Data Bases • Custom Term Papers • Free Term Papers • Free Research Papers • Free Essays • Free Book Reports • Plagiarism? Links • Top 100 Term Paper Sites • Top 25 Essay Sites • Top 50 Essay Sites • Search 97,000 Papers @ DirectEssays.com • Search 101,000 Papers @ ExampleEssays.com • Search 90,000 Papers @ MegaEssays.com Free Essays • Term Paper Sites • Chuck III's Free Essays • Free College Essays • TermPaperSites.com • My Term Papers • Get Free Essays • Essay World • Planet Papers	Search Lots of Essays Back to Subjects - American History Old blood and Guts Old blood and Guts General Patton was a devoted student of history, a poet, a humble man who was very unsure of his own abilities, a man who could bust into tears at any given moment, and could be charming or quite insulting all in the same hour. His reckless, outspoken manner gained him friends and enemies of equal determination. General Patton was not only extrovert of public perception but he also had an intensely private side. He was a man who trained himself for greatness with a determination matched by no other Allied General of World War Two. During the war, Patton led U.S. troops in Morocco, Tunisia, and Sicily, then took command of the Third Army, leading the troops through the German lines at Normandy to traverse France and eventually into the heart of Germany. His toughness on enemies as well as his own forces earned him the name “Old Blood and Guts.” General George Smith Patton’s leadership and tactics were the best of any Allied general of World War Two. Old Blood and Guts was born in 1885 in San Gabriel, California. He was a man who from a very early age knew he was destine for a life in the military as one can read in his journal “ When I was a little boy at home I used to wear a wooden sword and say to myself: ‘George S. Patton, Jr., Lieutenant General’.”1 He followed his dreams and gained an educated at Virginia Military Institute and the U.S. Military Academy. On his graduation in 1909 Patton was commissioned a second lieutenant; he advanced in rank to full General by 1945. George Patton served as aide-de-camp to the American General John Joseph Pershing on Pershing’s expedition to Mexico in 1917. As a young lieutenant Patton was asked by General Pershing why he should be chosen to go on a dangerous mission The young, cocky Patton replied, “I want to go more than anyone else.”2 After making a name for himself early in his career, Patton earned a promotion; beginning the practice of many promotions to come. His experiences in Mexico prepared him for the soon to come war in Europe. In France during World War One Patton was offered a position as a tank core commander. In his journals, he wrote, “I will have to grow and grow a lot. But I will. Here is my chance.”3 soldier’s testimonies added to his reputation of being a tough commander. After a battle, he was quoted by some soldiers as saying “You are not beaten until you admit it. Hence don’t!”4 By the end of World War One Patton had proved himself to be one of leading American officers and one of the future’s strongest military leaders. In this, he made a well-known name for himself. Between the two World Wars, Patton feared he would not be used for what he thought God had put him on Earth to do. Such fear is evident in the following passage taken from a letter he wrote in the 1930’s:“As I approach 41 and there is no war...I fear that I shall live to retire a useless soldier.”5 Patton knew in 1939 that the war in Europe was his destiny. The General understood what he faced in leaving for war. This is stressed in a entry of his journal which reads, “This is my last night in America. It may be for years and it may be forever.”6 The General’s first combat experience of World War Two was in Africa when he fought against the best the German's had to offer, General Erwin Rommel. Patton’s leadership lead to the first major defeats of the Germans to the Americans. This proved to the world that the Americans and General George Smith Patton were a force to be reckoned with. While in Africa Patton said to his men “If I win I can’t be stopped! If I lose I shall be dead.”7 This famous quote was one of many which showed the nature of his thoughts. After the African campaign, Patton fought brilliantly in Sicily and Italy helping to prepare the Germans for their eventual fall. After his conquest in Italy, General Patton moved to England to help prepare the Allies for one of the most important battles of the 20th Century. “A mighty endeavor to preserve...our civilization and to set free a suffering humanity”.8, is what President Roosevelt felt about D-Day. D-Day was the Allied invasion of Normandy, France on June 6, 1944. The Battle of Normandy proves undoubtedly that the other Allied commanders knew Patton was the most feared Allied General by the Germans. Patton held a diverse role during the invasion. He was placed in England, across from the English Channel where Hitler expected the landing to take place. The actual place of the invasion was further north. The German command built their defenses on the position of Patton in England. This tied up many German Army units that would have been used in the defense of the Normandy beaches, the site of the actual landing. After the successful landing of the Allied invasion forces, Patton was flown in and given command of the Third Army. In the initial speech to his new Third Army troops he stated, “The harder they pushed the Germans and the more of them they killed, the fewer the American casualties.”9 Controversial throughout the war for his personal flamboyance, outspokenness, uncompromising standards, and aggressive combat strategy, Patton played a key role in the spearhead of the Allied armored thrust to Germany after D-Day. In the summer of 1944 the Third Army broke through the German defenses in the Normandy campaign and advanced rapidly across France. Patton’s success in France was due to his true genius in his ability to move men and machines quickly on the battlefield. Hitler, in a last futile attempt at victory in the west, had his army attack the Allies near and through the Ardennes forest. This became known as the Battle of the Bulge. Paul Harkins, a respected historian, wrote, “ Patton wrote his place in history at the Battle of the Bulge.”10 On December 16, 1944, taking advantage of weather that kept Allied aircraft on the ground, the Germans launched a counteroffensive through the hilly, wooded Ardennes country. They advanced 50 miles into Belgium and Luxembourg. Their aim was to divide the American and British forces and retake the vital seaport of Antwerp. The German’s created a “bulge” in the Allied lines, however, in late December, but there advance was halted near the Meuse by Patton’s forces. After being stopped and frustrated in Lorraine and in the Starr by the Germans, the Ardennes became an easy target. At this point, Patton knew he had an opportunity to display his war fighting abilities. Thus proving the old continual joke within the American Army that every time Ike (Army Commander in Chief Eisenhower) got into trouble, Patton and the Third Army would pull him out. The Germans withdrew to their own lines in January. Heavy losses, including about 220,000 casualties, contributed to their final collapse in the following spring. In March 1945 the Third Army crossed the Rhine river into Germany and moved toward Austria. After the war, Patton served as military governor of Bavaria. Because of his lenient policy toward the former enemy, he was relieved from his post. Patton was named head of the 15th Army in late 1945, shortly before he was fatally injured in a traffic accident in France. Because he was extremely hard on his troops and on the enemy, Patton gained the reputation of not being a compassionate man. The truth contradicts his reputation. George Patton was an extremely religious man. Throughout his Army career, the Bible became his most fundamental guide. God became a source of solace, and the basis of practically every thing he did. Patton’s nephew wrote “The Bible was his companion and the church his refuge.”11 It was not uncommon to see General Patton weeping at the side of a dead or dying solider during his Army career. General George Smith Patton was a great American leader. His victories for America in Mexico, in World War One, and in World War Two proved his amazing leadership skills to the world. His bold, new tactics in France during World War Two are the basis of the modern military. Throughout his career, General Patton earned the respect of his men, his superiors, and the enemy. General George Smith Patton's leadership and tactics were the best of any Allied general of World War Two. Bibliography: WORKS CITED Blumenson Martin. Patton the man behind the legend. New York.: Berkly Publishing Company, 1984. Desto Carlo. Patton a genius for war. New York.: Harper Collins Company, 1995. Ladisias Fargo. Patton: Ordeal and Triumph. Chicago.: Ivan Obolengres company, 1981. Wallace Brenton. Patton and his Third Army. New York.: Battery Press, 1981. Blumenson Martin. The Patton Papers 1940-1945. Boston.: Houghton Muffin Company, 1974. Word Count: 1436
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