General Patton grew up hearing stories of his ancestors bravery and decided when he grew up, he wanted to become a hero. When he was old enough, he attended West Point and finished 46th in his class of 103, but he was so good at sports, he was put in as the Army's candidate for the modern pentathlon in the 1912 Olympics where he finished 5th overall. Following the Olympics, he went to France to study fencing and designed a new sword for thrust attacks for the Army to use called the "Patton Sword". He was also the first Army officer to be called the "Master of the Sword".
During the Pancho Villa Expedition into Mexico, Patton appealed to the commander to go when he found out he was not and was taken on as an aide to General John J. Pershing, after whom he modeled his own leadership; from the front with decisive actions. He continued to serve under General Pershing through World War I. Then, in 1917, he went to tank school, and in 1918 was put in charge of the 1st US Provisional Tank Brigade.
In 1919, Patton met Dwight D. Eisenhower, with whom he shared a correspondence in the inter-war period. In 1939, Patton requested an armored build up of the armed forces becoming an expert in tanks, able to complete 48 hours worth of maneuvers in only 9 hours. he also took part in operation Torch where he helped negotiate an armistice with the French.
Due to these great accomplishments, General Patton would lead the Phantom Army on D-day. He was considered the best American commander and therefore quintessencial to any planned invasion. The Allies used this to feed the Germans fake intelligence about Patton being named First United States Army Group and fake troop sightings reports. Using decoys, props, fake radio messages, and by having Patton keep a low profile, the Allies were able to keep some German troops at Pas de Calais waiting for Patton's army instead of near Normandy where the real invasion was happening.
I remember reading about Patton in one of the articles, and learning that he was a man who loved war. I think this connects with the information you found, about how Patton had specifically asked to be allowed to fight in the Pancho Villa Expedition, and even had an Army sword named after him. I also find it really interesting how essential misinformation and deception was for the success of the Allies on D-Day. Had they not kept some German troops away from Normandy, it's doubtful that they would have been able to succeed on D-Day.
ReplyDeleteA controversial figure to say the least. His doubts of ptsd and battle fatigue had certainly put him in a sour taste to many, but arguably, he was one of the main reasons that the allies were so successful in North Africa and France.
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