Some officers found his use of obscenities in the speech disappointing, viewing it as unprofessional conduct. There are three ways that men get what they want; by planning, by working, and by Praying. General George S. Patton was a complicated military figure, but there can be little debate over whether he was quotable. Douglas MacArthur had a spirit of intense determination. 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. He had a massive library, a "who's who," of ancient and modern war.. 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] . 3. There was General Hugh Mercer, mortallywounded at the battle of Princeton in the Revolutionary War. I believe that prayer completes that circuit. Thetrouser legs were skinny and shoved into his black, laced-up fieldboots. November 10 Detailed to the Tank Service. Somelines became classic. Nor should we forget our comrades of the other armies and of the Air Force, particularly of the XIX Tactical Air Command, by whose side or under whose wings we have had the honor to fight. About a hundred and fifty doughboys followed him, but when theyarrived at the crest of the hill, the onslaught of gunfire forced themall to the ground, hugging it for protection. Better known for his profanity than for his prayers, George Patton was actually a devout and religious man. In April 1941 Patton, who had been acting commander of theSecond Armored Division for six months, was given permanentcommand and promoted to major general. But we have to pray for ourselves, too. I dont want to hear of any soldier under my commandbeing captured unless he has been hit. The General agreed, wrote a short greeting, and the card was made up, published, and distributed to the troops on the twenty-second of December. Patton similarly arose, clutching two handfuls of German earth in his fingers, and exclaimed, Thus, William the Conqueror!That evening Patton sent a communiqu to General Eisenhower: Dear SHAEF [Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force], I have just pissed into the Rhine River. Patton is a 1970 film directed by Franklin J. Schaffner and co-written by Francis Ford Coppola, based on the life of General George S. Patton and starring George C. Scott in his most iconic role. . General Patton knew his entrance into German-occupied territory was of monumental historical importance. Pray for victory. His strength lay not in his military might, but in his recognition of Gods proper claims upon his life. Battle is the most magnificent competition in which a human being can indulge. Those who knew both men at this early stage of their military careers had the feeling that George Patton would achieve greatness. Reprinted in Charles Sumner Olcott, The Life of William McKinley, Volume 2 (New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1916), 109-111. An Army is a team. From the canal we flew along the line of Allenbys advance and crossed at Wadi El Arish at the spot where the battle occurred. He came away from his experience in Mexico full of admiration forand a desire to emulatePershing. He was named commanding general in April . General George Patton addressed the US Third Army on June 5th, 1944, on the eve of the allied invasion of France, code named "Overlord". Any great military operation takes careful planning, or thinking. So Patton called Bradley again. The only good enemy is a dead enemy. June 11 Became Distinguished Graduate, Army War College. Yet he still viewed the Holy Land as a general, viewingthe Exodus of the Israelites out of Egypt and into the Promised Land in terms of logistics, supply chains, and provisions. He would not tolerate defeatism in prayers or sermons. We are better-equipped, bet-ter fed, and in the place of his blood-gutted Woten, we have with us the God of our fathers known of old. From here we went to the place where the Cross had stood. Years later, recalling his relationship with Patton, Eisenhower wrote, From the beginning he and I got along famously. He sought topresent the striking image of a leader, an image that demanded attention and inspired his troops by its swagger. He felt that love was all around him, like a subdued light. The Saar campaign was launched on November 8, 1944. The damn clock seems to have stopped. He hadshown his courage and faced his fears. Be assured that this message on prayer has the approval, the encouragement, and the enthusiastic support of the Third United States Army Commander. Famed World War Two general George S. Patton commanded theU.S. that they should attack by surprise and mass . Chaplain, I am a strong believer in Prayer. Sure we want to go home. We did not see a single beehive, although there were quite a number of mimosa trees. 1953 September 30 Pattons widow, Beatrice, died of a ruptured aortic aneurysm while horseback riding at Hamilton, Massachusetts. 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. The defending Germans had pre-positioned at least twenty-five machine gun nests to protect the town. . Speech to the 3rd Army Lyrics. The real hero is the man whofights even though he is scared . Then about 1600 it stopped. Great living is not all output of thought and work. I was shot in the behind in World War I! But between the plan and the operation there is always an unknown. In the glancing collision, Patton was thrown against the roof and fell forward into the glass partition behind the drivers seat. It being near Christmas, we also asked General Patton to include a Christmas greeting to the troops on the same card with the prayer. Patton benefited from having six years of formal military education. I should think the distance is less than half a mile. The admiring troops immediately dubbedhim the Green Hornet. The jacket was waist length with brass buttons upthe right side in the style of an old Confederate officers uniform. Please be advised it is quite profane. 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. By June 1920, the regular army was reduced to only 130,000 men. Remember too that your God is with you. Remember that these enemies, whom we shall have the honor to destroy, are good soldiers and stark fighters. Men, this stuff that some sources sling around about America wanting out of this war, not wanting to fight, is a crock of bullshit. The quicker they are whipped,the quicker we can go home. . December 21 Patton passed away from pulmonary embolism as the result of an automobile accident. Unable to offer further protest, he was taken to anevacuation hospital behind the lines. He did not literally run over bodies. None of Defeats. It consists of nothing but barren stony hills on which a few olive trees eke out a precarious existence. It wasnt money that mattered to him, but the fact that she was poised, pretty, and polished (she had been educated in Europe, spoke French, as did he, and played the piano). An enemy machine gun bullethad torn through his body, entering his groin and exiting his buttocks,ripping open a wound the size of a teacup. All in all, Patton had had a quite satisfactory war. Having previously been denied permission to photograph the face of the 200,000th prisoner (the Geneva Convention required that a prisoner be protected against acts of public curiosity), Patton announced that this time we will take a picture of his ass. (A week later their POW capture would top 300,000. An armored divisionis that element of the team which carries out therunning plays. Patton was told that the attack could take place any time after November 5, and that aerial bombardment would be available before-hand. . September 26 Patton was seriously wounded during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive in France. Behind Patton's blood and guts personality was an absolute professional, one of the most competent army commanders our side put into the field; the Germans were painstaking in their analysis of the leaders who faced . July 15 Patton formed a provisional corps in western Sicily, Italy. 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. General Pattons communication was not limited to his speeches; he alsoprojected strength in his demeanor and in his dress. We are advancing constantlyand we are not interested in holding onto anything except the enemys balls! JulyAugust Patton received individual instruction in fencing at Saumur, France. 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. If youre not alert, some time a German son of abitch is going to sneak up behind you and beat you todeath with a sockful of shit! We straight-arm, and go around, anddodge, and go around . . We were lucky in Africa, in Sicily, and in Italy. The following day General Patton arrived at the pontoon bridge his engineers had constructed over the Rhine. At the end of 1917 he was assigned to establish the American Expeditionary Force Light Tank School. At times he was an insufferable egotist, and he often sought to intimidate with a well-practiced scowl. It is the reaction of the actors to the ordeal when it actually comes. Without their loyalty, intelligence, and unremitting labors, success would have been impossible. July 25 Spent time in Beverly, Massachusetts hospital with a broken leg. We got through on good old American guts. Both men were commanding tank units. Patton's "Blood and Guts" Speech - History (2022) Loading. When shells are hitting all around you and you wipe the The men implored Patton to escape from the Germans fire,but he refused to budge. He used that experience to write a masterly summary of everything one needed to know about tanks. I know you will be worthy. Americans love to fight. This quote is a good encapsulation of their friendship that began in the late 1910s. 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.. From General Pattons speech to he Second Armored Division, December 1941: I shall be delighted to lead you against any enemy, confident in the fact that your disciplined valor and high training will bring vic-tory. 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. That is courteous and considerate for the rights of others. Site created in November 2000. All men and women of the six corps and thirty-nine divisions that have at different times been members of this Army have done their duty. George S. Patton Inspirational, Motivational, Positive 307 Copy quote . He didn't kiss ass, he understood that war is not something to be made into soft talk - war is a brash bloody hell. On the night of March 22, 1945, elements of the Third Army crossed the Rhine at the German town of Oppenheim. Americans love to fight. His voice was actually ratherhigh, certainly not the gravelly bass of George C. Scott in the Hollywoodmovie Patton. One of his first acts as commanderhad been to build an amphitheater in the wooded hills of Fort Benningthat could accommodate the entire division. If youre not alert, some time a German son of abitch is going to sneak up behind you and beat you todeath with a sockful of shit! $15.24 8 Used from $4.06 4 New from $15.24. . If the general would sign the card, it would add a personal touch that I am sure the men would like, said the chaplain. July 26 Patton served as Commanding Officer, 2d Armored Brigade of 2d Armored Division, Fort Benning. After a vigorous debate, Bradley conceded. Heservedin numerous staff positions throughout the country. This article is part of our largerresource meant to provide facts, information, and stories about the life of George S. Patton. Brave, undisciplinedmen have no chance against the discipline andvalor of other men. The Armistice came on his thirty-third birthday. . But there are so few Krauts around there they dont know it yet. 1905 June 5 Patton turned back to repeat initial year. The only place where this crowding does not exist is on the airfields. General George S. Patton Jr. was buried at mid-morning on December 24, 1945, in a grave dug by German prisoners of war. He studied military history, as well as the last war and current developments. Every manis a vital link in the great chain. Though he had been sidelined from the invasion, he played an important role in it by his absence. 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. November 21 Journalist Drew Pearson publicized George Pattons slapping incident of Aug 3, 1943. Weve got to get not only the chaplains but every man in the Third Army to pray. 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. On this day, in 1945 one of the greatest American generals of WWII dies. A heavy ivory-handled revolver rested in a shoulder holsterdraped under his left arm. Beatrice flew to her husbands side after ordering that her children remain at home. ww2dbase Warning: Foul language used by Patton in the speech had not been removed from this transcript, thus this text might not be suitable for everyone. Here he wrote much of the Knights of Malta and the rules of their order. But he was a mighty man of valor. In his new bookPatton: Blood, Guts, and Prayer, author Michael Keane takes readers on a journey through Patton's career in three parts: his military prowess, his inspirational bravery, and his faith. 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. . Patton read it and directed that it be circulated without change to all of the Third Armys 486 chaplains, as well as to every organization commander down to and including the regimental level. German town of Oppenheim is scared canal we flew along the line of Allenbys advance and crossed at El. 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