General George Patton Jr.: Pre-World War II

by Ricardo Rodriguez
Sr. Web Content Producer

Patton as an infant

Patton: West Point Cadet

General George Patton was a paradox. He was a rough and tough soldier -- yet he was thoughtful and sentimental. Although unpredictable, he was also very dependable. He was a horseman, pilot, poet, polo player, champion swordsman, and a competent sailor.

He is best known for his military genius during World War Two.

General Patton had a rich historical family tree. His lineage can be traced back to George Washington, a king of England and a king of France. The Patton family reportedly was related to 16 signers of England's Magna Charta. His grandfather was a colonel in the Confederate Army.

At age 18, Patton entered Virginia Military Institute, following in the steps of his father and grandfather. He did not want to break the family tradition -- but attending the U.S. Military Academy at West Point would guarantee him a commission in the Army. After a "demerit free" year at the VMI, he was invited to attend West Point.

At West Point, he became an expert fencer, broke a school record in the hurdles event, played end on the school's football team. He was awarded cadet adjutancy his final year for his skills as a tactician. After he graduated from West Point in 19-oh-nine, 46th in a class of 103, he became a cavalry officer and married Beatrice Ayer, a wealthy woman from Massachusetts. During the next two years he became one of the Army's best polo players.

Patton participated in the military pentathlon during the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden. The event includes five military skills -- shooting, fencing, swimming, riding, and running -- all considered a rigorous test of an officer.

The competitors were allowed to choose any pistol they wished, and most used .22-caliber revolvers. Patton believed he should use a military weapon, a .38-caliber revolver. Patton's handgun made larger holes in the target than a .22-caliber bullet. It cost him points in the shooting finals because one shot reportedly missed. Actually, the missing round passed through a cluster of holes already in the target. Patton finished fifth in an event traditionally dominated by European marksmen.

After the 1912 Olympics, Patton would visit the French Saumur Cavalry School as an observer and studied French sword drill. It helped him become the U.S. Army's Master of the Sword. He was assigned to teach the use of the blade to fellow officers. During this time he designed a new U.S. Cavalry saber - the M-1913 - and authored its training manual. Patton's fame as a general was based on his emphasis on aggressive attack. True to that form, he eliminated the parry maneuver from his manual. He believed it made the user too vulnerable to attack.

These activities kept Patton busy, but he wanted to go to war. When World War I began in 1914, Patton asked to serve with the French cavalry, but the U.S. War Department turned him down. In 1915, then Lt. Patton, was sent to Fort Bliss, Texas to lead routine cavalry patrols along the border with Mexico.

In 1916 he accompanied General John Jay Pershing as an aide on the expedition against Pancho Villa into Mexico. While on a foraging mission for the expeditionary force, Patton killed General Cardenas, the head of Villa's bodyguard, and another Villista using the single-action Colt he had purchased in March 1915. The revolver became a Patton trademark during World War II. Patton was promoted to first lieutenant for killing the Mexican officers. He also added two notches to his revolver. He later displayed the notches during an audience with the King and Queen of Great Britain during World War II. During the audience, recounted his adventures as a young officer.

Patton: Tank maneuvers

After the U.S. declared war on Germany in World War I Gen. Pershing was impressed with Patton's performance in Mexico. He promoted him to captain, taking command of his headquarters troop. When Pershing and his staff arrived in England, Patton and his cavalrymen became the first foreign troops to be quartered in the Tower of London.

When Pershing and Patton were in France, Patton requested a transfer to a combat command. Patton became the first American assigned to the new U.S. Tank Corps. With his usual brashness, Patton treaded to victory with the British tankers at Cambrai — the world's first tank battle. After visiting a French tank course, he used his newly acquired tank skills to organize the American tank school at Langres, France. He trained the first 500 American tankers.

Prior to the battle of St. Mihiel, his tankers conducted reconnaissance missions. During the battle, Patton foreshadowed his later armored thrusts as he pushed deep into enemy territory ahead of the American infantry with his primitive Renault tanks. He received a Silver Star for his efforts.

During the Meuse-Argonne offensive Patton was wounded by machine gun fire while helping rescue tanks mired in the mud. Patton received a Purple Heart, Distinguished Service Cross and a promotion to colonel for his actions. He was recuperating when the war ended. He returned to the U.S. a few months later to command the U.S. Tank Corps.

By 1925, Patton was serving in Hawaii. He finished out the 1920s in Washington, where he pressed for getting increased armored vehicles and horse cavalry. At the time, his arguments made very good sense. He also kept fighting for more and better armored vehicles. By 1935 Patton had risen to the permanent rank of lieutenant colonel and had returned to Hawaii, this time sailing all the way there on his own boat. While in Hawaii, Patton warned of possible spies among the civilian Japanese population.