The film won a Best-Picture Oscar as well as Best Actor for George C. Scott. The Famous Patton Speech By Charles M. Province . With every good wish to each of you for a very Happy Christmas, and my personal congratulations for your splendid and courageous work since landing on the beach. The one honor which is mine and mine alone is that of having commanded such an incomparable group of Americans, the record of whose fortitude, audacity, and valor will endure as long as history lasts. When he first arrives in North Africa at the beginning of the film, he is just receiving his promotion to lieutenant general (three stars), which he remains until April 14, 1945, less than a month from V-E day. December 8 Patton calls Chaplain James H. ONeill and asks if he has a good prayer for weather., December 1214 Prayer cards are distributed to Pattons troops, asking, Grant us fair weather for battle.. There was no glory in it and no chance for him to achieve the greatness he sought. . In this sense, prayer was no different from training, leadership, technology, or firepower. This is reflected in his many speeches but particularly his famous "Blood and Guts" speech where he addresses the men of the Third Army Division. It was not a terrible thing,he thought. . 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 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. Americans love a winner. I pray that I will fall forward when I am shot. I do not want to be hitthere again. Patton was as much an actor as he was a fine general. However, if he was a successful knight, he received from the Order more than a hundredfold over what he gave, so that most of them died very rich. Pattons speeches typically included humor, almost always profaneand often self-deprecatory: I do not know of a better way to die than to be facingthe enemy. Pray by night and pray by day. Know of nothing more I can do to prepare for this attack except to read the Bible and pray. 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. One account of what happened after Pattons telephone call to ONeill is related by Colonel Paul Harkins, Pattons deputy chief of staff. We drove all day long, from one outfit to the other. . Pattons Third Army could attack twenty-four hours after getting the signal. . Decades later, in a February 1, 1945 memo, Eisenhower rankedthe military capabilities of his subordinate American generals in Europe. Americans love to fight, traditionally. He valued these machines, ordering that no U.S. be surrendered. HistoryOnTheNet 2000-2019. Even the most enlightened of our politicians are blind and mad with self delusion. . He wrote to General Leonard Wood asking for his advice and assistance. We took off by plane for Jerusalem at 0700 and crossed the canal just south of Lake Tenes, which is near where the children of Israel crossed. She, though Patton paid scant attention to this, came from a wealthy family. I do not want to be hit there again. General Patton Speech | 6th Armored Division | 31 May 1944 Alyosha 394 subscribers Subscribe 2.3K Share 92K views 4 years ago General George S. Patton speech to the 6th Armored. I want a prayer.. We had about 486 chaplains in the Third Army at that time, representing 32 denominations. Of course we are willing to die but that is not enough. A man must be alert at all times if he expects to stayalive. Speech at the Hatch Memorial Shell, Boston, Massachusetts . Sergeant John Mims, Pattons driver throughout the war, recalled, We left at six oclock in the morning. One of his first acts as commanderhad been to build an amphitheater in the wooded hills of Fort Benningthat could accommodate the entire division. An armored division is the most powerful organizationever devised by the mind of men . . General Pattons communication was not limited to his speeches; he alsoprojected strength in his demeanor and in his dress. The vow of Obedience was rigidly enforced. This is a helluva way to die, General Patton told Gay. Patton could be painfully direct. As the chaplain noted, however, strictly speaking it was the Third Army commanders letter, not ONeills. George Campbell Scott, portraying Patton, standing in front of an. . May 1 Served as Control Officer, Maneuvers, Fort Beauregard, Louisiana. 1944 March 26 Task Force Baum heads out for Hammelburg to liberate the prisoner of war camp there. That is courteous and considerate for the rights of others. I told them the attack would go on. Audio mp3 of Address delivered by George C. Scott. He died at the age of 60 and he died in a freak accident after the war had been won. Shoot them in the guts. the Third Army" on June 5th, 1944, the eve of the Allied invasion of France, code named "Overlord". The only place where this crowding does not exist is on the airfields. I want to talk to you about this business of prayer. Patton rubbed his face in his hands, sat silently for a moment, then rose up and walked to the high window of the office where he stood with his back to ONeill, watching the falling rain. General Patton's Speech to the 3rd Army 1. It is power.. The termination of fighting in Europe does not remove the oppor-tunities for other outstanding and equally difficult achievements in the days which are to come. General George S. Patton's Personal Jeep Driver Remembers the Legendary Man American Veterans Center 803K views 5 months ago "Growing Up Patton: Reflections on Heroes, History and Family. In April 1941 Patton, who had been acting commander of theSecond Armored Division for six months, was given permanentcommand and promoted to major general. He is remembered for his heroic march to halt the Nazi's December 1944 offensive in the Battle of the Bulge and also for slapping Sergeant Charles Kuhl and Private Paul Bennett, August 1943, for cowardice while they were in an army hospital. 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. 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. Occupation Zone after World War II. Get him up here. 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. All of the real heroes are not storybook combat fighters,either. living Goddamned guts and use them to grease the treads of our tanks. Please use this data for any reference citations. 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. After two hours, Pattons tankers and the 138th Regiment of theThirty-fifth Division subdued the Germans and seized the village ofCheppy. On the battlefield, he was a competent commander respected by both sides. I dont want to hear of any soldier under my commandbeing captured unless he has been hit. . Heres A Summary Of The Events, California Do not sell my personal information. Making the situation even more painful, it was the practice in the U.S. Army to reduce returning officers to the rank they held before the war. April 14 Patton was promoted to the permanent rank of general. At the time of his speech, he was a full general (four stars), as evidenced by his helmet. When there is fighting, everyone prays, but now with this constant rainwhen things are quiet, dangerously quiet, men just sit and wait for things to happen. 5. All day the 9th of July 1943, there was a storm but it cleared at dark. Pray when driving. Pray alone. . I believe that prayer completes that circuit. Patton was known as "Blood & Guts" ("Our blood, his guts"), was a common gripe among his troops for his hard-driving discipline, which paid off in lower casualties and great success on the battlefield. When he reached the other side of the river, Patton pretended to stumble, imitating William the Conqueror, who famously fell on his face when landing in England but transformed the bad omen into a propitious one by leaping to his feet with a handful of English soil, claiming it portended his complete possession of the country. Unable to offer further protest, he was taken to anevacuation hospital behind the lines. Patton was thirty-two years old. 1918 January 26 Patton was promoted to the temporary rank of major. On December 9, 1945, Patton was returning from a pheasant hunt with his chief of staff, Major General Hobart Hap Gay. In Gideons day, and in our own, spiritually alert minorities carry the burdens and bring the victories. There are three ways that men get what they want; by planning, by working, and by Praying. December 10 Patton served as Commanding Officer, 3d Cavalry, Fort Myer, Virginia. Americans will not tolerate aloser. With that the general rose from his chair, indicating that the meeting was concluded, and ONeill returned to his office to prepare the training letter Patton had requested. . Prior to the termination of active hos-tilities, you had captured in battle 956,000 enemy soldiers and killed or wounded at least 500,000 others. December 21 Patton passed away from pulmonary embolism as the result of an automobile accident. Known as "Old Blood and Guts," George S. Patton, Jr. was one of the most colorful generals of World War II. I know the Lord will help us again. But Patton could look to more recent lessons about weather and battle. 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] . Even in the heat of combat he could take time out to direct new methods to prevent trench feet, to see to it that dry socks went forward daily with the rations to troops on the line, to kneel in the mud administering morphine and caring for a wounded soldier until the ambulance came. That unknown spells defeat or victory, success or failure. Be seated. If hesays hes not, hes a liar. . We straight-arm, and go around, anddodge, and go around . 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. Everyone offered congratulations and thanks and we got back to the business of killing Germanswith clear weather for battle. We have had no quitters; and our leadership has been masterful. He wanted torun. March 30 Patton was promoted to the temporary rank of lieutenant colonel. 1940 April 1 Served as Umpire, Spring Maneuvers, Fort Benning, Georgia. We have the finest food, the finest equipment, the bestspirit, and the best men in the world. immensely huge American flag, delivers his version of Patton's "Speech to. Patton spent his years after the war going from base to base as a control officer for mechanized maneuvers as a brigadier general. And dontgive the enemy time to dig one either. But he was nevertheless punctilious about gentlemanly conduct. Both men were commanding tank units. 1946 March 19 Pattons remains were moved to a different gravesite within the Luxembourg American Cemetery and Memorial in Hamm, Luxembourg. . Before heading tothe field hospital, he insisted that the ambulance driver take him tothe headquarters of the Thirty-fifth Division, where he began to dictatea report on the situation at the battle front. It never occurred to me until this flight that, at the time the Jews crossed, it was unnecessary for them to ford anything, because there is a stretch of desert from Bitter Lake to the Mediterranean which had no water on it. He inspired his troops. Big generals and little soldiers were there, as were the royalty and the commoners of this tiny country from which General Patton drove the Germans in that crucial battle last Christmastide. We straight-arm, and go around, anddodge, and go around . We must utterly defeat the enemy. On this day, in 1945 one of the greatest American generals of WWII dies. He purposely cultivated what he called his "war face." He was aware that his men were watching him constantly, and he strived to lead by his words as much as he did by his actions. It consists of nothing but barren stony hills on which a few olive trees eke out a precarious existence. That way I can keep firing my pistols! . In union there is strength! Let me see it before you send it. Paralyzed from the neck down, he was taken to a hospital in Heidelberg. That way I can keep firing my pistols! In this chapel is the sword which is supposed to have been used on these occasions. He insisted it was not a sin to kill if one served on the side of God, citing the Old Testament story of David slaying Goliath. Yes, every man is scared in his first battle. They were actually in the heart of England itself. . Trusted by his troops and feared by the enemy, General George Patton was one of America's most dynamic--and controversial--war commanders. Then if I make good and the T. do and the war lasts I will get the first regiment. . War is a bloody, killing business. War is a bloody, killing business. But Patton would have none of this. General Patton was an intellectual warrior who obsessively studied every facet of warfare - while studying his Bible daily. Pattons army was victorious at El Guettar, and the Germans learned that the United States Army, led by its new commander, was no longer to be taken lightly. Why, by God, Iactually pity those poor sons of bitches were going upagainst. I have complete confidence that you will not fail. It is run by a composite group consisting of Catholics, Greeks, and Copts, and by a strange freak of chance, or British political insight, the doorkeeper is a Mohammedan. All the men with riflesand helmets, the altar the back of a jeep. General Patton is best known for leadingtheU.S. Third ArmyinFrance and Germany in the wake of the Alliedinvasion of Normandyin June 1944. Victory, success or failure scared in his demeanor and in his demeanor and in own. American generals of WWII dies has been hit January 26 Patton was to. 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