Like the rest of the world, General Patton learned of the Normandy invasion by listening to the BBC at seven oclock on the morning of June 6, 1944. The following day General Patton arrived at the pontoon bridge his engineers had constructed over the Rhine. The weather was the most serious threat. I dont want them to. ARTICLES; FEATURED; May 29, 2015 Ivano Massari, Guest Author. 1885 November 11 Patton was born in San Gabriel, Los Angeles County, California. As he lay bleeding in a bomb crater, Patton ordered Angelo toreturn to the tanks and point out the location of the machine gunnests. . The General rose, came from behind his desk with hand out-stretched and said, Chaplain, youre the most popular man in this Headquarters. It lives, sleeps, eats, and fights as ateam. An armored divisionis that element of the team which carries out therunning plays. In April 1941 Patton, who had been acting commander of theSecond Armored Division for six months, was given permanentcommand and promoted to major general. All day the 9th of July 1943, there was a storm but it cleared at dark. Many elements of the speech were recycled over and over. After a vigorous debate, Bradley conceded. To beat such men, you must not despise their ability, but you must be confident in your own superiority. His voice was actually ratherhigh, certainly not the gravelly bass of George C. Scott in the Hollywoodmovie Patton. George Patton was born in San Gabriel, California, on 11th November, 1885. 1925 March 4 Patton sailed from New York to Hawaii on the Army Transport ship Chateau-Thierry going through the Panama Canal. The vivid and profane inspirational speeches garnered muchattention and some detractors, but Patton also gave countless speechesintended to educate his officers and troops on the topics of strategy,tactics, discipline,and how to conduct the new deadly form of armoredwarfare: You men and officers are, in my opinion, magnificentlydisciplined.You cannotbe disciplinedin great thingsand undisciplined in small things . 1953 September 30 Pattons widow, Beatrice, died of a ruptured aortic aneurysm while horseback riding at Hamilton, Massachusetts. Why, by God, Iactually pity those poor sons of bitches were going upagainst. He had not failed them; he had shown his courage and faced his fears. George S. Patton. The termination of fighting in Europe does not remove the oppor-tunities for other outstanding and equally difficult achievements in the days which are to come. All realAmericans love the sting and clash of battle. They both contemplated leaving the service, but they both stuck it out, just as a later generation of officers, in the post-Vietnam eramen like Norman Schwarzkopf and Colin Powellwould again rebuild the army into the worlds greatest military force. We have no intention to reduce our vast striking force. World War II U.S. Army Gen. George S. Patton Jr. and his soldiers embark on the road to Germany by invading North Africa Nov. 8, 1942, in the face of opposition by pro-Nazi French forces. However, they did get across and Napoleon crossed at about the same place and also lost his baggage when the wind shifted. The events of the war stayed with him the rest of his life. Americans will not tolerate aloser. Everyone offered congratulations and thanks and we got back to the business of killing Germanswith clear weather for battle. "Patton, ordeal and triumph". It is thus one of historysironies that General Pattons greatest victory might have come in abattle in which he played no active role. . Some officers found his use of obscenities in the speech disappointing, viewing it as unprofessional conduct. Brave, undisciplinedmen have no chance against the discipline andvalor of other men. One of his first acts as commanderhad been to build an amphitheater in the wooded hills of Fort Benningthat could accommodate the entire division. I will run the school. To order this book, please visit its online sales page atAmazonorBarnes & Noble. His profanity was merely a device to capture the attention of his soldiers. December 9 Patton sustained spinal cord and neck injuries in an automobile accident near Neckarstadt, Germany. On October 22, 1944, Patton met with his commander, General Omar Bradley, and Bradleys chief of staff to discuss plans for taking the French city of Metz and then pushing east into the Saar River Valley, a center of Germanys armaments industry. The author stated that General Patton . On the night of March 22, 1945, elements of the Third Army crossed the Rhine at the German town of Oppenheim. Patton was known as "Blood & Guts" ("Our blood, his guts"), was a common gripe among his troops for his hard-driving discipline, which paid off in lower casualties and great success on the battlefield. Patton would swiftly communicate his displeasure at ser-mons that dwelt on death or families whose sons would never return home. On reaching Jerusalem, we were met by Major General D. F. McConnell, who commands the district. Any great military operation takes careful planning, or thinking. Pray when driving. Pray for the defeat of our wicked enemy whose banner is injustice and whose good is oppression. His wealthy background allowed him to enjoy an upper-crust way of life in a hardscrabble army. Despite his many successes, his aggressive, colorful personal style and his temper often caused issues with his superiors. Patton was number three. He said, God damn! Wood replied, We dont want to waste youngsters of your sort in the service of foreign nations. . November 14 Discharged from the hospital, sick in quarters. General George S. Patton's Personal Jeep Driver Remembers the Legendary Man American Veterans Center 803K views 5 months ago "Growing Up Patton: Reflections on Heroes, History and Family. July 26 Patton served as Commanding Officer, 2d Armored Brigade of 2d Armored Division, Fort Benning. 5 were distributed by December 14. Every manis a vital link in the great chain. Those who knew both men at this early stage of their military careers had the feeling that George Patton would achieve greatness. 1940 April 1 Served as Umpire, Spring Maneuvers, Fort Benning, Georgia. An enemy machine gun bullethad torn through his body, entering his groin and exiting his buttocks,ripping open a wound the size of a teacup. Using Patton's own diaries, speeches, and personal papers, Keane examines the general's actions and personality to shed light on his unique and . Click here to see more articles in this category. Patton was as much an actor as he was a fine general. The crossguard and the shape of the blade were correct. His head was encased in a tight-fitting leather helmet withgoggles. You can also buy the book by clicking on the buttons to the left. You mean across the Rhine? Sure am, Patton replied, I sneaked a division over last night. That is courteous and considerate for the rights of others. These rains are that margin that holds defeat or victory. The first part presents the background, the second the speech itself, interrupted by brief Supreme Allied Commander Dwight D. Eisenhower, General George S. Patton, and General Omar N. Bradley engineered the Allied conquest that shattered Hitler's hold over Europe. . The best is the enemy of the good was one of his favorite maxims. Following an old cavalry credo to theeffect you should always Hit em where they aint, he saidto us: You have to grab em by the[censored] and kick emin the [censored] . In the hospital, Pattons mood alternated between profanity-laced anger and black humor. Misses do not kill, but a bullet in the heart or a bayonet in the guts do. Graciously hearken to us as soldiers who call upon Thee that, armed with Thy power, we may advance from victory to victory, and crush the oppression and wickedness of our enemies and establish Thy justice among men and nations. The II Corps, under the command of Major General Lloyd Fredendall, was driven back twenty-one miles in nine days. Since all these genealogies, covering the knights from sometime in 1100 to date, are preserved in the library, it gives the greatest historical family tree in the world. 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 was a two-piece dark greencorduroy outfit. He took an interest in tanks and studied this emerging form of mobile weaponry with intensity. When Patton had completed all his preparations for battle, he turned to the Bible and entrusted everything, including the weather, to God. I want the world to know Third Army made it before Monty starts across, he shouted. 5. The Germans were fed information that when the bridgehead was establishedby six Allied assault divisions, a huge force of fifty divisionswould exploit the opening. General George S. Patton is one of the most famous American generals in history. Be seated. 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. 1927 June Pattons father, George Smith Patton, died. We took off by plane for Jerusalem at 0700 and crossed the canal just south of Lake Tenes, which is near where the children of Israel crossed. She bore him two daughters and a son. Im tired of these soldiers having to fight mud and floods as well as Germans. George S. Patton is a legendary World War II general, but much of his character as a military man was formed in the Great War. Thats why Americans havenever lost and will never lose a war; for the very idea oflosing is hateful to an American. He did give a speech very similar to . In his new bookPatton: Blood, Guts, and Prayer, author Michael Keane takes readers on a journey through Patton's career in three parts: his military prowess, his inspirational bravery, and his faith. . June 11 Became Distinguished Graduate, Army War College. that they should attack by surprise and mass . After we had left the church, we followed the Way of the Cross, which is a dirty street, to the point where the Roman Forum had stood. Hed stop and talk to the troops; ask them did they get their turkey, how was it, and all that. His diary entry for that day is classic Patton: It was a clear cold Christmas, lovely weather for killing Germans, which seems a bit queer, seeing Whose birthday it is. The troops were cheerful but I am not, because we are not going fast enough., In the spring, as the Third Armys advance continued with clear weather, Patton again thanked the Lord for good weather: I am very grateful to the Lord for the great blessing he has heaped on me and the Third Army, not only in the success which He has granted us, but in the weather which He is now providing.. Urge all of your men to pray, not alone in church, but everywhere. One of the prisoners is Pattons son-in-law, John K. Waters. . General Patton was an intellectual warrior who obsessively studied every facet of warfare - while studying his Bible daily. After two hours, Pattons tankers and the 138th Regiment of theThirty-fifth Division subdued the Germans and seized the village ofCheppy. An Army is a team. But he was a master of the dramatic pause, loweringhis voice to great effect, forcing the audience to listen carefully,before bellowing out a line of profanity. December 20 Weather in the Ardennes cleared. Patton benefited from having six years of formal military education. Whenat last the men got five tanks across the breach, Patton exhorted themto advance again, yelling and cursing and waving his walking stick. I want the praying done., Chaplain ONeill: Yes, sir. April 14 Patton was promoted to the permanent rank of general. Let me see it before you send it. The Saar campaign was launched on November 8, 1944. Tough days may be ahead of us before we eat our rations in the Chancellery of the Deutsches Reich. He inspired his troops. . He chose the latter, thinking it the quickest way to combat and further promotion. I dont yield to any man in my reverence to the Lord, but God damn it, no sermon needs to take longer than ten minutes. Patton ordered a hot turkey dinner for every soldier in the Third Army on Christmas Day. I do not want to be hitthere again. During the course of this war I have received promotions and decorations far above and beyond my individual merit. Americans despise cowards. . Americans play towin all of the time. We are advancing constantlyand we are not interested in holding onto anything except the enemys balls! But he was a master of the dramatic pause, loweringhis voice to great effect, forcing the audience to listen carefully,before bellowing out a line of profanity. To learn more,click here for our comprehensive guide to General Patton. During these interwar years, Patton met another officer whose destiny would be bound up with his own. In fact, it was surprisingly easy. . . 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. Somelines became classic. As he charged forward,Patton eerily saw himself as a small, detached figure on the battlefield,watched all the time from a cloud by his Confederate kinsmen and hisVirginia grandfather. Patton began his military career . For the first twelve years of his life, Patton was educated at home. Who is with me? he yelled. This article contains stories, quotes, timelines, and other pieces of information on one of the most competent and flamboyant generals in American military history. All rights reserved. . Patton was notblessed with a deep, booming voice. He wrote to his wife Beatrice on July 10, 1944, Sunday Iwent to a field mass. George S. Patton (November 11, 1885-December 21, 1945) was an American Army general noted for winning battles in World Wars I and II. An Army is a team. It was soon knownas the Patton Bowl. The earliest versions of his soon-to-be-famousblood and guts speeches were delivered there. General George S. Patton himself would most certainly have approved of 10-year-old Rohn Zenner's recital of his famous "Blood and Guts" speech in front of veterans, family members and. Most of the mountain was cut away during the Roman occupation, when they filled up the Tomb and erected a Temple of Venus over both the Mount and the Tomb. . . He had now achieved his destiny, joining the legions of ancestorsbefore him. We did not see a single beehive, although there were quite a number of mimosa trees. In his weakened state,however, the effort proved too strenuous, and Patton lapsed intounconsciousness. 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. Gen. George S. Patton Jr. (1885-1945), a four-star U.S. general in full millitary dress. October 17 Patton was promoted to the temporary rank of colonel. Therewas his grandfather Colonel George Patton, killed at Winchester inthe Civil War; and Colonel Waller Tazewell Patton, who died fromwounds received at Gettysburg. The quickest way to get it over with is to go get thebastards who started it. Thats where prayer comes in. They were actually in the heart of England itself. In many ways Patton and Eisenhower were strikingly different. On February 14, 1943, Rommels Tenth and Twenty-first Panzer Divisions of the Afrika Korps launched an attack against the U.S. position. It was soon knownas the Patton Bowl. The earliest versions of his soon-to-be-famousblood and guts speeches were delivered there. Foxholesonly slow up an offensive. In union there is strength! We must be eager to kill, to inflict on the enemythe hated enemy wounds, death and destruction. But it was mostly over their love of tanks. This was particularly true before 1800, when the knights had a sort of stranglehold on the privateering business in the Mediterranean and used their hatred for the Turks as a means of veiling their personally conducted piracy against Turks and against anyone else whom they could catch. This is reflected in his many speeches but particularly his famous "Blood and Guts" speech where he addresses the men of the Third Army Division. When it came to men, Patton intended that the Tanks Corps standards of discipline and deportment would exceed those of other American units, and he made a special point of looking after his men, ensuring they were given the best food and billets he could muster. He lost more men to cold, famine, and disease than to Russian bullets. When she returned, her husband had already died. General Patton's speech to the Third Army was given on June 5, 1944, the eve of the Allied invasion of Europe. July 24 Patton served as Commanding Officer, 5th Cavalry, Fort Clark, Texas. Sergeant Mims, his regular driver, was in the hospital, and a substitute was at the wheel. Lying in a bomb crater, surrounded by the horrors of war, Pattonwas overwhelmed by a deep feeling of warmth and peace, comfortand love. He was dying; but he had no fear of death. . It worked out more or less that way, with Patton the first officeror soldier of any rank in the United States Armyassigned to the Tank Corps, where he was charged with establishing the First Army Tank School. Occupation Zone after World War II. I dont want to hear of any soldier under my commandbeing captured unless he has been hit. General Patton knew his entrance into German-occupied territory was of monumental historical importance. By Tim Shipman in . December 8 Patton calls Chaplain James H. ONeill and asks if he has a good prayer for weather., December 1214 Prayer cards are distributed to Pattons troops, asking, Grant us fair weather for battle.. General Patton again called me to his office. He died at the age of 60 and he died in a freak accident after the war had been won. 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. It would be better to attack as soon as Bradley could provide him with supplies. Patton ran over people's bodies in the road gaining the nickname "old blood and guts". He wanted torun. General Patton: Be seated. . Patton believed that without prayer, his soldiers would crack up under the unrelenting pressures of battle. . Patton next prepared for the breakthrough to the River Rhine, a formidable natural obstacle to the invasion of Germany by the Allies. General George Patton addressed the US Third Army on June 5th, 1944, on the eve of the allied invasion of France, code named "Overlord". The vow of Poverty required him to give four-fifths of his then estate to the Order. Patton could, famously and frequently, swear up a storm. Pattons army was victorious at El Guettar, and the Germans learned that the United States Army, led by its new commander, was no longer to be taken lightly. He talked about Gideon in the Bible, said that men should pray no matter where they were, in church or out of it, that if they did not pray, sooner or later they would crack up. To all this I commented agreement, that one of the major training objectives of my office was to help soldiers recover and make their lives effective in this third realm, prayer. And when we get to Berlin,I am personally going to shoot that paper hanging sonof a bitch Hitler, just like Id shoot a snake! 157 Copy quote I don't measure a man's success by how high he climbs but how high he bounces when he hits bottom. Heblinked, then squinted his eyes, but the faces remained. In this eviscerated post-war army, trying to build support for the tank proved an impossible task. Gen. George S. Patton Jr., one of the most prolific war generals in American history, died on Dec. 21, 1945, after complications from injuries sustained in a vehicular accident. From Beersheba we flew over Hebron and Bethlehem and turned westward just south of Jerusalem, finally landing at Aqir, near the coast, where we were met with some cars and driven thirty miles to Jerusalem. They did get across and Napoleon crossed at about the same place and also his! Is injustice and whose good is oppression officers found his use of obscenities in the guts do helmet.... 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