Patton was not wrong. He was right.
In 1945 we could have at least have pushed the Russians out of the countries they’d occupied and, if needed, we could have nuked them into submission at a time when the US was the sole nuclear armed nation.
Had we committed to the war we would have won it.
> In 1945 we could have at least have pushed the Russians out of the countries they’d occupied… <
Yes, but it would have been a terrible, bloody mess. As I noted earlier, the Red Army of 1945 was a crack outfit, and very stubborn on defense. As you noted, it probably would have taken a nuclear weapon.
But the Congress and the American people would never have stood for such a thing. In a way, it would be like if Biden launched a surprise nuclear attack on North Korea. Maybe that would stave off many future problems. But it would also horrify many people, including me.
Would the generals even obey such an order, by Truman in 1945 or by Biden in 2023?
Interesting hypotheticals, anyway!