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Patton, George S. 1885-1945

MAJOR GENERAL, U.S. ARMY TANK CORPS

Idiosyncratic Leader.

Perhaps no other military figure in American history, with the exception of George Armstrong Custer, was more impetuous, flamboyant, or controversial than Maj. Gen. George S. Patton, nicknamed Old Blood and Guts." A swashbuckler wearing ivory-handled six-guns, he was a great deal more successful in battle than Custer and contributed to the Allied victory at the crucial Battle of the Bulge in 1945. A man consumed by military history and tradition, Patton could nevertheless disregard classic military rules, demonstrating a fearless initiative that often pulled victory from the edge of catastrophe. Considered arrogant by fellow officers and ruthless by his troops, Patton was instrumental in transforming the obsolete U.S. Cavalry into a modern armored corps that defeated some of the best German panzer divisions. Patton sometimes claimed to be the reincarnation of...

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