• This is a political forum that is non-biased/non-partisan and treats every person's position on topics equally. This debate forum is not aligned to any political party. In today's politics, many ideas are split between and even within all the political parties. Often we find ourselves agreeing on one platform but some topics break our mold. We are here to discuss them in a civil political debate. If this is your first visit to our political forums, be sure to check out the RULES. Registering for debate politics is necessary before posting. Register today to participate - it's free!

General Patton Hated Peace

ouch

ouch

Air Muscle
DP Veteran
Joined
Dec 1, 2020
Messages
10,088
Reaction score
8,781
Gender
Male
Political Leaning
Independent
I did not know this. He even wrote a poem about his hatred, in which I can understand one's deep hate of the enemy but toward civilians too??


www.military.com

Legendary General Patton Hated Peace So Much, He Wrote a Poem About It

George S. Patton described the celebration at the end of World War I as the "cruel glee of the weak."
www.military.com www.military.com
Patton, then 32, wrote a poem titled "Peace -- Nov. 11, 1918" in which he expressed contempt for civilians cheering the silencing of the guns that would deprive him and other warriors of "the whitehot joy of taking human life."


"I stood in the flag decked cheering crowd

Waere [sic] all but I were gay

And gazing on their extecy [sic]

My heart shrank in dismay."


The library's notes say "an editor, possibly Patton's wife Beatrice, has crossed out those lines that express especially strong sentiments like comparing peaceful life to 'a festering sewer' " in the draft of the poem on exhibit.

The reference is to the following lines:



"Looking forward I could see

Life like a festering sewer

Full of the fecal Pacafists [sic]

Which peace makes us endure"
 
Perhaps he should not have sugar coated it, and told us how he really felt!:eek:
 
ouch said:
I did not know this. He even wrote a poem about his hatred, in which I can understand one's deep hate of the enemy but toward civilians too??


www.military.com

Legendary General Patton Hated Peace So Much, He Wrote a Poem About It

George S. Patton described the celebration at the end of World War I as the "cruel glee of the weak."
www.military.com www.military.com
Patton, then 32, wrote a poem titled "Peace -- Nov. 11, 1918" in which he expressed contempt for civilians cheering the silencing of the guns that would deprive him and other warriors of "the whitehot joy of taking human life."


"I stood in the flag decked cheering crowd

Waere [sic] all but I were gay

And gazing on their extecy [sic]

My heart shrank in dismay."


The library's notes say "an editor, possibly Patton's wife Beatrice, has crossed out those lines that express especially strong sentiments like comparing peaceful life to 'a festering sewer' " in the draft of the poem on exhibit.

The reference is to the following lines:



"Looking forward I could see

Life like a festering sewer

Full of the fecal Pacafists [sic]

Which peace makes us endure"
Click to expand...

Patton was a bit of a nut.
 
Tigerace117 said:
Right up until he started smacking soldiers with PTSD and malaria around, anyway.
Click to expand...

He wasn't actually useful until after that. He didn't shine in Africa or Sicily.

He was mostly really useful in France, where his instincts where more useful, and where he had other generals covering the flanks he so despised.
 
Bum said:
He needed to be kept on a very short leash.
Click to expand...

Yes, and he needed that spanking that stuck him in England until D-Day.

But in the right circumstances, he was hell on wheels, if you'll pardon the obvious reference.
 
Luce said:
Yes, and he needed that spanking that stuck him in England until D-Day.

But in the right circumstances, he was hell on wheels, if you'll pardon the obvious reference.
Click to expand...
Well played, Sir.
Was sad to see them go after the Gulf War.
 
Patton's problem was he was a hammer, so everything looked like a nail.
 
Tigerace117 said:
Patton was a bit of a nut.
Click to expand...
Sometimes a nasty war can use a few nuts. I was around a few (mostly low rankers) that made me a little nervous but handy going up against Charlie. We did have one Captain plum ass crazy - a danger to us all. I thought that he needed put down during one suicidal mission. It just wasn't his time to meet his maker, I guess.

Interesting to learn how Patton was while he was a kid. Wonder if he had a little psycho action going on once he escaped the crib?
 
Luce said:
A very useful nut, under certain circumstances.
Click to expand...
Patton was highly disciplined about who to kill and where to kill 'em.

In an armed force it's both legal and moral to kill as many enemy as possible for whatever time it takes. Sherman for instance didn't hate civilians unless they were supporting their treasonous Soldiers during the Civil War. In which case Sherman torched 'em out of house and home while dividing the Confederacy in two on an East-West axis. Sherman's campaign through GA then on to the sea and up into the Carolinas was decisive. Many Georgians learned a lot about catastrophe which helps explain their voting for federal offices these dayze.

Patton was equal opportunity in his contempt by regarding Montgomery as the weasel he was. Right after Patton himself crossed the Rhein his unsparing description of Monty still trying to launch nears hilarious. Patton slapped a Soldier with battle fatigue yet he didn't feed him to the enemy. Patton paid a price for it of course, the slap. For which he apologized in front of the entire 3rd Army he commanded. On a different occasion however his war speech to the 3rd Army is in the books as a model.

Patton finally got busted of his command after the Germans had surrendered, for demanding the okay to go kill Russians all the way into Moscow. My guy.
 
Tangmo said:
Patton finally got busted of his command after the Germans had surrendered, for demanding the okay to go kill Russians all the way into Moscow. My guy.
Click to expand...
6 years of war... 60 million people were dead... Europe was a mess..

No one, except Patton, was in the mood for more war...
 
ouch said:
I did not know this. He even wrote a poem about his hatred, in which I can understand one's deep hate of the enemy but toward civilians too??


www.military.com

Legendary General Patton Hated Peace So Much, He Wrote a Poem About It

George S. Patton described the celebration at the end of World War I as the "cruel glee of the weak."
www.military.com www.military.com
Patton, then 32, wrote a poem titled "Peace -- Nov. 11, 1918" in which he expressed contempt for civilians cheering the silencing of the guns that would deprive him and other warriors of "the whitehot joy of taking human life."


"I stood in the flag decked cheering crowd

Waere [sic] all but I were gay

And gazing on their extecy [sic]

My heart shrank in dismay."


The library's notes say "an editor, possibly Patton's wife Beatrice, has crossed out those lines that express especially strong sentiments like comparing peaceful life to 'a festering sewer' " in the draft of the poem on exhibit.

The reference is to the following lines:



"Looking forward I could see

Life like a festering sewer

Full of the fecal Pacafists [sic]

Which peace makes us endure"
Click to expand...

He was terrible at everything but being a general which he was rather good at.
 
SenorXm/Sirius said:
He was a great general... But as with many generals (Eisenhower excluded), he was an asshole...
Click to expand...
Patton was a notable asshole among generals of his time. Eisenhower was much more measured than he was and General Marshal usually got rid of gunslinging cowboys like him. Patton was lucky.
 
I wonder what a movie about general eisenhower and marshal would be like.
 
bomberfox said:
Patton was a notable asshole among generals of his time. Eisenhower was much more measured than he was and General Marshal usually got rid of gunslinging cowboys like him. Patton was lucky.
Click to expand...
IIRC Marshall left Pattons fate up to Eisenhower... If it was up to Marshall... Patton probably would have been sent home...
 
Tangmo said:
Patton was highly disciplined about who to kill and where to kill 'em.

In an armed force it's both legal and moral to kill as many enemy as possible for whatever time it takes. Sherman for instance didn't hate civilians unless they were supporting their treasonous Soldiers during the Civil War. In which case Sherman torched 'em out of house and home while dividing the Confederacy in two on an East-West axis. Sherman's campaign through GA then on to the sea and up into the Carolinas was decisive. Many Georgians learned a lot about catastrophe which helps explain their voting for federal offices these dayze.

Patton was equal opportunity in his contempt by regarding Montgomery as the weasel he was. Right after Patton himself crossed the Rhein his unsparing description of Monty still trying to launch nears hilarious. Patton slapped a Soldier with battle fatigue yet he didn't feed him to the enemy. Patton paid a price for it of course, the slap. For which he apologized in front of the entire 3rd Army he commanded. On a different occasion however his war speech to the 3rd Army is in the books as a model.

Patton finally got busted of his command after the Germans had surrendered, for demanding the okay to go kill Russians all the way into Moscow. My guy.
Click to expand...
My Farther in law was a Sargent in Patton's mobile infantry from North Africa all the way through to Germany.
He swore Patton was the best General for the common soldier, and had nothing but respect for him.
 
Tangmo said:
Patton finally got busted of his command after the Germans had surrendered, for demanding the okay to go kill Russians all the way into Moscow. My guy.
Click to expand...
As far as the battlefield goes, yup, Patten sported the killer drive needed. One question though and I ask it since there's a smart or stupid way to kill kill kill and destroy the enemy. I've known a few that didn't care much about low rankers sent/taken into battle. Wreckless command if you will. Have you or others here read anything about Patten's (smart or stupid) handling of the low rankers on the battlefield?
 
longview said:
My Farther in law was a Sargent in Patton's mobile infantry from North Africa all the way through to Germany.
He swore Patton was the best General for the common soldier, and had nothing but respect for him.
Click to expand...
Odd that I just posted a question about this before seeing your post. I knew in the moment that respect was a two way street in order to be more successful. In the war (or in any war) that I was in, it sadly wasn't the case most of the time.
 
ouch said:
As far as the battlefield goes, yup, Patten sported the killer drive needed. One question though and I ask it since there's a smart or stupid way to kill kill kill and destroy the enemy. I've known a few that didn't care much about low rankers sent/taken into battle. Wreckless command if you will. Have you or others here read anything about Patten's (smart or stupid) handling of the low rankers on the battlefield?
Click to expand...
Yeah, authors focus strongly on Patton the "blood and guts" general against the enemy about which Patton himself said, "My only worries are my [military] relations not my enemies.” I'd suggest The War Between the Generals by David Irving.

While Montgomery never humbled himself to met with junior officers or the enlisted troops Patton met with all of 'em, sometimes causing trouble by slapping hospitalized Soldiers. There were in fact incidents before the notorious one that made Patton eat a pound of crow but the several of 'em were covered up by Ike until the tipped off media was asking around about the details. Patton had to sit out the Normandy Invasion for it.


On Christmas Day in 1944 as the 3d Army of a hundred thousand paused to resupply on its way to Bastogne Patton roamed the force in his jeep and on foot in various spots. In one spot Patton stumbled over the feet of a grunt who was cutting zzz's under his jeep with his feet sticking out and who cussed, "God damn it! Can't you see I'm sleeping?" Patton smirked as he kept walking, "At least one guy around here knows what he's doing." Patton was checking around as much as he could to assure his orders were being followed that every grunt had a hot turkey dinner on Christmas Day. His driver said later, "He'd stop and talk to the troops, asking them did they get turkey, how it was and all that." The driver said Patton had to accept the troops got hot turkey sandwiches with gravy.


Patton the Episcopalian was headquartered in Luxembourg as the 3d Army was chasing Germans, and with the miserable weather described in books as "Patton set out alone for the ancient Roman Catholic chapel in the Fondation Pescatore, the massive, steepled, castlelike structure. He made this prayer: "Give me four days of sunshine to dry out this blasted mud, so that my tanks roll, so that ammunition and rations may be taken to my hungry, ill-equipped infantry. I need these four days to send von Rundstedt and his godless army to their Valhalla. I am sick of this unnecessary butchery of American youth, and in exchange for four days of fighting weather, I will deliver you enough Krauts to keep your bookkeepers months behind their work."

Later in a moment of self reflection, he said “I had been insisting on day and night attacks. This is all right on the first or second day of the battle and when we had the enemy surprised, but after that the men get too tired.”

We know that after the war Patton died in a vehicle accident, on Dec. 21, 1945 eleven days after the crash. As per his orders, Patton was was buried in a cemetery in Luxembourg for Americans who died in the Bulge, six thousand of them from his Third Army, and on Christmas Eve.
 
I grew up with stories of WWII, (none from my own Father, as what he did is still classified, OSS)
Being a History buff, I listened to the stories from an analytical side.
My Uncle was with the tank destroyers, which were just about the only thing that could take out
the larger German tanks, but they had to line them up, which meant getting them to chase the faster Sherman tanks.
A few year ago I came across a book a friend had written, from a different perspective.
Amazing Journey: One Man's Adventure from Nazi Germany to America Paperback
a very interesting read. I had a chance to meet Walter before he passed away, he was a very interesting guy.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom