Ike really did Patton a favor. Cruelty or maltreatment of a soldier subject to orders is still a Court Martial offense.
Agreed. Ike was big picture perceptive enough to understand Patton’s value as a combat commander and canny enough to turn Patton’s flagrant act into an indelible amount of leverage dealing with Patton from then on and Patton knew it. Patton’s fate was in Ike’s hands.