General George Patton Museum

RECOIL TAKES AN INSIDE LOOK AT ONE OF WORLD WAR II’S MOST ICONIC LEADERS

- Tom Marshall

Few wars in American military history produced more memorable leaders with distinct personalities than World War II. The global, sinister nature of this particular conflict gave rise to some of the greatest and most controversial flag rank officers that the U.S. military has ever produced.

No small measure among them is General George S. Patton, most famed for his command of the Third Army in France and Germany after the D-Day invasions at Normandy. However, he was also at the helm of operations in Casablanca and Sicily. Less often discussed by most major history texts are his tours of duty in World War I and the Pancho Villa Expedition of 1916 (sometimes referred to as the Punitive Expedition).

Throughout all three of these campaigns, Patton’s participation was inextricably linked to armored combat. The Punitive Expedition was the U.S. Army’s first campaign to include motorized vehicles. In World War I, he was one of the first tank commanders in our new armored divisions. He even taught at America’s tank school in France. Between the two World Wars, he remained an integral part of America’s fledgling armored corps — providing key input on training and doctrine development.

For decades, Fort Knox, Kentucky, was the home of America’s tank force. Our senior editor is personally a twotime alumni of Fort Knox — first for the Armor Officers’ Basic Course, then for the Army Reconnaissance Course. So when he heard that RECOIL was planning to go behind the scenes at the Patton Museum, he volunteered as tribute. While the current Armor School is now located at Fort Benning, Georgia, any old-school tanker or cavalry scout will tell you that Knox will always be the spiritual home of America’s armored force. By no coincidence, the Patton Museum is still located in the Bluegrass State, adjacent to America’s most famous gold depository.