Frustrated by British forces' slow progress in Sicily, Patton ignores orders to stay by their side and . Throughout his life he prayed daily and attended church almost every Sunday, even in wartime. All men are afraid in battle. You have made your Army a fighting force that is not excelled in effectiveness by any other of equal size in the world, and I am very proud of the fact that you, as one of the fighting commanders who has been with me from the beginning of the African campaign, have performed so brilliantly throughout. December 10 Patton served as Commanding Officer, 3d Cavalry, Fort Myer, Virginia. The general then continued, Chaplain, sit down for a moment. Ike thought Patton to be a leader of men exemplar. . . It is almost completely covered with villages and the areas between them are crowded with tiny fields. But his army was part of a whole organization and his operations part of a great campaign.. Fortunately for our fame as soldiers, our enemy is worthy of us. An armored division is the most powerful organizationever devised by the mind of men . May 23 Patton was promoted to the rank of first lieutenant. March 24 Patton urinated into the Rhine River. But Pattons faith was not a mere contrivance with which he cynically tried to motivate his men. . that they should attack by surprise and mass . The present analysis examines the discourse used by General George Patton in a motivational speech from World War II, given to "the Third . In his private supplications to God, however, a different Patton emerges humble, uncertain, and seeking guidance. . . Then you must have well-trained troops to carry it out: thats working. Remember that these enemies, whom we shall have the honor to destroy, are good soldiers and stark fighters. At the end of 1917 he was assigned to establish the American Expeditionary Force Light Tank School. We entered the city through the gate which Tancred stormed when the city was first taken (A.D. 1099). Pray for the cessation of immoderate rains, for good weather for Battle. 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. No one can live under the awful responsibility that I have without Divine help, he wrote. Patton was notblessed with a deep, booming voice. Pray for the defeat of our wicked enemy whose banner is injustice and whose good is oppression. Speech at the Copley Plaza Hotel, Boston, Massachusetts, on June 07, 1945. . Men, this stuff that some sources sling around about America wanting out of this war, not wanting to fight, is a crock of bullshit. May 12 Patton launched Operation Cowboy in Hostau, Czechoslovakia, rescuing 1,200 horses, including 375 of the Lipizzan breed, from potential Soviet slaughter. 1953 September 30 Pattons widow, Beatrice, died of a ruptured aortic aneurysm while horseback riding at Hamilton, Massachusetts. We have the finest food, the finest equipment, the bestspirit, and the best men in the world. July 25 Spent time in Beverly, Massachusetts hospital with a broken leg. Even if you arehit, you can still fight back. Let the Germans do that. The speech was not publicized contemporaneously because of war time restrictions on information and because it contained language that was considered coarse for the era. That unknown spells defeat or victory, success or failure. Many elements of the speech were recycled over and over. George S. Patton was one of America's most famous and colorful generals. We have no intention to reduce our vast striking force. Eklund, he demanded, do you know Chaplain So-and-so?. This is a helluva way to die, General Patton told Gay. 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. She also read to him from John Bunyans Christian allegory, The Pilgrims Progress. If hesays hes not, hes a liar. We must be eager to kill, to inflict on the enemythe hated enemy wounds, death and destruction. Brave, undisciplinedmen have no chance against the discipline andvalor of other men. Dont ever think that your job is unimportant. In his invasion of Russia in 1812, Napoleon was unprepared for Russias brutal climate, and thousands of his soldiers perished in the severe winter. He came away from his experience in Mexico full of admiration forand a desire to emulatePershing. ONeill later recalled. He spoke to his men like it, and they returned a response of almost mechanised fighting ability. Once the Third Army had become operational, my mode of contact with the chaplains had been chiefly through Training Letters issued from time to time to the Chaplains in the four corps and the 22 to 26 divisions comprising the Third Army. In 1943, two years before his death, Patton had spoken at an Armistice Day service honoring American dead, saying, I consider it no sacrifice to die for my country. The final stage of World War II in the European Theatre commenced with the Western Allied invasion of Germany. We straight-arm, and go around, anddodge, and go around . . This article is from the bookPatton: Blood, Guts, and Prayer2012by Michael Keane. Patton of the harsh, compelling voice, the lurid vocabulary, the grim and indomitable spirit that . . Then about 1600 it stopped. Patton restarted the course and graduated in 1909 (46/103) and won a commission in the cavalry. We had about 486 chaplains in the Third Army at that time, representing 32 denominations. Thats where prayer comes in. General Patton again called me to his office. From the Tomb we went to the Crusaders Chapel where those who became Knights of Jerusalem were knighted. But as a devout Christianwhatever the profanity in his speeches suggested otherwisehe couldnt help but be moved by walking in the footsteps ofJesus. . They believe what they wish may occur not what history teaches will happen. Enough to allow the Allies to break the backbone of the Von Runstedt offensive and turn a temporary setback into a crushing defeat for the enemy. 5 were distributed by December 14. . As blood poured from his wound,he serenely contemplated his own death. A few minutes later, when the fog began to lift, Patton discovered that he had advanced beyond his own tanks, many of which were now entangled in a trench barrier over a hundred yards to his rear. 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. He felt that love was all around him, like a subdued light. 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". I know how you feel, but there is nothing to be done.4 Patton, like a young Napoleon, had ambitiously hoped to be a brigadier general by twenty-seven. The vow of Chastity was not enforced except by one Grand Master, who, in order to discourage the amorous activities of his dependents, required that all the girls live across the harbor from the forts, so that when a knight wanted to see his lady-love, he had to row across and thereby bring great discredit upon himself. Playing with a pencil, he began to speak again. It being near Christmas, we also asked General Patton to include a Christmas greeting to the troops on the same card with the prayer. Let us be gentle. . it is the call of ones [sic] ancestors and the glory of combat. Pray for victory. As he lay bleeding in a bomb crater, Patton ordered Angelo toreturn to the tanks and point out the location of the machine gunnests. June 8 Arrived in Honolulu and was assigned to G-2, Hawaiian Department. Supreme Allied Commander Dwight D. Eisenhower, General George S. Patton, and General Omar N. Bradley engineered the Allied conquest that shattered Hitler's hold over Europe. Every man has a job to do and he must do it. In some ways the immediate future will demand of you more fortitude than has the past because, without the inspiration of combat, you must maintainby your dress, deportment, and efficiencynot only the prestige of the Third Army but also the honor of the United States. . We wanted speed, reliability and firepower.. They both contemplated leaving the service, but they both stuck it out, just as a later generation of officers, in the post-Vietnam eramen like Norman Schwarzkopf and Colin Powellwould again rebuild the army into the worlds greatest military force. 1916 March 13 Patton detached from 8th Cavalry and attached to headquarters, Punitive Expedition, Mexico. With the skill of a methodactor, Patton would also strive to achieve an intimidating mienhiswar facethat would communicate his intensity to his audience. Death, in time, comes to allmen. Does the general mean by chaplains, or by the men? asked ONeill. The Chaplain came up the next day. Beatrices dinner was interrupted when the nurse suddenly noticed that Patton had stopped breathing. 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. As one soldierrecalled: I am positive the Patton image was born on the first day hespoke in that bowl. Book by Ladislas Farago, 1963. One month after the disaster at Kasserine Pass, Patton led the American army at the battle of Gafsa and El Guettar. Praying, he said, is like plugging in on a current whose source is in Heaven. Prayer completes the circuit. July 26 Patton served as Commanding Officer, 2d Armored Brigade of 2d Armored Division, Fort Benning. Patton believed that without prayer, his soldiers would crack up under the unrelenting pressures of battle. 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.. Patton seemed to understand instinctively that the faces werebeckoning him to his destiny. . . It would do no harm to reimpress this training on chaplains. General George S. Patton Jr. was buried at mid-morning on December 24, 1945, in a grave dug by German prisoners of war. 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. Patton ran over people's bodies in the road gaining the nickname "old blood and guts". I want the world to know Third Army made it before Monty starts across, he shouted. The shortest way home isthrough Berlin and Tokyo. The short story is that hesustained spinal cord and neck injuries in an automobile accident near Neckarstadt, Germany. 1912 June 14 Patton sailed for Europe to participate in the Olympic Games in Stockholm, Sweden. As the protective shield of fog lifted, Patton and his troops were subjected to withering fire from all directions. . The knights also had to take four vowsPoverty, Chastity, Humility, and Obedience. But it was not just a speech, it was a performance. He just as quickly changed moods, joking, Relax, gentlemen, Im in no condition to be a terror now. When he was informed that the hospital chaplain was there to pray by his side, Patton responded, Well, let him get started. Paperback. He was ecumenical in his beliefs, writing that God was probably indifferent in the way he was approached, but he opposed his daughters marriage to a Roman Catholic. Heres A Summary Of The Events, California Do not sell my personal information. He realized how profoundly death was related to life, how unimportant the change from life to death really was, how everlastingthe soul. She also helped his spelling, as he now took to writing articles on military subjects (as well as riding to hounds, playing polo, and other recreational endeavors appropriate for an officer and a gentleman). He made his way halfway across the bridge before suddenly halting. 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. In this chapel is the sword which is supposed to have been used on these occasions. Rip them up the belly. It seems to me that at the head of a regiment of cavalry any thing would be possible.5 What seemed immediately possible, or so Patton hoped, was war in Mexico that would involve the United States. To Patton, prayer was a force multiplierwhen combined with or employed by a combat force, it substantially increases the effective-ness of human efforts and enhances the odds of victory. Patton wanted combat and knew he couldnt find it as a staff officer to Pershing; to see action he had to either lead infantry or train to become a tank officer. Men this stuff that some sources sling around aboutAmerica wanting out of this war, not wanting to fight,is a crock of bullshit. December 14, 1944 Chaplains of the Third Army: At this stage of the operations I would call upon the chaplains and the men of the Third United States Army to focus their attention on the importance of prayer. Before he did that, Patton gave himself a crash course in French tanks, which included test-driving them, firing their guns, and even walking the assembly line to see how they were made. 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? . In my mind we came here to thank God that men like these have lived rather than to regret that they have died.. ARTICLES; FEATURED; May 29, 2015 Ivano Massari, Guest Author. In addition, they had killed or wounded an estimated 88,000 enemy soldiers and taken another 30,000 prisoner. He had now achieved his destiny, Patton thought, joining the warriorkinsmen who had gone before. We are advancing constantlyand we are not interested in holding onto anything except the enemys balls! It is now 0230 and raining hard. 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 . Patton recorded his thoughts in his journal: Malta, which we reached at three oclock, is quite different from the way I had pictured it. Patton's speeches typically included humor, almost always profane and often self-deprecatory: I do not know of a better way to die than to be facing the enemy. All in all, Patton had had a quite satisfactory war. This is the full text of the speech Gen. Patton made prior to D-Day. The men implored Patton to escape from the Germans fire,but he refused to budge. 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. The conversation went something like this: General Patton: Chaplain, I want you to publish a prayer for good weather. We reached Cairo just at dark, having completed in one day the trip which took the Children of Israel forty years to accomplish. When shells are hitting all around you and you wipe the That is not the way to win battles. September 15 St. Mihiel Offensive was launched. Patton's Speech to the Third Army was a series of speeches given by General George S. Patton to troops of the United States Third Army in 1944, prior to the Allied invasion of France. I know you will be worthy. But we are not ruthless, not vicious, not aggressive, therein lies our weakness. The coward is the one who lets his fear overcome his sense of duty. You mean across the Rhine? Sure am, Patton replied, I sneaked a division over last night. "Patton, ordeal and triumph". She went to the dining room, leaving her husband with the attending nurse. In 1910, he was married to Beatrice Ayer, a family friend he had long courted. This article contains stories, quotes, timelines, and other pieces of information on one of the most competent and flamboyant generals in American military history. But his World War I career should not be overlooked. 18971903 Patton attended Stephen Cutter Clarks Classical School for Boys, Pasadena, California. 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. 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! To hell with themthey cant hit me! Severalsoldiers were struck down, but Patton refused to take cover. 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. Patton pointed out that there was not enough ammunition, food, or gasoline to support all the armies. We're going to murder those lousy Hun cocksuckers by the bushel-fucking-basket. 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. . 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. The Allied war effort was virtually shut down for five days. Famed World War Two general George S. Patton commanded theU.S. Then if I make good and the T. do and the war lasts I will get the first regiment. Patton succeeded Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower as the Military Governor of the U.S. December 21 Patton passed away from pulmonary embolism as the result of an automobile accident. Every single man in this Army plays a vitalrole . That ONeill sure did some potent praying. This third-person account of the speech comes from The Unknown Patton by Charles M. Province, who compiled it from innumerable sources. Patton was thirty-two years old. I should be both ungrateful and wanting in candor if I failed to acknowledge the debt we owe to our Chiefs of Staff, Generals Gaffey and Gay, and to the officers and men of the General and Special Staff Sections of Army Headquarters. He was zealous in his duties and got the action he sought. Shoot them in the guts. Foxholesonly slow up an offensive. What separates this book from all of the many about World War II's most famous battle commander is the extensive use of exquisite B&W combat photos on every spread, which illuminate the text on those pages. JulyAugust Patton received individual instruction in fencing at Saumur, France. 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