George S. Patton

United States Army general (1885-1945) · United States · Writers · Died at 60

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He slapped shell-shocked soldiers, cursed his way across Europe in a tank column, and died in a car crash weeks after the Third Reich fell. Patton's genius for armored warfare made him invaluable; his mouth made him a liability.

Historical Figures Comedian Stand Up United States Americas 20th Century

A life in dates

20253.5×The anniversary of their birth, on 11 November.11 November 2025What this moment rests on, 3.5 times the usual readers on 11 November 2025See the moment1945Died21 December 19451943“The more I see of Arabs the less I think of them. By having studied them a good deal I have found out the trouble.”In their words5 May 1943Letter to Frederick Ayer (5 May 1943), published in The Patton Papers 1940-1945 (1996) edited by Martin Blumenson, p. 243Read the whole statement

Grand Cross of the Order of Wissam AlaouiteAward1942“I finished the Koran - a good book and interesting.”In their words30 October 1942Diary, October 30, 1942, published in The Patton Papers 1940-1945 (1996), p. 79.Read the whole statement

1933“Wars may be fought with weapons, but they are won by men. It is the spirit of the men who follow and of the man who leads that gains the victory.”In their wordsSeptember 1933Cavalry Journal (September 1933)Read the whole statement

1918“I have sinned and I have suffered, Played the hero and the knave; Fought for belly, shame, or country, And for each have found a grave.”In their wordsFull text onlineRead the whole statement

“So as through a glass, and darkly The age long strife I see Where I fought in many guises, Many names, but always me.”In their wordsFull text onlineRead the whole statement

1917“I wonder if I could have been here before as I drive up the Roman road the Theater seems familiar - perhaps I headed a legion up that same white road...”In their wordsIndicating some of his speculations about reincarnation, in a letter to his mother from Chamlieu, France during World War I (20 NovemberRead the whole statement

1885Born11 November 1885

Also in Deutsch

Photos 12

Anne Wilson "Nita" Patton, Patton's sister. She was engaged to John J. Pershing in 1917-1918

Patton at the Virginia Military Institute

Patton (right) fencing in the modern pentathlon of the 1912 Summer Olympics

Patton on his steeplechase horse, Wooltex, in 1914

The durability of the 1915 Dodge Brothers Model 30-35 touring car won renown for the new automaker following its use in the 1916 Pancho Villa Expedition[61]

Major General John J. Pershing, accompanied by Captain George S. Patton, inspecting men of Patton's headquarters troop at American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) headquarters, Chaumont, France, 1917

In their own words 10

George S. Patton

10 statements, newest first

The publicity I have been getting, a good deal of which is untrue, and the rest of it ill considered, has done me more harm than good.
May 5, 1943, Letter to Frederick Ayer (5 May 1943), published in The Patton Papers 1940-1945 (1996) edited by Martin Blumenson, p. 242, Own words
The more I see of Arabs the less I think of them. By having studied them a good deal I have found out the trouble.
May 5, 1943, Letter to Frederick Ayer (5 May 1943), published in The Patton Papers 1940-1945 (1996) edited by Martin Blumenson, p. 243, Own words
Of all the many talks I had in Washington, none gave me such pleasure as that with you. There were two reasons for this. In the first place, you are about my oldest friend.
1942, Letter to Dwight D. Eisenhower (1942); to this Eisenhower replied: "I don't have the slightest trouble naming the hellions I'd like to have, Own words

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Awards

Honorary Citizen of Plzeň1995

Grand Cross of the Order of Wissam Alaouite1943

Bronze Star Medal

Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire

Legionnaire of Legion of Merit

Purple Heart

Order of the White Lion 4th Class

Silver Star

Grand Cross of the Order of Orange-Nassau

Companion of the Order of the Bath

Croix de guerre 1914-1918

Croix de guerre 1940-1945 (Belgium)

Commander of the Legion of Honour

World War II Victory Medal

Distinguished Service Cross

Distinguished Service Medal

Inter-Allied Victory Medals

European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal

Army of Occupation Medal

Grand Officer of the Order of Leopold

Croix de guerre 1939-1945

Czechoslovak War Cross 1939-1945

Order of Adolphe of Nassau

American Campaign Medal

Order of Sherifian Military Merit

Family

George S. Patton

Partners

Spouse Beatrice Banning Ayer

Child George Patton IV

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About this person

Born in 1885, Patton passed through West Point, designed a cavalry saber, and placed fifth in the modern pentathlon at the 1912 Olympics. He saw his first combat chasing Pancho Villa in motor vehicles, then commanded the U.S. tank school in France during World War I and was wounded in action. Between the wars he became central to the Army's armored doctrine. In World War II he rehabilitated the broken II Corps after Casablanca, raced to Messina ahead of every other Allied commander in Sicily, then was yanked from the field for slapping two soldiers he deemed cowards. Given the Third Army after D-Day, he tore across France, pivoted north to break the siege at Bastogne, and drove into Germany. Named military governor of Bavaria, he was relieved for openly hostile remarks about the Soviets and resistance to denazification; he also held antisemitic views. On 21 December 1945, twelve days after a car accident in Germany, he was dead.

Country

United States

Writers from the United States 6

Lauren Oliver64.3

Ian Jones-Quartey64.2

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