George S. Patton is a legendary World War II general, but much of his character as a military man was formed in the Great War. But they also shared an intricate web of relationships going back decades. See if we cant get God to work on our side., Chaplain ONeill: Sir, its going to take a pretty thick rug for that kind of praying., General Patton: I dont care if it takes a flying carpet. . Let the Germans do that. Every manis a vital link in the great chain. Enough War for a Lifetime. One codex dating from 1420 and depicting the life of Saint Anthony, who spent his time being pursued by devils in the form of beautiful women, was particularly interesting to me because in one of the pictures it showed an armorers shop in which suits of armor, varying in date from early 1100 to 1400, were hung up for sale just as one hangs up clothes in a pawnshop. Leading an expedition of three cars and ten men whose mission was to buy corn for the soldiers in camp, he organized an impromptu raid that netted him one of Pancho Villas officers and two banditos shot down in a gunfightPatton armed with revolver and rifle. Pray by night and pray by day. If hesays hes not, hes a liar. We straight-arm, and go around, anddodge, and go around . Despite his many successes, his aggressive, colorful personal style and his temper often caused issues with his superiors. Keep moving. As usual, he was dressed stunningly, and his six-foot-two powerfully built physique made an unforgettable silhouette against the great window. December 10 Patton served as Commanding Officer, 3d Cavalry, Fort Myer, Virginia. When armyand navy personnel rushed up to see him, Patton stood and delivered a short impromptu speech: Im proud to be here to fight beside you. . But he was only as good as the company in which he fought. Apparently the discredit consisted of other knights cheering him on. . You mean across the Rhine? Sure am, Patton replied, I sneaked a division over last night. . I want the world to know Third Army made it before Monty starts across, he shouted. The year after the publication of War As I Knew It, Monsignor ONeill felt compelled to write his own account of the prayers origin, which was published in The Military Chaplain magazine as The True Story of the Patton Prayer. ONeill complained that the footnote on the Prayer by Colonel Paul D. Harkins. November 10 Detailed to the Tank Service. That way I can keep firing my pistols! Does the general mean by chaplains, or by the men? asked ONeill. . Wood replied, We dont want to waste youngsters of your sort in the service of foreign nations. On February 14, 1943, Rommels Tenth and Twenty-first Panzer Divisions of the Afrika Korps launched an attack against the U.S. position. Both chaplains and men are removed from a special building with a steeple. In his invasion of Russia in 1812, Napoleon was unprepared for Russias brutal climate, and thousands of his soldiers perished in the severe winter. 62 of 70 found this interesting | Share this 3. To be successful, Patton believed, a man must plan, work hard, and pray. Look at the weather. The admiring troops immediately dubbedhim the Green Hornet. And dontgive the enemy time to dig one either. This was particularly true before 1800, when the knights had a sort of stranglehold on the privateering business in the Mediterranean and used their hatred for the Turks as a means of veiling their personally conducted piracy against Turks and against anyone else whom they could catch. Patton was a fine leader, a great general, but he didn't do politics well. 1905 June 5 Patton turned back to repeat initial year. But as a devout Christianwhatever the profanity in his speeches suggested otherwisehe couldnt help but be moved by walking in the footsteps ofJesus. We are brave. That is not the way to win battles. The real hero is the man whofights even though he is scared . . Now, I want you to remember that no bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. . Loading. . . . We disregard the lessons of HistoryThe red fate of Carthage; the Rome of shame under the Praetorian guardand we go on regardless of the VITAL necessity of trained patriotismHIRING an army . The knights also had to take four vowsPoverty, Chastity, Humility, and Obedience. The leadership had no interest in making room for a new weapon in the shrunken army. Either He will give us good weather or the bad weather will hurt the Germans more than it does us. The purpose of this note is to express to you personally my deep appreciation of the splendid way in which you have conducted Third Army operations from the moment it entered battle last August 1. On October 22, 1944, Patton met with his commander, General Omar Bradley, and Bradleys chief of staff to discuss plans for taking the French city of Metz and then pushing east into the Saar River Valley, a center of Germanys armaments industry. Patton personally oversaw the logistics of the tanks in their first combat use by American forces. Children of a free and sheltered people who have lived a generous life, we have not the pugnacious disposition of those oppressed beasts our enemies, who must fight or starve. In this sense, prayer was no different from training, leadership, technology, or firepower. 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! Keep moving. But we must urge, instruct, and indoctrinate every fighting man to pray as well as fight. On December 9, 1945, Patton was returning from a pheasant hunt with his chief of staff, Major General Hobart Hap Gay. He took an interest in tanks and studied this emerging form of mobile weaponry with intensity. . He was a communicant of the Episcopal Church, but he studied the Koran and the Bhagavad Gita. He speaks and reads in script nine languages, so he is perfectly capable of translating the valuable collection of manuscripts in the library. A common GI saying about Patton was, "our blood, his guts." The general's low point came in August 1943 when he slapped two shell-shocked soldiers under his command for crying. These rains are that margin that holds defeat or victory. All men are afraid in battle. He also faced uncertainty about his career in peacetime. Patton spent his years after the war going from base to base as a control officer for mechanized maneuvers as a brigadier general. The author/ speaker 2. Blood, Guts, and Grease, to capture the younger, less known company and field grade officer before his daring exploits as a general officer in World . 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. 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.. I got a medal for charging at the enemy, butI have had to spend a lot of time explaining how I gotshot in the behind! Both men were commanding tank units. He soon learned that hewas to lead the Third Army and that his first responsibility was toclear the Brest peninsula of Germans. I want a prayer.. 2. . His path to the numerous monumental events that he experienced there began after he finished atWest Point. Foxholesonly slow up an offensive. At the time of his speech, he was a full general (four stars), as evidenced by his helmet. The sudden transition from the highly-charged experience of combat, where one is com-manding men in life-or-death situations, to domestic tranquility can be jarring and difficult. The Chaplain preached a sermon on sacrifice and the usual bull, so as I put the wreath at the foot of the flagpole, I said, I consider it no sacrifice to die for my country. Whenat last the men got five tanks across the breach, Patton exhorted themto advance again, yelling and cursing and waving his walking stick. Although he was a part of the first war, he is more known for his victories in the Second World War. 1941 April 4 Patton was promoted to the temporary rank of major general. Those who knew both men at this early stage of their military careers had the feeling that George Patton would achieve greatness. His active military duty lasted from 1909 to 1945. 4. In order to be a Knight of Malta, it was necessary to have sixteen crosses of nobility, so that when anyone came up to be a knight, he had to present his genealogy, which was then studied by a college of heralds, and, if proven correct, permitted to join. 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? All realAmericans love the sting and clash of battle. In the days of chivalry, the golden age of our profession, knights (officers) were noted as well for courtesy and being gentle benefactors of the weak and oppressed. All realAmericans love the sting and clash of battle. All rights reserved. He valued these machines, ordering that no U.S. be surrendered. On November 7, 1942, there was a storm but it stopped at 1600. So he decided to imitate William the Conquerors entrance into England before leading Norman forces in their heroic conquest of the entire island in 1066. You can also buy the book by clicking on the buttons to the left. This article is part of our larger selection of postsabout the George S. Patton. So Patton sat down at his desk, signed the card, and returned it to ONeill. This war is where he brought forth the new strategy 1013 Words 3 Pages Better Essays Preview George Patton Americans love to fight, traditionally. . merican R hetoric: M ovie S peech. Gen. George S. Patton's Speech to the U.S. Third Army - Killing Patton: The Strange Death of World War II's Most Audacious General - by Bill O'Reilly - Hardcover - September 23, 2014 - General George S. Patton, Jr. died under mysterious circumstances in the months following the end of World War II - Education materials - Historical Books - History of World Wars - World War II General James Rusling, "Interview with President William McKinley," The Christian Advocate 22 January 1903, 17. Part of our passion was our belief in tanksa belief derided at the time by others.The two men shared a detailed knowledge of the mechanical workings of tanks and an appreciation of their potential strategic uses beyond mere assistance to the infantry. I wouldnt give a hoot in hell for aman who lost and laughed. We want this war over with. . . Uncertain of the role, if any, he might play in the coming invasion of Europe, Patton took a sightseeing trip to the Holy Land and Malta. To ensure that his order was carried out, he spent the bitterly cold day driving from one unit to another. It lives, sleeps, eats, and fights as ateam. . I agree with the man they call "Old Blood and Guts." Patton's military strategy centered on aggressive, energetic advancement: a focus on ceaseless drive; a belief that "There would be . He is remembered for his heroic march to halt the Nazi's December 1944 offensive in the Battle of the Bulge and also for slapping Sergeant Charles Kuhl and Private Paul Bennett, August 1943, for cowardice while they were in an army hospital. Without their loyalty, intelligence, and unremitting labors, success would have been impossible. Thetrouser legs were skinny and shoved into his black, laced-up fieldboots. The shortest way home isthrough Berlin and Tokyo. . He stood up, grabbed his walking stick, and turned to the soldiersbehind him. 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. Eisenhower, on the other hand, was usually underrated, his easygoing manner masking a burning ambition. I want to pin a medal on him.. Prior to World War II, Patton was posted to Fort Myer in Virginia, near Washington, D.C. A regular churchgoer, he summoned thechaplain and bluntly told him that his sermons were too long. Back home, he wrote an article that led to the 1913 redesign of the U.S. Cavalry saber. Another codex which was interesting was one of the original printings of the Bible, using wood type. The Allies were really fighting three enemies, Patton told Bradleythe Germans, time, and the weather. She bore him two daughters and a son. As a career military man, Patton couldnt help but be fascinated by theircustoms. It was soon knownas the Patton Bowl. The earliest versions of his soon-to-be-famousblood and guts speeches were delivered there. In union there is strength! According to St. Paul, Thelast enemy that shall be destroyed is death. More accurately, reflectedPatton, the last enemy that shall be destroyed is fear of death. He followed his tanks into combat, even helping to dig a path for them through two trenches (and whacking a recalcitrant soldier over the head with a shovel). 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. 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". A passionate belief in the crucial role that tanks could play in the future and the will to make it happen seemed to sustain both men during this period. The turning point of World War II. The coward is the one who lets his fear overcome his sense of duty. On the night of March 22, 1945, elements of the Third Army crossed the Rhine at the German town of Oppenheim. When he first arrives in North Africa at the beginning of the film, he is just receiving his promotion to lieutenant general (three stars), which he remains until April 14, 1945, less than a month from V-E day. After two hours, Pattons tankers and the 138th Regiment of theThirty-fifth Division subdued the Germans and seized the village ofCheppy. Patton sent Ike a congratulatory note , remarking that while he was pleased to think that his notes had been of some assistance, I feel sure that you would have done as well without them. It is likely, though, that Patton felt that his notes were the primary reason for Eisenhowers success at the college. But Patton could look to more recent lessons about weather and battle. . In the autumn of 1919, he was introduced toEisenhower, known to his friends as Ike. General George S. Patton himself would most certainly have approved of 10-year-old Rohn Zenner's recital of his famous "Blood and Guts" speech in front of veterans, family members and. George S. Patton (November 11, 1885-December 21, 1945) was an American Army general noted for winning battles in World Wars I and II. Prayer out here is difficult. He credited her strength of character with strengthening his own. Two weeks later, General Patton took over command of II Corps from Fre-dendall and wrote this letter to the troops now under his command: All of us have been in battle. 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. 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. 1885 November 11 Patton was born in San Gabriel, Los Angeles County, California. A United Press correspondent reported: Patton was buried in what he himself once called damned poor tank country and damned bad weather. But he was buried in precision-like military ceremony, touched by pomp and tendered by grief. I do not want to be hitthere again. By God, I do! Here he wrote much of the Knights of Malta and the rules of their order. If the band played a piece first with the piccolo, then withthe brass horn, then with the clarinet, and then withthe trumpet, there would be a hell of a lot of noise butno music. Contains Profanity. The crossguard and the shape of the blade were correct. 1944 March 26 Task Force Baum heads out for Hammelburg to liberate the prisoner of war camp there. Ed - December 21, 2016. The following day General Patton arrived at the pontoon bridge his engineers had constructed over the Rhine. 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.. Under Pershings command, Every horse and man was fit; weaklings had gone; baggage was still at the minimum, and discipline was perfect. Pattons speeches typically included humor, almost always profaneand often self-deprecatory: I do not know of a better way to die than to be facingthe enemy. He felt that love was all around him, like a subdued light. Beatrices dinner was interrupted when the nurse suddenly noticed that Patton had stopped breathing. . December 21 Patton passed away from pulmonary embolism as the result of an automobile accident. We have had no quitters; and our leadership has been masterful. Trusted by his troops and feared by the enemy, General George Patton was one of America's most dynamic--and controversial--war commanders. . Once the fighting in Europe ended in May 1945, Patton was denied a . I dont yield to any man in my reverence to the Lord, but God damn it, no sermon needs to take longer than ten minutes. Getty Images. Americans love to fight, traditionally. Were going tomurder those lousy Hun bastards by the bushel-f***ingbasket. Americans love to fight, traditionally. We must march together, all out for God. . He led the tanks from the front during the march to the Battle of Saint-Miheil, and walked in front of the into the German-held village of Essey in order to inspire his men. His strength lay not in his military might, but in his recognition of Gods proper claims upon his life. He attended the West Point Military Academy but along with his friend, Courtney Hodges, was forced to leave after a year because of poor test results. . With that the general rose from his chair, indicating that the meeting was concluded, and ONeill returned to his office to prepare the training letter Patton had requested. General Patton is best known for leadingtheU.S. Third ArmyinFrance and Germany in the wake of the Alliedinvasion of Normandyin June 1944. 1912 June 14 Patton sailed for Europe to participate in the Olympic Games in Stockholm, Sweden. Outside, the Chaplain said, Whew, thats a tough one! . The film concerns Patton as he leads the American forces during World War II. Distribution was completed on December 11 and 12. . Some men are cowards but theyfight the same as the brave men or they get the hellslammed out of them watching other men fight who arejust as scared as they are. He ranked Bradley and Army Air Force GeneralCarl Spaatz atnumber one, with Walter Bedell Smith number two. 1925 March 4 Patton sailed from New York to Hawaii on the Army Transport ship Chateau-Thierry going through the Panama Canal. 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