[214] The 1986 film The Last Days of Patton tells the story of his last few months. On December 9, 1945, Patton sustained serious injuries to his head and spine in a low-speed car accident; after 12 days of terrible pain, he died. [57], In mid-April, Patton asked Pershing for the opportunity to command troops, and was assigned to Troop C of the 13th Cavalry to assist in the manhunt for Villa and his subordinates. [68] At the conclusion of his tour on December 1, Patton went to Albert, 30 miles (48km) from Cambrai, to be briefed on the results of this attack by the chief of staff of the British Tank Corps, Colonel J. F. C. Page 109. Patton's Light Tank Brigade was part of Colonel Samuel Rockenbach's Tank Corps, part of the American First Army. [140], Patton's niece Jean Gordon spent some time together with him in London in 1944, and in Bavaria in 1945. [234] Many of his directives showed special trouble to care for the enlisted men under his command, and he was well known for arranging extra supplies for battlefield soldiers, including blankets and extra socks, galoshes, and other items normally in short supply at the front.[235]. In an incident on July 22, while a U.S. armored column was under attack from German aircraft, he shot and killed a pair of mules that had stopped while pulling a cart across a bridge. His firearm discharged accidentally one night in a saloon, so he swapped it for an ivory-handled Colt Single Action Army revolver, a weapon that would later become an icon of Patton's image. Advancing on Gabs, Patton's corps pressured the Mareth Line. [142][143] The views of the general public remained mixed on the matter,[144] and eventually Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson stated that Patton must be retained as a commander because of the need for his "aggressive, winning leadership in the bitter battles which are to come before final victory. [115][116] Patton commanded the Western Task Force, consisting of 33,000 men in 100 ships, in landings centered on Casablanca, Morocco. German commanders interviewed after the war noted he could have bypassed the city and moved north to Luxembourg where he would have been able to cut off the German Seventh Army. During this time he developed a belief that tanks should be used not as infantry support, but rather as an independent fighting force. The Third Army claimed to have killed, wounded, or captured 1,811,388 German soldiers, six times its strength in personnel. [217], Patton's colorful personality, hard-driving leadership style, and success as a commander, combined with his frequent political missteps, produced a mixed and often contradictory image. [236] Privately he wrote of black soldiers: Individually they were good soldiers, but I expressed my belief at the time, and have never found the necessity of changing it, that a colored soldier cannot think fast enough to fight in armor.[237]. Beatrice Ayer and George Patton met for the first time as children. His sending the doomed Task Force Baum to liberate his son-in-law, Lieutenant Colonel John K. Waters, from a prisoner-of-war camp further damaged his standing with his superiors. [98], Patton was promoted to lieutenant colonel in the regular Army on March 1, 1934, and was transferred to the Hawaiian Division in early 1935 to serve as G-2. "[112] It was around this time that a reporter, after hearing a speech where Patton said that it took "blood and brains" to win in combat, began calling him "blood and guts". [129] A third landing was completed on August 16, and by 22:00 that day Messina fell to his forces. During the September Louisiana Maneuvers, his division was part of the losing Red Army in Phase I, but in Phase II was assigned to the Blue Army. "[133], Two high-profile incidents of Patton striking subordinates during the Sicily campaign attracted national controversy following the end of the campaign. He named Patton commander of the 2nd Armored Brigade, part of the 2nd Armored Division. Moments later the 1938 Cadillac limousine they were riding in collided with an American army truck at low speed. Graciously hearken to us as soldiers who call upon Thee that, armed with Thy power, we may advance from victory to victory and crush the oppression and wickedness of our enemies, and establish Thy justice among men and nations. [155] So strong was their conviction that this was the main landing area that the German army held its position there even after the invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944, believing it to be a diversionary force. "[124] By the time his force reached Gabs, the Germans had abandoned it. [106] Although he garnered a reputation as a general who was both impatient and impulsive and had little tolerance for officers who had failed to succeed, he fired only one general during World War II, Orlando Ward, and only after two warnings, whereas Bradley sacked several generals during the war. [109] Patton had a preoccupation with bravery,[8] wearing his rank insignia conspicuously in combat, and at one point during World War II, he rode atop a tank into a German-controlled village seeking to inspire courage in his men. Topics include the saber, cavalry, casualty information, denazification of Germany, and displaced persons. [61] The incident garnered Patton both Pershing's good favor and widespread media attention as a "bandit killer". Charles Fanning Ayer , Heidelberg,. [256] Generaloberst Alfred Jodl, chief of staff of the German Army, stated that Patton "was the American Guderian. By his energy and sound judgment, Colonel Patton rendered very valuable services in his organization and direction of the Tank Center at the Army schools at Langres, France. The U.S. Army had more trucks, more reliable tanks, and better radio communications, all of which contributed to a superior ability to operate at a rapid offensive pace. There, he met Army Chief of Staff George C. Marshall, who was so impressed with him that Marshall considered Patton a prime candidate for promotion to general. [250], One possible exception was Field Marshal Sir Bernard Montgomery who appears to have admired Patton's ability to command troops in the field, if not his strategic judgment. After the tragic death of her husband in 1945, Mrs. Patton became a forceful and persuasive speaker advocating universal military training. He also applied to several universities with military corps of cadet programs, and was accepted to Princeton College, but eventually decided on Virginia Military Institute (VMI), which his father and grandfather had attended. [50][51] During his time in the town, Patton took to wearing his M1911 Colt .45 in his belt rather than a holster. [211][212][213], Gay and others were only slightly injured, but Patton hit his head on the glass partition that separated the front and back seat. When Beatrice Banning Ayer was born on 12 January 1886, in Beverly, Essex, Massachusetts, United States, her father, Frederick F Ayer, was 63 and her mother, Ellen Barrows Banning, was 32. [150][151] This duty kept Patton busy during the first half of 1944. Some city and towns records are also included. From November 8 to December 15, his army advanced no more than 40 miles (64km). [69] On the way back to Paris, he visited the Renault factory to observe French tanks being manufactured. Edit your search or learn more Public Member Photos & Scanned Documents Pictures Sep 1885 - Beverly, Essex County, Massachusetts, Sep 30 1953 - Beverly, Essex County, Massachusetts, Jan 12 1886 - Haverhill, Essex County, Massachusetts, USA, Sep 30 1953 - Hamilton, Essex County, Massachusetts, USA, Jan 12 1886 - Beverly, Essex, Massachusetts, USA, Sep 30 1953 - Beverly, Essex, Massachusetts, USA, Beatrice A Patton, Ruth Ellen Patton, George Smith Iv Patton, Sep 1885 - Beverly, Essex, Massachusetts, USA, Beatrice A Patton, Gen George Smith Patton, Frederick Fanning Ayer, Ellen Barrows Ayer, Ellen Wheaton Wood, James Cook Ayer, Charles Fanning Ayer, Louise Raynor Ayer, Frederick Ayer, Mary Katherine Merrill, Beatrice Smith Waters, Ruth Ellen Totten, George Smith Patton, Jan 12 1886 - Beverly, Essex County, Massachusetts, United States of America, Sep 30 1953 - Hamilton, Essex County, Massachusetts, United States of America, Frederick Albert Ayer, Ellen Barrows Ayer (born Banning), Ellen Wheaton Ayer, James Cook Ayer, Charles Fanning Ayer, Louise Raynor Ayer, Frederick Ayer, Mary Katherine Merrill (born Ayer), Beatrice Ayer Waters (born Patton), Ruth Ellen Totlen (born Patton), George Smith (General) Patton, William The Conqueror (Willie) Patton, Jan 12 1886 / Sept 1885 - Beverly, Essex, Massachusetts, Sep 30 1953 - Beverly, Essex, Massachusetts, Frederick Ayer, Ellen Barrows Ayer (born Banning), Beatrice "bee" Patton, Ruth Ellen Patton, George Smith Patton, Beatrice Waters (born Patton), Ruth Ellen Totten (born Patton), Maj. Gen. George Smith Patton, Jan 12 1886 - Haverhill, Essex County, Massachusetts, Sep 30 1953 - Hamilton, Essex County, Massachusetts, Beatrice Patton, Ruth Ellen Totten (born Patton, Iii), Major-gen George S. Patton, Iv, Beverly, Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, Pasadena, Los Angeles, California, United States, Hamilton, Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, Hamilton, Essex county , Massachusetts, United States of America, Birth of Maj. Gen. George Smith Patton, IV. [212], Patton spent most of the next 12 days in spinal traction to decrease the pressure on his spine. [106], The historian Alan Axelrod wrote that "for Patton, leadership was never simply about making plans and giving orders, it was about transforming oneself into a symbol". During and following Patton's assignment in Hawaii, he and Eisenhower corresponded frequently. The jeep because we have so many God-awful drivers. Despite the victory, the Third Army stayed in place as a result of Eisenhower's order. She was an expert equestrian, a fine lecturer and an able sailor with a sloop of her own. On December 16, 1944, it massed 29 divisions totaling 250,000 men at a weak point in the Allied lines, and during the early stages of the ensuing Battle of the Bulge, made significant headway towards the Meuse River during a severe winter. Huguenots migration: descendants' contributions to America. The Patton and Banning Families, both prominent in the history of Southern California, shared a close relationship; Benjamin Wilson and Phineas Banning (founder of the Port of Los Angeles and of Wilmington, California) were business partners. She enjoyed a life of privilege and attended prestigious finishing schools. Gen. Patton, after a. At least that was the consensus among many family friends. This is my biggest battle. He wrote a plan to intern the Japanese living in the islands in the event of an attack as a result of the atrocities carried out by Japanese soldiers on the Chinese in the Sino-Japanese war. Marshall said he would be able to do so only if the Chinese secured a major port for his entry, an unlikely scenario. She loved Lieutenant Patton, and he loved her. On August 3, 1943, Patton slapped and verbally abused Private Charles H. Kuhl at an evacuation hospital in Nicosia after he had been found to suffer from "battle fatigue". [191] Later that month, Patton, Bradley, and Eisenhower toured the Merkers salt mine as well as the Ohrdruf concentration camp, and seeing the conditions of the camp firsthand caused Patton great disgust. Straddling the line between the home-and-war front, Lady of the Army tells the story of the General's greatest champion in life and fiercest defender in death while shedding new light on a complex personality who wanted nothing more than to die a glorious death on the battlefield. They then repulsed counterattacks at Gela,[126] where Patton personally led his troops against German reinforcements from the Hermann Gring Division. The major U.S. and Allied advantages were in mobility and air superiority. There was some controversy concerning his performance in the pistol shooting competition, in which he used a .38 caliber U.S. Army-issue pistol while most of the other competitors chose .22 caliber firearms. Beatrice Banning Ayer boyfriend, husband list. Then he went to Stockholm, where he reunited with other athletes from the 1912 Olympics. He would not work so I hit him over the head with a shovel". The Patton family resided at Lake Vineyard, built by Benjamin Wilson, on 128 acres (52ha) in present-day San Marino, California. [86] While on duty in Washington, D.C., in 1919, Patton met Dwight D. Eisenhower,[87] who would play an enormous role in Patton's future career. "[228] During the Battle of the Bulge, he famously remarked that the Allies should "let the sons-of-bitches [Germans] go all the way to Paris, then we'll cut them off and round them up. He died in his sleep of pulmonary edema and congestive heart failure at about 6:00pm on December 21, 1945, at the age of 60. He then relinquished command of II Corps to Bradley, and returned to the I Armored Corps in Casablanca to help plan Operation Husky, the Allied invasion of Sicily. [72][74] Patton commanded American-crewed Renault FT tanks at the Battle of Saint-Mihiel,[75] leading the tanks from the front for much of their attack, which began on September 12. [25] The first Patton in America was Robert Patton, born in Ayr, Scotland. Born in 1885, Patton attended the Virginia Military Institute and the United States Military Academy at West Point. Patton, Beatrice Banning Ayer, 1886-1953 Title Close Social Networks and Archival Context SNAC is a discovery service for persons, families, and organizations found within archival collections at cultural heritage institutions. She was born Beatrice Banning Ayer in Haverhill, Massachusetts the daughter of Frederick Ayer an industrialist who owned a woolen mill. Patton remained outspoken but unabashed in his racism throughout his life. Grant us fair weather for Battle. ", Once when a gasoline lantern had exploded in his face and he was badly burned, he wrote to her on October 7, 1916, "I love you with all my heart and would have hated worst to have been blinded because I could not have seen you.". Patton and his wife, Beatrice Banning Ayer, in Old West costumes, for a party, where he displays a pistol in his belt, and in costumes for another party, where they dress as a knight and his lady on horseback. [6] At the age of seventeen he sought an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. A native of Fort Sheridan, Ill., Mrs. [42] Bringing these lessons back to Fort Myer, Patton redesigned saber combat doctrine for the U.S. cavalry, favoring thrusting attacks over the standard slashing maneuver and designing a new sword for such attacks. [104] As Chaffee stepped down from command of the I Armored Corps, Patton became the most prominent figure in U.S. armor doctrine. Computed Name Heading. This has led . Alameda County. He was the first Army officer to be designated "Master of the Sword",[43][44] a title denoting the school's top instructor in swordsmanship. Other armored units would then break through enemy lines and exploit any subsequent breach, constantly pressuring withdrawing German forces to prevent them from regrouping and reforming a cohesive defensive line. [52], In March 1916, Mexican forces loyal to Pancho Villa crossed into New Mexico and raided the border town of Columbus. Amen. Patton's force was supplemented by Ultra intelligence for which he was briefed daily by his G-2, Colonel Oscar Koch, who apprised him of German counterattacks, and where to concentrate his forces. Main contact line for Central Star: (559) 549-6697. [178] Eisenhower was incredulous: "Don't be fatuous, George. [139] Eisenhower suppressed the incident in the media,[140] but in November journalist Drew Pearson revealed it on his radio program. [65] Taken as Pershing's personal aide, Patton oversaw the training of American troops in Paris until September, then moved to Chaumont and was assigned as a post adjutant, commanding the headquarters company overseeing the base. "[200] Whether or not Gordon was sexually involved with Patton, she also loved a young married captain, who returned to his wife in September 1945, leaving Gordon despondent. He had attended the games at his own expense and afterward, with permission from the War Department, he stayed in Europe to attend special fencing classes offered by the French Army School at Saumur, France. [108], General Patton led the division during the Tennessee Maneuvers in June 1941, and was lauded for his leadership, executing 48 hours' worth of planned objectives in only nine. In response, the U.S. launched the Pancho Villa Expedition into Mexico. [130][131], Patton's conduct in this campaign met with several controversies. [192] In mid-May, Patton flew to Paris, then London for rest. In the interwar period, Patton became a central figure in the development of the army's armored warfare doctrine, serving in numerous staff positions throughout the country. Patton left this office in 1931, returned to Massachusetts and attended the Army War College, becoming a "Distinguished Graduate" in June 1932. [156], Sailing to Normandy throughout July, Patton's Third Army formed on the extreme right (west) of the Allied land forces,[156][b] and became operational at noon on August 1, 1944, under Bradley's Twelfth United States Army Group. Patton never seriously considered a career other than the military. [154] Through the British network of double-agents, the Allies fed German intelligence a steady stream of false reports about troops sightings and that Patton had been named commander of the First United States Army Group (FUSAG), all designed to convince the Germans that Patton was preparing this massive command for an invasion at Pas de Calais. Patton's chief of staff, Major General Hobart Gay, invited him on a December 9, 1945 pheasant hunting trip near Speyer to lift his spirits. [230] Another controversy occurred prior to Operation Overlord when Patton spoke at a British welcoming club at Knutsford in England, and said, in part, "since it is the evident destiny of the British and Americans, and of course, the Russians, to rule the world, the better we know each other, the better job we will do." [81], Patton stopped at a rear command post to submit his report before heading to a hospital. At the start of the Western Allied invasion of France, Patton was given command of the Third Army, which conducted a highly successful rapid armored drive across France. "[186], The Third Army began crossing the Rhine River after constructing a pontoon bridge on March 22, two weeks after the First Army crossed it at Remagen, and Patton slipped a division across the river that evening. Through his charisma, exemplified by a flamboyant and well-publicized image, he stimulated, better than any other high-ranking U.S. army commander, American troops to an aggressive desire to close with and destroy the enemy. [52][222] He was usually seen wearing a highly polished helmet, riding pants, and high cavalry boots. Shortly after Beatrice Patton buried her husband, Gen. George S. Patton Jr., on Christmas Eve 1945, she summoned a woman named Jean Gordon to her hotel room in Boston. Patton later changed his mind. "[176] Patton then argued that his Third Army should attack toward Koblenz, cutting off the bulge at the base and trap the entirety of the German armies involved in the offensive. Casablanca fell on November 11 and Patton negotiated an armistice with French General Charles Nogus. [165] Equally important to the advance of Third Army columns in northern France was the rapid advance of the supply echelons. [a] He was tutored from home until the age of eleven, when he was enrolled in Stephen Cutter Clark's[4] Classical School for Boys, a private school in Pasadena, for six years. [201], Patton attracted controversy as military governor when it was noted that several former Nazi Party members continued to hold political posts in the region. Patton flew to France a month later, and then returned to combat command. [208] Patton decided that he would leave his post at the 15th Army and not return to Europe once he left on December 10 for Christmas leave. [215], On December 24, Patton was buried at the Luxembourg American Cemetery and Memorial in the Hamm district of Luxembourg City, alongside some wartime casualties of the Third Army, in accordance with his request to "be buried with [his] men." While Eisenhower and Marshall both considered Patton to be a skilled combat commander, they felt Bradley was less impulsive and less prone to making mistakes. [103], Following the German Army's invasion of Poland and the outbreak of World War II in Europe in September 1939, the U.S. military entered a period of mobilization, and Colonel Patton sought to build up the power of U.S. armored forces. [88] With Christie, Eisenhower, and a handful of other officers, Patton pushed for more development of armored warfare in the interwar era. "[208] According to Anthony Cave Brown in Bodyguard of Lies, Patton "Patton was relieved of command of the 3rd Army by Eisenhower just after the end of the war for stating publicly that America had been fighting the wrong enemy - Germany instead of Russia". [161] The U.S. armor advanced using reconnaissance by fire, and the .50 caliber M2 Browning heavy machine gun proved effective in this role, often flushing out and killing German panzerfaust teams waiting in ambush as well as breaking up German infantry assaults against the armored infantry. "The noise against me is only the means by which the Jews and the Communists are attempting and with good success the further dismemberment of Germany." He compared Nazis to Democrats and Republicans, bringing negative press stateside and angering Eisenhower. 100 San Leandro, CA, 94577 Phone: (510) 352-9200. General Sir Alan Brooke, the Chief of the Imperial General Staff (CIGS)the professional head of the British Armynoted in January 1943 that, I had heard of him, but I must confess that his swashbuckling personality exceeded my expectation. [196], On June 14, 1945, Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson decided that Patton would not be sent to the Pacific but would return to Europe in an occupation army assignment. [12] He competed in this sport in the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, and he finished in fifth placeright behind four Swedes. [174], In December 1944, the German army, under the command of German Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt, launched a last-ditch offensive across Belgium, Luxembourg, and northeastern France. of 1. [193] Fuller's review of Third Army records differs only in the number of enemy killed and wounded, stating that between August 1, 1944, and May 9, 1945, 47,500 of the enemy were killed, 115,700 wounded, and 1,280,688 captured, for a total of 1,443,888. At age 24, Patton married Beatrice Banning Ayer, the daughter of Boston industrialist Frederick Ayer, on May 26, 1910, in Beverly Farms, Massachusetts. After a brief Episcopal service, she was cremated. [232], As a leader, Patton was known to be highly critical, correcting subordinates mercilessly for the slightest infractions, but also being quick to praise their accomplishments. 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. [248] President Franklin D. Roosevelt appeared to greatly esteem Patton and his abilities, stating "he is our greatest fighting general, and sheer joy". [194], Patton asked for a command in the Pacific Theater of Operations, begging Marshall to bring him to that war in any way possible. [45] Arriving in September 1913, he taught fencing to other cavalry officers, many of whom were senior to him in rank. [149] On January 26, 1944, Patton was formally given command of the U.S. Third Army in England, a newly formed field Army, and he was assigned to prepare its inexperienced soldiers for combat in Europe. [240], Patton admired Russia as a political entity, but was disdainful of Russians as a people, saying, The difficulty in understanding the Russian is that we do not take cognizance of the fact that he is not a European, but an Asiatic, and therefore thinks deviously.
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