Posted on 04/18/2019 6:38:34 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
U.S. Army general George S. Patton, renowned for strategic military prowess and leadership, led World War II troops into Casablanca, Sicily, and France; relieved Allied forces at the Battle of the Bulge; and drove deep into Nazi Germany. Patton was equally renowned for his no-holds-barred opinions, colorful attire, profanity-laced speeches, and disregard for orders he thought ineffective, all of which did not sit well with the Allied high command.
The new "must see" film, Silence Patton, suggests that the general's premature death in a mysterious auto accident may have been orchestrated to silence this oversized, historic personality. Written and directed by Robert Orlando, the film uses documentary footage, direct quotes, and interviews with historians to ask whether Patton's forthrightness, outspoken judgments, and criticism of battlefield leadership may have led to assassination. Robert Wilcox, an investigative and military reporter, voiced the same theory in this 2008 book, Target Patton: The Plot to Assassinate General George S. Patton.
In Silence Patton, Orlando presents a non-lionized, realistic portrayal of a consummate yet flawed warrior, whose personal qualities often hindered him from obtaining the necessary orders to execute his desired military strategies. The film opens with a re-enactment of the accident in which an Army truck struck the car Patton was riding in, leaving him paralyzed and near death. The image of a dying Patton looms large throughout the film, which examines his impressive yet controversial military career and the suspicions surrounding his end.
General Dwight D. Eisenhower, supreme allied commander during WWII, recognized Patton's battlefield skills but considered the outspoken general a political and diplomatic nuisance. Patton proclaimed that the U.S. made serious mistakes in war negotiations, especially in misjudging Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. Patton also asserted that the U.S. would pay a steep future price for partnering with Stalin.
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
On our side at that time for the most part agree!
Any mistakes in ability in our Generals could be quickly resolved positively our with firepower - airpower primarily!
My favorite general a WWI German general - Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck!
This guy had nothing and was on the offensive when WWI ended. He refused to get involved for WWII, probably a good thing! God knows how he got away with it!
During the 1960s, Charles Miller asked the nephew of a Schutztruppe officer, “I understand that von Lettow told Hitler to go fuck himself.” The nephew responded, “That’s right, except that I don’t think he put it that politely!
Secretary of Defense Forrestal—did he jump, or have assistance in departing a 16th floor window? He died from injuries related to the sudden stop after a long free-fall.
I had an uncle in 3rd Army and he liked Patton. He was an AA gunner. I had another uncle who was a combat engineer at Omaha Beach and he hated Patton for sending troops out into an area that was to be heavily bombed by the 8th Air Force before the breakout at St.Lo. Blamed him for getting a bunch of GI’s killed when he didn’t have to.
General Patton deserves my highest praise: He would have been an outstanding and beloved Marine Corps drill Instructor...
There’s no window in the room where Patton died. I had xrays in that room in the basement of Heidelberg’ hospital
Your uncle was referring to the bombing of Operation Cobra.
Patton had nothing to do with that. His Third Army became active soon after Operation Cobra.
Bradley was in charge of that bombing. In fact, General Leslie McNair, Chief of Army Ground Forces was one of those accidentally killed in that bombing.
That war would have come to an end a lot sooner if Patten were in charge of the Normandy invasion. The Germans thought exactly the same thing.
I lived in Germany when I was seven years old since my father was stationed there in 1957. We lived in Ulm, Rommel's home town. There was a candy/pastry store about a block from our school. On the wall behind the counter hung two portraits: one was Erwin Rommel and the other George Patton. The store was owned and operated by an old Kraut. They loved Patton.
I remember how berserk my parents became when Sputnik was launched.
In his eyes it was Patton’s fault, but I wasn’t about to argue the fact with him. He was at the first wave Omaha Beach, the Hurtgen Forest where he nearly lost his foot due to frost bite and in the Battle of the Bulge.
I apologize and understand completely. I didn’t mean to point him out individually. It was all horrible and they didn’t give a damn about certain details and rightfully so. He is a hero of the first order.
I am misty eyed right now and feel kind of low.
Thank you.
“General Patton deserves my highest praise: He would have been an outstanding and beloved Marine Corps drill Instructor...”
When Patton died, someone said “The Army just lost the best Marine they ever had”.
I can’t remember who said it but it was said when it was announced that he had died.
Oh no need to apologize. I knew about Bradly being the problem with Cobra screw up. I just wasn’t going to argue with the guy who was there.
He passed in February at the age of 94 and I actually got to hear some of his accounts of the war which were fascinating. As a teenager I was reading the History of the US Navy in WWII by SE Morison and he was visiting and sitting on the couch next to me and I was in a section with pictures and he glanced over and said I know that ship. I said which one and handed the book to him and he pointed out immediately the USS Texas. He said him and his buddy went by her on the first wave in a landing craft and actually waved to someone on the ship taking pictures. He said when she cut loose the roar was tremendous and that she was fairly close it seemed to him.
When he got on shore his demeanor telling the story changed, you could see him reliving the battle and at times he would stop and tear up, compose himself and then go on. He mentioned that he watched five of his fellow soldiers just vanish, hit by a mortar or artillery shell, there one second, gone the next, that really tore him him telling it.
Up in years he would tell about the Bulge and then how deep they went into Austria or Czechoslovakia, I can’t remember which it was. He said they had went into this town and stayed the night and his unit was saddling up to move out the next morning and out of the woods behind them came a Tiger tank and about 300 Germans all at once. Their captain listened to his intell and thought there were few Germans around and didn’t prepare.
He said he thought for sure they were goners because the ammo truck was at the end of the column next to the Tiger and one round would have killed a lot of men. He said they started scattering to cover and out came the little white hankies in the Krauts hands. They had got the word already that the war was over and his unit hadn’t known Ike had signed the surrender papers. Whew was his response!
That’s all amazing and awesome. Thanks for sharing that.
Some of the D Day vets saw “Saving Private Ryan” and said the first half hour or so was very much like being there. Some of them didn’t want to see the movie. Did he see the movie?
Neat story...thanks for sharing.
Manfried Rommel, his son and Major General George Patton, GSP’s son and their families became friends.
Dear God, Patton hated Monty as much as he hated the Russians.
Patton is a true hero and was a magnificent general.
I Sm not anti-Patton I just acknowledge his warts.
No one who was involved in the car wreck, including Patton, thought that it was anything other than a tragic accident.
Patton’s friend General Hobart Gay knew that Patton was bored with occupation duty and Gay invited him to a day of pheasant hunting. They rode in a heavy Cadillac limousine with Patton riding shotgun.
General Gay was in the rear seat, which featured a large space between it and the partition separating the front from the back seats. The space was large enough to unfold the maps that officers often worked with.
There was a jeep following in their hunting party. A dog was in the open jeep, and dog lover Patton thought that the dog looked cold. Patton had his driver pull over and he put the dog in his spot, and Patton joined General Gay in the back.
Patton’s simple concern for a cold dog was his undoing. That, and the fact that this was before the era of seatbelts.
As they resumed their trip an Army deuce and a half going the other way turned left and the Cadillac hit it. The damage to the Cadillac was minor, but Patton was thrown into the partition and his neck was broken. He was the only one injured.
Patton was paralyzed from the neck down. He lived another 12 days before dying from pulmonary edema and heart failure.
“I seem to remember hearing something a while back that one of the main reasons we ‘annihilated’ Japan was to keep the Russians out as they were getting ready to invade and we didn’t want another Europe type dividing the spoils.”
We dropped the Bombs hoping that Japan would surrender so that we wouldn’t have to invade the Home Islands and incur the projected one million casualties that Operation Downfall would have cost.
But it is true, that there was a risk of a divided Japan, with the likely outcome a Korea-like war we would have been dragged into.
My father was in 7th Army when Patton commanded it. But dad was glad to see General Patch replace him.
Some years later he served in Vietnam with Patton’s son, around 1962. He was well impressed with that Patton, said he was one of the finest officers that he had served with.
Leslie McNair likely had more to do with opposing deployment of the Pershing tank than did Patton. McNair was in charge of Army Ground Forces.
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