Visit our more popular pages if you would like to learn more about one of the most important generalsin U.S. military history. You mean across the Rhine? Sure am, Patton replied, I sneaked a division over last night. 157 Copy quote I don't measure a man's success by how high he climbs but how high he bounces when he hits bottom. Remember too that your God is with you. This individual heroic stuff is pure horseshit. Loading. General Pattons communication was not limited to his speeches; he alsoprojected strength in his demeanor and in his dress. 2. then they will organize a battalion and I will command it. I do not believe that much praying is being done.. Thetrouser legs were skinny and shoved into his black, laced-up fieldboots. At eleven oclock on the morning of December 8, General Patton telephoned the head chaplain, Monsignor James H. ONeill: This is General Patton; do you have a good prayer for weather? When it came to men, Patton intended that the Tanks Corps standards of discipline and deportment would exceed those of other American units, and he made a special point of looking after his men, ensuring they were given the best food and billets he could muster. Brave, undisciplinedmen have no chance against the discipline andvalor of other men. Americans love a winner. In our next battle we shall, for the first time on this continent, have many thousands of Americans united in one command. Be Seated. His new commander in the Tank Corps, as of December 1917, would be Colonel Samuel D. Rockenbach, a VMI graduate with an aristocratic wife, a taskmasterly way with subordinates, and the massive responsibility of creating the Tank Corps from scratch, including acquiring tanks from the French and the British. Patton ordered a hot turkey dinner for every soldier in the Third Army on Christmas Day. We straight-arm, and go around, anddodge, and go around . . When she returned, her husband had already died. Patton could be painfully direct. All rights reserved. She seemed to want her husband to herself one final time. He had now achieved his destiny, Patton thought, joining the warriorkinsmen who had gone before. In April 1941 Patton, who had been acting commander of theSecond Armored Division for six months, was given permanentcommand and promoted to major general. One of the prisoners is Pattons son-in-law, John K. Waters. May 18 Patton was ordered to report to General Pershing in Washington, D.C.; appointed Commanding Officer, Headquarters Troop, AEF. June 10 Patton addressed a crowd of 100,000 civilians in Burbank, California. In his private supplications to God, however, a different Patton emerges humble, uncertain, and seeking guidance. I hope that too stops. . This article contains stories, quotes, timelines, and other pieces of information on one of the most competent and flamboyant generals in American military history. Advertisement. General Patton: Be seated. General Patton Speech | 6th Armored Division | 31 May 1944 Alyosha 394 subscribers Subscribe 2.3K Share 92K views 4 years ago General George S. Patton speech to the 6th Armored. The quicker they are whipped,the quicker we can go home. He was a communicant of the Episcopal Church, but he studied the Koran and the Bhagavad Gita. But he was a master of the dramatic pause, loweringhis voice to great effect, forcing the audience to listen carefully,before bellowing out a line of profanity. The 664th Engineer Topographical Company worked around the clock to reproduce 250,000 cards bearing the prayer for fair weather and General Pattons Christmas greeting. All the faces looked at Patton impersonally, as if waiting forhim to join them. General George S. Patton dies General George S. Patton, commander of the U.S. 3rd Army, dies from injuries suffered not in battle but in a freak car accident. Foxholesonly slow up an offensive. December 14, 1944 Chaplains of the Third Army: At this stage of the operations I would call upon the chaplains and the men of the Third United States Army to focus their attention on the importance of prayer. There is something in every soldier that goes deeper than thinking or workingits his guts. It is something that he has built in there: it is a world of truth and power that is higher than himself. He realized how profoundly death was related to life, how unimportant the change from life to death really was, how everlastingthe soul. It is the reaction of the actors to the ordeal when it actually comes. This is because a lot of people back home are praying for us. Thirty years from now, when youare sitting around the fireside with your grandson onyour knee and he asks what you did in the great WorldWar II, you wont have to say, I shoveled shit in Louisiana.. It lives, sleeps, eats, and fights as ateam. It is our job to make the most of them. . 1917 May 15 Patton was promoted to the rank of captain. He made his way halfway across the bridge before suddenly halting. But aside from his ardor for his duties and his active social life with the right sort of people, Patton was starting to make his mark as an athleteindeed, in 1912 he represented the United States at the Olympics, competing in the modern pentathlon, which tested a competitors equestrian skills with a steeplechase, marksmanship with a pistol, fencing, swimming three hundred yards, and running cross country two and a half miles. The only reason for calling Palestine a land of milk and honey is by comparison with the desert immediately surrounding it. Better yetthe tank company in which he fought. November 21 Journalist Drew Pearson publicized George Pattons slapping incident of Aug 3, 1943. If theres any doubt in any of your Goddamn minds that Im going to be paralyzed for the rest of my life, lets cut out all this horse-shit right now and let me die, Patton lashed out. George Campbell Scott, portraying Patton, standing in front of an immensely huge American flag, delivers his version of Patton's "Speech to the Third Army" on June 5th, 1944, the eve of the Allied invasion of France, code-named "Overlord". Of course we are willing to die but that is not enough. 1938 July 1 Patton was promoted to the permanent rank of colonel. I dont want to get any messages saying, I am holdingmy position. We are not holding a goddamned thing. December 20 Weather in the Ardennes cleared. An Army is a team. Let every bullet find its billetit is the body of your foes. . With prayer, we cannot fail. . Ed - December 21, 2016. Thirty years from now, when youare sitting around the fireside with your grandson onyour knee and he asks what you did in the great WorldWar II, you wont have to say, I shoveled shit in Louisiana.. It worked out more or less that way, with Patton the first officeror soldier of any rank in the United States Armyassigned to the Tank Corps, where he was charged with establishing the First Army Tank School. Even if you arehit, you can still fight back. I know that Third Army will be in at the finish in the same decisive way that it has performed in all the preliminary battles. Americans will not tolerate aloser. They were traveling at about thirty-five miles per hour when an army truck turned from a side road into their path. June 11 Became Distinguished Graduate, Army War College. Many of his associates, including Eisenhower, felt that "Old Blood and Guts" showed increasing signs of mental imbalance. Hands lifted up, said Bossuet, smash more battalions than hands that strike. Gideon of Bible fame was least in his fathers house. It seems to me that at the head of a regiment of cavalry any thing would be possible.5 What seemed immediately possible, or so Patton hoped, was war in Mexico that would involve the United States. The speeches were intended to motivate the inexperienced Third Army for its pending combat duty. If hesays hes not, hes a liar. A man must be alert at all times if he expects to stayalive. His most importantpriority was training men for war. May I say, General, that it usually isnt a customary thing among men of my profession to pray for clear weather to kill fellow men., General Patton: Chaplain, are you trying to teach me theology or are you the Chaplain of the Third Army? May 23 Patton was promoted to the rank of first lieutenant. Were not just going to shoot the sons of bitches, weregoing to rip out their living goddamned guts and usethem to grease the treads of our tanks. Let us be gentle. All day the 9th of July 1943, there was a storm but it cleared at dark. "Patton, ordeal and triumph". The outcome of that battle, and possibly of the entire Allied war effort in Europe, would turn on the weather. The encounter seemed to confirm Hitlers contempt for the battle-worthiness of American soldiers. . The date was 5 June, 1944. His head was encased in a tight-fitting leather helmet withgoggles. A break in the weather on June 6 allowed the amphibious assault on Normandy to proceed. At times he was an insufferable egotist, and he often sought to intimidate with a well-practiced scowl. The General wanted a prayerhe wanted one right now and he wanted it published to the Command. And when we get to Berlin,I am personally going to shoot that paper hanging sonof a bitch Hitler, just like Id shoot a snake! Following an old cavalry credo to theeffect you should always Hit em where they aint, he saidto us: You have to grab em by the[censored] and kick emin the [censored] . Somelines became classic. They both contemplated leaving the service, but they both stuck it out, just as a later generation of officers, in the post-Vietnam eramen like Norman Schwarzkopf and Colin Powellwould again rebuild the army into the worlds greatest military force. In 1943, two years before his death, Patton had spoken at an Armistice Day service honoring American dead, saying, I consider it no sacrifice to die for my country. Sergeant John Mims, Pattons driver throughout the war, recalled, We left at six oclock in the morning. We reached Cairo just at dark, having completed in one day the trip which took the Children of Israel forty years to accomplish. But the time is now to intensify our faith in prayer, not alone with ourselves, but with every believing man, Protestant, Catholic, Jew, or Christian in the ranks of the Third United States Army. . The weather was still clear when we walked into General Pattons office. Ive been looking forward to this for a long time, Patton said as he unzipped his fly and urinated into the river while an Army photographer recorded the moment for posterity. She, though Patton paid scant attention to this, came from a wealthy family. Remember that theenemy is just as frightened as you are, and probablymore so. I want the praying done., Chaplain ONeill: Yes, sir. His Will Be Done. A few minutes later, when the fog began to lift, Patton discovered that he had advanced beyond his own tanks, many of which were now entangled in a trench barrier over a hundred yards to his rear. 1905 June 5 Patton turned back to repeat initial year. Although he was a part of the first war, he is more known for his victories in the Second World War. We have never retreated; we have suffered no defeats, no famine, no epidemics. General Patton again called me to his office. A good soldier is not made merely by making him think and work. You've got to spill their blood, or they will spill yours. Americans love to fight, traditionally. . Yet he still viewed the Holy Land as a general, viewingthe Exodus of the Israelites out of Egypt and into the Promised Land in terms of logistics, supply chains, and provisions. . So dont make any announcementwell keep it a secret until we see how it goes.. September 1 Patton re-entered as Cadet, U.S. Military Academy. . . She went to the dining room, leaving her husband with the attending nurse. March 24 Patton urinated into the Rhine River. 1924 July 30 Patton was an Honor Graduate, Command and General Staff College. to bea one-handed puncher. He speaks and reads in script nine languages, so he is perfectly capable of translating the valuable collection of manuscripts in the library. That is not the way to win battles. That is not the way to win battles. When the war ended, Patton said, 'You don't know what Hell looks like from the top, but that's what Germany looks like'. He staggeredforward a few steps before collapsing. Men this stuff that some sources sling around aboutAmerica wanting out of this war, not wanting to fight,is a crock of bullshit. Over endless dinners and drinks they would debate and discuss tank tactics and strategy, expanding their discussions to include a small but growing circle of like-minded men. In many ways Patton and Eisenhower were strikingly different. Patton felt the loss of camaraderie and sense of purpose. What do you think he wants? It was perfectly clear to me. He wrote to his wife Beatrice on July 10, 1944, Sunday Iwent to a field mass. His neck was broken. Whenat last the men got five tanks across the breach, Patton exhorted themto advance again, yelling and cursing and waving his walking stick. His profanity was merely a device to capture the attention of his soldiers. The Famous Patton Speech By Charles M. Province . Americans play towin all of the time. Brad, dont tell anyone, but Im across. A surprised Bradley responded, Well, Ill be damned. I want the world to know Third Army made it before Monty starts across, he shouted. 1946 March 19 Pattons remains were moved to a different gravesite within the Luxembourg American Cemetery and Memorial in Hamm, Luxembourg. He sat beside her in church each Sunday as she recited the liturgical responses from the Book of Com-mon Prayer, and he developed an amazing capacity to repeat passages at length. But we must urge, instruct, and indoctrinate every fighting man to pray as well as fight. Those who pray do more for the world than those who fight; and if the world goes from bad to worse, it is because there are more battles than prayers. . In 1941, on the day the menof the Second Armored Division completed their orientation at FortBenning, Patton appeared wearing a new uniform, which, characteristically,he had designed himself. Battle is the most magnificent competition in which a human being can indulge. He insisted it was not a sin to kill if one served on the side of God, citing the Old Testament story of David slaying Goliath. We have continued in unity of purpose. I will probably get slapped down by the Church union.. He even directed his chief chaplain to send out a training letter to every unit in the Third Army on the importance of prayer. War is a bloody, killing business. One month after the disaster at Kasserine Pass, Patton led the American army at the battle of Gafsa and El Guettar. These rains are that margin that holds defeat or victory. The following day General Patton arrived at the pontoon bridge his engineers had constructed over the Rhine. General Patton's Famous "Blood and Guts" Speech to His Troops Anyone who has ever viewed the motion picture PATTON will never forget the opening. There were enough supplies, however, for one army. On the night of March 22, 1945, elements of the Third Army crossed the Rhine at the German town of Oppenheim. General George S. Patton, the famous war-time leader, died not from wounds in battle but rather from a car accident. He liked the men, considered his commanding officer a true gentleman, but had doubts about some of the other officers, especially those who had come up from the ranks. With the same IF as before they will make a brigade and I will get the star(of a brigadier general). On September 26, at 10 oclock, Patton and his men had advanced to a crossroads on the southern edge of Cheppy. To ensure that his order was carried out, he spent the bitterly cold day driving from one unit to another. October 2 Patton was relieved for statements made to the press about former Nazi Party members. It was not a terrible thing,he thought. . . We straight-arm, and go around, anddodge, and go around . 1932 June 2 Patton was awarded the Purple Heart for a wound sustained in 1918. Confident in his own religious convictions and his knowledge of the Bible, Patton did not hesitate publicly to contradict a chaplains sermon, as this diary entry for Armistice Day, 1943, reveals: We went to a Memorial Service at the cemetery at 1100. We urge its practice. 1944 March 26 Task Force Baum heads out for Hammelburg to liberate the prisoner of war camp there. He lifted his face up from the dirt, gazed out over the Germanlines, and then lifted his eyes up to the cloudsand saw faces. On December 9, 1945, Patton was returning from a pheasant hunt with his chief of staff, Major General Hobart Hap Gay. . Alden Hatch's biography traces Patton's life from his California childhood to his accidental death in Germany shortly after the end of World War II. The coward is the one who lets his fear overcome his sense of duty. The admiring troops immediately dubbedhim the Green Hornet. . General Patton is best known for leadingtheU.S. Third ArmyinFrance and Germany in the wake of the Alliedinvasion of Normandyin June 1944. I told them the attack would go on. He saw action in the Pancho Villa Expedition of 1916 and served with American forces in the First World War, notably at the tank . We are better-equipped, bet-ter fed, and in the place of his blood-gutted Woten, we have with us the God of our fathers known of old. We have no intention to reduce our vast striking force. Prior to the termination of active hos-tilities, you had captured in battle 956,000 enemy soldiers and killed or wounded at least 500,000 others. People must have very little confidence to fear assassination in such a place. personality earned him the nickname Old Blood and Guts and he was renowned for his quick-temper. And whenever he achieved anything important, whether it was his admission to West Point or a victory in battle, Pat-ton always gave thanks to God. the Third Army" on June 5th, 1944, the eve of the Allied invasion of France, code named "Overlord". Please be advised it is quite profane. Then if I make good and the T. do and the war lasts I will get the first regiment. His most importantpriority was training men for war. He chose the latter, thinking it the quickest way to combat and further promotion. I guess I need it. The chaplain entered, said a few prayers and Patton thanked him. while containing the elements of a funny story about the General and his Chaplain, is not the true account of the prayer incident or its sequence.. Patton would swiftly communicate his displeasure at ser-mons that dwelt on death or families whose sons would never return home. But Pattons faith was not a mere contrivance with which he cynically tried to motivate his men. Contains Profanity. The quickest way to get it over with is to go get thebastards who started it. I pray that I will fall forward when I amshot. All of the real heroes are not storybook combat fighters,either. I dont know what you call it, but I call it religion, prayer, or God.. We want this war over with. Dont ever think that your job is unimportant. Ike revealed his reasoningin a 1946 review of the bookPatton and His Third Army: George Patton was the most brilliant commander of an army in the open field that our or any other service produced. Wood replied, We dont want to waste youngsters of your sort in the service of foreign nations. Heservedin numerous staff positions throughout the country. . . He hadshown his courage and faced his fears. After lunching with the Commanding General, we drove back to the airfield and flew back to Cairo along the coast, passing over Gaza. He also faced uncertainty about his career in peacetime. September 12 Patton joined 15th Cavalry, Fort Sheridan, Illinois, and was assigned to Troop K. 1910 May 26 Patton and Beatrice Banning Ayer were married; they would later have three children. He was comforted by his unshakeable faith, a faith hehad held since childhood and that he had carefully nurtured everyday since. Thats why Americans havenever lost and will never lose a war; for the very idea oflosing is hateful to an American. Supreme Allied Commander Dwight D. Eisenhower, General George S. Patton, and General Omar N. Bradley engineered the Allied conquest that shattered Hitler's hold over Europe.

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