(clancelot @ Nov 3 2005, 08:48 AM) [post=41018]what other roles besides tanks had patton done [/b] Patton was first posted at Fort Sheridan, Illinois as a cavalryman. He went to Mexico with Pershing in 1916 and when the United States entered the war he was put in charge of the newly formed tank corps.
You might want to have a look at this site it has pattons whole history and many answers. http://www.pattonhq.com/textfiles/myspeech.html Jack
Speaking of Lt. Winters I know that it's said that Patton came in during the Battle of the Bulge and saved Easy Company in January of 1945. Though, there is some speculation of that and Easy Company members said that they never needed Patton's rescuing.
Speaking of Lt. Winters I know that it's said that Patton came in during the Battle of the Bulge and saved Easy Company in January of 1945. Though, there is some speculation of that and Easy Company members said that they never needed Patton's rescuing. What easy company needed was clear weather. Clear weather meant supplies and fighter/bombers. Forests are bad turf to fight supplied infantry with armor. Any traveling on main roads made them susceptible to destruction by air. Without bad weather, the Germans could never have staged the offensive in the first place for it would have been destroyed in the staging areas. With good weather you would have had the same carnage of German equipment as you had in the Caen-Falaise pocket. So, the real answer is that if the weather had stayed bad, then they would certainly have needed Patton. But as it was, clearing up, he was not critical to their survival.
Be more specific..... I assume this was in re to my comments. To be specific, if the weather had remained bad, the 101st could not have been resupplied. They were running out of everything mostly ammo and medical supplies. The thing that limited this was that their supply lines were cut and weather prevented accurate air drops enough to keep the Germans from getting the supplies (who needed them about as much). With the poor weather, the air could not resupply them so they would become vulnerable to the Germans. With supplies and air strikes the Germans would have been vulnerable to them. So, had the weather have remained bad, then their only hope against eventual overrun by the German divisions was Third Army opening their southern flank and supply lines and providing some armor protection. But, since the weather cleared, the supplies were dropped, they were back in business right before Patton arrived. So, technically, as they see it anyway, the did not need "rescuing". I certainly doubt the men wanted Third Army to go away and leave them alone to fight the Germans. But the supply changed their certain death situation. In retrospect, had the Germans have advanced anyway, they could have overrun Bastone. The 101st gave the Germans all they wanted and the Germans knew it was a hopeless offensive at that point to so they didn't want to sacrifice a lot of strength for that objective, strength they probably would need later. I also don't believe the Germans knew gravity of the supply situation of the Americans or they would have made a push and not pulled back.
These are the 8 reincarnations of General George S. Patton - We Are The Mighty I was trying to recall if Patton had thought himself a reincarnated Alexander - but apparently a "hoplite" in Alexander's army...
When in Mexico he personally shot several bandits with his pistol. He didn't have either of his famous revolvers yet. He got his SAA .45 in the late twenties and his .357 S&W in the mid thirties. He was also an Olympic team member in the Pentathlon and designed the last US Cavalry saber.
