THE GENERAL THEY COULDN'T SHUT UP
U.S. General George S. Patton, Commander of the United
States Seventh Army is arguably America's most successful General. Yet he is
best remembered for an ignoble act rather than military prowess.
The much-repeated story is that of the general visiting a military hospital
evacuation tent in Sicily in August 1943. There he came across a soldier whom
he considered was feigning illness. In front of astonished doctors old 'Blood
and Guts' slapped the patient across his face. The unfortunate but minor
incident might never have been heard of had the general kept his personal
observations to himself. But the charismatic General Patton was a man who
spoke his mind, which was soon to seal his death warrant.
As Military Governor of the ruins of a once great nation the American General
finally came to understand the true nature of the war and let his views be
known. His exasperated and embarrassed superiors retaliated by assassinating
his character, with the press singing to the same hymn sheet. When that failed
to shut the General up the solution was to arrange a convenient 'accident'?
Patton certainly smelled a rat when he bitterly disagreed with the order that
he stand down his forces until the Red Army had successfully occupied
Germany's eastern territories (where they slaughtered 4,000,000 civilians),
Czechoslovakia, Rumania, Hungary and Yugoslavia.
Patton knew that American forces could have easily taken these territories
first, but the dissection of Europe had already been decided by his political
masters. U.S. Secretary for War Robert Patterson told him that he had 'lost
sight of the big picture.'
The frustrated U.S. General spoke his mind. "Let's not give the (the Soviets)
time to build up their supplies. If we do, then . . . we have had a victory
over the Germans and disarmed them, but we have failed in the liberation of
Europe; we have lost the war!"
He was right of course but those who were in the 'big picture' ignored their
most exalted General and much of the rest is European history – in Soviet
shackles.
Others were equally candid. Whilst having dinner with French General Alphonse
Juin, Patton's diary of August 18th reveals that the French military commander
surmised: "It is indeed unfortunate, mon general, that the English and the
Americans have destroyed in Europe the only sound country – and I do not mean
France." Several days later, in another letter to his wife Patton ruminated, "Actually
the Germans are the only decent people left in Europe . . . I prefer the
Germans."
Of the military tribunals and the Nuremberg 'trials' Patton was scathing. In a
letter to his wife on 14th September 1945, he wrote: "I am frankly opposed to
this war criminal stuff. It is not cricket and it is Semitic. I am also
opposed to sending POWs to work as slaves in foreign lands, where many will be
starved to death."
In another letter to his wife he wrote: "I have been to Frankfurt for a civil
government conference. If what we are doing to the Germans is liberty, then
give me death. I can't see how Americans can sink so low. It is Semitic, I am
sure of it."
In his diary he noted: "Today we received orders in which we were told to give
the Jews special accommodation. If for Jews, why not Catholics, Mormons etc?
We are also turning over to the French several hundred thousand prisoners of
war to be used as slave labour in France.
It is amusing to recall that we fought the (American) Revolution in defence of
the rights of man and the Civil War to abolish slavery and have now gone back
on both principles."
After a visit to Berlin, now bombed back to the Stone Age, the politically
incorrect General wrote: "Berlin gave me the blues. We have destroyed what
could have been a good race, and we are about to replace them with Mongolian
savages . . . it is said that for the first week after Soviet troops took it
all the women who ran were shot, and those who did not were raped. I could
have taken Berlin instead of the Soviets had I been allowed."
By this time, Patton's political masters had had enough and a barrage of
innuendo, smear and insult was let loose on the unfortunate General via the
largely Jewish-owned media, who were happy to oblige.
RELIEVED OF HIS DUTIES
It was at this point that the long forgotten slapping incident was dragged up
and embellished and then broadcast. The General knew what was going on. In a
letter to his wife he writes: "I will probably be in the headlines before you
get this, as the press is trying to quote me as being more interested in
restoring order in Germany than in catching Nazis."
Eisenhower, at the end of his tether at the unmanageable General's utterances,
relieved him of his position as Military Governor. Patton responded by saying
he was not at all unhappy with his new assignment, because, "I would like it
much better than being a sort of executioner to the best race in Europe."
By now a much embittered General Patton let his thoughts be known in a letter
to Major General James G. Harbord, now back in the States. In it he bitterly
condemned the Morgenthau policy (to dismember Germany, destroy its
infrastructure and decimate its population). He also let it be known that he
objected to Eisenhower weakly giving in to every Jewish demand, the strong
pro-Soviet bias of the media, and the corruption, degradation and
demoralisation of the U.S. Army, which these things were causing.
GENERAL PATTON SIGNS HIS DEATH WARRANT
The outspoken American General's fate was sealed when he concluded by writing:
"It is my present thought that when I finish this job, which will be around
the first of the year, I shall resign and not retire, because if I retire I
will have a gag in my mouth. I should not start a limited counter attack,
which would be contrary to my military theories, but should wait until I can
start an all out offensive."
On December 21st, a month before his planned resignation, the headstrong but
suicidal foolish General was silenced forever when a truck 'accidentally'
rammed his staff car. In some ways it could be regarded as redemption - for
the havoc and misery the American forces had wreaked on war torn Europe.
