Quote:
Originally Posted by Wolferz
If General Patton had been given his wish back in 1945 we probably wouldn't see any of this malarkey today.  |
No.
Quotes by Patton on Russian troops in 1945 must be compared with what he wrote about American troops in Tunisia after Kasserine, about British troops in Sicily when in Messina, about German troops and civilians when he got command of an Army in Normandy, about Bradley when he learned that he had been bypassed by this army group commander, about black troops in combat, and about Field Marshall Montgomery on all occasions.
Patton was a very good general for armored action, but a very poor diplomat, and maybe a not so efficient manager for global operations. He benefited from a very large supply of materials, and first class divisional officers. However in one case, the stop on the Moselle, with restricted gasoline and deficient ammunition supply, he did not solve the problem in a better manner then his neighbors.
Remember also his dreams and nightmares. Obviously he was in some ways not entirely normal. Reincarnation of Napoleon and other conquerors, remembering his presence in big battles of the past, are not everyone's thoughts.
Better to remember the opinion Eisenhower expressed on his flight to Moscow immediately after the war. In his memoirs he noted at how he didn't see an intact village or town the entire trip. What were we going to take from them that they hadn't already lost?