George S. Patton

General George Smith Patton Jr. was a senior officer of the United States Army who commanded the U.S. Seventh Army in the Mediterranean and European theaters of World War II, but is best known for his leadership of the U.S. Third Army in France and Germany following the Allied invasion of Normandy in June 1944.

The United States of America, commonly referred to as the United States or America, is a federal republic composed of 50 states, a federal district, five major self-governing territories, and various possessions.

The Western Allies of World War II launched the largest amphibious invasion in history when they assaulted Normandy, located on the northern coast of France, on 6 June 1944.

World War I, also known as the First World War, or the Great War, was a global war originating in Europe that lasted from 28 July 1914 to 11 November 1918.

The General George S. Patton Story by Nuclear Vault

Born in 1885 to a family with an extensive military background, Patton attended the Virginia Military Institute and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

The Virginia Military Institute is a state-supported military college in Lexington, Virginia, the oldest such institution in the United States.

The General George S Patton Story - Narrated by Ronald Reagan. by ZenosWarbirds

He studied fencing and designed the M1913 Cavalry Saber, more commonly known as the "Patton Sword".

Fencing, also called Olympic fencing, is a sport in which two competitors fight using 'rapier-style' swords, winning points by making contact with their opponent.

Patton first saw combat during the Pancho Villa Expedition in 1916, taking part in America's first military action using motor vehicles.

The Pancho Villa Expedition—now known officially in the United States as the Mexican Expedition but originally referred to as the "Punitive Expedition, U.S. Army"—was a military operation conducted by the United States Army against the paramilitary forces of Mexican revolutionary Francisco "Pancho" Villa from March 14, 1916, to February 7, 1917, during the Mexican Revolution 1910–1920.

Francisco "Pancho" Villa was a Mexican Revolutionary general and one of the most prominent figures of the Mexican Revolution.

The Mexican Revolution was a major armed struggle c. 1910–1920 that radically transformed Mexican culture and government.

He later joined the newly formed United States Tank Corps of the American Expeditionary Forces and saw action in World War I, commanding the U.S. tank school in France before being wounded while leading tanks into combat near the end of the war.

The American Expeditionary Forces was the expeditionary force of the United States Army during World War I. It was established on July 5, 1917, in France under the command of Gen. John J. Pershing.

The Tank Corps of the American Expeditionary Forces was the mechanized unit that engaged in tank warfare for the American Expeditionary Force on the Western Front during World War I.

A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat, with heavy firepower, strong armour, and tracks providing good battlefield manoeuvrability.

In the interwar period, Patton remained a central figure in the development of armored warfare doctrine in the U.S. Army, serving in numerous staff positions throughout the country.

Armoured warfare, mechanised warfare or tank warfare is the use of armoured fighting vehicles in modern warfare.

Rising through the ranks, he commanded the 2nd Armored Division at the time of the American entry into World War II.

Patton led U.S. troops into the Mediterranean theater with an invasion of Casablanca during Operation Torch in 1942, where he later established himself as an effective commander through his rapid rehabilitation of the demoralized U.S. II Corps.

Operation Torch was the British-American invasion of French North Africa during the North African Campaign of the Second World War which started on 8 November 1942.

Casablanca is the largest city in Morocco, located in the central-western part of the country bordering the Atlantic Ocean.

He commanded the U.S. Seventh Army during the Allied invasion of Sicily, where he was the first Allied commander to reach Messina.

The Allied invasion of Sicily, codenamed Operation Husky, was a major campaign of World War II, in which the Allies took the island of Sicily from the Axis powers.

Messina is the capital of the Italian Metropolitan City of Messina.

There he was embroiled in controversy after he slapped two shell-shocked soldiers under his command, and was temporarily removed from battlefield command for other duties such as participating in Operation Fortitude's disinformation campaign for Operation Overlord.

Operation Fortitude was the code name for a World War II military deception employed by the Allied nations as part of an overall deception strategy during the build-up to the 1944 Normandy landings.

Fortitude meaning courage or bravery is the ability and willingness to confront fear, pain, danger, uncertainty, or intimidation.

Disinformation is intentionally false or misleading information that is spread in a calculated way to deceive target audiences.

Patton returned to command the Third Army following the invasion of Normandy in June 1944, where he led a highly successful rapid armored drive across France.

He led the relief of beleaguered American troops at Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge, and advanced his Third Army into Nazi Germany by the end of the war.

Nazi Germany is the common English name for the period in German history from 1933 to 1945, when Germany was governed by a dictatorship under the control of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party.

Bastogne is a Walloon municipality of Belgium located in the province of Luxembourg in the Ardennes.

After the war, Patton became the military governor of Bavaria, but he was relieved of this post because of his statements trivializing denazification.

A governor is, in most cases, a public official with the power to govern the executive branch of a non-sovereign or sub-national level of government, ranking under the head of state.

Denazification was an Allied initiative to rid German and Austrian society, culture, press, economy, judiciary, and politics of any remnants of the National Socialist ideology.

He commanded the United States Fifteenth Army for slightly more than two months.

Patton died in Germany on December 21, 1945, as a result of injuries from an automobile accident twelve days earlier.

Patton's colorful image, hard-driving personality and success as a commander were at times overshadowed by his controversial public statements.

His philosophy of leading from the front and his ability to inspire troops with vulgarity-ridden speeches, such as a famous address to the Third Army, attracted favorable attention.

His strong emphasis on rapid and aggressive offensive action proved effective.

While Allied leaders held sharply differing opinions on Patton, he was regarded highly by his opponents in the German High Command.

A popular, award-winning biographical film released in 1970 helped transform Patton into an American hero.