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George Smith Patton Jr. was born on November 11, 1885, [1] [2] in the Los Angeles suburb of San Gabriel, California, to George Smith Patton Sr. and his wife, Ruth Wilson, the daughter of Benjamin Davis Wilson, the second Mayor of Los Angeles. The Patton family resided at Lake Vineyard, built by Benjamin Wilson, on 128 acres (52 ha) in present ...
- 1909–1945
- Beatrice Smith, Ruth Ellen, George Patton IV
- Overview
- Education and early military career
- World War II
George Patton was born into a life of privilege. His father was a successful lawyer who served as the Los Angeles County district attorney, and his mother was the daughter of Benjamin D. Wilson, the first elected mayor of Los Angeles and a wealthy landowner.
Where was George Patton educated?
Although George Patton’s formal education did not begin until after his 11th birthday, he was an eager student of history. He entered the Virginia Military Institute in 1903 but transferred to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point after just one year. Patton struggled academically, possibly because of undiagnosed dyslexia, but he graduated in 1909.
What was George Patton most famous for?
George Patton was a brilliant but hot-tempered U.S. Army general who was arguably the Allies’ most gifted tank commander. He led a series of wildly successful offensive operations in Europe during World War II, but his controversial and erratic behaviour off the battlefield damaged his reputation and hampered his own career advancement.
How did George Patton die?
Patton was born to a wealthy California family and enjoyed a privileged childhood. His early years were marred, however, by difficulties in spelling and reading, which has led some historians to speculate that he suffered from undiagnosed dyslexia. His formal education did not begin until age 11, but, in time, he became a voracious reader and later in life published numerous articles on military subjects. Patton enjoyed military history in particular, especially books about the American Civil War, a conflict in which his grandfather and great-uncle had been killed while fighting for the Confederacy. Patton spent a year at the Virginia Military Institute and then transferred to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, where he was forced to repeat his plebe (freshman) year because of poor grades. His academic performance improved, and, after graduating in June 1909, Patton was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the cavalry. On May 26, 1910, he married Beatrice Banning Ayer, the daughter of Boston industrial tycoon Frederick Ayer.
In 1912 Patton was selected to represent the United States at the Olympic Games in Stockholm, Sweden. There he competed against military officers from around the world in the modern pentathlon, an event that included swimming, pistol shooting, running, fencing, and riding. Patton made a respectable showing, coming in fifth out of 42 contestants. He had learned fencing at West Point and continued his study of swordsmanship while in Europe. Later—while attending the Mounted Service School in Fort Riley, Kansas—Patton was designated an instructor of swordsmanship and received the title Master of the Sword. In that role he designed the U.S. Model 1913 Enlisted Cavalry Saber, known as the “Patton Sword.” Patton also loved polo, and he played it, like he pursued so many things, with a violent, reckless abandon, frequently injuring himself in the process. Biographer Martin Blumenson has suggested that his frequent head injuries may have contributed to the erratic behaviour attributed to him in his later years.
Patton saw his first combat soon after leaving Fort Riley. When Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa led an attack on the border town of Columbus, New Mexico, in 1916, Patton joined the staff of Brig. Gen. John J. Pershing and accompanied him on a punitive expedition into Mexico. Though the mission failed to apprehend Villa, Patton was responsible for leading a raid that killed three of Villa’s men. The attack garnered much publicity and was notable for being the first time that automobiles had been used in combat by the U.S. Army.
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When the United States entered World War I in April 1917, Pershing was made the commander of the American Expeditionary Force (AEF), and Patton, promoted to captain, joined him in France. In November 1917, Patton, now a major, left Pershing’s headquarters staff and became the first officer to be appointed to the new U.S. Army Tank Corps. Over the next months he organized, trained, and even designed the uniforms for the new tank units; he was also promoted to lieutenant colonel. On September 12, 1918, Patton, ignoring orders to stay in radio contact, personally led the first U.S. tank units into battle during the Saint-Mihiel offensive. In the Meuse-Argonne offensive a few weeks later, Patton was badly wounded by a machine-gun bullet. He lay in a shell hole for hours before it was safe to evacuate him, but he refused to be taken to the hospital until he had reported to his commander. He was promoted to the temporary rank of colonel and was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for bravery under fire.
During the demobilization that followed World War I, Patton reverted to the permanent rank of captain. He graduated with distinction from the Army War College in 1932, and he remained a vigorous proponent of tank warfare throughout the interwar years. He was promoted to colonel in 1938 and temporary brigadier general in 1940. On April 4, 1941, he was promoted to temporary major general, and a week later he was made commander of the 2nd Armored Division. Soon after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor (December 7, 1941), Patton organized the Desert Training Center near Indio, California, to simulate combat and maneuvers in the harsh North African climate. Patton was commanding general of the western task force during the successful U.S. landings at Casablanca in November 1942. He was promoted to the temporary rank of lieutenant general in March 1943 and led the U.S. Seventh Army into Sicily, employing his armour in a rapid drive that captured Palermo in July and Messina in August.
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(Read Sir John Keegan’s Britannica entry on the Normandy Invasion.)
The apogee of Patton’s career came with the dramatic sweep of his Third Army across northern France in the summer of 1944 in a campaign marked by great initiative, ruthless drive, and disregard of classic military rules. Prior to the Normandy Invasion, he was publicly placed in command of the First U.S. Army Group (FUSAG), a fictitious army whose supposed marshaling in eastern England helped to deceive German commanders into thinking that the invasion would take place in the Pas-de-Calais region of France. Patton’s armoured units were not operational until August 1, almost two months after D-Day, but by the end of the month, they had captured Mayenne, Laval, Le Mans, Reims, and Châlons.
As German resistance in Normandy began to collapse, a pocket formed between advancing British and American forces that threatened to trap two German armies at Falaise. Patton desperately wanted to complete an encirclement of the Germans, but his commander, Gen. Omar Bradley, feared that such an attack would leave Patton’s flanks weak and exposed to counterattack. By the time the gap between Falaise and Argentan was closed on August 20, some 20,000–40,000 Germans had escaped. As the Third Army approached the German border, the advance was slowed because of supply shortages, but it was not stopped until it met the strong German defenses at Nancy and Metz in November.
Nov 9, 2009 · Learn about the life and career of George S. Patton, a legendary U.S. general who led the 7th and 3rd Armies in World War II. Find out how he fought in North Africa, Sicily, France and Germany, and what controversies he faced.
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Apr 3, 2014 · Learn about the life and military career of General George Patton, one of the most successful combat generals in U.S history. He led the 3rd Army in the invasion of Sicily and Germany in World War II, and was known for his skill at tank warfare and his temperament.
Patton is a 1970 American epic biographical war film about U.S. General George S. Patton during World War II.It stars George C. Scott as Patton and Karl Malden as General Omar Bradley, and was directed by Franklin J. Schaffner from a script by Francis Ford Coppola and Edmund H. North, who based their screenplay on Patton: Ordeal and Triumph by Ladislas Farago and Bradley's memoir, A Soldier's ...
- $12.6 million
- Frank McCarthy
Apr 2, 1970 · A film about the controversial American general George S. Patton, his career, achievements and controversies in North Africa and Europe during World War II. Starring George C. Scott, who won an Oscar for his performance, and directed by Franklin J. Schaffner.
Learn how the legendary general died in a car accident in 1945 and was buried in Luxembourg with his Third Army soldiers. Explore the photos and details of his funeral procession and ceremony.
