Russia had 5 times the number of men under arms vs the Allies in Europe. Patton wouldn’t have walked over the Russians. Quite the opposite. Stalin was a psycho and Patton’s bosses were quite right to worry what Stalin might do whenever Patton famously shot is mouth off.
If we’d had nukes at that time it might have been a different story.
There was no need to assassinate Patton. Truman need only fire him as he did MacArthur years later.
We should have just let the Nazis and Russian kill each other.
They were meant for each other.
“There was no need to assassinate Patton. Truman need only fire him as he did MacArthur years later.”
Patton was probably going to be retired. He was among the oldest of the US Army’s 3 & 4-star field commanders. He had already relinquished command of the 3rd Army, and the Military Governorship of Bavaria at this point. His “command” of a paper headquarters known as 15th Army was probably his last job.
The United States Army Air Forces were about to become an independent service. Had that not been the case, Patton might have been Chief of Army Ground Forces. But without the air component, that job became redundant and the post was discontinued. It was very unlikely that he would be picked to be Army Chief of Staff, so Patton had nowhere to go.
Russia had decimated its male population to field so many.
Had they kept fighting they’d face a generational collapse where full ethnic Russians would be rare. IIRC, WW2 cost them roughly 75% of their martial age men.