George Smith Patton Jr. was born in San Gabriel, California on November 11, 1885. He came from a very wealthy family and attended the best private schools as a young man. After he graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in 1909 he joined the cavalry. Here he was thought of as very outspoken but hardworking.
Patton thought the only thing he was good at was military. He greatly appreciated military tactics and often studied military strategies and military history. He was quickly promoted once he got to the army. After joining, he was gradually rose to division command. He became the first officer assigned to the Tank Corps in World War I. During this time he led troops in Saint-Mihiel and Meuse-Argonne.
George Patton was very successful in World War I, but he is most well known for his leadership in World War II. In 1942, Patton was named commander of the Northwest Africa operation.
General Eisenhower speaks with members of the 101s...
George S. Patton signed photo by U.S. Army
English: Senior American military officials of Wor...He led a great number of troops on a successful march through Casablanca, Morocco. In 1943, he led the U.S. 7th Army in the invasion of Sicily. In 1944, he commanded the U.S. 3rd Army. This group had the task of driving the Germans out of north-central France after landing on Normandy. All that year he worked to clear the Germans out of North France, and by late September he had completed that task. Later on in the war he led that same army over the Rhine River and into Austria, which was a great victory for the Allies. His last military position was the military governer of Bavaria.
General Patton was known for having a very strong temper, it scared his troops and got him in trouble. He once slapped a hospitalized enlisted man and was dismissed for a short time. He was...