho Villa Expedition, in one of the earliest instances of mechanized
combat. He later joined the newly formed United States Tank Corps of the
American Expeditionary Forces and saw action in World War I, first commanding
the U.S. tank school in France before being wounded near the end of the war. In
the interwar period, Patton remained a central figure in the development of
armored warfare doctrine in the U.S. Army, serving on numerous staff positions
throughout the country. Rising through the ranks, he commanded the U.S. 2nd
Armored Division at the time of the U.S. entry into World War II.
Patton led
U.S. troops into the Mediterranean theater with an invasion of Casablanca
during Operation Torch in 1942, where he later established himself as an
effective commander through his rapid rehabilitation of the demoralized U.S. II
Corps. He commanded the Seventh Army during the Invasion of Sicily, where he
beat British General Bernard Montgomery to Messina. There he was embroiled in
controversy after he slapped two shell-shocked soldiers under his command, and
was temporarily removed from battlefield command. Patton returned to command
the Third Army following the invasion of Normandy in 1944, where he led a
highly successful, rapid armored drive across France. He led the relief of
beleaguered U.S. troops at Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge, and
advanced his army into Nazi Germany by the end of the war.
After the war,
Patton became the military governor of Bavaria, but he was relieved of this
post because of his statements on denazification. He commanded the Fifteenth
United States Army for slightly more than two months. Patton died following an
automobile accident in Europe on December 21, 1945.
Patton's
colorful image, hard-driving personality and success as a commander were at
times overshadowed by his controversial public statements regarding the Soviet
Union which were out of accord with American foreign policy. But his philosophy
of leading from the front and his ability to inspire his troops with
vulgarity-ridden speeches, such as a famous address to the Third Army, attracted
favorable attention. His strong emphasis on rapid and aggressive offensive
action proved effective. While Allied leaders held sharply differing opinions
on Patton, he was regarded highly by his opponents in the German High Command.
A popular, award-winning biographical film released in 1970 helped transform
Patton into an American folk hero.
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