 George Smith Patton Jr . ( November 11 , 1885 – December 21 , 1945 ) was a senior officer of the United States Army , who commanded the U.S. Seventh Army in the Mediterranean and European Theaters of World War II , but is best known for his leadership of the U.S. Third Army in France and Germany following the Allied invasion of Normandy in June 1944 .
A highly aggressive and controversial figure, Patton was one of the United States' most celebrated military leaders of the Second World War , and was a major figure in the development of modern armored warfare . He is especially noted for his successful defense of