World War II Honoree

George Smith Patton, Jr.

Branch of Service

U.S. Army

Hometown

San Gabriel, California

Honored By

Ralph Bozorth

EARLY IN 1942 HE BECAME COMMANDER OF THE 1ST ARMORED CORPS, WHICH HE TRAINED AT THE DESERT TRAINING CENTER NEAR INDIO, CALIFORNIA. PLAYED A LEADING ROLE IN THE ALLIED INVASION OF NORTH AFRICA IN NOVEMBER 1942, COMMANDING THE GROUND ELEMENTS OF THE WESTERN TASK FORCES THAT ENTERED CASABLANCA AND SOON OCCUPIED FRENCH-MOROCCO. IN MARCH 1943 THE U.S. 2ND CORPS IN TUNISIA WAS RE-ORGANIZED FOLLOWING AN EARLIER REBUFF AT KASSERINE PASS BY GENERAl ERWIN ROMMEL'S FORCES, HE BECAME ITS COMMANDER. WITHIN A MONTH HE WAS PROMOTED TEMPORARILY TO THE RANK OF LIEUTENANT GENERAL AND PUT IN CHARGE OF AMERICAN PREPARATIONS FOR THE INVASION OF SICILY. ON JULY 10, 1943 HE COMMANDED THE U.S. 7TH ARMY IN ITS ASSAULT ON THAT ISLAND. IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE BRITISH 8TH ARMY, HE CLEARED SICILY OF THE ENEMY IN 38 DAYS. IN MARCH 1944, PATTON ASSUMED COMMAND OF THE 3RD ARMY IN BRITAIN AND BEGAN TO PLAN FUTURE OPERATIONS IN NORTHWEST EUROPE. ON AUGUST 1, 1944 HIS ARMY BECAME OPERATIONAL IN FRANCE AND HE BEGAN THE EXPLOITATION OF THE BREAKTHROUGH NEAR AVRANCHES MADE BY THE 1ST ARMY A FEW DAYS BEFORE. HE THRUST ONE CORPS WESTWARD INTO BRITTANY TOWARD BREST, WHILE HIS OTHER THREE CORPS PUSHED SOUTHWARD TOWARD THE LOIRE AND THEN SWUNG EASTWARD IN A SERIES OF BROAD SWEEPS TOWARD THE SEINE. IN ONE OF THE MOST SPECTACULAR ACTIONS OF THE CAMPAIGN IN NORTHERN FRANCE, HE DROVE TOWARD PARIS, BYPASSED IT AND REACHED THE AREA NEAR METZ AND NANCY BEFORE BEING STOPPED BY DWINDLING SUPPLIES AND STIFFENING ENEMY RESISTANCE. WHILE HE WAS PREPARING AN ATTACK EASTWARD INTO THE SAAR AREA, IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE 7TH ARMY, THE GERMANS LAUNCHED THEIR ARDENNES COUNTEROFFENSIVE OF DECEMBER 16, 1944. IN AN ACTION CHARACTERIZED BY GENERAL OMAR N. BRADLEY AS 'ONE OF THE MOST ASTONISHING FEATS OF GENERALSHIP OF OUR CAMPAIGN IN THE WEST', PATTON TURNED HIS FORCES QUICKLY NORTHWARD AGAINST THE SOUTHERN FLANK OF THE BULGE AND HELPED CONTAIN THE ENEMY. BY THE END OF JANUARY 1945, THE 3IRD ARMY WAS READY TO DRIVE AGAINST THE SIEGFRIED LINE BETWEEN SAARLAUTERN NORTH TO ST. VITH. PATTON'S 4TH CORPS HAD PIERCED THESE DEFENSES BY THE END OF FEBRUARY AND BY MID-MARCH HAD PUSHED FORWARD THROUGH THE EIFFEL TO GAIN CONTROL OF THE MOSELLE FROM THE SAAR RIVER TO COBLENZ AND OF THE RHINE FROM ANDERNACH TO COBLENZ. IN THE FOLLOWING WEEK HIS FORCES RACED THROUGH THE PALATINATE REGION TO THE RHINE SOUTH OF COBLENZ. ON THE EVENING OF MARCH 22/23, UNITS CROSSED THE RIVER NEAR OPPENHEIM. FRANKFURT FELL 3 DAYS LATER. BY THE 3IRD WEEK IN APRIL HIS FORCES HAD DRIVEN ACROSS SOUTHERN GERMANY TO THE CZECHOSLOVAKIAN BORDER AND SOME OF HIS UNITS WERE IN AUSTRIA BEFORE MONTH'S END. DURING THE FIRST WEEK IN MAY, 3RD ARMY COLUMNS PUSHED INTO CZECHOSLOVAKIA AND PLZEN WAS FREED JUST BEFORE THE ARMISTICE. PATTON WAS PROMOTED TO TEMPORARY4-STAR RANK IN MID-APRIL. SHORTLY AFTER THE END OF THE WAR HE ENTERED ON HIS DUTIES AS MILITARY GOVERNOR OF BAVARIA. HE WAS AWARDED THE FOLLOWING MEDALS: AMERICAN DEFENSE SERVICE RIBBON, BRONZE STAR, DISTINGUISHED SERVICE CROSS WITH 1 BRONZE OAK LEAF CLUSTER, DISTINGUISHED SERVICE MEDAL WITH 2 BRONZE OAK LEAF CLUSTERS, DISTINGUISHED SERVICE MEDAL (U.S. NAVY), EUROPEAN-AFRICAN-MIDDLE EASTERN CAMPAIGN RIBBON WITH 1 SILVER STAR AND 2 BRONZE STARS, LEGION OF MERIT, PURPLE HEART, SILVER LIFE SAVING MEDAL, SILVER STAR WITH 1 BRONZE OAK LEAF CLUSTER, WWII VICTORY MEDAL. HE WAS AWARDED THE FOLLOWING MEDALS FROM GREAT BRITAIN: MOST HONORABLE ORDER OF THE BATH, ORDER OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE AND THE ENTEUR PIN OF MALTA. HE WAS AWARDED THE FOLLOWING MEDALS FROM FRANCE: CROIX DE GUERRE WITH BRONZE STAR, MEDAL OF THE LEGION OF HONOR, METZ MEDAL OF LIBERATION (1944), COMMEMORATIVE MEDAL, CITY OF NANCY, COMMEMORATIVE MEDALLION, CITY OF METZ (1944) COMMEMORATIVE MEDALLION CITIES OF FONTAINEBLEAU AND BARBIZON, GOURMIER PIN OF MOROCCO (FRENCH), GRAND OFFICER OF THE LEGION OF HONOR, LIBERATION OF TOURS 'PATTON' MEDALLION, LIBERATION MEDALLION, CITY OF D'EPERNAY AND THE MEDALLION OF THE CITY OF RHEIMS. HE WAS AWARDED THE FOLLOWING MEDALS FROM BELGIUM: GRAND OFFICER OF THE ORDER OF LEOPOLD WITH PALM, CIVILIAN SHIELD. HE WAS AWARDED THE FOLLOWING MEDALS FROM LUXEMBOURG: CROIX DE GUERRE, ORDER OF ADOLPHE OF NASSAU AND THE GRAND CROIX. HE WAS AWARDED THE FOLLOWING MEDALS FROM RUSSIA: GUARD'S BADGE AND THE ORDER OF KOUTOUZOV, 1ST GRADE. HE WAS AWARDED THE GRAND OFFICER OF THE ORDER OF LEOPOLD WITH PALM FROM FRENCH MOROCCO. HE WAS AWARDED THE POPE PIUS XII MEDALLION FROM THE VATICAN.