The notoriously outspoken George S. Patton was (not surprisingly) far less discreet about his many dalliances. After nearly two weeks in the hospital, Patton died on this day in 1945. The treaty that Hitler hated even more than the Treaty of Versailles and one of the most important treaties you have probably never heard of. Even though you dont know me, it is a privilege for me to write to you! Beatrice is said to have declared, I can hardly speak, Im so overcome. A blood clot in his paralyzed body had worked its way to his heart, stopping it and ending the life of one of Americas greatest battlefield commanders. In the aftermath of the Battle of Kasserine Pass, US II Corps passed to the command of General Harold Alexanders 18th Army Group. Lieutenant General Geoffrey Keyes escorts Mrs. Beatrice Patton to her husbands funeral in Hamm, Luxembourg. They were then driven through the suburbs of Boston to a ticker tape reception in the city itself. However, his brash actions and mercurial temper led to numerous controversies during his career. It told him he was to assume his new appointment on October 8. Gen. George Pattons wife put a Hawaiian curse on his ex-mistress. Despite Pattons indiscretions and lack of interest in his overall duties, in August 1945 Bavaria was judged by Secretary of War Stimson to be the best-governed area in the whole U.S. European Theater of Operations (ETO), an opinion apparently shared by his deputy. At the first, in Frankfurt on August 27, he spoke out against the Russians and signed a letter proposing the release of some Nazi internees. This apparently so angered Eisenhower that he is said to have demanded that Patton carry out the denazification program as ordered instead of mollycoddling the goddamn Nazis. But Patton was not going to change; two days later he wrote in his diary, The Germans are the only decent people left in Europe. Pattons memoirs, War as I Knew It, appeared posthumously in 1947. Eisenhower returned and went to see Patton at Tegernsee on September 16. After knowing how our Soldiers were treated in Japanese Prison Camps, old Gutless left our boys to rot. This article was published more than6 years ago. Pattons medical records for that day read, Prognosis for recovery increasingly grave. Spurling and the other doctors knew that it was impossible to operate to relieve the pressure on his badly damaged spinal cord to eliminate the paralysis. Pall bearers, including Master Sergeant George Meeks, carry Pattons casket on its last leg of the journey to his burial spot in the American cemetery in Hamm, Luxembourg. At 5:55 p.m. on December 21, 1945, General George S. Patton, Jr. passed away in his sleep. Courtesy of The National Archives and Records Administration. Modern mechanized armies need a robust logistics chain to provide fuel, ammunition, and other sinews of war to sustain combat operations. A New Jersey husband and wife are behind bars after a routine traffic stop turned into a demolition derby that resulted in charges of attempted murder of a police officer and aggravated assault. Three days after VE-Day, Supreme Allied Commander General Dwight D. Eisenhower called a conference of all his U.S. Army commanders and told them that they were not to criticize publicly any of the campaigns that had won the war and of the need for solidarity in the event that any of them were called before any congressional committees. After nine days of agony, traction was maintained and the pain eased by encasing Pattons neck and shoulders in a special plaster jacket. He was paralyzed from the neck down and suffering from severe traumatic shock; his pulse rate was 45, and he had a blood pressure reading of 86/60. After the shaken Russian was escorted out, Patton is said to have exclaimed, Sometimes you have to put on an act Thats the last well hear from those bastards. And apparently it was. Of course, she declared, he should be buried here. Why didnt I think of it? Get this son-of-a-bitch out of here! The other issue is that I got Eisenhower and gave Mark Clark a pass in Italy. By: Martin Blumenson (author of: The Patton Papers). Now we are using them for lack of anyone better until we can get better people.. For accurate reading concerning Patton, read Patton The Man Behind The Legend, 1885-1945. The ambulance, which eventually arrived at the scene with two medical officers, took Patton to the 130th Station Hospital in Heidelberg, 15 miles away, where he was admitted at 1245 hours. During the early part of that month he decided to visit some of the prison camps in his area holding hardened Nazis and former members of the Waffen SS. Bradleys reputation is always polished by Ernie Pyle. Prior to the Normandy Invasion, he was publicly placed in command of the First U.S. Army Group (FUSAG), a fictitious army whose supposed marshaling in eastern England helped to deceive German commanders into thinking that the invasion would take place in the Pas-de-Calais region of France. This is one of them.. Fortunately, the official aim of Pattons month-long leave was achievedhis enthusiastic oratory helped to sell millions of war bonds and he received a letter of thanks from Treasury Secretary Henry Morgenthau. He acknowledged that he was a terrible politician. General Partin was the scientist who developed lasers, cluster bombs, cruise missiles and other precision-guided weapons. Now the horrors of peace, pacifism and unions will have unlimited sway. And why? 3. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. 945 Magazine Street, New Orleans, LA 70130info@nationalww2museum.org Wholly ill-suited for the administrative position, Patton was on a hunting trip when he was critically injured in a low-speed car accident. Maybe because the Americans saved Europe (yes, but that was way before my time, I was born in 1965), maybe because they delivered Bxls and a tank stayed in my Moms courtyard for over a week, or maybe because every time I would visit my Godfather by Spangdahlem, I would pass the base and later on learn English, meet an airman, marry him and be stationed there for 4 yrs then go to Leipheim for 4 yrs? She was then given a choice of three large U.S. military cemeteries in Europe and chose the one at Hamm, three miles east of Luxembourg City. By that time their armor was easily superior to ours, and their soldiers knew how to defeat a well trained enemy while sustaining millions of casualties. In the gray skies above, an aircraft circled, attempting to bring Lieutenant General Walton Walker, one of Pattons former corps commanders, to the funeral, but low cloud cover prevented it from landing. General Patton saved Bradleys ass at the battle of the bulge. General Patton belongs at West Point so that the cadets NEVER FORGET who he was, what he did for the Army and most importantly, their responsibility to the nation. Patton could never forgive Ike for removing him from command of the Third Army. Maj. Gen. George S. Patton, the son and namesake of the World War II armored commander and a veteran of combat in the Korean and Vietnam Wars, died on Sunday at his home in Hamilton, Mass. My high school civics teacher (in 1960) told us a few stories about his WWII infantry service in Europe. The French government, grateful for Pattons role in liberating their country, offered to bury him in Napoleons tomb, where a number of great marshals were laid to rest. By V-E Day (May 8, 1945), Pattons Third Army had fought for nine months since becoming operational, capturing more than 80,000 square miles (more than 200,000 square km) of territory. James Patton was killed in 1813 after he was wounded in the Creek Indian War. Her family connections included well-known surnames Pico, Sepulveda, and Alvarado. Gen. John J. Pershing and accompanied him on a punitive expedition into Mexico. He did both quite well. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Pattons biographer, Carlo DEste, has suggested that his melancholy and increasingly extraordinary behavior may have been due to brain damage that resulted from a series of head injuries caused by a lifetime of falls from horses and road accidentsthe most serious being an accident in Hawaii in 1936 that had resulted in a two-day blackout. Patton as a four-star general. The whole luncheon party reminded me of a meeting of the Rotary Club in Hawaii where everyone slaps everyone elses back while looking for an appropriate place to thrust the knife. You seem to have forgotten that you lost the war! However, Hubert Meyer, the ex-Chief of Staff of the Hitlerjugend, recalled that on the occasion of Pattons visit things had been very different. Thats what your Grandpa did to me. Twelve days before his death, on December 9, 1945, Patton was sitting in the back of his limousine when his driver, PFC Horace Woodring, sped too fast over a railroad crossing in Manheim, Germany, and plowed into the passenger-side of a left-turning Army truck headed into a depot. At one stage the officer responsible for USFET Civil Affairs, Clarence Adcock, was summoned and he brought Professor Dorn into the room with him. Patton desperately wanted to complete an encirclement of the Germans, but his commander, Gen. Omar Bradley, feared that such an attack would leave Pattons flanks weak and exposed to counterattack. On December 22, an Army ambulance brought Pattons body to Villa Renier, where it would lie in state to be visited by friends, soldiers, and the general public. One could perhaps be forgiven for suspecting that Patton saw this as an award to himself the Silver Star was after all conspicuous by its absence among his many decorations. My soldiers are fighting men and if I dismiss the sewer cleaners and the clerks my soldiers will have to take over those jobs, he reasoned. Patton was left paralyzed and died of a heart attack or embolism on December 21, 1945 at the military hospital in Heidelberg. In the opening strokes of the Battle of the Bulge, platoon leader Vernon McGarity distinguished himself in combat, inspired his men, and saved lives while delaying the onslaught of German forces. As he put it to his III Corps commander, Maj. Gen. James Van Fleet, There is already a star [MacArthur] in that theater and you can only have one star in a show., Patton was also depressed because he knew there would be a rapid reduction in the strength of the U.S. Army in Europe, and he believed this was inviting disaster. Patton handed over command of his beloved Third Army to another cavalryman, General Lucian Truscott, on October 7, 1945. The commander of the U.S. Third Army, General George Patton, Jr., took no great pleasure in the end of the war in Europe; he already knew that despite his lobbying of many influential figures in Washington, D.C., he had no hope of being reassigned to the Pacific Theater to command combat troops there. His strict discipline, toughness, and self-sacrifice elicited exceptional pride within his ranks, and the general was colourfully referred to as Old Blood-and-Guts by his men. George Smith Patton IV (December 24, 1923 - June 27, 2004) was a major general in the United States Army and the son of World War II General George S. Patton Jr. Genealogy for Mary "Polly" Patton (Carpenter) (1782 - 1871) family tree on Geni, with over 245 million profiles of ancestors and living relatives. On March 1 those forces took Trier, precipitating one of the most famous exchanges of the war. Gen. John K. Waters who is in Korea. Too bad he died. Along with the faux pas committed during his Boston speech, Pattons past indiscretions continued to dog him. The commanding general of U.S. Army Recruiting Command and his wife, Lesley, welcomed the granddaughter . This great ovation by Boston is not for Patton the general, but Patton as a symbol of the Third Army. The following day, the Daily Record headlines announced: FRENZIED HUB HAILS PATTON and GEN PATTON IN TEARS AT HUB TRIBUTE. This latter headline referred to Patton breaking down in tears during a speech at a state dinner held in his honor that night; he was completely overcome by the glowing tributes. If I can parse the weird grammar on the Wikipedia page correctly, she wasn't actually related to Patton. MY THEORY WOULD BE THAT THE GENERAL WAS NOT OF SOUND MIND AND HIS DEATH COULD BE A BLESSING IN DISGUISE FOR MANY POLITICIANS AND LEADERS. Finally, the general was moved to the front of the entire cemetery, where, today, patio stones protect the ground and a white chain-link barrier preserves the grass around Patton. Wife of David Crockett: Spouse(s) James Patton (d. 1813), David Crockett (1815-1836) Children: George Patton, Margaret Ann Patton, Robert Patton, . With hind sight many people think if we would have went to war right away with the Russians things would be different today. Was he any relation to you by any chance and, if so, what ever happened to him? But Gordon had reappeared in Europe during the war, alarming Beatrice. 504-528-1944, Jenny Craig Institute for the Study of War and Democracy, Two Moments of Remorse for Nazi Crimes: Willy Brandt, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and the Memory of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, Operation FLAX, April 1943: Severing the German, General William H. Simpsons Ninth US Army and the Crossing of the Rhine, Black Volunteer Infantry Platoons in World War II, Servility Is Just Not for Me: Robert Brown and the Racial Politics of the Alabama Black Belt. Best of regards, Sam Virzi, Hemet, CA. George Patton died peacefully at 1755 hours on December 21, 1945. It would be real fun killing Mongols. Pattons personal residence was a palatial house on nearby Lake Tegernsee. But Eisenhowers mind was made up. If any of my gunners started firing at your people before they had closed to less than 700 yards, Id have them court-martialed for cowardice.. It was a mistake to suppose a free-swinging fighter could acquire overnight the capacities of a wise administrator. Courtesy of The National Archives and Records Administration. Considered one of the most successful combat generals in US history, Gen. George S. Patton died on December 21, 1945, 12 days . On D . Tributes were already beginning to flow in and would eventually include messages from President Truman, British Prime Minister Clement Attlee, and the French National Assembly. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. These had, however, been rejected, and when references had been made to the Geneva Convention, the officer had been told: What do you mean Geneva Convention? I got nothing for Tunisia, nothing for Sicily and nothing for the Bulge. Patton made a respectable showing, coming in fifth out of 42 contestants. December 21 is the 70 th anniversary of the death of General George S. Patton, Jr., renowned and controversial general and subject of the unforgettable 1970 eponymous motion picture. A Cadillac similar to that in which General George S. Patton was traveling when struck by a waiting 2.5 ton U.S. Army truck. I admit I am guilty of this practice, although at the moment I have no appropriate weapon.. The only jobs in which he was interested were commandant of the Army War College or commanding general of the Army ground forces. Thank you so much for this comprehensive and heartfelt and I would have to say incredibly accurate account of my grandfathers final days. Who knows? Patton died from his injuries on Dec. 21, 1945. Very Warm story. Needless to say, the press ran with this story, particularly the Democrat versus Republican analogy. By his very nature and background, Patton was unsuited to his role as military governor. Patton's wife Beatrice died on September 30, 1953, from a ruptured aneurysm . He was obviously in a post which he was unsuited by temperament, training or experience to fill. (I doubt it would have been possible standing up to that juggernaut, even with our Air Force, to push them back to their borders, though. YOUR GUESS IS AS GOOD AS MINE. One staff officer wrote later: It was obvious he was undergoing deep and gnawing turmoil.. Pattons supporters claim that the Cold War may have unfolded differently had the West taken the capital, but this largely ignores the military situation on the ground in eastern Europe. United States History - Biography of George S. Patton Jr. Library of Congress - George S. Patton Papers: Diaries, 1910 to 1945 - Timeline, George Patton - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up), George S. Patton, Omar Bradley, and Bernard Montgomery, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Omar Bradley, and George Patton, Eisenhower, Dwight D.; Patton, George; Bradley, Omar. This has been a proud and wonderful day. But, in fact, Patton had put his foot in it again. She was the bridesmaid for both the Patton girls. WAS HE MURDERED? This came after a prolonged struggle with Alzheimer's. A chef and cookbook author, Brenda Gantt, with her late husband, George Patton Gantt. He was no fan of the Atomic Bomb -or perhaps that it was largely a creation of Jewish minds His idea of what war was supposed to be was forever changed by atomic weapons.. His attack based agenda worked.. and yes had he been given sufficient resources, the war would have been much shorter and many lives would have been spared as a result The history of Europe since WWII would have been very different. His normal cavalry breeches, swagger stick, and pistols had been left behind. She was discovered on the floor of the kitchen with the oven gas turned on, and had committed suicide. Rather than IKE. She asked her brother, Fred Ayer, to set up the meeting. Also Known As: George Smith Patton Jr. Died At Age: 60 Family: Spouse/Ex-: Beatrice Banning Ayer (m. 1910-1945) father: George S. Patton mother: Ruth Wilson children: Beatrice Smith, George Patton IV, Ruth Ellen Born Country: United States Military Leaders American Men Height: 6'2" (188 cm ), 6'2" Males Died on: December 21, 1945 He shortened the war in Europe and saved many lives, civilian and military, while predicting what would happen if the Russians were given free reign. Hunting down runaway slaves: The cruel ads of Andrew Jackson and the master class, Gen. George S. Patton Jr. died on Dec. 23, 1945, after suffering a broken neck in a car accident days earlier. I then said that I should be allowed to continue the command of the Third Army and the government of Bavaria, remembered Patton. Behind them are Beatrices brother, Frederick Ayer, and Major General Hobart Hap Gay, who was with Patton at the time of his car accident.
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