General George Patton - Case Study Example

General George Patton was a very unordinary man. He was a great commander of his time, who inherited his talents from his ancestors. He was also an active proponent of democracy and freedom, known for his temperament, a very difficult character and straightforwardness. He was terrible in politics and diplomacy; however he was a great patriot, the greatest strategist and a respected general even among the enemies. He was very educated and well versed in history; he also devoted a lot of the time to study the battles of the past. As a way of expressing his feelings and thoughts he was also writing poems. General to be George Patton was born in 1885 in San Gabriel California to the wealthy family of an attorney. His parents, being well educated themselves, were also giving good education to their son from an early age, main subjects being classic literature and history. The other subject his father grounded him in was the Bible, which Georgie, as he was known later throughout his life, knew mostly by heart. Christianity became a guiding light in his life, along with his passion for battles and war. Though he had an early start with the education and was very intelligent, he did not know how to read or write until the age of 11. It seems Patton suffered from dyslexia, which could not be diagnosed at that time. It manifested itself in George’s inability to spell properly, and his problems in mathematics. George Patton Jr. attended Virginia Military Institute just like his father and a grandfather. He had a blood of a military officer running through his veins. His grandfather was a colonel in the Confederacy in the War Between the States, and was killed in one of the battles; many of George’s uncles were also participating in the war. After the war has ended, many war heroes were visiting Patton’s house and George was listening to stories told by the battle veterans themselves. Patton’s father also told his son many stories about the war and battle heroes; he took his son to visit battlefields of Civil War. All this had such a great influence on George Jr. that at the age of 10 he set a goal of becoming a hero and a famous general. He was very determined to reach this goal, and spent most of his childhood in studying what he thought a general needs to know. Entering Virginia Military Institute was a next step toward his dream. His problems in mathematics continued so much so that he had to have a permission to repeat the first year. However, his learning disabilities did not hinder him from graduating successfully. Being good at sports also helped him in obtaining his diploma. His sport achievements were so great that Patton represented the United States in the Olympics of 1912 in Stockholm. He placed 5th out of 46 in the first modern Pentathlon. Patton really liked physical competitions, and believed in the fair play. Also, when in army, he was initiating forming teams for different sports such as football and polo. While at Cavalry School in France, he also learned how to fence. While still a student, he designed and taught a course in swordsmanship. Later he received orders to return to Kansas, and continued teaching fencing. The title of “Master of Sword” that he received was his rightfully. During all these years Patton never engaged in the real battle. Pursuing his dream of becoming a hero, Patton asked General John J. Pershing to accompany him in the Mexico Border campaign, in 1915. During this time Patton got recognition from the general and notoriety back in United States. This campaign became the first real war combat Patton had engaged in. When the WWI began, Patton was accompanying General Pershing, the commander of Headquarters Troop, in his trip to France. Patton was promoted to Captain, then, temporarily, to the Major. He was given a command of the Army Tank Corps – a novelty in the Army at that time. The Battle of Cambria was the first battle where large number of tanks was used. Patton attended this battle only as an observer, but, after what he had witnessed, he was convinced that tanks are the greatest warfare machine there is. Since the time of this battle, tanks became his machinery of choice in the warfare. He invested in training tankers by creating schools for tankers. Overall, throughout his life Patton made concerted effort to train his soldiers, and created his own training centers. He believed that hard work of training would save soldiers’ lives at the combat. He was training his officers even harder than he did his soldiers. During WWI main task of the Tank Corp was to support the infantry. Under Patton commandment, 1st Tank Brigade was doing this successfully. He was using his own tactics to attack German positions. In the course of one the battles he himself was wounded, but kept on directing his troops. While he was recovering in the hospital, he was promoted to Colonel and awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for continued leadership under fire. After the WWI Patton was a commander of various war units, and held some stuff positions. At one point he worked with a young man Lieutenant Colonel Dwight D. Eisenhower. They got along very well, and often were putting their heads together to plan warfare that would be used in the next war, as they both knew that the next war will be fought soon enough. They continued to be close friends for the next 25 years. Patton was not only great strategist, but he also invested time and resources into modernizing the army. The tank remained his favorite war machine and, even after the Army Tank Corp was dissolved, he was lobbying congress for the creation of a tank army. He was working on modernizing tanks as well as participated in the invention of cannon gun and improving radio communication. During the time between WWI and WWII Patton was considered one of the wealthiest Army officers. His position and wealth allowed him to travel, to study, to own a fine stable, a few expensive automobiles and a private airplane. All these, coupled with his eccentricity and unrefined language created much dislike due to jealousy from other officers and soldiers, as ordinary military officers had a very low salary. Patton was spending most of his free time with his family and children. He was personally training them in horse riding and fox hunting. Also, being a very religious man himself, he was instilling this faith in his children. The example of his faith can be found in his famous “Patton Prayer” and Christmas Greeting to the Third Army in December 1944: Almighty and most merciful Father, we humbly beseech Thee, of Thy great goodness, to restrain these immoderate rains with which we have had to contend. Grant us fair weather for the Battle. Graciously hearken to us as soldiers who call Thee that, armed with Thy power, we may advance from victory to victory, and crush the oppression and wickedness of our enemies, and establish Thy justice among man and nations. Amen. (Retrieved from http://www.generalpatton.com/prayer/index.html) Patton would be often found praying; however it is not the victory in itself that was of utmost importance to him. He was praying for the best of his performance. In 1938 Patton, after staying in Hawaii for some time, had returned to US and became a commander of the Cavalry Regiment at Fort Clark, and later – commander of the 3d Cavalry in Fort Myer, Virginia. In 1940 he was promoted to Major General and was given a command over the first American Armored Brigade. Later this unit has grown into the 2nd Armored Division. WWII has started for Patton in October 1942 with the Operation Torch: a large number of American ships carried Patton’s 24 000 troops to the coast of Morocco to gain control over Casablanca. Patton was personally involved into directing his troops getting offshore. The whole operation was successful and Patton’s forces remained in Casablanca for the next several weeks, also hosting a conference attended by Theodore Roosevelt. Patton was 57 at that time. Later that year Patton received his third star, of which he had received total of four during his lifetime. Looking into the future of his command, he realized the diplomacy was required, a trait he did not posses. He was always speaking his mind, therefore much of the diplomatic dealings were handled by Patton’s assistant, Omar Bradley. As a commander of any rank, Patton really cared for his soldiers and was making sure they had enough food and ammunition. He also considered soldier’s morale to be a vital element of success. He would give speeches to encourage soldiers before the beginning of battles, and to assure them of his faith in them. He felt it is necessary to be “visible” to his man, so he would often visit his troops, driving towards the front lines and then heading back to headquarters. That was his usual routine during the whole course of war. He loved his soldiers and mourned soldiers’ lives lost in battles; he would visit wounded in the hospitals; he would also give out the rewards personally. He often sacrificed his time for rest and sleep to attend to needs of his soldiers. On one of the visits to the hospital he had a rage outbreak at seeing one of the young soldiers being afraid. He was very severe and harsh with this soldier as well as with the medical personnel. However, he was very dissatisfied with himself afterwards. General Eisenhower also reprimanded Patton for that incident and ordered him to apologies. It was very notable and admirable of Patton to humble himself before this soldier, nurses and doctors and to apologize. One effect this incident had on Patton is that he became conscious of the danger of so called “battle fatigue”, so that later during his command when he saw any of his men showing signs of it, he would make sure they will be treated accordingly. He instituted rest centers throughout the Army, where a man could recuperate and regain his courage. General Patton was loved by his soldiers, and won many great victories during his life. He had a very outstanding personality. However, he also had his human side. He had his share of personal losses, he made mistakes during his command, usually concerning people handling; he also had his fears. Yet, it can be safely said about him – he has achieved his dream and became a great general and a hero. References Daugherty, Leo J. “Pioneers of amphibious warfare, 1898-1945: profiles of fourteen American military strategists” McFarland. 2009. Print. The Patton Society. pattonhq.com 2011.Web. Retrieved 27 April 2011 from http://www.pattonhq.com/ “The official website of General George S. Patton, Jr. Estate of General George S. Patton Jr.” Web. Retrieved 27 April 2011 from http://www.generalpatton.com/ Freeinfosociety.com, retrieved from http://www.freeinfosociety.com/article.php?id=211 Read More