Historical Figures Codexery

George S. Patton

U.S. Army general who led Third Army across Europe in World War II.

Patton was a cavalryman, independently wealthy, and a tank enthusiast who commanded one of the original armored divisions.[1] On 11 November 1885, George Smith Patton Jr. was born in San Gabriel, California, to a wealthy family; their home, Lake Vineyard, was situated on 128 acres in what is now San Marino, California.[2] In the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, Patton was the only American among 42 pentathletes; he finished fifth overall, placing first among all non-Swedish competitors.[3]

Quick Facts

Nickname
"Bandito"; "Old Blood and Guts"
Born
11 November 1885
Birthplace
San Gabriel, California, U.S.
Died
21 December 1945
Place of death
Heidelberg, Germany
Burial place
Luxembourg American Cemetery and Memorial
Branch
United States Army
Service years
1909–1945

Facts from the source article.

Life and work

He married Beatrice Banning Ayer on 26 May 1910, and they had three children.[4] Patton served as an aide to Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson and worried that his high-pitched voice would make it impossible to inspire his troops.[5] In 1916, Patton led the first motorized attack in U.S. warfare, surprising three of Pancho Villa's men during a foraging expedition.[6][7] During World War I, Patton was assigned to establish the AEF Light Tank School and commanded American-crewed Renault FT tanks at the Battle of Saint-Mihiel.[8][9]

He was wounded while leading an attack on German machine guns near Cheppy and received the Silver Star, later upgraded to the Distinguished Service Cross.[10][6] Patton was the only major American general to request more black soldiers and the first American general to integrate rifle companies.[11] During the inter-war years, Patton came to believe that tanks ought to function as an independent fighting force, not merely as support for infantry.[12]

What the cited sources add

A HistoryNet article notes that Patton was a cavalryman, independently wealthy, and a tank enthusiast who commanded one of the original armored divisions.[1] A 2021 HistoryNet article states that German General der Panzertruppen Erich Brandenberger acknowledged Patton's "extraordinary skill in armored warfare, which he conducted according to the fundamental German conception"[13] The Sassaman source reports that Patton was the only major American general to request more black soldiers and the first to integrate rifle companies.[11] The same source notes that Patton worried his high-pitched speaking voice would not inspire confidence among his troops.[11]

References

  1. Holt, "Relax—It's Only a Maneuver", HistoryNet, 1 December 1992. facts only, no text reused. historynet.com
  2. Wikipedia, "George S. Patton" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: D'Este 1995, p. 29; Brighton 2009, p. 17; Nester 2025, p. 1; Editorial Board 1930, p. 145–146; Manchester, "The glory and the dream: a narrative history of America; 1932 - 1972", Little, Brown, 1974, p. 6; Axelrod 2006, p. 11–12 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "George S. Patton" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Zaloga 2010, p. 7; "Sport, Militarism and the Great War: Martial Manliness and Armageddon", Routledge, 2013, p. 104; Axelrod 2006, p. 11–12 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "George S. Patton" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Axelrod 2006, p. 11–12; Totten, "The Button Box: A Daughter's Loving Memoir of Mrs. George S. Patton", University of Missouri Press, 27 March 2005; "Key West Times", The Key West citizen, p. 1 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "George S. Patton" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Axelrod 2006, p. 11–12; Sassaman, "Patton: Loved, Hated, Appreciated", 310 Publishing, LLC, 2018 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "George S. Patton" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Axelrod 2006, p. 11–12 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "George S. Patton" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Zaloga 2010, p. 7; Axelrod 2006, p. 11–12; D'Este 1995, p. 29; Zaloga 2010, p. 7; Brighton 2009, p. 17; Axelrod 2006, p. 11–12 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "George S. Patton" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Zaloga 2010, p. 7 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  9. Wikipedia, "George S. Patton" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Blumenson 1972, p. 92; Axelrod 2006, p. 11–12; Brighton 2009, p. 17; Blumenson 1972, p. 92 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  10. Wikipedia, "George S. Patton" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Axelrod 2006, p. 11–12; Brighton 2009, p. 17; Blumenson 1972, p. 92 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  11. Sassaman, "Patton: Loved, Hated, Appreciated", 310 Publishing, LLC, 2018. facts only, no text reused. americainwwii.com
  12. Wikipedia, "George S. Patton" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Axelrod 2006, p. 11–12; Brighton 2009, p. 17 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  13. Barrett, "Patton and the Battle of the Bulge: 'As soon as you're through with me, I can attack the day after tomorrow morning'", HistoryNet, 16 December 2021. facts only, no text reused. historynet.com

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article George S. Patton (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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