The Best Was General George S. Patton Jr.......
In my humble opinion General George S. Patton Jr was the greatest military commander of all times. Patton decided during childhood that his goal in life was to become a military hero. His ancestors had fought in the Revolutionary War, the Mexican War and the Civil War, and he grew up listening to stories of their brave and successful endeavors.
As a child "Georgie" heard stories about John Mercer Patton Colonel, 21st Virginia Infantry Regiment, CSA; his grandfather George S Patton, who during the Civil War, was commander of the 22nd Virginia Infantry Regiment; killed at the Battle of Winchester in September 1864, Waller Tazewell Patton Colonel, 7th Virginia Infantry Regiment, CSA; mortally wounded at Gettysburg and died in the College Hosptial at Gettysburg on July 21, 1863, to name a few.
Patton's first real exposure to battle occurred when he served as a member of legendary General John J. Pershing's staff during the expedition to Mexico. In 1915, Patton was sent to Fort Bliss along the Mexican border where he led routine cavalry patrols. A year later, he accompanied Pershing as an aide on his expedition against Francisco "Pancho" Villa into Mexico. Patton gained recognition from the press for his attacks on several of Villa's men.
He fought in WWI and was wounded, shot in the rear end. His experiences there and the fact that he was an outspoken advocate for tanks made him a very leathal commander in WWII. Patton saw tanks as the future of modern combat. Congress, however, was not willing to appropriate funds to build a large armored force. Even so, Patton studied, wrote extensively and carried out experiments to improve radio communications between tanks. He also helped invent the co-axial tank mount for cannons and machine guns.
The United States officially entered World War II in December 1941, after the attack on Pearl Harbor. By November 8, 1942, Patton was commanding the Western Task Force, the only all-American force landing for Operation Torch, the Allied invasion of North Africa.
After succeeding there, Patton commanded the Seventh Army during the invasion of Sicily in July 1943, and in conjunction with the British Eighth Army restored Sicily to its citizens.
Patton commanded the Seventh Army until 1944, when he was given command of the Third Army in France. Patton and his troops dashed across Europe after the battle of Normandy and exploited German weaknesses with great success, covering the 600 miles across France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Austria and Czechoslovakia. When the Third Army liberated the Buchenwald concentration camp, Patton slowed his pace. He instituted a policy, later adopted by other commanders, of making local German civilians tour the camps. By the time WWII was over, the Third Army had liberated or conquered 81,522 square miles of territory.
In October 1945, Patton assumed command of the Fifteenth Army in American-occupied Germany. On December 9, he suffered injuries as the result of an automobile accident. He died 12 days later, on December 21, 1945 and is buried among the soldiers who died in the Battle of the Bulge in Hamm, Luxembourg.
Remembered for his fierce determination and ability to lead soldiers, Patton is now considered one of the greatest military figures in history.
There are others in history, Alexander the Great, Hannibal, famed Punic general who was Rome's greatest rival during the Second Punic War, Genghis Khan (Great Khan of the Mongols), Robert E. Lee (US Civil War)
Ulysses S. Grant (US Civil War) Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson (US Civil War)
William Tecumseh Sherman (US Civil War) Erwin Rommel who Patton defeated in North Africa. In todays military I feel General Norman Schwarzkopf did a great job in the Gulf War, and think him to be one of our best.
They are all good, but Patton lived it, loved it and had a passion for being a military man. To me that put him a cut above the rest.
