George Smith Patton, Jr. (November 11, 1885 – December 21, 1945)
was an officer in the United States Army best known for his
leadership as a general during World War II. He also developed a
reputation for eccentricity and for sometimes-controversial
gruff outspokenness. He was on the U.S. 1912 Olympic pentathlon
team and also designed the U.S. Cavalry’s last combat saber: the
“Patton Saber” (the M-1913). In 1916 he led the first-ever U.S.
motorized-vehicle attack during the Mexican Border Campaign. In
World War I, he was the first officer assigned to the new United
States Tank Corps and saw action in France. In World War II, he
commanded corps and armies in North Africa, Sicily, and the
European Theater of Operations. In 1944, Patton assumed command
of the U.S. Third Army, which under his leadership advanced
farther, captured more enemy prisoners, and liberated more
territory in less time than any other army in history. In
addition to Gen. Patton’s Army resume, he is known for a number
of memorable quotes and