If he was alive today, he wouldn’t say it took balls, he KNEW he would succeed through his preparedness and superior intellect.
No doubt he was a great general, he knew that the nazi’s were spread too thin and went for the jugular. He read the situation correctly with clarity. He knew what his men were capable of and took advantage of it. Because he was already prepared, his decision was made before he was asked to do it. The decision didn’t make him great, being prepared for that eventuality made him great.
He was the right man at the right time.
“If he was alive today, he wouldn’t say it took balls, he KNEW he would succeed through his preparedness and superior intellect.”
Exactly. Preparedness was everything. If I remember correctly he had his staff draw up contigency plans regarding the possibility of a German offensive,where it might happen and what he could do if it happened. So as depicted in the movie Patton went to that general staff meeting fully prepared to to relieve Bastogne.
When his gasoline supply was shut down, Patton stood in the road, made the tanker trucks stop, and empty their remaining loads in the nearest ditch, where Patton’s crews would pump it into their vehicles and every spare can they could scrounge. Then the trucks would be allowed to continue back to the rear areas, where all the heads were. ;’)
When he was told to turn over a tank corps, he chose the one which was in the way he’d concluded the expected German attack would use, such that they’d no longer be under his command, but would also not be destroyed or captured.
The scene in the movie, where the Bastogne stand by the 101st is discussed, something was left out — Eisenhower was there asking the questions, and everyone around the table gave him the same answer, can’t do anything to help. When Patton’s turn came he gave his audacious claim, and Ike said, “don’t be fatuous, George!” Fatuous? Really? The rest of the answers were negative, and Ike was stuck with Patton’s response. There was no alternative.
There would have been nothing to relieve if the 101st and the rest who wound up encircled there hadn’t been resupplied by air — and hadn’t been some of the toughest bastards who ever lived. :’)