In the ETO during WWII, generals Bernard Montgomery and George S. Patton were the two most controversial allied general officers. Aside from sharing the dubious distinction as being prima Donna’s, what’s your take? I’d be especially interested in any of our United Kingdom and commonwealth members views.
How was Patton overrated?Patton was overrated but still a good tactician and armored commander. He was in a lot of ways the opposite of Montgomery. Monty was a strategist and administrator first and foremost but a subpar tactician.
The ultimate prima donna was MacArthur.In the ETO during WWII, generals Bernard Montgomery and George S. Patton were the two most controversial allied general officers. Aside from sharing the dubious distinction as being prima Donna’s, what’s your take? I’d be especially interested in any of our United Kingdom and commonwealth members views.
How was Patton overrated?
Where is it going? Like I said, they were both controversial. But if you have an opinion then back it up.We know where this is going.
In the ETO during WWII, generals Bernard Montgomery and George S. Patton were the two most controversial allied general officers. Aside from sharing the dubious distinction as being prima Donna’s, what’s your take? I’d be especially interested in any of our United Kingdom and commonwealth members views.
Probably so, this isn’t about him.The ultimate prima donna was MacArthur.
His biggest screwup was the battle of Metz. He should’ve bypassed the city instead of causing costly losses to his own troops. This was the same post war opinion of the Germans.He gets treated like one of the best American generals in history. He wasn't even the best American general in the ETO.
Patton was a good tactician but his performance declined the higher in rank he went.
His biggest screwup was the battle of Metz. He should’ve bypassed the city instead of causing costly losses to his own troops. This was the same post war opinion of the Germans.
His biggest screwup was the battle of Metz. He should’ve bypassed the city instead of causing costly losses to his own troops. This was the same post war opinion of the Germans.
Monty admitted he was not concerned about the small practical issues. However, he was very concerned about logistics and wouldn’t move unless he felt he had overwhelming advantage in tanks and artillery. But like Patton his hubris made enemies of not just the Americans but also most of the British general staff he came in contact with.Wildly overrated. Patton was useless at anything but simple, straightforward offensives in open terrain. Monty was myopic about his own “genius” and took little concern of practical issues like logistics and weather conditions.
Patton should never have gotten a third star and Monty should have been put in charge of training troops in Britain.
His own hubris at work.But Patton had committed himself to the idea that fixed fortifications couldn’t withstand modern warfighting techniques and technology and he was willing to kill as many of his own men as he had to in order to prove himself right.
Monty admitted he was not concerned about the small practical issues. However, he was very concerned about logistics and wouldn’t move unless he felt he had overwhelming advantage in tanks and artillery. But like Patton his hubris made enemies of not just the Americans but also most of the British general staff he came in contact with.
Patton didn’t go to Italy. Sicily was a mountainous slugfest for the Brit’s as well. There was no easy way in Sicily and it continued on into Italy.Yes, but you could see the limitations of his command earlier than that. His performance in sicily and Italy his limitations as an operational level commander.
Tanks and artillery need fuel and ammunition, which is all included in logistics. His failure for Market Garden was a huge tactical mistake. The irony of Market Garden and previously in the bloodbath the Brit’s suffered at Caen, is that Monty lied through his teeth about the success of both.That’s not logistics. Logistics is carrying about supply, maintenance, etc. Monty didn’t. His invasion of Sicily and Market Garden demonstrate that.
Tanks and artillery need fuel and ammunition, which is all included in logistics. His failure for Market Garden was a huge tactical mistake. The irony of Market Garden and previously in the bloodbath the Brit’s suffered at Caen, is that Monty lied through his teeth about the success of both.
In your opinion, who was the best U.S. general in the ETO?He gets treated like one of the best American generals in history. He wasn't even the best American general in the ETO.
Patton was a good tactician but his performance declined the higher in rank he went.
I had never read that Monty had trouble with his trains keeping up with the forward movement. That was one patton’s complaints. There was definitely a problem with having enough of everything for each corps and Army commanders needs in every theater in the war.Monty could handle stockpiling supplies for an offensive, what he couldn’t do was make sure those supplies actually moved forward with the offensive. Interestingly Rommel had the exact same problem.
Market Garden was a huge tactical and strategic mistake. The entire plan was flawed from the start. It relied on the plan going entirely perfectly right with zero margin of error.
I had never read that Monty had trouble with his trains keeping up with the forward movement. That was one patton’s complaints. There was definitely a problem with having enough of everything for each corps and Army commanders needs in every theater in the war.
The 30th corps was held up due lack of maneuver room and was pretty restricted to one major access road for the armor. It didn’t take a master tactician to properly defend against the offensive. The other reason was the intelligence failure to recognize the 12th SS panzer divisions move to Arnhem.He did in Sicily and big time in Market Garden. It’s a major reason why the 30th Corps couldn’t reach Arnhem in time.
In your opinion, who was the best U.S. general in the ETO?
Eisenhower was foremost a politician. He never led troops. Patton was that oil and water mix of an excellent field commander, but a terrible garrison soldier. Moving Third Army in relief of Bastogne was probably his zenith.Well my personal favorite is Devers, but Eisenhower should probably get the nod.
Monty admitted he was not concerned about the small practical issues. However, he was very concerned about logistics and wouldn’t move unless he felt he had overwhelming advantage in tanks and artillery.
But like Patton his hubris made enemies of not just the Americans but also most of the British general staff he came in contact with.
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?