George S. Patton (11 Nov. 1885 - 21 Dec. 1945)
Patton was commander of the Third Army at the war’s beginning, and subsequently to I Armoured Corps, which were assigned to North Africa. From his start as a commander, Patton believed in the importance of aggressive armoured assaults, a view he would hold throughout the war.
When the American invasion of North Africa began, Patton was placed in command of the Western Task Force, leading to the fall of Casablanca, Morocco, in two days. Further in his Africa career, he implemented regulations which served to keep his men alive, including the constant wearing of steel helmets, and kept their uniforms in order to protect from natural enemies in the continent. This discipline would help Patton defeat the Axis forces, in the Battle of El Guettar for example, and push forward to Tunisia.
Patton was later put in command of the Seventh Army to prepare for the imminent invasion of Sicily in 1943. This unit had the role of pushing through to Messina on the western flank of the British forces. During the invasion, Patton coordinated with Montgomery, both supposed to be under the jurisdiction of Harold Alexander, and they successfully captured the island.
Also in the summer of 1943, was the infamous ‘slapping incident’ involving Patton and a private in Nicosia, Sicily. The young private was suffering from a bout of nerves (later discovered to be malaria) to which Patton slapped him with his gloves, and threw him from the hospital tent, commanding him to return to the front line. This incident received widespread publicity. Although Patton became unpopular amongst the media, Eisenhower kept him on board, though ordered him to apologise, which Patton duly did with sincerity.
This incident allowed the Allied forces to use “disinformation” to deceive German intelligence into thinking that Patton’s movements (as a high-ranking general) would lead to invasions through France or the Balkans. This disinformation tactic would be later used when Patton was commander of the (fictitious) First U.S. Army Group, which was announced to be invading France via Calais, deceiving the Germans into misallocating their troops.
Following D-Day, Patton was put back in command of the Third Army in the west. He would command this in the pushes out of Normandy. This was successful somewhat due to Patton’s logistical operations. His push to Germany was cut short by a fuel shortage. Eisenhower commanded the Third Army to remain where they were following the Battle of Arracourt in which a German counterattack was defeated. In this time, Metz was fortified by the Germans, which led to a thick battle for the city.
He was an influential figure in the Battle of the Bulge, managing to reroute the Third Army forces to attack the German offensive, personally leading his divisions in his command car. His tactics earned him much respect from those in the military world, being considered a master of military logistics. Later in 1945, Patton would lead a disastrous attempt to liberate a PoW camp behind enemy lines, which would lead to the death or capture of all but 35 of his men. He admitted that it was his only mistake in the war. In April 1945, Patton was promoted to four-star General.
For more information on George S. Patton:
Axelrod, Alan. Patton: A Biography. (London: Palgrave MacMillan), 2009.
D’Este, Carlo. Patton: A Genius For War. (New York: HarperCollins Publishers), 1995.
Smith, David Andrew. George S. Patton. (Westport: Greenwood Press), 2003.
When the American invasion of North Africa began, Patton was placed in command of the Western Task Force, leading to the fall of Casablanca, Morocco, in two days. Further in his Africa career, he implemented regulations which served to keep his men alive, including the constant wearing of steel helmets, and kept their uniforms in order to protect from natural enemies in the continent. This discipline would help Patton defeat the Axis forces, in the Battle of El Guettar for example, and push forward to Tunisia.
Patton was later put in command of the Seventh Army to prepare for the imminent invasion of Sicily in 1943. This unit had the role of pushing through to Messina on the western flank of the British forces. During the invasion, Patton coordinated with Montgomery, both supposed to be under the jurisdiction of Harold Alexander, and they successfully captured the island.
Also in the summer of 1943, was the infamous ‘slapping incident’ involving Patton and a private in Nicosia, Sicily. The young private was suffering from a bout of nerves (later discovered to be malaria) to which Patton slapped him with his gloves, and threw him from the hospital tent, commanding him to return to the front line. This incident received widespread publicity. Although Patton became unpopular amongst the media, Eisenhower kept him on board, though ordered him to apologise, which Patton duly did with sincerity.
This incident allowed the Allied forces to use “disinformation” to deceive German intelligence into thinking that Patton’s movements (as a high-ranking general) would lead to invasions through France or the Balkans. This disinformation tactic would be later used when Patton was commander of the (fictitious) First U.S. Army Group, which was announced to be invading France via Calais, deceiving the Germans into misallocating their troops.
Following D-Day, Patton was put back in command of the Third Army in the west. He would command this in the pushes out of Normandy. This was successful somewhat due to Patton’s logistical operations. His push to Germany was cut short by a fuel shortage. Eisenhower commanded the Third Army to remain where they were following the Battle of Arracourt in which a German counterattack was defeated. In this time, Metz was fortified by the Germans, which led to a thick battle for the city.
He was an influential figure in the Battle of the Bulge, managing to reroute the Third Army forces to attack the German offensive, personally leading his divisions in his command car. His tactics earned him much respect from those in the military world, being considered a master of military logistics. Later in 1945, Patton would lead a disastrous attempt to liberate a PoW camp behind enemy lines, which would lead to the death or capture of all but 35 of his men. He admitted that it was his only mistake in the war. In April 1945, Patton was promoted to four-star General.
For more information on George S. Patton:
Axelrod, Alan. Patton: A Biography. (London: Palgrave MacMillan), 2009.
D’Este, Carlo. Patton: A Genius For War. (New York: HarperCollins Publishers), 1995.
Smith, David Andrew. George S. Patton. (Westport: Greenwood Press), 2003.