The Patton Philosophy

In the final analysis, then, what manner of man was Patton? Was he super-human with powers not attributed to mortal men? Certainly not. He was a man, merely another human being. Had a bullet shattered his brain, he would have died as would any other man. In fact, the irony of his accidental death magnifies only too well his human frailty.

What did make him different, what set him apart from the average person, was his ambition. He was willing to put his life on the line to defend his beliefs. He spent every waking moment concentrating every fiber of his being toward one end result, forcing himself to be the warrior he so desperately desired and needed to be.

An excellent example of his driving ambition is explained in an entry made in the diary which he started when he entered his plebe year at West Point, a young man of nineteen. He writes, "By perseverance and study and eternal desire, any man may be great."

Here we will let Patton speak for himself. As done previously, we will assimilate some of Patton's salient views for the reader and present them without editor's notes or footnotes. We will blend some of the General's most strongly felt opinions. Though they will come from numerous and various writings, they will be mixed together in an attempt to form a smooth, readable essay spotlighting the General's most perceptive assessments about war, leadership, politics, and preparedness.

From general notes made by Patton to be made in short speeches to Divisions, from personal correspondence, from personal essays written to crystallize his own thoughts, and from magazine articles he wrote which were published in the Army's "trade" publications, there come some very perceptive and valuable advice. Some thoughts proposed by Patton are simply age-old truisms that have yet to be learned by even today's nations and politicians. To quote an old phrase, "Those who never learn from history are doomed to repeat it."

Patton was keenly aware that the United States government has the habit of dismantling the fine Armies that it had creates. He had personally seen it happen after the signing of the Armistice on November 11, 1918 and he knew that it was going to happen after the end of the war with the Axis powers in 1945. Knowing that it was far more expensive to be unprepared and have to build a new Army from nothing than it was to have a finely honed Armed Force in the event that it was needed, he correctly reasoned that, "... it is better and cheaper to have a strong Army and not need it than it is to need a strong Army and not have it." A good analogy would be that an automobile kept in proper running condition by good maintenance practices is much cheaper in the long run than is purchasing a new automobile each year. He agreed wholeheartedly with the precepts of General Leonard Wood who wrote that "... 'panic patriotism' appears from time to time when the clouds of possible trouble loom up heavier than usual. There is much discussion, but little accomplishment. Adequate national preparedness on sound lines will be secured only when there is a general appreciation of its vital importance for defense and of the further fact that it CANNOT be improvised or done in a hurry. In short, improvisation is inadequate and extremely expensive in both materiel and manpower."

"Twice in my lifetime, America, the Arsenal of Democracy, has come from behind to insure victory. Is it not evident that should another war arise, those producing it will make every effort to see that the Arsenal of Democracy is knocked out in the first round? How this can be done I do not know, but I do know that the progress made in airplanes and self-propelled missiles is such that the possibility of an early knockout cannot be discounted."

"Perhaps a good illustration of what I am trying to put across to you is this: When I went to school, and I presume that it is the same now, all of the children were taught how to form in column and march out of the building in an orderly manner in case of fire. This instruction did not, so far as I know, produce fires, but when fire occurred, the lives of the majority of the children were saved. If we go to the extreme of saying that preparedness produces wars, then the instruction in fire drills would produce fires. Therefore, we should not teach children that a fire may come, that the building may burn, and as a result of such teaching have the sad duty of removing the charred little bodies from the ruined schoolhouse."

"You men are all American citizens, and in your generation you will have a very large voice in determining the election of our public servants and the enforcement of our laws. I am sure that you have found out that discipline, self-reliance, mutual respect, and faith are necessary in the Army. These traits are just as necessary in civilian life. Laws which are not enforced had better not be promulgated."

"Referring again to the fire department aspect of the prevention of war, a very large proportion of the duties of the fire departments in large cities is not the extinguishing of fires, but their prevention through advice and supervision. You man are all potential firemen. You have put out the fire by your heroic efforts. It is now your duty as citizens to see that other fires do not occur, and that you and your children are not again called upon to extinguish them."

"I have been speaking to you, not as your Commanding General, but rather as an old man to young men. I am in no way trying to propagandize you, but as I said before, it is my considered opinion that my duty demands that I should explain to you things as I see them."

"Let me say that it is my profound hope that we shall never again be engaged in war, but also let me remind you of the words attributed to George Washington, "In time of peace, prepare for war." That advice is still good."

I am firmly convinced that we must have universal training because the one hope for a peaceful world is a powerful America with the adequate means of instantly checking aggressors. Unless we are so armed, and prepared, the next war will probably destroy us. No one who has lived in a destroyed country can view such a possibility with anything except horror.

Man is War. War is conflict. Fighting is an elemental exposition of the age old effort to survive. If we again believe that Wars are over, we will surely have another and damned quick. We had better look out for ourselves and make the rest of the world look out for themselves. If we attempt to feed the world, we will starve and perhaps destroy America. Roman civilization fell due to the loss of the will to conquer; satisfaction with the "status quo"; and high taxes, which destroyed trade and private enterprise. These conditions eventually forced people out of the cities. The cycle is returning.

It is very easy for ignorant people to think that success in war may be gained by the use of some wonderful invention like the Atomic Bomb rather than by hard fighting and superior leadership.

There are a host of people who have to squat to piss who will say that this will be the "last" war and that from now on we will only need world "clubs". They are the ones who will be responsible for the deaths of millions of people. The pacifists are always at it. I met a "visiting fireman" of supposedly great eminence who told me that this was to be the LAST war. I told him that such statements since 2600 B.C. had signed the death warrants of millions of young men. He replied with the stock lie, "Oh, but things are different now." My God! Will they NEVER learn?

There are all kinds of low class slime who are trying and will continue to try to wreck this country from the inside. Most of them don't know it, but they are actually working for the Russians. Some of them do know it, though. It doesn't matter whether they call themselves Communists, Socialists, or just plain foolish Liberals. They are destroying this country.

Politicians are the lowest form of life on earth. Liberal Democrats are the lowest form of politicians. I really shudder for the future of our country. Someone must not only win the war, but also the PEACE.

I believe that Germany should not be destroyed, but rather should be re-built as a buffer against the real danger, which is Russia and it's bolshevism.

The difficulty in understanding the Russian is that we do not take cognizance of the fact that he is not a European, but an Asiatic, and therefore thinks deviously. We can no more understand a Russian than a Chinese or a Japanese, and from what I have seen of them, I have no particular desire to understand them except to ascertain how much lead or iron it takes to kill them. In addition to his other amiable characteristics, the Russian has no regard for human life and they are all out sons-of-bitches, barbarians, and chronic drunks.

Russia KNOWS what she wants. WORLD DOMINATION. And she is laying her plans accordingly. We, on the other hand, and England and France to a lesser extent, don't know what we want. We get less than nothing as a result. If we have to fight them, now is the time. From now on, we will get weaker and they will get stronger. Let's keep out boots polished, bayonets sharpened, and present a picture of force and strength to the Russians. This is the only language that they understand and respect. If we fail to do this, then I would like to say that we have had a victory over the Germans, and have disarmed them, but we have lost the war.

The one thing that I could not say, and cannot yet say publicly, is that my chief interest in establishing order in Germany was to prevent Germany from going communist. I am afraid that our foolish and utterly stupid policy in regard to Germany will certainly cause them to join the Russians and thereby insure a communistic state throughout Western Europe. We have destroyed what could have been a good race of people and we are about to replace them with Mongolian savages and all of Europe with communism.

Poland is under Russian domination, so is Hungary, so is Czechoslovakia, and so is Yugoslavia; and we sit happily by and think that everybody loves us. It seems likely to me that Russia has a certain sphere of influence in Korea, Manchuria, and Mongolia.

We promised the Europeans freedom. It would be worse than dishonorable not to see that they have it. This might mean war with the Russians, but what of it? They have no Air Force, and their gasoline and ammunition supplies are low. I've seen their miserable supply trains; mostly wagons drawn by beaten up old horses or oxen. I'll say this; the Third Army alone and with damned few casualties, could lick what is left of the Russians in six weeks. You mark my words. Don't ever forget them. Someday we will have to fight them and it will take six years and cost us six million lives.

The Russians are Mongols. They are Slavs and a lot of them used to be ruled by Ancient Byzantium. From Genghis Kahn to Stalin, they have not changed. They never will, and we will never learn, at least, not until it is too late.

I am very much afraid that Europe is going Bolshevik. If it does, it may eventually spread to our country.

The too often repeated remark that "the country owes me a living" is nothing short of treason. The nation owes all of it's citizens an EQUAL chance, but it is not responsible for the faults and follies of those who fail to avail themselves of these opportunities.

Do not talk or think of your rights or your fatigues or of what the other fellow has failed to do. War is the struggle of nations; you are in it, but as an individual, and your feelings as such do not exits. In doing your utmost, even unto death, you are conferring no favor. You are privileged to be able to do so much for your country.

War is simple, direct, and ruthless. It requires a simple, direct, and ruthless man to wage it.

"There are apparently two types of successful soldiers. Those who get on by being unobtrusive and those who get on by being obtrusive. I am of the latter type and seem to be rare and unpopular; but it is my method. One must be single-minded. One must to choose a system and stick to it. People who are not themselves are nobody."

To be a successful soldier you must know history. Read it objectively. Dates and even the minute details of tactics are useless. What you must know is how man reacts. Weapons change, but man who uses them changes not at all. Save for appearances, the ancient Greek warrior and the modern rifleman are one. The emotions and consequent reactions which affected one affect the other. To win battles you do not beat weapons -- you beat the soul of man, of the enemy man. To do that you have to destroy his weapons, but that is only incidental. You must read biography and especially autobiography. If you will do that you will find that war is simple. Decide what will hurt the enemy most within the limits of your capabilities to harm him and then do it. TAKE CALCULATED RISKS. That is quite different from being rash. My personal belief is that if you have a 50% chance, take it! I know that the superior fighting qualities of American soldiers led by me will surely give that extra 1% necessary."

"In Sicily, I decided as a result of my information, observations, and a sixth sense that I have, that the enemy did not have another large scale attack in his system. I bet my shirt on that and I was right. You cannot wage war safely, but no dead general has ever been criticized, so you always have that way out." I get criticized every day for taking needless risks by being too often right up front. What good is a dead general? I say, what good is a general who won't take the same risks as his troops? I still get scared under fire. I guess I never will get used to it, but I still poke along.

"I am sure that if every leader who goes into battle will promise himself that he will come out either a conqueror or a corpse, he is sure to win. There is no doubt of that. Defeat is not due to losses but to the destruction of the soul of the leaders -- the "live to fight another day" doctrine". "The most vital quality a soldier can possess is SELF-CONFIDENCE, utter, complete and bumptious. You can have doubts about your good looks, about your intelligence, about your self-control, but to win in war you must have NO doubts about your ability as a soldier."

"What success I have had results from the fact that I have always been certain that my military reactions were correct. Many people do not agree with me. They are wrong. The unerring jury of history written long after we are dead will prove me correct."

"Note that I speak of military reactions. No one is born with them any more than anyone is born with muscles. You are born with the soul capable of correct military reactions or the body capable of having big muscles, but both qualities must be developed by hard work."

"The intensity of your desire to acquire any special ability depends on character and ambition. They are wonderful possessions."

"Soldiers, all men in fact, are natural hero worshippers. Officers with a flair for command realize this and emphasize in their conduct, dress, and deportment the qualities they seek to produce in their men. When I was a second lieutenant I had a captain who was very sloppy and usually was late, yet he got after the men for just those faults; he was a failure."

"The troops I have commanded have always been well dressed, been smart saluters, been prompt and bold in action because I have personally set the example in these qualities. The influence one man can have on thousands is a never ending source of wonder to me. You are always on parade. Officers who, through laziness or a foolish desire to be popular, fail to enforce discipline and the proper wearing of uniforms and equipment not in the presence of the enemy will also fail in battle. If they fail in battle they are murderers. There is no such thing as a good field soldier. You are either a good soldier or a bad soldier."

"I have used one principle in my operations which has been remarkably successful, and that is to "Fill the unforgiving minute with sixty seconds worth of distance run." That is the whole art of war, and when you get to be a general, remember it!

Second; Rock the enemy back on his heels. Keep him rocking. Never give him a chance to get his balance or to build up.

Unselfishness; always give credit where it is due. If you win, give the credit. If you lose, take the blame.

"So far as the atomic bomb is concerned, while it is a scientific invention of the first water, it is not as earth shaking as you might think. When man first began fighting man, he used his teeth, toe-nails, and fingernails. Then one day a very terrified or very inventive genius picked up a rock and bashed a man in the head while the latter was gnawing at his vitals. The news of this unheard of weapon unquestionably shocked Neolithic society, but they became accustomed to it. Thousands of years later, another genius picked up the splintered rib of a mastodon and using it as a dagger struck the gentleman with the rock. Again pre-historic society was shocked and said, "There can be no more wars. Did you hear about the mastodon bone"? When the shield, slingshot, throwing stick, and the sword and armor were successively invented, each in its turn was heralded by the proponents as a means of destroying the world or of stopping war. When Samson slew the Philistines with the jawbone of an ass, he probably created such a vogue for the weapon that throughout the world no prudent donkey dared to bray. Certainly the advent of the atomic bomb was not half as startling as the initial appearance of gunpowder. In my own lifetime, I remember two inventions, or possibly three, which were supposed to stop war; namely the dynamite cruiser Vesuvius, the submarine, and the tank. Yet, wars go blithely on and will when our great-grandchildren are very old men."

Do not regard what you do as only a "preparation" for doing the same thing more fully or better at some later time. Nothing is ever done twice. There is no next time. This is of special application to war. There is but one time to win a battle or a campaign. It must be won the first time."

Patton was one of the rare "Great Captains" of war. He truly had the feel of battle. A gifted few in history have had this battle judgement; this quality; a combination of imagination, daring, skill, and an instantaneous appreciation for the task to be performed. It cannot be learned in a military school, though the background may be acquired there. Experience in battle is necessary but study and experience are not enough. The leaders that have it stand out above all others. Patton stands out above all others.

Chesty Puller? Wasn't she that stripper of some fame in the '70's?
:-)

Patton is still viewed as America's greatest general in a poll conducted by the folks at History.com.

Politicians are the lowest form of life on earth. Liberal Democrats are the lowest form of politicians. I really shudder for the future of our country.....

BUMP!

George would have fit in around here quite well although I suspect more than a few of his posts would have been pulled due to choice words now and then.

What I wouldn't give to have been able to hear Patton's assessment of the Clintons. However it's perhaps just as well. To have had to serve under such a degenerate commander-in-chief would probably have killed him or gotten him court martialled for proclaiming them as the traitors they were/are.

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