Patton's Third Army Is Prepared
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 17 มี.ค. 2020
- General George S. Patton explains how he'll turn his US Third Army on a dime, move them 100 miles north in 48 hours, and relieve the surrounded 101st Airborne Division before the Germans smash them.
- ภาพยนตร์และแอนิเมชัน
I read Patton's biography and this was probably his finest hour. A very interesting man and his training for warfare goes all the way back to his childhood being taught the exploits of his Grandfather and 7 Uncles who fought in Lee's Army in the Civil War. He went on to West Point, served in Mexico with Pershing, and then commanded the first tanks in the AEF in WW1. This guy studied war, it's tactics, and he knew almost every inch of Western Europe down to ancient Roman roads he could get his tanks through that weren't even on maps. He came to that meeting fully prepared with 3 plans of attack (they weren't working on plans, they were 3 already done and ready to go) and instructed his staff that as soon as the meeting was over, he would announce over the radio which plan they were to go with so as not to waste any time. Nobody in military history had ever turned a 100,000 man army off a line and got them moving so fluidly into another direction and into a different battle. That is why the other Generals were scoffing at him. Much of this was done by Patton personally in his field car with a driver. At any rate, the book said that a junior officer can keep track of a few dozen men while a Colonel could direct a regiment but very few human beings have the spatial vision to direct a huge Army and nobody could do it as fluidly as Patton.
Patton's staff were proficient enough to figure the details out; hence his confidence that Third Army could wheel about and go into a major battle to relieve Bastogne. They'd already proved themselves in August 1944, where Third Army, having broken out from Normandy, went west, south, and east all at the same time.
He commanded the US Army's first motorized attack on May 14, 1916. He led ten soldiers and two civilian guides when they used three Dodge touring cars in a surprise attack against three of Villa's men during a foraging expedition, killing Julio Cárdenas and two of his guards.
Which biography is that? I'd like to read it.
@@joe_5768 It's titled "Patton A Genius For War" by Carlo D'Este. 1995. 800 pages. Very well written...about 800 pages with 100+ pages of notes and a fairly long bibliography. After reading it, my personal conclusion was that Patton's persona on the big screen was just a glimpse of great General he truly was. He was far more interesting and complex in his real life.
@@bigwhig3126 Cheers mate.
"That's remarkable foresight George! You may be responsible for saving our entire campaign. And as a reward you'll be the only general in the war to have a decent movie made about you . ."
Not to mention kill him after the war.
Indeed lol
@@marshalllapenta7656
He believed in reincarnation.... if he was right, dying when he did would have made him a young man for Vietnam, living another ten years would have screwed that up...
As a side note, I served with three different Pattons in three different units in my 2016 deployment. I Felt honored to work with so many members of that bloodline!
Ike:Countdown to D-day. Great Movie about Eisenhower and all he put up with while planning the D-Day Invasion. Great Performance by Tom Selleck as Ike.
Montgomery, or how I let my Ego nearly lose the war.
My father was a Combat Medical Battalion Commander in 3rd Army, Some 50 plus years later I found my unit was designated as a 3rd Army unit as we went into Iraq. I wore the same patch as my father.
An honor to post to you. As a former Screaming Eagle my deepest thanks to you and your father. God Bless.
You should be very proud!
Thank you
Carry on, corporal!
Thank you!
This is such an amazing scene. Patton is surrounded by a group of men who are supposed to be leaders. He is posed a problem and has not only already anticipated the problem but established a contingency plan to overcome said problem. The room of "leaders" he's surrounded by sit there and give him every reason in the world why its impossible, no way it can be done, on and on. He brilliantly shuts them all down, the executes the mission successfully. That is called leadership. Something we don't seem to have in this country anymore.
It is made up. Like most of the film.
Walter Bedell Smith was a killer general
Leadership comes from the front. In all organizations there are risk takers and risk averse. Leaders know how to balance those forces and recognizing the time to take risks. None of it is make believe. If you haven’t been there you do not believe it, if you have you never forget it.
@@johnburns4017 it’s in his diary. Go read it.
@@ckkmanltj
There was lots of fantasy and bile in his diary.
Another interesting fact about Patton. In 1937 he was the intelligence officer for the Hawaiian Division in Honolulu. After seeing what the Japanese were doing in Manchuria and China. He wrote a paper, I believe it was titled "Surprise". He noted the Japanese never declared war before invading. He predicted a surprise or sneak attack on the Hawaiian Islands by Japan. The only thing he got wrong was he thought the invasion force would come from the Mariana Islands not directly from Japan. A very interesting and prescient man.
Patton's GEOSTRATEGIC insight was by far the best in US military history, the same as MacArthur's GEOPOLITICAL forecasting. Neither Bradley nor Eisenhower ever pocessed such long term imaginative minds.
Plus, it was Patton who correctly deduced that Germans aren't mounting an offensive across the Bulge but actually cutting down all Allied Forces in Western Europe. And Patton just didn't let the Germans their way.
@@AnkitSingh-pz2ju you are right about Patton but sadly MacArthur has no such foreshadowing insight or he would not have let his Air Force get caught flat footed on the ground 9 hrs after he knew about the attack on pearl Harbour.
@@robertcolbourne386 or the Chinese who drove him to the Pusan Perimeter.
@@AnkitSingh-pz2ju China had nothing to do with the Pusan Perimeter attack. That was 100% North Korean Army and only because the US didn't properly equip South Korea for an invasion thinking USSR wouldn't do the same for North Korea.
Fact. I minored in American History through my post-graduate studies. You are dead on balls accurate, sir!
Not me...I don't wanna pay for the same real estate twice.
aumarigan
Hello ☺️
Great statement!
Wonder what he would have made of Vietnam. Would he have the ability to change tactic or would he use blunt force like the other ww2 leaders ended up doing
@@jimmycakes7158 there is not a chance in hell Patton would have used the same strategies as others in Vietnam. The difference from Vietnam and Korea was that USA + Allies actually invaded North Korea. Had we invaded North Vietnam the war would have turned out very different. Patton didn't like, and wasn't scared of the Russians and the same would go for the communist Chinese. Patton's who ethos (like ALMOST ALL of Histories greatest generals) was to attack, attack, attack. Gain and keep the initiative. There is no way in hell he would fight a defensive war in a tropical jungle. He was in trouble for his outspokeness during WW2 when the USA was 100% United. You think in divided Vietnam War era America he wouldn't speak out. He would suggest his ideas and if they weren't listened to he would have caused problems. Higher ups would have to adopt his ideas or fire him. If MacArthur in Korea was fired what do you think would have happened to Patton in Vietnam? Again NO CHANCE IN HELL he would have sat back and adopted the USA losing strategy in Vietnam.
@@jimmycakes7158 Patton's Son was a General in the Vietnam War. However he was severely restricted.
Patton would have exposed and not stood for the Political games in that war
That's how I play StarCraft 1. I use the tank and turret push and I never retreat. It's a strategy people can see coming, so, they try to attack me as early as possible to reduce my chances of building a force that they can't break.
Patton was an awesome General and George C. Scott did an awesome playing him and its an incredible movie
Scott was born to play this role. Not a false note. Perfection.
Added to that it also has one of the best movie scores ever composed.
Awesome General yes, but only if you don't consider how quick he threw lives away in order to be there first
Lives he through away??? How many lives are thrown away by prolonging a battle?????
@@russburton7660 there's a difference between being decisive and reckless
I don't think anyone could have played Patton better than George C. Scott.
Most folks' concepts of the general come from the eponymous movie. In reality, his stature and voice would have been better portrayed by Walter Brennan (less a few years, Brennan was 74 when the movie came out, whereas Patton was 59 during the events in this scene). Although Scott was in fine shape for the film, the real Patton was a bit taller and lankier. His voice was far more nasally and high-pitched than Scott's gravelly voice. Interestingly enough, it was Karl Malden who was originally proposed to portray Patton; a screen test was shown to his widow Beatrice in 1952, shortly before her also untimely demise after a horse-riding accident. The film project was shelved for years, but later the idea was proposed to their two daughters and his lone son, then a US Army colonel serving in Vietnam; who green-lighted it. They all agreed that George C Scott made a far more convincing impression of their late father than any other actors that tested. Malden, of course, ended up portraying General Omar Bradley. Another inconsistency of the film indicates a degree of comradery between Bradley and Patton. In reality, though their professional relationship was effective, the two men disliked each other and would not have engaged in banter nor socialized. Of course, Malden and Bradley did not look alike at all. FWIW, Bradley is the last man to attain five-star rank in any US military service; not even notary officers like Hyman Rickover, Colin Powell, or Norman Schwarzkopf were considered for the 5-star rank, even on an honorary basis.
@John Cornell Vewwy Intewwesting...not quite "Elmer" (Mel Blanc, the man of 1K voices), again, Walter Brennan, but Mr. Brennan, though had Patton lived to about 75, they would have been at least cousins, such were their resemblances in appearance and voice, was too old for the role.
Gerald McRainey in Ike: Countdown to D-Day, and Kelsey Grammer in An American Carol did a good job.
The real Patton had a high squeaky voice...
My grandfather Neeld was a part of that third army and proud of it. He loved this movie as well. He said what it lacked in details it made up for in how the troops felt. He was a tanker. After the war he operated Caterpillar bulldozers in the oil fields.
My father was infantry, attached to 4th armor on the drive thru to Bastogne. A few times he mentioned how cold it was to go along with the fatigue. One time in particular while we were fishing at Spirit Lake he conveyed what was experienced on that march. Another time he mentioned the subsequent drive thru to Liege was also rough going. Every day I still miss him.
4th Armor was highly esteemed by Patton.
Thanks from UK to dad. Good lads the Yanks and all our other pals who saved our arses at the risk of losing their own. Good solid lads, all of em.
@@delprice3007 Yeh well they were backing each others lives up. Our peaple like yours where hard men and we would back our friends up. Knowing my own peaple, he would have said how loyal we are. Let's hope we never have to prove it, but if we do we (both sides)couldn't have better back up. Let's hope it's never against the Russians because they really are tough bastards. And good peaple when you know them. All the best.
Del Price My profound Respect and Gratitude for your Father’s Service to our Nation. My Father was in the B17 Bomber Command for the United States Eighth Army Air Force and I miss him too.
@@lawrencebittke8478 Your father deserves and earned the same. Bomber command suffered heavy casualties; my father was encamped near an airfield in England before D-day and was amazed how heavily damaged B17s were able to still fly and return.
The attack against the Germans and the relief of the 101st Airborne Division was one of Patton's greatest moments.
The screaming eagles. Just landed right amongst it. Imagine that, parachuting right into where them battle hardened Germans where waiting. Imagine the adrenaline and what was going through all those brave lads minds!!!! Real courageous heroes all of them.
@@geoffedwards-tb4kp The 101st Airborne Division (aka "The Screaming Eagles") were routed to and assigned to Bastogne. As far as I know, they were not "landed" or "parachuting into," but arrived either on foot or truck. One has to remember, the "Battle of the Bulge" occurred in December and the weather wasn't good for Airborne Operations.
@@southtexasprepper1837 I'm not sure but would have assumed with them being airborne. No matter to me the details the fact that they are heroes (despite any factual misinterpretations on my part) is what's important to me. Also that they are recognised as such. Thanks though for your time and effort to bring me a history lesson. It's appreciated.
@@geoffedwards-tb4kp There is no doubt in my mind or yours that these brave men were heroes. There's no amount of gratitude or thanks that can be rendered that they endured or sacrificed. There's a 1949 movie called "Battleground" that gives an idea what they went through. However, that movie cannot even really touch the reality of those brave men of " The Greatest Generation."
@@southtexasprepper1837 All of these men gave their all for us. Love and repect from UK. Will try and get that film. Thanks.
“I’m not. They’ll do it because they are good soldiers.” That was Patton getting back at Montgomery for saying that Americans are horrible soldiers only outdone by their officers.
Equally insulting was the characterization come-in fashion after the disaster in and around Kasserine Pass, among Imperial HQ staff referring to Americans as 'our Italians', or 'our Italian allies'. ☺
@Bernard S - Truth.
Monty didn't say that. The german general guy said that. But said english officers are the worst. Then was reminded that Montgomery was kicking Rommel's ass all over africa.
Montgomery was not a good General the British can say all they want about Montgomery he got lucky a lot and on Sicily Patton and his men took the whole island and Montgomery was taking his sweet time. I spin all of my free time studying Patton and Montgomery battle plans and I don’t see how Montgomery got to be a general at all so the British government must have have been desperate to let a man who I would not have let used a BB gun be a general. Just go look at some of his battle plans and you we see why I think he is a fuck up like Patton did. Patton just couldn’t say it with out being sent home and he was a not going to miss kicking some German ass so he didn’t say Montgomery was a shity General.
@@wotan20 True at the time, though. American performance at Kasserine was excretable. Got better very quickly though, and Patton was among the reasons why.
What I love about Patton is he’s bold but not reckless (unlike Custer); he learned from history, used intelligence, had a plan, & possessed foresight.
Only movie I watched TEN times. One of my all-time top twenty movies. Cast, story, direction.
" my men realize as I do that we can still lose this war " I like this line the most as it was Patton's way of saying to never underestimate the enemy no matter how much their army is being downgraded.
L'audace, l'audace, toujours l'audace !
actually, that was rather silly. The Soviets could have defeated the NAZI's all by themselves at this point. What was important was to keep the Soviets from occupying all of Germany.
Yep the Germans lost the war at Stalingrad. After this battle the Soviets just keep rolling over the Germans. However it should be noted that the Soviets had said without America supplying the Soviets they wouldn't have been able to beat the Germans. So it really was a team effort that won the war.
Not sure if he knew what his men realized.
@@Bigmojojo No, that's a farce, and anyone who believes that bullshit doesn't know World War II. The Germans were still fully capable killing the Soviet Union even in early 1943. Manstein's brilliant counterstroke at Kharkov revealed the fundamental weakness of the Soviet Army, and that was their inability to follow up any deep penetration with a means to supply those forces once they had achieved the decisive breakthough. The Red Army was strong, but it was poorly led thanks to Stalin's purges of the late 1930's and it enabled the Germans to seal any gaps made in their lines time and time again. Only after the truly decisive battle of Kursk were the Soviets able to push the Wehrmacht back with any real success given that the majority of its armored strength had been expended in that single great battle to seal off the salient from the north and south. Even so, had Manstein had his way, the battle may very well have been a German victory because the Southern front achieved near victory against the Soviet defenses. Only the 3rd line had yet to be broken, and they were nearly there when Hitler ordered the offensive be called off.
"I can attack with 3 divisions in 48 hours"...my favorite line in the movie...
I like the look he got from Karl Malden after he said it.
@@larryyeadeke2953 In reality, Gen Bradley knew Patton was always prepared for any sudden contingency - his go to in the 12th Army Group
Bradley and other allies office: *surprise pikachu face*
Easy Company: "Oh thank god.....shit we still have to survive for 2 more days...."
@@JnEricsonx No member of the 101st Airborne has ever admitted they needed to be rescued
They should give George C Scott an Oscar every year for this epic movie.
He decline the Oscar when he won like B Marley.
I was stationed with the 3rd army in Iraq and every morning before the national anthem the theme from this movie was played.... Is all I can think of when I see this movie
I love George’s style , wait till the others concede, then steps in for the knockout shot. Brilliant Tactical Mind. 🤠
Patton had studied the maps. The very fact Bastogne was a regional communications center meant there WERE several routes available for 3rd Army to use on it's approach from the south.. It was "important" the same way Gettysburg was.. Also the German 7th Army that barred the way was extremely weak.. It was composed of brand new VolksGrenadier Divisions that lacked armor AND heavy artillery. It was more of a screen than a "firm shoulder". The truth is simple; by 1944-45 the Wehrmacht was OUT of infantry. Three blood soaked years of fighting in Russia had gutted them. Even the SS units of the battle had been "Rebuilt" several times and fanaticism is no substitute for experience.
By contrast 3rd Army in Dec 44 was close to or at it's fighting peak. While it had been involved in a series of failed attacks around Metz... The fuel shortages of earlier fall had provided a respite for repair and refit for it;s armored units. Also unlike their German opponents they were lavishly equipped with artillery; including significant numbers of self-propelled guns that could/would provide point blank direct fire support against German roadblocks. Finally their famous "Dash" across France after the Normandy breakout had provided invaluable experience supplying and maintaining operational tempo and mobility over significant distance. 100 miles WAS NOT some insurmountable never before seen circumstance. Both Beetle Smith and Omar Bradley should have been far less patronizing. The problem was BOTH of them harbored a personal animus against Patton that clouded their judgement as to his capabilities and the staff he had assembled and surrounded himself with...
I personally believe Patton and 3rd Army's conduct during the relief of Bastogne was probably the finest piece of "soldiering" on the entire Western Front from D-Day til the end of the war. It was a brilliantly executed 90 degree pivot by an entire Corps and advance to contact that succeeded exactly as planned. They went through the German 7th Army like sh*t through a goose. Had Patton been allowed to continue to advance across the "Base" of the German salient he would have bagged the vast majority of Manteuffal's 5th Panzer Army and probably large parts of 6th SS Panzer Army as well. At that point the road to Berlin would have been wide open. Instead the Allies decided on a strategy of slow attritional constriction around the perimeter. This allowed the Germans to gradually pull back AND it produced the vast majority of casualties that American forces would suffer during the "Battle" itself. Again you can make the case that the professional jealousy and personal animus of Patton's peers and superiors prevented an utter rout and decisive result mainly because they didn't want Patton's name attached to it. It would in effect devolve into a much bloodier prolonged re-run of the August failure to close the "Falaise Gap".. AND again; like at Falaise, the German units that escaped would live to fight another day.
Arthur, During my stay at home order, I found a book in my old library, "the last 100 days" which details the war in the spring of 1945 by John Toland. He doesn't go into the excellent detail of your post but the meaning is relatively the same. If Patton was unleashed, he would have gotten to Berlin before the Russians. Politics got in the way and people died because of it. American soldiers, among others. You are way more knowledgeable than me but your post I believe is a true statement of these events.
Great assesment
yes very much so ... would not listen to Patton on every plan till theirs failed cost lots of lives on both sides .. the Germans would surrender to the Americans and Brits when cut off ... not so to the Russians
@@michaeljensen2013 Excellent book.
I like how you stated, relieved the 101st, not rescued. Very well put. Germany by this time was suffering oil shortages and supply problems on both fronts, especially on the eastern front. It did not mean that the Wehrmacht was not something to be take lightly, it still had the ability to run a defense, and it did. Imo it was a matter of time with the lack of oil/fuel, Germany had food shortages as well that were manifesting on the front as well.
And damn, they did it to. Thanks to the men under Patton the Bastards of Bastogne lived to fight again. Paying for real estate twice is a bad idea.
So is letting the German units escape to fight again. Patton wanted to continue due north from Bastogne and cut across the base of the "Bulge". Unfortunately just like at Falaise the previous August Montgomery would refuse to commit the A,erican (temporarily under his command) and British forces necessary to attack from the north to isolate/surround/destroy two COMPLETE panzer armies. Once again the Germans would be allowed to slip away...
Instead the American 1st, 9th, and 3rd Armies would spend 6 weeks of slow grinding attritional warfare that would produce the overwhelming majority of the "Battle's" casualties.
Quite frankly Montgomery was the best field commander the GERMANS had on the Western Front. Every single time it counted he "Sh&t the bed". He failed to drive on Caen at D-day. He failed to close the gap at Falaise. He failed to to secure the Scheldt Estuary rendering the capture of Antwerp meaningless; just to grab the headlines for "Liberating" Brussels. Then there was Market-Garden when he found out where two SS Panzer Divisions he'd let escape earlier had gone to when he dropped the British airborne on top of them.. Finally his refusal to agree to Patton's counter-attack proposal at the Ardennes would cost the Allies 5 weeks and 45,000 American casualties and insure the Red Army arrived first in Berlin.
Jack Sagrafsky
Yes they did!!
Lawrence D. Blanscet
( My stepdad, dad to me)
Africa
Sicily
Italy- Anzio
Omaha beach- second wave
Battle of the bulge
Germany
5 April 1923
29 September 2017
RIP dad
PS. Patton’s beloved 3rd Army!
@@MrArtbv You are spot on
@Sanuk Jang Lery and he will.
" Paying for real estate twice is a bad idea" - And yet we did it over and over in Vietnam.
"I don't like to pay for the same real estate twice." Love that line.
I use it all the time
@@retroguy9494 I use the line at work, "I don't like to do 'double-work'."
@@davidharrison3711 Ohhh middle management LOVES that in corporations! So does the government!
I was in the divorce negotiations with my wife and her attorney, as we were discussing our home, a little voice inside my head said ,I don't like to pay for the same real estate twice,
3 Divisions he sent North initially were the 35th Infantry, 80th Infantry, and the 4th Armored. The 4th Infantry, 101st Airborne, and 10th Armored were added as the advance progressed. Creigton Abrams commanded the 37th Tank Battalion in the 4th Armored which broke through to the 101st. Later was MACV during Vietnam and Army Chief of Staff. Died while on duty as Chief of Staff from a heart attack. M1 Abrams MBT is named for him.
his intel told of the German build up for an attack . he told the higher ups . they didn't listen . now he had to help stop it and they took a smug stance
I read where Patton's Intelligence Officer G-2 had noticed the buildup of German forces and brought it to Patton's attention. I forget his name but I think he had been a New York City Police Detective. Patton had his staff work out contingency plans and that was how he could move so fast. Not everyone was completely surprised, just the big shots.
that seems to be the story .. the ones at the top making the call... not the first time
@@jamessnee7171 Patton's G2 was Brig.Gen. Oscar W. Koch. But he was not a policeman. He was full-on cavalry, serving as instructor at Ft Riley Kansas where he met Gen. Patton.
Typical liberal wacko Democrat bureaucrat thick-headed morons You can see it right now.
@@hankkingsley2976 Hey Now! You're a fucking idiot!
My dad was in patton's third army he was in one of the 3 divisions patton said rode all night to get there. I miss him all the time that is one of only a few things he said about the war never did tell me how he got his distinguished service cross and his bronze star.
My dad was in Patton's third army as well. A Sargent, and he also never talked about WWII until he was much older, after I had been a grown up for some time. I miss him too.
distinguished service cross citations are prob public information, you can prob requests it from DOD and find out
The DSC! Wow! Just below the MOH: correct? He was a true hero...
@@sethkimmel7312 one of the most humble person you ever met. He always said he was just saving his buddies.
All the family has to do is get their congressmen involved to obtain a copy of dad's service record. The DSC and the bronze star award orders and citation will be there.
Patton: I have a lot of faults Brad, but ingratitude isn't one of them. I owe you a lot. Hell, I know I'm a prima donna - I admit it! What I can't stand about Monty is he won't admit it.
In another quote Patton notes that the Germans were using horses for supplies and hauling their equipment from battle to battle. Patton mentions that he saw that before in another life (Napoleon's retreat march on Moscow?) and that is how he knows the Germans were beaten.
That's not quite what he said. He the the German soldiers were using the carts. In spite of Hollywood BS the German army was largely a Horse drawn army so moving supplies with horses was normal. Don't believe me about the horses do some research.
@@stuglenn1112 It is still a good quote from the movie. I used to own his diaries from North Africa to Italy and George C Scott did capture the real Patton very well. You were right about the carts instead of horses - I was just going off memory.
That’s quite possibly the Achilles Heel of the entire German war effort. An army of mechanized divisions depending, as all armies once did on horses & mules for support. They did not produce enough trucks & transport vehicles needed to keep up with & support the blitzkrieg ....IMHO. Can you imagine the logistical nightmare this caused during Operation Barbarossa?
The Germans were over 90% horse drawn for the entire war.
@@casualobserver3145 The Germans were running out of fuel, that's why they used horses. They planned an attack on Antwerp to seize the port, and an allied fuel depot as well.
I love the fact that he had already prepped his staff for packing up and moving from the fight even before his meeting with Montgomery and Bradley. His staff was already working on the details. Badass.
Patton was THE MAN, moves like Sherman did in Georgia. He read Caesars commentaries like you read the paper.
The leadup to this meeting where Patton is able to definitively identify the German Strategy, prepare three contingencies for three different axis of attack...the man stands in the pantheon of military and tactical genius in a war that was full of it.
He needed to one up Monty and make Bedell Smith look like an ass.
@@nitewatchman1576 Patton was dyslexic. So, he MEMORIZED like you read the paper. Really, for a fast move across Europe, there simply wasn't a better choice for the job. Patton already knew the ground, routes, river fords, etc, because others before him had used them; and wrote it up.
Montgomery was not at this meeting. His Chief of Staff came as his representative, but knew what Montgomery's response would be. After 1st and 9th U.S. Armies were temporarily transferred to Montgomery's tactical control to ease communications, he released a press release saying how he and the British forces had "rescued" the Americans during the battle. Problem was, only one British Brigade Group actually saw any combat action and that not much more than skirmishing with recon units. The American generals from Bradley (CG 12th U.S. Army Group) through the army, corps, and division commanders raised such a stink that Eisenhower almost relieved Montgomery. It was only the fact that Montgomery formally apologized, ordered by the British Army Chief of Staff to do so, that he avoided being relieved. However, never again during the war would American troops come under Montgomery's command.
Best part: @ 1:17, the two Patton staff officers, knowing that Beetle is trying to grill Patton but they know better. The one officer hiding his grin behind his gloved hand. Awesome.
I read that Eisenhower was at the meeting. At the end of the meeting he said to Patton how he was saving him to which Patton replied it was him
( Eisenhower) That came to Patton to save his ass.
I've seen this movie countless times but never noticed that till this video, too!
He did it. Best war movie ever and this was the best scene. My father was 100 miles south of Bastogne during this battle. Sorry he didn't live to see this movie.
"I don't like to pay for the same real estate twice." Retreat was never a component of Patton's battle tactics.....never!
My uncle was at Bastogne. Told many scary tales of it. Men frozen, little food, ammo. But they Patton saved them! Miracle.
Strategically resolute, tactically flexible...even Patton's Plan B had a Plan B...
I met Karl Malden in 1999 while checking into the Westin St Francis in San Francisco. My wife and I were starting our honeymoon.
He was kind and introduced his wife as well who was gracious. I asked him about Patton and working with George, to which he responded that George was amazing and he had enjoyed making the film. I told him as a fan of history I thought it was funny that any time I read about General Bradley it was Karl’s face I saw. He laughed and told me I should visit my optometrist!
I read the paperback book version when I was 12 years old and saw the movie a couple of years later! It is one of my favorite WW2 movies of all time, George C. Scott embodies the spirit of General Patton....I only pray if we ever drawn into another World War, we have a General with Brains, Strategy, and Guts like Patton . Not Some Politically Correct, Woke, political General or we loose everything!
The next world war will last a few days, if that, and will be decided by ICBMs. There won't be any brains, strategy or guts that will make a goddamn bit of difference, nor anything else you're yammering on about. There won't be anything left to lose at the end of it either.
A father of one of my brother's s friends was an infantryman in Patton's command.
He related a story of how his platoon came up upon the downslope of a riverbank and was directed to dig in to hold per orders of the colonel of the regiment.
All of a sudden a general came up and then a three star general who began cursing and asking who had commanded to dig in and hold.
"It's Patton himself!" Patton dressed down the colonel telling him that no one under his command was to ever stop being on the attack that if the colonel wished to not be a buck private by sundown he would have his unit across the river.
Patton then walked through the platoon to the river watching the first stages of a bailey bridge. He came under fire from across the river, the bullets landing in the mud alongside his boot.
He became enraged, pulled out his revolver and shot back emptying the cylinder. He flipped open the cylinder and dropped the empty casings and began reloading.
" Well what the goddammed hell are you waiting for, if you don't get in that river and attack the next load is for you. Attack goddammit!"
And so the whole platoon charged the river.
My grandpa was too. The man had a framed picture of Patton in his house until he died in 2012. ❤
"I can attack with 3 Divisions in 48 hrs" HAHAHA My favorite line
And he DID!
“My staff’s already working out the details”, so casual, so powerful
Military genius. Patton understood war, like even few generals do.
He read all the writings, books, learnings of the greatest generals in history. To learn the tactics of your enemies is to be able to predict what he will do. He also believed - when your enemy is on the run, keep chasing him.
That works so long as your enemy is really on the run and not deceiving you into thinking they are on the run when they have an ambush waiting.
There should always be an active piece of armor in our arsenal that is named after this man. He deserves it and so do we. 🇺🇸
A good soldier knows that whatever the optics may be, the war can always be lost.
An officer of the 101st met a German vet many years later and asked him why they didn't advance as the 101st was nearly out of ammo and food ... The German replied, (paraphrased).."No one wanted to go because we knew the "Eagle Heads were there."
"Nuts"
The German containment force was smaller than the 18,000 inside Bastogne. The commander of the containment force was scared stiff they would come out and fight. The 18,000 were in warm buildings, while the Germans were outside in sub zero temperatures.
Another fake American story
The reason he was prepared when all the rest were not, was Patton READ the daily briefings that most of the rest just ignored.
Add to that, he was onsite in Bastogn in 36 hours, not 48.
1. Patton was ordered to Bastogne on the 19th. The siege was lifted on the 26th.
2. There were no Brits at the meeting depicted in the film. And the Bulge was out of the Brits area.
3. The meeting was of Bradley's officers - all already too involved in fighting to be able to do much more. Patton's forces were the only ones available for redeployment.
It's disappointing when you visit the WWII museum in New Orleans how little is mentioned about Patton.. Just a brief history about his command...
If you get a chance stop by Fort Knox in Kentucky. You can go onto the base and visit a nice museum there. It’s dedicated to armor and mechanized war implements and they had a lot of Patton stuff. They had his field office trailer and even a little statue of his bull terrier Willy. If you’re a history buff it’s worth the visit. We stayed at a nice Holiday Inn Express in town there.
As much as I love the WWII Museum in New Orleans....I live only an hour away....I want them to expand it to include more. It is happening though, but it takes time & lots of money. BTW....just across the street from the WWII Museum is Memorial Hall, with it’s incredible Civil War Museum. Truly worth a visit as it could definitely use the support in these times of “revisioning of history”.
@@casualobserver3145 it's a shame that "PC" people are wanting stuff like that glorious civil war museum gone. I mean hell, they just removed a statue of Robert E. Lee from the Battle of Antietam Battlefield site!
The PATTON Museum is at Fort Knox in Kentucky, it is nothing but Patton, check it out.
@@univac7677 Roger that! It's a great museum.
One of my best friends was Sgt Russell Dunham. 3rd infantry division and his outfit was pulled off the line and attached to a heavy armored division. This scene was 12/20/44 +- a day and Bastogne was relieved the day after Christmas. My Buddy Russ got the Medal of Honor. He told me "Brad I used to hold all those casualties we sustained against Patton and then about 1970 it dawned on me the Old Man was right all along. We only took casualties 1x and we never gave nothing back; we lost a lot fewer men bc the General knew what he was doing." Russ was a farm boy and lived in the country and he did not allow anything German on the property.
My Dad fought with Patton n the 3rd and he said he was the only General trying to win the war
My great uncle was a tank driver in Patton's 3rd Army. I feel a special connection with him as I was the only other of his relatives to go into the military. The rest of the family always tried to get him to talk about his experiences but he wouldn't say anything. Last year when we got together for his birthday it was the first time I had seen him in about 15 years, I never asked him one question about his time, but he opened up to me about it and it stunned the rest of my family. I just told them it's a veteran thing.
@King Tiger Keep their stars and kiss ass to get more. Any more dumb questions?
@King Tiger they were more focus to not lose a war rather than win one
My friend’s dad also caught with Patton his name was Donald Clinton Clayman he was a major when it started and became a general when it ended
@@djtodd3 My Uncle Ralph drove ambulance and gas trucks for the '' Red Ball Express''....the two of them might have met...LOL!
My father flew ground support for Patton as he was marching thru Germany. P47 Thunderbolts. Dad didnt like movies. He thought it was a waste of money. This may have been the only movie he ever saw and enjoyed.
Patton was a mad genius! I'm planning to pay my respects at his gave in Luxembourg next year.
"Amat Victoria Curam" -- Roman proverb, "Victory Loves Preparation."
One of my favorite scenes of many in a war movie. I've watched "Patton" over a dozen times.
There is so much awesomeness in this clip. They proper expressions of the British and the American cowboy of Patton. Just a fantastic scene
One of the better scenes from the movie. You know Patton was just sitting there waiting for someone to ask him in he could help. He knew his answer was going to make people shit bricks. He also knew his men could do exactly what he said.
It's pretty clear that Smith was conveying Ike's inquiry more for Patton than anyone else... the "get up" to bastogne clearly points to him instead of Monty.
Very well said! 👍
This clip brings back a great memory. The last movies I saw with my father before he passed were on a double-feature: "Patton" and "M*A*S*H" - and as you might guess, he loved "Patton" but was shocked by "M*A*S*H." But it was the last time he and I went to the movies together.
I had the pleasure of meeting one of my hero's while in the army. Creighton Abrams. My dad was with the 3rd. I asked him to sign a new fatigue hat and he did. I sent it home to my dad. Patton once said there's only one tank commander better than me...Creighton Abrams. When I met him he was Commander of Vietnam . Our biggest tank...M1 Abrams.
His first name was Creighton. An admirer should at least get his name right.
@@roberthudson1959 learn something every day.
One of my high school teachers was his aide in Vietnam. He had nothing but positive things to say about him.
The 'Weather Prayer' sequence in Patton (1970) is, for me, this film's nexus. After fifty years I keep referring back to that point in the movie.
That sequence alone was worthy of the Best Picture Oscar. So quiet, so eloquent, such a brilliant directorial and editorial moment, the juxtaposition, Goldsmith's score, Scott's delivery of the speech...Magnificence.
@@Broadwaymungo Hear, hear. The punctuation to that scene is when those fighters fly over the next morning against clearing skies.
@@TralfazConstruction "Cod, get me that chaplain. He stands in good with the Lord and I want to decorate him!"
My uncle fought at Bastogne. Not a lot of details from him. But he said it was a very difficult battle.
I've read a couple of books on it. They painted a very grim picture. Definitely not a place to be.
If you ask the paratroopers that fought in Bastogne, no one asked Patton to 'rescue' them.
@@joem7641 maybe not. But, they wouldn't have made it otherwise.
My dad's father was an engineer who was there in Bastoge during the battle. He never wanted to go camping years later and now that I'm older and read more about the whole battle, plus the operation. I can see why
that's why Patton got there faster cause they were good men
He knew it was coming, just wasn't sure where. He planned for 3 possible axis of attack with a code word for each. Once he knew where to go he phoned his staff with the appropriate code word and off they went. Relieved the 101st Airborne, did not rescue them. 101st vets make sure you know that even today. Patton himself never said he rescued them. Army is Army and blood is blood. The best Commanding field general we've ever had.
Play ball
Anyone who has an interest in this battle should visit Bastogne, and the impressive US Memorial and museum. And pay their respects at the Ardennes American Cemetery. Very impressive.
Unfortunately the people who lived through the battle are dying out and the new generation wants everything referring to the battle to be removed, it's a shame but that's the growing sentiment in Europe. They want all traces that involve America removed, including our military bases.
I talked with a wwii vet we knew that was in many of the big battles. He listed them off. The one he thought was the worst was The Forest. None of the battles were easy though and Patton pushing his army through was an important event. The vet said he and his buddy were offered to be in the 101st but he declined thinking it would reduce his chances of coming home alive.
Hoa Tattis reference was for Bastogne
Gen. Patton: “Brave men are dying up there; I’m not going to wait, not an hour, not a minute! We’re going to keep moving, *IS THAT CLEAR?!?* We’re going to attack all night, and we’re going to attack tomorrow morning! If we are not victorious...let no one come back alive!”
Lt. Col. Codman: “You know something, General? Sometimes they can’t tell when you’re acting, and when you’re not.”
Gen. Patton: “It isn’t important for them to know; it’s only important for *me* to know.” 😜
Great scene!
Greatest insight in to the mind of a great general.
I LOVE seeing this in people. I knew someone at my job who set out to do certain projects and people thought he was crazy. He proved every single one of them wrong the next year.
Most WWII vets when asked who they were assigned to they would their Division or Company or Squad.
Patton's vet usually responded "I rode with Patton!" 🇺🇸
The greatest Oscar performance of all tume
This actually happened, although the details were a little different. The meeting was in Verdun and Eisenhower was there. Montgomery didn't show up because he felt everyone should have come to his location. Monty was something of a prima donna. Patton's Third Army was about 100 - 150 miles south, it was the middle of winter and they were in a tough fight. Many other allied armies were closer, including Montgomery's, but they didn't help much. When Patton said he could attack with three divisions in 48 hours, the British officers in the room laughed at him. Eisenhower didn't believe him and thought it was just typical Patton bluster. But he did just that. He moved an entire army (over 200,000 men, hundreds of tanks, etc.) 100 miles in a few days, in the snow, without rest and when he got there, launched an attack against some of the best divisions the Germans had left, including many SS divisions transferred from the eastern front. Patton took absolutely everything he had, even made cooks and clerks infantrymen, and slammed his entire army into the Germans. He either issued an order or told one of his commanders, "Achieve victory or let nobody come back alive." Patton wanted to "liberate" the 101st at Bastogne on Christmas Day. The fight to get though to Bastogne was hellacious and it took a few more days after Christmas. I knew a man who was in the 101st who was nearby when Patton's tanks broke through to Bastogne. He said 101st paratroopers were screaming, "The Germans, they are coming!" and started firing on Patton's tanks and then came the order over the radios "cease fire! cease fire! They're friendlies!" He said he began to cry when he saw US markings on the tanks but made one point very clear: they weren't saved by Patton, the 101st held their position and would have continued to hold with to without Patton's help. But he said he sure loved and admired Patton because he was a "fighting general". He also told me the SS committed numerous atrocities during the battle everywhere they went against civilians and prisoners, and in retaliation, "we didn't take many SS prisoners, we shot them instead" until ordered to stop. This was Patton's peak moment in the war and the movie kind of glosses over it, which I never understood.
Simply brilliant. Greatly appreciate the extensive commentary. It reaffirms my own understanding of Gen Patton’s incredible talent and war fighting skill. He is a blessing to the USA. Gen Eisenhower did risk a lot, keeping Gen Patton in the European theatre, however, it was the single best decision made in the war. Without Gen Patton - ego notwithstanding - the allied efforts may well have taken a sour turn for the worse. Again, thanks for you exceptional commentary.
Ike's brilliance was in how he used Patton, as a decoy for D-Day and when he really needed someone to kick butt, he kept Patton available.
Patton was to Grant, as Ike was to Lincoln. Both generals were despised by their peers and politicians, but both were invaluable because they actually FOUGHT.
"I trained these men, Arthur...they'll do what I tell them to do."
Patton's ownage of Monty in this moment was complete and thorough.
This movie was just a US propaganda movie really. Patton had a chip on his shoulder; he only won one battle , against the left overs of the German army. Besides if the Yanks were so Gung ho why did they sit on their arses for the first three years of the War.
@@jackthegamer4019 While we were single-handedly defeating the Japanese, and saving Britain's precious Asian colonies.
The Brits knew they only had one shot, and if they blew it, they were done. Their country is much smaller than ours, and its army had been basically wiped out just 4 years prior. The rebuilt elements were then committed to North Africa and other sideshows, which didn't help prepare them for D-Day. The Americans might be able to afford to lose 2-3 corps in stand-up fighting in France and Belgium -- but if the Brits suffered similar losses, they'd have nothing left. Already about every fourth British family had lost one or more young men in the war, and Britain itself was being hit with V-weapons. Monty was right to be cautious.
@@jackthegamer4019 It's not entirely historically accurate for sure, Monty gets painted quite often as a rival and hindrance to Patton when in reality he was one of the few British commanders who didn't have a disdain for him.
Also, the first three years of the war, the British let Poland fall, waited out the rest of the year, then fled France which fell in about a month, and would spend the rest of the time until the United States joined getting chased around Africa by Rommel. The US had no obligation to join in another devastating European war until it itself was attacked.
@@edlawn5481 You’re Historical illiteracy is astounding. Western Asia was totally held by the British empire. After the War the Brits also nearly destroyed Ho Chi Minh . Another couple of months and we would have destroyed for good. But you lot wanted the French back . You Yanks have never been right once ..ever.
And then he went out and did exactly what he said he would do.....
I always love the confidet Patton ,he was what a great American general always should be ..theyvddont make generals like him anymore...
Yeah they're better now
@@austinpowers2033 Haha. Today's Generals will make a War that should take a few years to win and make it decades. War in Afghanistan and Iraq.
@@exexpat11& Afghanistan was left the same way we found it. No former invader has succeeded in overcoming Afghanistan. So American soldiers died, injured, are were maimed for life to what end?
That's the best action of Patton during WWII saving the 101st Airborne Division in Bastogne. Forward, forward ever, and knockdown his targets off their feet. He was proud of his soldiers, his country, and his flag. He knew his job perfectly and believed in his GI's. That's the difference. An iron minding. An army is like its chief.
He was rough and vulgar, but the job was well done. He used the words of truth. His behavior was very different from that of British generals.
I firmly believe that Montgomery was praised more than he deserved. Don't get me wrong I don't intend disrespect to him. But the British were slow to adopt the more effective combined arms fast tactics like what Patton used. British command held tradition in too high of regard, often waiting until all units were in place and waiting before they made any moves, it was an outdated grand battle plan doctrine and likely caused more casualties. British soldiers are great fighters, but their command was questionable in crucial points during the war. Patton treated every engagement as if one moment of hesitation meant defeat, and he was relentless. People often to this day accuse him if getting more soldiers killed than necessary, but it was this relentless attack that kept his opponents reeling and unable to mount a proper retaliation that likely saved far more allies than it killed.
Also just in case I'm misinterpreted, I'm in no way disagreeing with you just offering my thoughts.
My Great Uncle was with the 101st Airborne at Bastogne...
My Grandfather was with General Patton fighting north to save the 101st from complete destruction...
As a U S Army 30 year Veteran I have always felt what my family did just runs in our blood.... We wouldn’t have wanted it any other way...👍👍👍
One of the best generals of the 20th century!
And Patton had done this before- as a Major in Pershing's army; they immediately turned from one fight, and attacked north after a march of a least 100 miles in two or three days, with more troops and with less mechanized transport.
By the time they were in that meeting, the German Army was already running out of the little fuel they had. They were supposed to capture fuel dumps along the way. The whole thing was doom to fail from the start and in order to have the resources for the offensive, they gutted the East. The Red Army just kept rolling to Berlin in the Spring. Great movie and the role of a lifetime for George C. Scott. Saw it when first released. Never gets old.
My Dad Was There When His Tanks Rolled In & 'Patton' Was The Only Movie I Ever Saw With My Father At The Theatre.
@Geoff Boston I Definitely Understand & I'm Sure You Miss Him Just As Much As I Miss Mine. Even Before The Movie 'Patton', He Had Told Me About Events That Occurred During The War. Not In A Bragging Way Mind You, More Like Just Having Someone To Talk To About It. He Didn't Hang Out With A-lot Of Guys, Kinda Like Me. I've Studied A-lot About World War 2 & The Next Time I Watch 'Tora, Tora, Tora', I'll Be Thinking Of You & Your Dad.
IMO the greatest commander that ever fought a war.....just his name put fear in the germans.......Patton was the best second to none....
Nimitz was better. Every battle Patton fought, he had a significant advantage in numbers, supplies , and air support. Nimitz and his subordinate Marine and Navy commanders were at a disadvantage at Midway and in the early months of the Solomon campaigns, and yet won both.
@@jwiles545 And the cryptographers that were able to pinpoint the date, location, strength of the Japanese fleet didn't help Nimitz one bit, huh? And the Japanese error of dividing their fleet into 4 different task groups that were too widely separated to support each other didn't help either, I suppose?
@@NBLP7001 Not really sure what your point is. Nimitz had help, so did Patton. Most military commanders do. But Nimitz started his fight with a significant numerical disadvantage, while Patton always had a numerical and logistical advantage. When Nimitz took over, the Japanese were masters of most of the pacific. Within a year, Nimitz had beaten them back, whittled them down so that when new ships began to arrive from the states, they would be facing a much weakened Japanese adversary. Even in the Solomons campaign, after Midway, the US forces started the conflict with numerical and logistical disadvantages. And taking advantage of the other sides mistakes is one of the hallmarks of a great military leader.
@@jwiles545 Knew where and when. Had radar the Japanese didn't. You make it sound like Nimitz went into Midway as a decisive underdog and he had ALL of the advantages. The Japanese numbers were totally negated by the info Nimitz's G2 provided and the numerous tactical errors made by the Japanese.
@John Cornell not quite true ........they held the ss panzer divisions at calais because of the fact that they believed the false information that patton was in Kent to lead the invasion into france...therefore keeping their best divisions away from normandy.....German high command were convinced that the allies would not leave out their best commander patton....also the Bulge at the ardennes again that what chosen not only for the weak point at Bastogne but because they knew patton and the 3rd were too far in the south..........
In the Army, we love movie quotes! Especially, as I got older and young soldiers watch fewer classic films like Patton, Full Metal Jacket, We Are Soldiers, Black Hawk Down...bad arse quotes on certain COMBAT situations inspire these men to do your bidding.
I will admit, I have used the "...I never pay the same real estate twice" line during a firefight. I got fed up being pinned behind a Jersey Barrier being shot at.
After rallying my troops and told them what we need to get done, just before we spring out, a soldier asked...yelled really, "...Top, why we're doing this?"
"...Specialist, I never pay for the same real estate twice!!!"
I have never watched this film but in this clip, Gen. Patton's response to the British officer at 1:43 speaks very well of Patton's character and his understanding of warfare. It also shows great strength that he neither took offense to the comment nor does he take how "unpopular" he is among his men personally. He focused and committed to winning the war as he should be.
i don't know how accuarete this is but just looks brilliant . Remmmeber watching this back inthe day with my brother and ol pop. We loved watching westerns and war movies
My dad was a tank driver under Patton in the relief of Bastogne
he wouldn't see the movie saying I saw enough of that bastard during the war
That would be "paying for the same real estate twice." Most veterans don't like to watch depictions of what someone THOUGHT happened.
In several instances the eponymous movie alludes to Patton's UN-popularity with his men and officers:
1. After relieving a whiny LTC complaining that his battalion's lack of battlefield success was due to getting no "air cover", and appointing his XO in command (a move which would be VERY much not in respect of the chain of command, the light colonel's regimental, divisional, and corps commanders would have been outraged and likely would have asked to be relieved as well, it being THEIR prerogative to dismiss a unit commander), the major, now in command, comments to his deposed CO, "Sir, there are 50,000 men on this island (Sicily) that'd like to SHOOT that SOB!" My question would be, given the size of Seventh Army at the time...ONLY 50K?
2. Likewise as Patton is raising hell with the Seventh Army, in an apparent egotistical drive to get to Messina ahead of Monty and his Eighth Army, one dogface comments to another, "There goes 'ol Blood n' Guts'. His buddy retorts, "Yeah...OUR blood....HIS guts."
3. In the briefing that's the subject of this video, "Freddy" wrly comments that he didn't realize how "popular" Patton is with his men. The general responds that he's NOT, but his men will do their duty because they're good soldiers...and they also fear that the war could still be lost.
4. Patton himself had said earlier, "I don't want my men to 'love' me, I want them to FIGHT for me!"
Patton knew his job, which is more than I can say about most generals.
As a whole, the US Generals in WWII were very good. George Marshall was responsible for that. His judgement was simply excellent. Before WWII he completely he cleaned house in the US General officer ranks. He correctly judged what was coming, and the sort of General that it would require was very different that what it was in 1939.
He was not fond of some of the problems that Patton created, but he recognized that the type of war that would evolve if Overlord was successful was EXACTLY the type of environment that Patton excelled in. Patton was just too good at extending, pressing and pursuit. That said, it was decided long before Patton was granted his Army Command before Overlord that this was as high was he was ever going in the Army. He was rising no higher because of his other shortcomings.
@@shooter7a Eisenhower had the shortcomings. Patton was who he was, a kick ass general. Need more people who understand that the goal is to break things and kill them all.
@@hankkingsley2976 Eisenhower could have done what Patton did...maybe not quite as effectively...but he could have done. Patton was not capable of doing what Eisenhower did at all. There were reasons that Marshall has his eye on Eisenhower before the US was even in the war. Patton...he was just a tool to be used.
Patton was ordered to Bastogne on the 19th. The siege was lifted on the 26th.
The meeting was of Bradley's officers (no British officers there) all already too involved in fighting to be able to do much more. Patton's forces were the only ones available for redeployment.
It's interesting in the movie that Bettle gets up from his seat leaving a Major General helmet when he is a Lieutenant General. Movie moment.
Patton had been working with an intel officer whom he considered to be the best in the Army. This officer told Patton that something was up due to lack of German radio traffic in that area. Patton informed his superiors, none of whom believed him, so he prepared his men anyway.
That Intelligence officer was a man by the name of Koch, he was portrayed by Actor Henry Fonda in the motion picture "Battle of The Bulge".It is true enough that Patton had his ear.
The officer name is Oscar W. Koch he was Brigadier General Oscar W. Koch Commander of 2nd Division 3rd Army. He served under General Patton in numerous theaters of Operation including North Africa and on the European Continent. If your looking for a Most Valuable Officer look no further it was his intelligence gathering and his ways of gathering intelligence that to the best of my knowledge some of those ways of gathering intelligence are still employed today. He most definitely had Patton's ear. Born 01/10/1897-Died 05/16/1970 Age 73-Arlington National Cemetary
Patton originally had an unconventional idea about the German advance, while Bradley and Eisenhower held the more traditional view. The killer instinct in Patton suggested that they risk letting the Germans advance as far as possible and then encircle them when they were far out on a limb. Bradley, and especially Eisenhower, decided to adhere to the standard US Army doctrine at the time: apply pressure at both shoulders of the advance to compress the German breakthrough into as narrow a penetration as possible. Apparently, British General Brian Horrocks had an idea similar to Patton's that he suggested to Montgomery. Like Bradley and Eisenhower, Montgomery believed the best course of action was to contain the width of the German advance to as shallow a path as possible.
And that made the counter-attack last longer and be more bloody than it should have.
If you've read Bill O'Reilly's book: Killing Patton. Then you would've noticed that Good ole Monty wanted to steal all the credit from Patton about who really saved the men (and my grandfather) who were trapped and surrounded in Bastoge. If wasn't for Patton, I wouldn't be here today
Its not that Monty wanted to steal the credit from Patton. Its that he wanted credit for the entire battle. Monty never made any mention of the contributions made by the American generals actually fighting the battle. He made it sound like the entire event was directed only by him.
Monty didn't do shit except put a few thousand British soldiers to protect the northern shoulder if the bulge,the rest was the 9th 12 th armies that belong to Bradley ,the bulk of the fight was in the center where the 101st was holding the 7 roads to Antwerp..krauts surrounded the 101 ,Patton broke the seige by bringing in three divisions and pushing the Germans back slowly from where they started ...however ,the 101 was never in serious threat to lose ground as long as they had supplies coming in from the sky...this is clearly an American victory and victory by far ...
@@westpointsnell4167 Monty assumed command of the 9th Army after Bradley lost contact with it. Bradleys command post was on the south side of the bulge so he lost contact with almost half of 1st Army and all of 9th Army. The respective American commanders did well maintaining unit cohesion as the Germans advanced but at one point, 9th Army lost contact with 1st Army. Monty's soul contribution to the battle was providing a clear chain of command for the American commanders allowing for an overall cohesive effort. So to say that Monty didn't do shit isn't entirely fair. Monty's problem is that he thought his leadership was far more impactful than it actually was. Monty did not do anything that an American commander couldn't. He just happened to be the highest ranking allied commander on that side of the bulge.
Wish our leaders today had those kind of balls.
Patton was a firm believer in the value of G-2, intelligence. He would gather it from many sources, including tactical air, and his G-2 unit was probably the best in the war. When he put everything together, the story told was a big push coming in the north -- the Ardennes -- which history showed the Germans had used twice previously in wars, so he did have his people start designing a 90-degree fighting withdrawal, in the winter, substiting a holding force, and sending the rest north on a forced march. It worked brilliantly. My uncle led a mortar section in Third Army.
The plans to disengage from the Saar offensive, wheel about 90 degrees, and turn to engage the Germans in their left flank had already been planned as a contingency. This is what you do, if, for nothing else, to keep your staff busy, mentally engaged, and EARNING their pay!
My favorite "No Nonsense" General! Funny, though, how in his "Previous Lives" he was always an officer and not an enlisted man!
Patton: I can attack the German move and attack the German line in 48hrs.
Everyone in the room: Impossible!
Patton: Hold my beer!
48hrs later: no one took any bets right? 🤣🤣🤣
The Patton family was of English, Irish, Scots-Irish, Scottish, French and Welsh ancestry. His great-grandmother came from an aristocratic Welsh family, descended from many Welsh lords of Glamorgan,[6] which had an extensive military background. Patton believed he had former lives as a soldier and took pride in mystical ties with his ancestors.[20][21][22][23] Though not directly descended from George Washington, Patton traced some of his English colonial roots to George Washington's great-grandfather.[24] He was also descended from England's King Edward I through Edward's son Edmund of Woodstock, 1st Earl of Kent.[24] Family belief held the Pattons were descended from sixteen barons who had signed Magna Carta.[24] Patton believed in reincarnation, stating that he had fought in previous battles and wars before his time, additionally, his ancestry was very important to him, forming a central part of his personal identity. One of my favorite clips in the movie is the one before this clip. Patton says " let no man come back alive". His aid-de-camp says "They don't know when you are joking." Patton says, " It is only important that I know when I am joking". 😀😀😀
If you listen to recordings of Patton, you can see that he had a very high voice. It wasn’t at all like the stereotypical general’s voice that George C. Scott used in “Patton”.
Generals get their stars today from being PC.
Today they think you can fight a battle , without the loss of life , they care more about how the media views their actions then winning .
Especially the PC knuckleheads that go along with women and "transgenders" in combat arms.
@@701CPD obviously the Kurds in Syria knows something that you do not. They have whole units of women who fought against isis successfully. Isis were really scared to fight them because to be killed by a woman did not make you a martyr and you did not go to Islamic heaven and get your 70 virgins.
@@gurkslunga Kurd women were and are fighting for their lives. American military women are looking for their next sugar daddy.
@@exexpat11 Wow.....cool comment.
World is missing commanders like Patton
The World, particularly the USA, is missing Leaders like Patton.
My Uncle Roy was withthe 101st at Bastogne. Our annual extended family Christmas celebrations were for him a dual celebration and no one ever said anegative thing about the 3rd in front of him. He was also in the Normandy and Market Garden drops. A quiet, contemplative man. One would never have pegged him as a paratropper.
Patton knew that to win a war you have to win battles.
Monty's goal was always to do whatever it takes not to lose a battle.
It's not the same thing.
@John Cornell only in your dreams Beefeater.
He had his has saved more times than the grains of sand on a beach.
He tried to take credit for the battle of the bulge even though he didn't get his part done.
He was always late.
And he was more worried about not losing a battle than he was about winning a battle.
@John Cornell no that's what Montgomery said that at the press conference while everyone ELSE was actually fighting.
At the battle of the bulge Monty never made any of his goals because he kept delaying his start. So the army he was suppose to link up with, had to take its territory AND part of Monty's territory just so the link up could happen!
You want to talk about a battle that Monty actually planned (as compared to taking credit for someone else's work which is what he normally did).
Operation Market Garden.
100% Monty
100% Failure.
Why did it fail? Because Monty had started to believe his own press releases and people like YOU and actually thought he could take all that property and because he did not understand that many troops cannot ALL travel on one dirt road & meet their timelines. And his planned logistics for the battle -- well his plan was so bad NO ONE got resupplied.
Montgomery was a piece of shit.
There were several more capable general officers than that blotted egotistical wind bag. But just as everything in Britian is - you don't have to know what you are doing, you don't have to be worth a damn, you just need to have the right family ties.
@John Cornell thousands & thousands of His Majesty's troops died that shouldn't have died in that war because Monty always did just enough not to lose a battle but never enough to win a battle.
You can stick your head in the sand all you want, you can give Monty credit for the work of other British & American generals, but you will never wash the allies blood from that bastard's hands.
@John Cornell I am NOT going to read a book length tome that skips and jumps around the facts leaving out anything that doesn't promote you idolatrous worship of that fearful little man.
Market Garden failed and failed miserably. Only a moron would think he could move an army that large AND all the logistics over one road. The goal of the battle was to drive straight to Germany and end the war. That was a big zero and left us with another 9 months of fighting.
And what about Sicily?
Again, good ole Monty, always afraid to win a battle. Just enough not to lose, but never enough to win.
If he had pushed through to Messina not only would he have won the battle but he would have lost fewer men.
He was struck by the horror of world war one he never learned that the easiest way to save lives is to win the battle quick.
Patton was already half way to Bastogne before Monty moved one yard. And he never did accomplish his goals.
Oh but he held a press conference to take credit while the battle was still going on.
After that little fiasco Eisenhower was forced to reprimand that arrogant egotistical little prick. Eisenhower didn't have a choice. It was either reprimand Monty or have half of his generals (American AND British) resign.
Good thing Germany couldn't send reinforcements to Rommel in Africa. If Rommel could have gotten replacement men & equipment ole Monty would still be stuck in North Africa.
You're just a big blow hard like your arrogant hero.
The only reason you beat Argentina was because of a ruse. I have to give that officer credit though. Great idea demanding the surrender of the force he stood against. He had nothing to lose by doing it. The Argentine general did not know how small the British Force was, just outside of town.
You know if you admired Wavell, or Alexander then I could understand. Neither won every battle they fought. But damn it they weren't afraid to fight!
Monty just didn't want to lose.
A complete waste of a perfect pair of shoulder boards.
@John Cornell I have never written anything close to the length you wrote. Even so I skipped over a few things & addressed what I read.
Like I said, if you were star struck by a more worthy British general I could understand that.
But you chose the one who preferred not losing to winning, the one who never realized how many more of his men died because of his hesitation.
You chose the one who gladly and willingly took unearned credit for whatever was available. I do admit though, he had no prejudice there, he stole from other generals regardless their nationality.
Boss... I can attack with 3 divisions in 48 hours! That the American Soldier’s legacy!
My Dad says they we told to prepare for another beach landing, near Antwerp ,behind the kraut lines if Patton didn’t bust threw. Battle of the Bulge was the defining battle of WW2. Thanks Dad.
10000% bullshit
@@DTwxrisk NOPE
Patton: "My staff is already working out the details"
Patton's Staff: "we are?"
They were!
George was one heck of a soldier. Lots of foresight.
Merry Xmas Patton
Amazing how Patton could do so well without diversity training !
Who needs diversity training when you have an all-male, racially segregated army?
hahaha I lol'd. Nicely done. It's true. How did he manage beating fascists without all the antifa gobbleydegook that they run on today? Hell, I think they only dug latrines for soldiers who identified as men. TSK TSK
@@chessthecat The Entire Allied Army in the West was .... Antifa!
Patton was like most people back in the day. He was racist. He didn't care for the Jews. Most people in charge, back in the day. Thought that other races were beneath them as humans. Some, if not most thought other races were less than human. Maybe Patton had a point.
Patton was a bigot. He said so openly. He didn't hate blacks per sey and is known to have intervened to prevent a lynching once, he just didn't think they had the brain power to make good tank crewmen. However, he did use them as he realized he needed all the power he could muster and was the first US general to led integrated infantry companies.
His best move IMO was in dealing with German infiltrators who would impersonate American troops to ambush Allied soliders. Patton had the blacks man the checkpoints with orders to shoot any white soldiers acting out of sorts.
So while Patton was an unabashed bigot, he is also responsible for a great advancement of blacks in the military and the blacks who did serve under him loved him. He didn't do it on the sly either, he put his name and reputation on it.
"Not Me Freddy, I don't like to Pay for the same real estate twice" classic
Wow three divisions only from patton's third army against the germans with an army with estimated around 24 divisions cant imagine how tough the third army was under patton..