Nicknamed "Old Blood and Guts" due to his ruthless drive and apparent lust for battle, he wrote home to his wife, "When I’m not attacking, I get bilious." "Keep on advancing… whether we go over, under, or through the enemy," Patton told his troops. Under Patton’s leadership, the 3rd Army swept across France, capturing town after town. Roosevelt granted Patton command of the 3rd U.S. On D-Day in 1944, when the allies invaded Normandy, President Franklin D. army to victory at the invasion of Sicily. In 1943, he used daring assault and defense tactics to lead the 7th U.S. It was during WWII that Patton hit the high point of his military career. He was later wounded in the battle of Meuse-Argonne and later earned the Distinguished Service Medal for his leadership of the tank brigade and establishing the tank school. He organized the American tank school in Bourg, France, and trained American tankers to pilot the French Renault tanks. Patton studied this battle and established himself as one of the leading experts in tank warfare. Tanks had proven effective in France at the Battle of Cambrai. In 1917, during WWI, Patton was the first officer assigned to the new American Expeditionary Force tank corps. Pershing promoted Patton to captain and invited him to lead Pershing’s Headquarters Troop once they left Mexico. In Mexico, Patton impressed Pershing by personally shooting Mexican leader Julio Cardenas during the Battle of Columbus. Pershing, commander of the American Expeditionary Forces in Mexico. Patton had his first real taste of battle in 1915, when leading cavalry patrols against Pancho Villa at Fort Bliss along the Mexican border. Some even speculate that his explosive temper and incessant cursing were the result of a skull injury in his 20s. Despite his grace with a sword, Patton had a reputation for being an accident prone young man. In 1913, he was ordered to the post of Master of the Sword at the Mounted Service School in Kansas, where he taught swordsmanship while also attending as a student. He did well in the fencing portion and placed fifth overall. In 1912, Patton competed in the Pentathlon at the Stockholm Olympics. In 1910, he married Beatrice Ayer, a childhood friend. Military Academy at West Point, graduating on June 11, 1909. Striving to follow in their footsteps, he enrolled in Virginia Military Institute in 1904. During his childhood, he heard countless stories of his ancestors’ victories in the American Revolution and the Civil War. Early Lifeīorn November 11, 1885, in San Gabriel, California, as a young boy, Patton set his sights on becoming a war hero. During WWII, he helped lead the Allies to victory in the invasion of Sicily, and was instrumental to the liberation of Germany from the Nazis. There are no signs of this changing soon, with the development of tanks continuing to adapt to the modern battlefield.Considered one of the most successful combat generals in U.S history, George Patton was the first officer assigned to the Tank Corps in WWI. The Modern Era: Are Tanks Still Relevant?: Despite numerous prophets heralding the demise of the tank, armor is still an important branch of all the World’s militaries. The USA and USSR, together with their own alliances, forged a new generation of armored vehicles learning from numerous proxy wars. The Cold War: East vs West: Two opposed superpowers led to the splitting of the world into East and West. From the jungles of Pacific Atolls to the arid desert of Libya, the icy and windy steppes of the Soviet Union and the rainy bocage of Normandy. WW2: Proving Ground For Armoured Warfare: For the first time, large numbers of Tanks and Armoured vehicles would combat one another. They were intended to breach no man’s land, but the tank quickly became a killing machine integrated in combined arms operations. WW1: Mud, Barbed Wire and Trenches The United Kingdom and France started development of tanks in order to break through enemy lines. And please, support us ! Comrades on Tracks If you spot something missing, please add it to our Public Suggestion list. Tank Encyclopedia continues to be a ‘Work-in-Progress’ and this is where you, the reader, can help.
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