Britain’s 'finest WWII general' accused of child sex abuse in Australia

telegraph.co.uk ^ | 13 Mar 2014 | Jonathan Pearlman

[Delta Dawn]

If it had not been for global cooling, the Germans probably would have run through the Ruskies.

[HANG THE EXPENSE]

Yes after they released him from the gulag and replaced his teeth.

[Bubba Ho-Tep]

Not Zhukov. He was a cavalry guy and Voroshilov liked cavalry guys, so might have been protected at that time. He did get brought up on some BS charges, but all he ended up with was a caution against “rudeness, the stifling of self-criticism and the underestimation of the work of party agitation,” perhaps the greatest set of accusations ever leveled at anyone.

[DeaconBenjamin]

MacArthur was a Lt. Col., not a Lt. He was later a brigadier.

Letter from Col. George Patton to his father from WWI:

Dear Papa

We have all been in one fine fight and it was not half so exciting as I had hoped, not as exciting as affairs in Mexico, because there was so much company. When the shelling first started I had some doubts about the advisability of sticking my head over the parapet, but it is just like taking a cold bath, once you get in, it is all right. And I soon got out and sat on the parapet. At seven o clock I moved forward and passed some dead and wounded. I saw one fellow in a shell hole holding his rifle and sitting down. I though he was hiding and went to cuss him out, he had a bullet over his right eye and was dead.

As my telephone wire ran out at this point I left the adjutant there and went forward with a lieutenant and four runners to find the tanks, the whole country was alive with them crawling over trenches and into the woods. It was fine but I could not see my right battalion so went to look for it, in doing so we passed through several towns under shell fire but none did more than throw dust on us. I admit that I wanted to duck and probably did at first but soon saw the futility of dodging fate, besides I was the only officer around who had left on his shoulder straps and I had to live up to them. It was much easier than you would think and the feeling, foolish probably, of being admired by the men lying down is a great stimulus.

I walked right along the firing line of one brigade. They were all in shell holes except the general (Douglas Mcarthur) who was standing on a little hill. I joined him and the creeping barrage came along toward us, but it was very thin and not dangerous. I think each one wanted to leave but each hated to say so, so we let it come over us. The infantry were held up in a town so I happened to find some tanks and sent them through it. I walked behind and some boshe surrendered to me. At the next town all but one tank was out of sight and as the infantry would not go in I got on top of the tank to hearten the driver and we went in, that was most exciting as there were plenty of boshe. We took thirty.

From War Letters published by Washington Square Press

[yarddog]

Thanks, that is interesting and also informative.

[sinsofsolarempirefan]

Clear you cache and you should be able to read the DT without subscribing, that’s what I always do.

[ops33]

If I said Grant, who would be the WW2 equivalent?

[Doctor 2Brains]

Hmmm. Good one. Grant would not quit, would not let go, would not often retreat, but I wouldn’t rank him like a Zhukov, who would throw away a billion men to gain a mile, though Grant was called the butcher. Nobody leaps to mind. Do you have any candidates?

[AppyPappy]

“Brits and their boarding schools...”

^^ This ^^

[morphing libertarian]

You mention 2 or three accomplishments all of which you discount. Apparently, according to you, Patton’s strength was being in the right place at the right time and schussing weak opponents .

Also, you put the lie to the Germans respect of Patton. Apparently, they were poor judges of military commanders.

[AppyPappy]

The Germans had the best generals but they were taking orders from a corporal.

[ops33]

Bradley.

[Mr Rogers]

“Mr Stevens...has given private testimony...seeking to have Viscount Slim, who died in 1970, stripped of his peerage.”

Let’s see...it has been 44 years since the accused man died, and NOW someone pops up with accusations? It makes defending oneself a bit awkward, what with needing to crawl out of your grave first!

[MinuteGal]

Slim died in 1970....and, though I haven't read the suit, I suspect an attempt is being made to strip him of his peerage posthumously.

Leni

[Bubba Ho-Tep]

Perhaps, then, you can tell what bursts of military genius Patton exhibited. Because I just can't think of what battle he won with some master stroke that only he was capable of, apart from the actions in December, 1944 I mentioned. As for the Germans, I never discount them telling their interrogators what they wanted to hear.

The fact is that Patton was a compulsive self promoter, at a time when the American press was looking for a heroic commander. It was a match made in heaven, with little substance behind it. I just don't buy the hype.