Rip them up the belly. . Patton was so harsh to everyone that during this time he got nicknamed "Old Blood and Guts". Thebilious bastards who write that kind of stuff for theSaturday Evening Post dont know any more about realfighting under fire than they know about f***ing! There is still a tendency in each separate unit . . Patton felt the loss of camaraderie and sense of purpose. . Now is not the time to follow God from afar off. This Army needs the assurance and the faith that God is with us. . Now lets cut the guts out of those Krauts and get the hell on to Berlin. He dragged his commander to a shallowcrater and bandaged his wound, which was bleeding profusely, whilethe Germans kept firing at their position. ), Patton also requested the help of the press corps in informing the Germans that four of his armored divisions were slashing away at them. . The German is a war-trained veteranconfident, brave, ruthless. George S. Patton was one of America's most famous and colorful generals. At twenty-nine, he was not yet a first lieutenant. Eisenhower graduated first in his class, presumably with some help from his friends insights and notebook. But the time is now to intensify our faith in prayer, not alone with ourselves, but with every believing man, Protestant, Catholic, Jew, or Christian in the ranks of the Third United States Army. . It would be better to attack as soon as Bradley could provide him with supplies. This is the full text of the speech Gen. Patton made prior to D-Day. To hell with themthey cant hit me! Severalsoldiers were struck down, but Patton refused to take cover. 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. Many elements of the speech were recycled over and over. . War is a bloody, killing business. Thisdeception caused the Germans to delay a counter-attack that mighthave crushed or seriously set back the Allied invasion. On March 23, 1945, Eisenhower wrote a warm letter to General Patton: I have frequently had occasion to state, publicly, my appreciation of the great accomplishments of this Allied force during the past nine months. One of his first acts as commanderhad been to build an amphitheater in the wooded hills of Fort Benningthat could accommodate the entire division. Patton and his men returned to camp with the corpses of the Villaists strapped over the hoods of their cars. One of his first acts as commanderhad been to build an amphitheater in the wooded hills of Fort Benningthat could accommodate the entire division. . 1938 July 1 Patton was promoted to the permanent rank of colonel. We must do something about those rains if we are to win the war.. 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. The publicity was not for meGod knows Ive got enoughI could go to heaven and St. Peter would recognize me right awaybut it is for the officers and the men. Patton then complained that the Marines go to town by reporting the number [of their men] killed, I always try to fight without getting [our] people killed.. Patton could, famously and frequently, swear up a storm. They werefaces of his ancestors. His voice was actually ratherhigh, certainly not the gravelly bass of George C. Scott in the Hollywoodmovie Patton. Battle is not a terrifying ordeal to be endured. Patton was thirty-two years old. The leadership had no interest in making room for a new weapon in the shrunken army. His aunt read to him three to four hours a day. In our next battle we shall, for the first time on this continent, have many thousands of Americans united in one command. 157 Copy quote I don't measure a man's success by how high he climbs but how high he bounces when he hits bottom. Following an old cavalry credo to theeffect you should always Hit em where they aint, he saidto us: You have to grab em by the[censored] and kick emin the [censored] . Beersheba and the surrounding country do not look too difficult, but certainly away from the wells the country is an absolute sand sea, and it is difficult to understand how Allenby ever moved a cavalry corps across it. 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. . He wrote to Pershing, reminding him that he was the only American who has ever made an attack in a motor vehicle8 (he was referring to the motorized ambush he had led in Mexico), that his fluency in French meant he could read French tank manuals and converse with and take instruction from French tank officers, that he was good with engines, and that as tanks were the new cavalry it was an appropriate branch for a cavalry officer like himself. On or about the fourteenth of December, 1944, General Patton called Chaplain ONeill, Third Army Chaplain, and myself into his office in Third Headquarters at Nancy. At the end of 1943, while Pattons commanders were deciding his fate, the allied leadersRoosevelt, Churchill, and Stalinmet in Tehran to discuss strategy for defeating Germany and plans for the postwar world. Know of nothing more I can do to prepare for this attack except to read the Bible and pray. He then commanding the U.S. tank school in France before being wounded while leading tanks into combat near the end of the war. We're going to murder those lousy Huns by the bushel-f***ing-basket. Gen. George S. Patton Jr. (1885-1945), a four-star U.S. general in full millitary dress. . . 'Old Blood and Guts', General Patton. May 12 Patton launched Operation Cowboy in Hostau, Czechoslovakia, rescuing 1,200 horses, including 375 of the Lipizzan breed, from potential Soviet slaughter. Upon completing his crossing over a pontoon bridge, he took some dirt on the far bank, emulating his favorite historical figure William the Conqueror. . 5. Great living is not all output of thought and work. November 10 Detailed to the Tank Service. There is still a tendency in each separate unit . Heres A Summary Of The Events, California Do not sell my personal information. 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. There were other faces and differentuniforms, dimmer in the distance, but with the same familyresemblance. General Patton was an intellectual warrior who obsessively studied every facet of warfare - while studying his Bible daily. The most interesting thing I saw is the library of the Knights of Malta. The admiring troops immediately dubbedhim the Green Hornet. . . Americans despise cowards. He commented at length on the four vows that each knight took upon induction into the order: on poverty, chastity, humility, and obedience. A man has to have intake as well. There were enough supplies, however, for one army. The general was as affected by the Crusader sights as he was the Biblical locations. The outcome of that battle, and possibly of the entire Allied war effort in Europe, would turn on the weather. His disarming smile charmed everyone who met him. From the Forum we got into the cars and drove to the Garden of Gethsemane, where there are still olive trees which just possibly may have been in existence at the time of the Crucifixion. Patton left the window, sat at his desk and leaned back in his swivel chair. George 'Blood and Guts' Patton. But we are not stopping at the Siegfried Line. It appears as a footnote in War As I Knew It, a book based on Pattons diaries and published in 1947, after his death. But it was not just a speech, it was a performance. 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. Patton lost his rank of colonel and reverted to captain. This is reflected in his many speeches but particularly his famous "Blood and Guts" speech where he addresses the men of the Third Army Division. The Third Armys sick rate equaled its battle casualty rate. June 11 Became Distinguished Graduate, Army War College. To beat such men, you must not despise their ability, but you must be confident in your own superiority. The Army Engineer was called in, and we finally decided that our field topographical company could print the prayer on a small-sized card, making enough copies for distribution to the army. The two men bonded over their shared military enthusiasm and love of strategy. . 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. . General Patton again called me to his office. All the men with riflesand helmets, the altar the back of a jeep. Perhaps most famous for his commanding of the 7th Army during World War II, Old "Blood and Guts" often gave rousing speeches to motivate, inspire, and educate his soldiers. I want a prayer.. In 1922 the United States military ranked seventeenth in size among nations with a standing army. General Patton : A Soldier's Life (2002) by Stanley P. Hirshson, . April 11 Patton was made the commanding officer of the 2nd Armored Division. General Patton is best known for leading the U.S. Third Army in France and Germany in the wake of the Allied invasion of Normandy in June 1944. For Gods sake, send some gasoline.. The order came directly from Patton himself. General Patton knew his entrance into German-occupied territory was of monumental historical importance. 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. Pray for victory. The official cause of death was pulmonary edema and congestive heart failure. The author/ speaker 2. Americans play towin all of the time. In April 1941 Patton, who had been acting commander of theSecond Armored Division for six months, was given permanentcommand and promoted to major general. Following an old cavalry credo to theeffect you should always Hit em where they aint, he saidto us: You have to grab em by the[censored] and kick emin the [censored] . Outside, the Chaplain said, Whew, thats a tough one! His head was encased in a tight-fitting leather helmet withgoggles. . . Please use this data for any reference citations. Thats why Americans havenever lost and will never lose a war; for the very idea oflosing is hateful to an American. . The public Patton was brash, self-confident, and boastful. 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. Foxholesonly slow up an offensive. George and I and a group of young officers thought . But General Patton could not control the weather, which affected weapons, aircraft, and the movement of troops. Either He will give us good weather or the bad weather will hurt the Germans more than it does us. In total, 3,200 copies were distributed over ONeills signature to every unit in the Third Army. Even the most enlightened of our politicians are blind and mad with self delusion. We believed . For the first twelve years of his life, Patton was educated at home. No one can live under the awful responsibility that I have without Divine help, he wrote. In the hospital, Pattons mood alternated between profanity-laced anger and black humor. November 14 Discharged from the hospital, sick in quarters. 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 . 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. . Alden Hatch's biography traces Patton's life from his California childhood to his accidental death in Germany shortly after the end of World War II. Chaplain, how much praying is being done in the Third Army? inquired the general. 20th Century Timeline Of World History: What Happened? The attack was set for December 19. Ike thought Patton to be a leader of men exemplar. . Im tired of these soldiers having to fight mud and floods as well as Germans. Since all these genealogies, covering the knights from sometime in 1100 to date, are preserved in the library, it gives the greatest historical family tree in the world. . Our bravery is too negative. That way I can keep firing my pistols! He made his way halfway across the bridge before suddenly halting. Each treated of a variety of subjects of corrective or training value to a chaplain working with troops in the field. Pattons prayers, however, reflected his deep and sincere faith in God. Shoot them in the guts. Eisenhower prepared to leak a story that General Patton had lost his commandbecause of displeasure at some of his indiscretions and thatthe main invasion of the continent was delayed by bad weather. Grant us fair weather for Battle. 2. Everyone offered congratulations and thanks and we got back to the business of killing Germanswith clear weather for battle. 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. George Smith Patton Jr. (November 11, 1885 - December 21, 1945) was a general in the United States Army who commanded the Seventh United States Army in the Mediterranean Theater of World War II, and the Third United States Army in France and Germany after the Allied invasion of Normandy in June 1944. He wrote to his wife from his hospital bed on 12 October 1918, saying, Peace looks possible, but I rather hope not for I would like to have a few more fights. Enough War for a Lifetime. 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! September 15 St. Mihiel Offensive was launched. Hands lifted up, said Bossuet, smash more battalions than hands that strike. Gideon of Bible fame was least in his fathers house. . Patton next prepared for the breakthrough to the River Rhine, a formidable natural obstacle to the invasion of Germany by the Allies. . One of the prisoners is Pattons son-in-law, John K. Waters. 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