What Was George Patton's Accomplishments

No one can deny that General George S. Patton was a brilliant military tactician who revolutionized tank warfare during World War II. He helped co invent the co-axial tank mount for canons and machine guns. His high standards, discipline, toughness, and pride within his units where legendary, and his action and temper led to many controversies during his career. His men gave him the nickname “Old Blood-and-Guts." These distinctions have made him one of the most influences military figures in world history.

Patton’s family can be traced back to Robert Paton (later Patton) of Scotland. In 1770, Robert left Scotland and settled in Virginia and became a very successful business man. George S. Patton, the first, was born in 1833. He attended the

was born in San Gabriel, California to George S Patton II and Ruth Wilson. In his early childhood George had a hard time reading and spelling, some historians believe that he suffered from undiagnosed dyslexia. This did not discourage him he became an avid reader, and enjoyed books like the “The Odyssey”, and “The Iliad”. He later wrote and published many military articles. Patton decided early in life that he wanted to be a war hero like those in his family. He grew up listening to their stories of battle. Even though he did not start his formal education until the age of 11; his aunt took care of his education until he started school. It seemed it was fate that George S. Patton Jr. was to join the cavalry. With his love of swords, his father giving him two of his very own horses at the age of ten, and his belief that his family had a special responsibility of service to their country. He even learned to ride horses on the same saddle that his grandfather had rode, and was wounded on during the battle of

That assignment did not last long due to using his family’s connections and was reassigned to Fort Meyer, Virginia, the Army’s top cavalry post. It was here that he got to brush shoulders with high ranking military officials and politicians. Patton was the first army officer selected to represent the United States in the 1912 Olympics. He competed in the modern pentathlon, and place fifth in the event. After returning from the Olympics, George was on one of the equestrian trails and met Major-General Leonard Wood, the army chief of staff, and became his aid toward the end of 1912. There Patton assisted in the design the M1913 saber, which later became called the Patton sword. In mid-1913 Patton was granted to travel with his family to the Saumur cavalry school in France, to study swordsmanship. All that was at his own expense. He traveled through Europe with his wife and infant