Patton On March 1 those forces took Trier, precipitating one of the most famous exchanges of the war. His plane, escorted by a formation of fighters and Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bombers, touched down at an airfield near Boston on June 7, where an honor guard, a 17-gun salute, and the governor of Massachusetts greeted him. Shortly after Beatrice Patton buried her husband, Gen. George S. Patton Jr., on Christmas Eve 1945, she summoned a woman named Jean Gordon to her hotel room in Boston. I was stationed in Germany in the early 1970s and was hospitalized for several weeks at the US Army Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany. After knowing how our Soldiers were treated in Japanese Prison Camps, old Gutless left our boys to rot. A niece by marriage of General George S. Patton, some writers claim she had a long affair with Patton, [2] allegedly beginning years before the war [3] and continuing behind the front lines of wartime Europe. However, fewer accounts exist of Operation Flashpoint, Ninth US Armys assault crossing of the Rhine, which began on March 24. He briefed Ikes chief of staff, General Walter Bedell Smith, who sent the report of the incident to Eisenhower who was on leave in the South of France. Forces European Theater (USFET). The bureaucrat military elites wanted Patton forgotten lest people find out how Eisenhower bungled the handling of the war after D-Day from which General Patton was excluded for slapping a soldier. Pattons medical records for that day read, Prognosis for recovery increasingly grave. Spurling and the other doctors knew that it was impossible to operate to relieve the pressure on his badly damaged spinal cord to eliminate the paralysis. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Gay counseled Patton to consult Beatrice and other family members before taking such a drastic step, but it seems his mind was made up. Jefferson Avenue UMC | By Jefferson Avenue UMC | Facebook | And sing Maybe because the Americans saved Europe (yes, but that was way before my time, I was born in 1965), maybe because they delivered Bxls and a tank stayed in my Moms courtyard for over a week, or maybe because every time I would visit my Godfather by Spangdahlem, I would pass the base and later on learn English, meet an airman, marry him and be stationed there for 4 yrs then go to Leipheim for 4 yrs? These had, however, been rejected, and when references had been made to the Geneva Convention, the officer had been told: What do you mean Geneva Convention? Yet, all his laurels could not protect the General from a simple car accident eight months into the peace. My record on that is clear and unchallengeable. He was an exceptional warrior and leader. By that time their armor was easily superior to ours, and their soldiers knew how to defeat a well trained enemy while sustaining millions of casualties. They had a daughter, Maria de Jesus (called Sue) and a son John, before she . He wrote in his diary, It gave me a very warm feeling in my heart to be back among soldiers. Even so, Patton was pessimistic about the future of Europe, reluctant to get involved in the complexities of military government, and, perhaps more importantly, reluctant to purge the Nazis. His distrust of the Russians and their communist ideals was ignored by the politicians of the time, much to the detriment of eastern Europe. On the evening of December 8, Gay suggested to Patton that they should spend the following day pheasant shooting in an area known to be rich in game about 100 miles southwest of the headquarters. I am extremely proud of our General Patton and Im pretty sure you are too! VERY CONVENIENT ACCIDENT SO I SUPPOSE THERE WILL ALWAYS BE SOME DOUBT IN SOME MINDS!!!!!! In the past three years I did my utmost to kill as many of them as possible. Under a large tent to keep the rain away, the pall bearers placed Pattons casket over a grave dug by German prisoners of war. Rather surprisingly, Patton chose to return the governors hat-doffing salute by removing his own helmet, complete with its four stars and the emblems of the Third and Seventh Armies and I Armored Corps. His strict discipline, toughness, and self-sacrifice elicited exceptional pride within his ranks, and the general was colourfully referred to as Old Blood-and-Guts by his men. And then, two weeks later, he was again thrilled to receive an invitation to go to Sweden to address the Swedish-American Society. Patton is my hero. He died Dec. 21, and was buried in a military cemetery in Luxembourg. George Smith Patton - Major General, United States Army His death resulted from complications with his injuries and congestive heart failure. On May 13, 1945, he reportedly entertained and decorated the commander of the Soviet Fourth Guards Army at a luncheon in Linz, Austria. Although George Pattons formal education did not begin until after his 11th birthday, he was an eager student of history. What exactly he meant is unclear, but needless to say this remark enraged those who had lost relatives in the war and telegrams and letters soon began to flood into the War Department demanding an apology. That includes Patton's own wife Beatrice, who believed George and Jean were a couple. Prior to the Normandy Invasion, he was publicly placed in command of the First U.S. Army Group (FUSAG), a fictitious army whose supposed marshaling in eastern England helped to deceive German commanders into thinking that the invasion would take place in the Pas-de-Calais region of France. Eisenhower returned to Bavaria a week later following reports of bad conditions in some of the DP camps there. Patton accepted with enthusiasm. It was too late by 1945, the US had made the USSR a superpower. We could beat hell out of them., The following day he in turn was entertained by Marshal F.I. Neither driver was injured, and Gay received only slight bruises. Death car at the General George Patton Museum. Mark . On the 69th anniversary of General Patton's death, . This article was published more than6 years ago. George S. Patton (son) George S. Patton (grandson) Colonel George Patton Sr. (June 26, 1833 - September 25, 1864) was a Confederate colonel during the American Civil War. Death: October 01, 1871 (89) Lincoln County, Kentucky, USA . While I knew little of this great man save what minor things that I had learned in my youth I was moved to silence. Patton, too, seems to have known that his injuries were irreversible, if not terminal. Dont let any more Russian bastards into this headquarters.. Hitler refused to use sarin during WWII. Josiah Gray finishes April with a flourish as Nats avoid a series sweep. Today's blog was written by David Langbart, Archivist at the National Archives at College Park. World War II made George Patton a hero, but the Great War made him a commander. Sometime in October, Patton resolved to quit outright, not retire. A group of rabbis, still dressed in their concentration camp uniforms, offer prayers at General Pattons grave. Helen Patton stepped into Maj. Gen. Frank Muth's quarters Feb. 26, and stepped back in time. December 21, 1945 - General Patton dies following mysterious car He had a degenerative form of dementia. Gordon turned gray, and Ayer ran from the room. shock and flaw (@sbwheat1) august 22, 2021. Was Patton Murdered? Was he any relation to you by any chance and, if so, what ever happened to him? Only two months earlier he had told Ike, I cannot eat at the same table with Beetle Smith, and before he died he told Beatrice that he did not want either of them to attend his funeral. A doctor summoned her at about 1800 hours, but it was too late. No battle of the Bulge and probably a million plus lives saved, military and civilian. This failed to materialize, and he was instead made the military governor of Bavaria, a political position for which he was ill-suited by training and temperament. And now, with the war over and her famous husband buried, Beatrice wanted to see Gordon. For years The Patton Museum in Ft. Knox, Kentucky advertised that it had on display the limousine in which Patton was injured. Theyd have to run the telephone exchanges, the power facilities, the street cars, and thats not what soldiers are for. In short, provided a German had the right qualifications for a particular job, Patton was prepared to ignore his former Nazi background. Best of regards, Sam Virzi, Hemet, CA. While there I was taken by wheelchair to a room which was supposedly that of the hospital room where General Patton had died. However, such accusations tend to rely on circumstantial evidence, and no definitive proof of any conspiracy has emerged. His tragic death was the end of a great man to which the world owes a debt of gratitude beyond comprehension. These are the 8 reincarnations of General Patton It was accompanied by a cover letter saying Smith thought Patton was out of control in Bavaria and that Ike ought to come back and take the matter in hand before any further damage was done. General George S. Patton, Jr., one of Americas greatest battlefield commanders, died on December 21, 1945 in an Army hospital in Heidelberg, Germany.