Lt. Gen. Patton

As U.S. armored forces expanded, so did Patton's responsibilities. He was given command of the 1st U.S. Armored Corps. While plans for the Allied invasion of North Africa progressed early in 1942, Patton was sent to the American southwest to train his tankers for desert warfare. Patton drove the tankers hard, sometimes expecting them to go without sleep for 3-6 hours, but they learned their craft. His tankers would be used to deliver the first American jolt to the Germans.

In November 1942, Patton and his men participated in the invasion of North Africa. Before an assault by Patton's tanks proved necessary, the French surrendered. As much as Patton loved battle, he was happy not to have to fight his old friends the French. Both the French and the Sultan of Morocco were impressed by Patton's style, which helped gain their cooperation after the American forces had occupied Morocco.

Audio of Patton to his troops on the way to Morocco (RealPlayer)

After the disastrous American defeat at the Kasserine Pass, General Dwight Eisenhower believed a hard driver was needed to recoup American morale and force back the Germans. He promoted Patton to lieutenant general and put him in charge of the Second Corps, which had suffered the defeat.

Patton's first job was to restore the morale and discipline of his dispirited troops. He began at the bottom by mandating strict enforcement of military rules governing hygiene and attire. Also, officers in the 2nd Corps were ordered to set an example for their troops by leading them to the front, rather than safely from the rear.

According to Patton, “A man of diffident manner will never inspire confidence.”

Patton's hard-nosed discipline and flamboyance succeeded in "waking up" his men and won their respect. He always wore his ivory-handled revolvers and medals because he was a great showman, and partly because having his men see all the trappings of rank let them know that they were commanded by a fighting general.

Patton knew that loyalty to a leader would inspire men to take on objectives against all odds. His troops proved this theory correct again and again. Within a few months of taking over the Second Corps, Patton had galvanized them. By March 1943 their counteroffensive had pushed the Germans back. Patton's British arch-rival Montgomery hit the Germans from the East.

In recognition of his accomplishments, Patton was given command of the new U.S. Seventh Army in April 1943. He threw himself into training his new command for the amphibious invasion of Sicily. When the invasion was launched, Patton's Seventh Army was given the job of liberating the western half of the island, while Montgomery's 8th British Army took the eastern half.

From left: Brig. Gen. Montgomery and Lt. Gen. Patton

When a German counterattack delayed the advance, Patton put his command principles into practice by going ashore and personally taking command on the beach. Moving as far forward as possible, he joined a group of Rangers and helped engage the advancing Germans. With Patton driving them, the Seventh Army broke out of the beachhead and advanced ahead of schedule, capturing Palermo and then driving on to Messina ahead of General Montgomery.

Audio of Patton reporting on the capture of Messina

Despite the Sicilian victory, Patton found himself in trouble with military leaders after he slapped a soldier whom he considered a coward and a malingerer. There was pressure from superiors in Washington and an ignorant public to have Patton relieved of duty. NO one bothered to ask the men of the 7thSeventh Army what they thought.

Despite Patton's aggressiveness, they trusted him in combat, and trust in a commander wins more battles than all the world's hearts and minds put together. Fortunately, Eisenhower and Chief of Staff Marshall recognized Patton's virtues as a fighting general and refused to dismiss him. In the end, Patton made a courageous public apology for the incident.

While most of the Seventh Army's divisions were transferred to the Fifth Army for the fighting in Italy, Patton was in Palermo, Italy awaiting a new assignment. He still proved useful, though, since the Germans feared him more than all other Allied generals.

They expected him to lead a major invasion. When he was sent to the island of Corsica, the Germans were convinced he would lead an invasion of southern France. When he was sent to Cairo, they feared an invasion through the Balkans. These diversions caused the Germans to tie down a great many troops to counter the Patton bogeyman.

In January 1944, Patton was ordered to England to form the new 3rd Army which he would lead to glory during the campaign to liberate Europe. Now an old hand at getting his troops in fighting trim, he began to mould the fledgling group into one of the greatest fighting forces in American history.

Audio to his troops before European invasion:
Speech (5 MB MP3)
Speech (500 KB MP3)

He gave the now famous speech to his troops, presented in the beginning of the movie "Patton." The 3rd Army was not used during the invasion of France, but they still served a useful purpose, since Hitler and many members of the German military intelligence believed that Normandy could not be the primary invasion site if Patton was not committed to the battle. The German command, therefore, held back critical Panzer divisions, which could have opposed the landings. Eisenhower, knowing Patton's value at exploiting an enemy's weakness and driving through it, was holding Patton in reserve to breakout from the beachhead.

While the 3rd Army trained in Britain, Patton studied the terrain of Normandy first hand. Actually, Patton had already mapped much of the area on jaunts when he was in France during WWI, so he was already familiar with the battlefield that would make the 3rd Army famous.

Finally on July 28, 1944, Eisenhower turned Patton loose, and the 3rd Army came sweeping across Northern France spearheaded by the 4th Armored Division. Patton and his 3rd Army were turning the German's famed Blitzkrieg tactics against them, covering 600 miles in two weeks.

During the first four weeks of the breakout, Patton was all over the front. His 3rd Army advanced so fast that entire German divisions were often bypassed to be attacked by U.S. military elements advancing behind Patton's troops.

When the 3rd Army liberated the notorious Buchenwald concentration camp Patton slowed his pace. He instituted the policy, later adopted by other commanders, of forcing local German civilians to tour the camps. By the time the armistice finally came, the 3rd Army, now consisting of more than a half-million men, had liberated or conquered 81-thousand-522 square miles of territory and inflicted 1-million-443-thousand casualties on the enemy.