General Hugh Mercer, who died a hero's death at the Battle of Princeton, was a direct ancestor of Gen. Patton.
All the Mercer Counties in the US are named for him, and the famous song writer Johnny Mercer is another descendant.
Posted on 04/30/2008 1:20:52 PM PDT by devane617
Patton was relieved of command of Seventh Army, but not named ground commander for the Normandy invasion. He was kept on tenterhooks and eventually was given the shadow army in S.E. England intended to make the Germans think the invasion would be at Pas de Calais (which it would have been had Patton gotten his way).
As Operation Cobra was being planned, the breakout attack out of the bocage, Patton was given Third Army.
To understand Patton read Bradley.
Go ahead and pick it up at the next used book sale you go to or on Amazon. I’m about 1/4 through it and its very readable. Frank knows his stuff.
BEAUTIFUL
Limbaugh today said he was the conservatives’ Patton.
My father served in Patton’s army...Had nothing good at all to say about him...He claimed Patton was extremely unpopular with the troops...
Claimed Patton had no regard for the lives of American troops...Patton’s concern with making a name for himself...
I've read alot on both, some books and even some Americans rate Rommel a little better of as a commander. Others rate Patton best.
What's your opinion?
“You don’t need to give contemporary US commanders the back hand in order to praise Patton.”
He’s not. Bradley once pointed out to Patton that modern generals would be more administrators and politicians than warriors. He was right.
You heard it too...
Perhaps because they hadn't been invented yet. 5 points off the writer's score.
The writer missed a chance to gain extra credit that would have come from mentioning Patton's successes in the Tennessee war games and the Battle of Shreveport.
Heroic, and modest as well
You need to re-read the history of his campaign in eastern France. He executed quite poorly in set - piece battles against the cities fortified by the Germans. http://www.history.army.mil/books/wwii/lorraine/lorraine-content.html
I've always admired General Patton. However, former soldiers of Patton's 3rd Army whom I've talked to about their experiences in WWII, by and large, are not complimentary of the man.
All the Mercer Counties in the US are named for him, and the famous song writer Johnny Mercer is another descendant.
I would have to agree.Mcnutts certainly is not.
Rommel. Hands down.
I would avoid seeing the Patton film sequel, “Patton II: Electric Boogaloo.” George C. Scott’s long, drawn-out death scene and the breakdancing sequence is highly overrated.
A&E Biography did a good job, circa 1990. I have a VHS of it, but I think it is (or was) available on DVD.
And that post was simply wrong. See post 17.
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