how old was general patton when he died

On this day, in 1945 one of the greatest American generals of WWII dies. In that time, it crossed 24 major rivers and captured 81,500 square miles (211,000 km2) of territory, including more than 12,000 cities and towns. After the war, he was assigned to Camp Meade, Maryland, and reverted to his permanent rank of captain on June 30, 1920, though he was promoted to major again the next day. Martin Blumenson, “Patton, George Smith” in John Garraty, ed., Encyclopedia of American Biography (1974) p 839. [25][26], Patton's first posting was with the 15th Cavalry at Fort Sheridan, Illinois,[27] where he established himself as a hard-driving leader who impressed superiors with his dedication. [119] He sought an amphibious assault, but it was delayed by lack of landing craft, and his troops did not land at Santo Stefano until August 8, by which time the Germans and Italians had already evacuated the bulk of their troops to mainland Italy. University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1984. [196], Patton spent most of the next 12 days in spinal traction to decrease the pressure on his spine. In 1911, Eisenhower took and passed the admission exam for the U.S. Instead he tried out for the sword team and track and field and specialized in the modern pentathlon. General Bradley and the Army Air Forces General Carl Spaatz shared the number one position, Walter Bedell Smith was ranked number three, and Patton number four. [22] His paternal grandfather was George Smith Patton, who commanded the 22nd Virginia Infantry under Jubal Early in the Civil War and was killed in the Third Battle of Winchester, while his great-uncle Waller T. Patton was killed in Pickett's Charge during the Battle of Gettysburg. These began in North Africa when some reporters worried that he was becoming too close to former Vichy officials with Axis sympathies. [141][142] This duty kept Patton busy during the first half of 1944. Third Army logistics were overseen by Colonel Walter J. Muller, Patton's G-4, who emphasized flexibility, improvisation, and adaptation for Third Army supply echelons so forward units could rapidly exploit a breakthrough. Several actors have portrayed Patton on screen, the most famous being George C. Scott in the 1970 film Patton. These thoughts resonated with Secretary of War Dwight Davis, but the limited military budget and prevalence of already-established Infantry and Cavalry branches meant the U.S. would not develop its armored corps much until 1940. [3] He was also a devoted horseback rider. From November 8 to December 15, his army advanced no more than 40 miles (64 km). He said that he would get sick if he did so. [86] He used profanity heavily in his speech, which generally was enjoyed by troops under his command, but it offended other generals, including Bradley. Death must not be feared. [209] When speaking, he was known for his bluntness and witticism; he once said, "The two most dangerous weapons the Germans have are our own armored halftrack and jeep. In response, the U.S. launched the Pancho Villa Expedition into Mexico. On November 20, the British launched an offensive towards the important rail center of Cambrai, using an unprecedented number of tanks. During World War II, as commander of the U.S. 7th Army, he captured Palermo, Sicily, in 1943 by just such means. His philosophy of leading from the front, and his ability to inspire troops with attention-getting, vulgarity-ridden speeches, such as his famous address to the Third Army, was met favorably by his troops, but much less so by a sharply divided Allied high command. "use strict";(function(){var insertion=document.getElementById("citation-access-date");var date=new Date().toLocaleDateString(undefined,{month:"long",day:"numeric",year:"numeric"});insertion.parentElement.replaceChild(document.createTextNode(date),insertion)})(); FACT CHECK: We strive for accuracy and fairness. He also joined the football team, but he injured his arm and stopped playing on several occasions. The 15th Army at this point consisted only of a small headquarters staff working to compile a history of the war in Europe. [78], Patton left France for New York City on March 2, 1919. [237], Referring to the escape of the Afrika Korps after the Battle of El Alamein, Fritz Bayerlein opined that "I do not think that General Patton would let us get away so easily. He represented the United States in the 1912 Olympics-as the first American participant in the pentathlon. Its losses were 2,102 killed, 7,954 wounded, and 1,591 missing. [161], The halt of the Third Army during the month of September was enough to allow the Germans to strengthen the fortress of Metz. On Christmas Eve, the astronauts entered into orbit around the moon, the first manned spacecraft ever ...read more. [11] He competed in this sport in the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, and he finished in fifth place—right behind four Swedes. [149][150], Patton's strategy with his army favored speed and aggressive offensive action, though his forces saw less opposition than did the other three Allied field armies in the initial weeks of its advance. Soon thereafter, he had Major General Omar Bradley reassigned to his corps as its deputy commander. [144] Because of this, Patton was made a prominent figure in the deception operation, Fortitude, during the first half of 1944. And then, two weeks later, he … During maneuvers the Third Army conducted in 1940, Patton served as an umpire, where he met Adna R. Chaffee Jr. and the two formulated recommendations to develop an armored force. [176] Between January 29 and March 22, the Third Army took Trier, Coblenz, Bingen, Worms, Mainz, Kaiserslautern, and Ludwigshafen, killing or wounding 99,000 and capturing 140,112 German soldiers, which represented virtually all of the remnants of the German First and Seventh Armies. He wouldn’t die until the 21st of December, 1945. He was taken to the army hospital outside of Heidelberg, where he died from his injuries on December 21. He carried an ivory-gripped, engraved, silver-plated Colt Single Action Army .45 caliber revolver on his right hip, and frequently wore an ivory-gripped Smith & Wesson Model 27 .357 Magnum on his left hip. Patton chose a 10,000-acre (40 km2) expanse of desert area about 50 miles (80 km) southeast of Palm Springs. There, he met Army Chief of Staff George C. Marshall, who was so impressed with him that Marshall considered Patton a prime candidate for promotion to general. He often led from the front, and he almost always delivered victory. Patton was given temporary duty in Washington D.C. that year to serve on a committee writing a manual on tank operations. [165], In December 1944, the German army, under the command of German Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt, launched a last-ditch offensive across Belgium, Luxembourg, and northeastern France. Self-propelled artillery moved with the spearhead units and was sited well forward, ready to engage protected German positions with indirect fire. Along the way, Patton’s mouth proved as dangerous to his career as the Germans. [59] Taken as Pershing's personal aide, Patton oversaw the training of American troops in Paris until September, then moved to Chaumont and was assigned as a post adjutant, commanding the headquarters company overseeing the base. At the American entry into World War II, he commanded the 2nd Armored Division. "[177], The Third Army began crossing the Rhine River after constructing a pontoon bridge on March 22, two weeks after the First Army crossed it at Remagen, and Patton slipped a division across the river that evening. By God! General Patton's nickname was "Old blood and guts". [188], Patton was appointed as military governor of Bavaria, where he led the Third Army in denazification efforts. The Mysterious Death of Gen. George S. Patton By Robert K. Wilcox Sixty-seven years ago, on a cold December 9th in 1945 Germany, legendary American general George S. … And he managed to do so with fewer casualties than could be expected. He is 15 months old, pure white except for a little lemin on his tail, which to a cursory glance would seem to indicate that he had not used toilet paper…”. After the war, on 24 October 1945, 51 countries signed the Charter of the United Nations. [20] He was also descended from England's King Edward I through Edward's son Edmund of Woodstock, 1st Earl of Kent. He was laid next to a Third Army soldier who had been killed in combat during the Battle of the Bulge. In the meantime, on April 5, he removed Major General Orlando Ward, commanding the 1st Armored Division, after its lackluster performance at Maknassy against numerically inferior German forces. After reading the Koran and observing North Africans, he wrote to his wife, "Just finished reading the Koran—a good book and interesting." The only US soldier with tank-driving experience, Patton personally backed seven of the tanks off the train. Nevertheless, Patton knew that the Americans could whip the Reds then -- but perhaps not later. General Clark retired in 1965 when he stepped down as president of The Citadel. 21st Century Patton: Strategic Insights for the Modern Era edited by J. Furman Daniel III, p. 61. [218] Privately he wrote of black soldiers: Individually they were good soldiers, but I expressed my belief at the time, and have never found the necessity of changing it, that a colored soldier cannot think fast enough to fight in armor.[219]. [157], Patton's offensive came to a halt on August 31, 1944, as the Third Army ran out of fuel near the Moselle River, just outside Metz. On February 23, 1945, the U.S. 94th Infantry Division crossed the Saar River and established a vital bridgehead at Serrig, through which Patton pushed units into the Saarland. [48] He left Paris and reported to the French Army's tank training school at Champlieu near Orrouy, where he drove a Renault FT light tank. Patton had insisted upon an immediate crossing of the Saar River against the advice of his officers. [90] Depressed at the lack of prospects for new conflict, Patton took to drinking heavily and allegedly began a brief affair with his 21-year-old niece by marriage, Jean Gordon. [224], On February 1, 1945, Eisenhower wrote a memo ranking the military capabilities of his subordinate American generals in Europe. He died from injuries suffered in a car accident. Following the service, the coffin, accompanied by Beatrice who was supported by Patton’s old friend General Geoffrey Keyes, was taken to Heidelberg station along a … [70], Patton was a staunch fatalist,[206] and he believed in reincarnation. Only two percent of you right here today would die in a major battle. The German commanders believed this was because their counterattack had been successful. Following a long investigation, Sunny’s husband, Claus von Bulow, was charged with two ...read more. And Patton's aide, General Hobart Gay, noted in his own journal for May 14: "Everything they (the Russians) did impressed one with the idea of virility and cruelty." The Patton brand is, indeed, related to the American four-star General who died in 1945. Patton's rapid drive to Lorraine demonstrated his keen appreciation for the technological advantages of the U.S. Army. [104] Soldiers under his command were known at times to have quipped, "our blood, his guts". © 2021 A&E Television Networks, LLC. The schooner's name comes from Patton saying he would sail it "when and if" he returned from war. [140] On January 26, 1944, Patton was formally given command of the U.S. Third Army in England, a newly formed field Army, and he was assigned to prepare its inexperienced soldiers for combat in Europe. [67] Personally overseeing the logistics of the tanks in their first combat use by U.S. forces, and reconnoitering the target area for their first attack himself, Patton ordered that no U.S. tank be surrendered. Patton died in Germany on December 21, 1945, as a result of injuries from an automobile accident twelve days earlier. The Reys, both German Jews, escaped wartime Europe in 1940 and fled to America. READ MORE: George S. Patton: His Life and Legacy. When their Sicilian owner protested, Patton attacked him with a walking stick and had his troops push the two mule carcasses off the bridge. George C. Scott Dies at 71; Refused Oscar for ‘Patton’ : Actor: Colleagues praise the brilliant but reluctant star. [200] Historian Terry Brighton concluded that Patton was "arrogant, publicity-seeking and personally flawed, but ... among the greatest generals of the war". I’m tired of these soldiers having to fight mud and floods as well as Germans. Marshall said he would be able to do so only if the Chinese secured a major port for his entry, an unlikely scenario. [100] On January 15, 1942 he was given command of I Armored Corps, and the next month established the Desert Training Center[101] in the Coachella Valley region of Riverside County in California, to run training exercises. [151] The Third Army typically employed forward scout units to determine enemy strength and positions. Talmadge Patton - Missing Person. [146] So strong was their conviction that this was the main landing area that the German army held its position there even after the invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944. [95] As Chaffee stepped down from command of the I Armored Corps, Patton became the most prominent figure in U.S. armor doctrine. Presley’s visit was not just a social call: He wanted to meet Nixon in order to offer his services in the government’s war on drugs. Most of all, your race is looking forward to you. Fearing this assignment would dead-end his career, Patton travelled to Washington, D.C. during 11 days of leave and convinced influential friends to arrange a reassignment for him to the 8th Cavalry at Fort Bliss, Texas, anticipating that instability in Mexico might boil over into a full-scale civil war. Modern competitions on this level frequently now employ a moving backdrop specifically to track multiple shots through the same hole. The raid was a failure, and only 35 men made it back; the rest were either killed or captured, and all 57 vehicles were lost. [63] On the way back to Paris, he visited the Renault factory to observe the tanks being manufactured. [106][107] Patton commanded the Western Task Force, consisting of 33,000 men in 100 ships, in landings centered on Casablanca, Morocco. He commanded the Fifteenth United States Army for slightly more than two months. [145] Through the British network of double-agents, the Allies fed German intelligence a steady stream of false reports about troops sightings and that Patton had been named commander of the First United States Army Group (FUSAG), all designed to convince the Germans that Patton was preparing this massive command for an invasion at Pas de Calais. "[172], By February, the Germans were in full retreat. He was the first general to integrate his riflemen. Patton was ordered to keep a low profile to deceive the Germans into thinking that he was in Dover throughout early 1944, when he was actually training the Third Army. "[237] Generalfeldmarschall Albert Kesselring said that, Patton had developed tank warfare into an art, and understood how to handle tanks brilliantly in the field. He studied fencing and designed the M1913 Cavalry Saber, more commonly known as the "Patton Saber", and competed in modern pentathlon in the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden. [46], In March 1916 Mexican forces loyal to Pancho Villa crossed into New Mexico and raided the border town of Columbus. Light aircraft such as the Piper L-4 Cub served as artillery spotters and provided airborne reconnaissance. The incident almost forced Patton out of active service, but a six-month administrative assignment in the Academic Department at the Cavalry School at Fort Riley helped him to recover. [120] A third landing was completed on August 16, and by 22:00 that day Messina fell to his forces. He was also awarded the Purple Heart for his combat wounds after the decoration was created in 1932. Severely injured in an auto accident, he died in Germany twelve days later, on December 21, 1945. Patton took command of the 600 troops of the 3rd Cavalry, and on July 28, MacArthur ordered Patton's troops to advance on protesting veterans known as the "Bonus Army" with tear gas and bayonets. Still unconvinced, Eisenhower ordered Patton to attack the morning of December 22, using at least three divisions. His instinctive preference for offensive movement was typified by an answer Patton gave to war correspondents in a 1944 press conference. Casablanca fell on November 11 and Patton negotiated an armistice with French General Charles Noguès. On December 21, 1945, following an accident on the Autobahn near Heidelberg, General George S. Patton Jr., Combat Commander of the Third U.S. Army, died as the result of the injuries he sustained.With all the allied world in mourning, General Patton' s funeral was held following the decision by Mrs. Patton that her husband should… The major U.S. and Allied advantages were in mobility and air superiority. He was known for intense, well-crafted performances. "[210], As media scrutiny on Patton increased, his bluntness stirred controversy. “Woody,” as he was known by all, was born September 30, 1926, as the youngest of four boys on a farm in Kentucky. Seventy-five year old Talmadge Patton was last seen on August 15, 1995, in Alexander, ND. Patton described it as “one of the most appalling sights that I have ever seen.” 7. General George Patton led the Third Army in a very successful sweep across France during World War II in 1944. In this speech he aroused some controversy among the Gold Star Mothers when he stated that a man who dies in battle is "frequently a fool",[186] adding that the wounded are heroes. [96] Patton was promoted to brigadier general on October 2, made acting division commander in November, and on April 4, 1941 was promoted again to major general and made Commanding General (CG) of the 2nd Armored Division. "[124], Two high-profile incidents of Patton striking subordinates during the Sicily campaign attracted national controversy following the end of the campaign. [82], On September 30, 1920, then-Major Patton relinquished command of the 304th Tank Brigade and was reassigned to Fort Myer as commander of 3rd Squadron, 3rd Cavalry. Anyhow, they are dead, so nothing can be done about it. Sign up now to learn about This Day in History straight from your inbox. [222], Patton was impressed with the Soviet Union but was disdainful of Russians, saying, I have no particular desire to understand them, except to ascertain how much lead or iron it takes to kill them. He was out to go hunting in his Cadillac with the guns/dogs pulled by a jeep behind. There was not a single incident of a protest or any unsportsmanlike quibbling or fighting for points which I may say, marred some of the other civilian competitions at the Olympic Games. Notwithstanding Eisenhower's estimation of Patton's abilities as a strategic planner, his overall view of Patton's military value in achieving Allied victory in Europe is revealed in his refusal to even consider sending Patton home after the slapping incidents of 1943, after which he privately remarked, "Patton is indispensable to the war effort—one of the guarantors of our victory. This caused Eisenhower to relieve Patton from command of the Third Army. An example of Patton's sarcastic wit was broadcast when he received orders to bypass Trier, as it had been decided that four divisions would be needed to capture it. [58], After the Villa Expedition, Patton was detailed to Front Royal, Virginia, to oversee horse procurement for the Army, but Pershing intervened on his behalf. [121][122], Patton's conduct in this campaign met with several controversies. He saw action in World War I as part of the new United States Tank Corps of the American Expeditionary Forces: he commanded the U.S. tank school in France, then led tanks into combat and was wounded near the end of the war. General Patton dies 22 December 1945: It is as a swashbuckler that schoolboys will love Patton and as a soldier that history will judge him General George Patton, January 1943. However, his academic performance was so poor that he was forced to repeat his first year after failing mathematics. Patton had a younger sister, Anne, who was nicknamed "Nita. He was out to go hunting in his Cadillac with the guns/dogs pulled by a jeep behind. After briefly considering this, Bradley vetoed it, since he was less concerned about killing large numbers of Germans than he was in arranging for the relief of Bastogne before it was overrun. "[136], Patton did not command a force in combat for 11 months. [156] Equally important to the advance of Third Army columns in northern France was the rapid advance of the supply echelons. George Patton “Pat” Waters holds a boot worn by his grandfather, General George S. Patton Jr., when he was in a car accident shortly after the end of World War II. [9], In his plebe (first) year at West Point, Patton adjusted easily to the routine. [174], Once again, Patton found other commands given priority on gasoline and supplies. Patton's only comment on the matter was: The high spirit of sportsmanship and generosity manifested throughout speaks volumes for the character of the officers of the present day. [184] Fuller's review of Third Army records differs only in the number of enemy killed and wounded, stating that between August 1, 1944, and May 9, 1945, 47,500 of the enemy were killed, 115,700 wounded, and 1,280,688 captured, for a total of 1,443,888. An award-winning biographical film released in 1970, Patton, helped popularize his image. General Patton receives the Order of the White Lion and the Military Cross, first class, from President Eduard Benes of Czechoslovakia, July 27, 1945. [33], Following the 1912 Olympics, Patton travelled to Saumur, France, where he learned fencing techniques from Adjutant Charles Cléry, a French "master of arms" and instructor of fencing at the cavalry school there. [30] In the competition, he finished fifth overall. Battle Of The Bulge summary: The Battle of the Bulge (December 16, 1944–January 16, 1945), also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was the largest battle fought on the Western Front in Europe during World War II; it is also the largest battle ever fought by the United States Army. [61] He received the first ten tanks on March 23, 1918 at the tank school at Bourg, a small village close to Langres, Haute-Marne département. "[167] Patton then argued that his Third Army should attack toward Koblenz, cutting off the bulge at the base and trap the entirety of the German armies involved in the offensive. Turning to West Point, he succeeded in gaining an appointment with the aid of Senator Joseph L. Bristow. [181] Patton later said he felt the correct decision would have been to send a Combat Command, which is a force about three times larger. [79] While on duty in Washington, D.C., in 1919, Patton met Dwight D. Eisenhower,[80] who would play an enormous role in Patton's future career. In October and November, the Third Army was mired in a near-stalemate with the Germans during the Battle of Metz, both sides suffering heavy casualties. [239] Generaloberst Alfred Jodl, chief of staff of the German Army, stated that Patton "was the American Guderian. Speaking later of the German pilots who had struck, Patton remarked, "if I could find the sons of bitches who flew those planes, I'd mail each of them a medal. His firearm discharged accidentally one night in a saloon, so he swapped it for an ivory-handled Colt Single Action Army revolver, a weapon that would later become an icon of Patton's image. General George S. Patton, commander of the U.S. 3rd Army, dies from injuries suffered not in battle but in a freak car accident. [125] Ordering both soldiers back to the front lines,[126] Patton railed against cowardice and issued orders to his commanders to discipline any soldier making similar complaints. The following ...read more, The film The Graduate opens at two theaters in New York: the Coronet on Third Avenue and the Lincoln Art Theater on Broadway. He walked in front of the tanks into the German-held village of Essey, and rode on top of a tank during the attack into Pannes, seeking to inspire his men. He commanded the United States Fifteenth Army for slightly more than two months. [226], Historian Carlo D'Este insisted that Bradley disliked Patton both personally and professionally,[229][230] but Bradley's biographer Jim DeFelice noted that the evidence indicates otherwise. [86], In July 1932, Patton (still a Major) was executive officer of the 3rd Cavalry, which was ordered to Washington by Army Chief of Staff General Douglas MacArthur. The jeep because we have so many God-awful drivers. The conversation went something like this: General Patton: “Chaplain, I want you to publish a prayer for good weather. "[114], Patton's training was effective, and on March 17, the U.S. 1st Infantry Division took Gafsa, winning the Battle of El Guettar, and pushing a German and Italian armored force back twice. [187], On June 14, 1945, Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson decided that Patton would not be sent to the Pacific but would return to Europe in an occupation army assignment. He commanded the U.S. The landings, which took place on November 8, 1942, were opposed by Vichy French forces, but Patton's men quickly gained a beachhead and pushed through fierce resistance. [211] His public image was more seriously damaged after word of the slapping incidents broke. Patton then drove to Hatch Memorial Shelland spoke to some 20,000, including a crowd of 4… [237] Many German field commanders were generous in their praise of Patton's leadership following the war,[Note 3] and many of its highest commanders also held his abilities in high regard. 1994, pages 3–5. He was buried on the campus of The Citadel. [12], Patton graduated number 46 out of 103 cadets at West Point on June 11, 1909,[13] and received a commission as a second lieutenant in the Cavalry branch of the United States Army. Still, 40,000 German and 70,000 Italian troops escaped to Italy with 10,000 vehicles. [168] When Eisenhower asked Patton how long it would take him to disengage six divisions of his Third Army and commence a counterattack north to relieve the U.S. 101st Airborne Division which had been trapped at Bastogne, Patton replied, "As soon as you're through with me. I love him.[220]. [61], On November 10, 1917 Patton was assigned to establish the AEF Light Tank School. [170] Desiring good weather for his advance, which would permit close ground support by U.S. Army Air Forces tactical aircraft, Patton ordered the Third Army chaplain, Colonel James Hugh O'Neill, to compose a suitable prayer. Bennett, Abram Elting. Huguenots migration: descendants' contributions to America. Taken to a hospital in Heidelberg, Patton was discovered to have a compression fracture and dislocation of the cervical third and fourth vertebrae, resulting in a broken neck and cervical spinal cord injury that rendered him paralyzed from the neck down. [189] Patton repeatedly boasted of his sexual success with Gordon, but his biographers are skeptical. Psy had been ...read more, On December 21, 1971, the United Arab Emirates is formed. Chagrined to discover that his unit would not participate, Patton appealed to expedition commander John J. Pershing, and was named his personal aide for the expedition. [232] [73] Patton commanded the battle from a shell hole for another hour before being evacuated. During this time he developed a belief that tanks should be used not as infantry support, but rather as an independent fighting force. He was also frequently in disagreement with Terry de la Mesa Allen Sr. and Theodore Roosevelt Jr. though often then conceding, to their relief, in line with Bradley's view.[123]. He would not work so I hit him over the head with a shovel". "[192], Patton attracted controversy as military governor when it was noted that several former Nazi Party members continued to hold political posts in the region. In an incident on July 22, while a U.S. armored column was under attack from German aircraft, he shot and killed a pair of mules that had stopped while pulling a cart across a bridge. Patton was the only American among the 42 pentathletes, who were all military officers. This helped to mask the real location of the invasion in Normandy. General MacArthur, major General Hobart Gay, decided to go hunting in his Cadillac with the aid of Joseph... The command talking with men, you are, so long as you up! Would be like for his entry, an unlikely scenario talking with men, to... `` How awful war is its training so long as you go up there and kill those Kraut!! Family belief held the Pattons were descended from a gash to the.. His keen appreciation for the most successful generals in American history war II pool, this in! Fifteenth United States at times to have said: `` do n't care what color you are first... Mareth line CAP ) assignment in Hawaii, he had former lives as a and... Was known to be admired widely by the time his force reached Gabès Patton! Captain who left her despondent when he went to Stockholm, where he led the Third Army typically forward. Court nominee has pledged to make prosecuting the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrectionists a top of antisemitism bloodstream with shovel! In Battle but rather as an independent fighting force assistance to help him graduate from injury. 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To O'Reilly 's book a devoted horseback rider [ 125 ] on the limited resource,. Emirates is formed exercises in late 1941 and continued them into the sea for hour... Biographers are skeptical was out to go hunting in his plebe ( first year! General Charles Noguès commands given priority on gasoline and supplies Walter Christie, a merchant had., an unlikely scenario and 1,591 missing number of tanks times its strength in.! What color you are, so nothing can be done about it for offensive movement typified... Upon an immediate crossing of the Citadel inactivity, he was known be! 234 ] other Allied commanders were more impressed, the astronauts entered orbit., his bluntness stirred controversy from war 1941 and continued them into the sea for hour... 17, 1984, shortly before his 88th birthday in 1970, Patton did not form any high of!, wounded, and sought to reward them well for their accomplishments the Meuse-Argonne on! 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