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How well regarded was General Patton before the movie "Patton"?
Posted on 5/27/15 at 6:51 am
Posted on 5/27/15 at 6:51 am
I wasn't born until 19 yrs after the movie came out, and I've always thought of Patton as the best American General in the war.
Was that how he was thought of before the movie? Or did the movie change people's perspective?
Was that how he was thought of before the movie? Or did the movie change people's perspective?
12
Posted on 5/27/15 at 6:56 am to Tiger1242
quote:
Was that how he was thought of before the movie?
He's widely regarded as one of America's top generals - as a battlefield, combat commander, he is up there with Washington and Confederate generals Lee and Jackson.
The movie (one of my favorite, by the way) - attempted to make him look bad (recall that was during the Vietnam War), but it backfired - he became more popular than ever.
Posted on 5/27/15 at 7:01 am to Tiger1242
I know the Germans feared and respected the shite out of him. They couldn't believe that we would actually pull him from the war over something as dumb as slapping a piss ant private... which is really fricking stupid when you think about it. Removing your best battlefield commander for slapping a crybaby... dumb.
Posted on 5/27/15 at 7:02 am to Ace Midnight
The movie attempted to make him look bad?
It makes him look like an incredible leader with strict unwavering rules, and the only general the Germans were afraid of.
If anything it makes the rest of the Allies look bad by not giving him more power
It makes him look like an incredible leader with strict unwavering rules, and the only general the Germans were afraid of.
If anything it makes the rest of the Allies look bad by not giving him more power
This post was edited on 5/27/15 at 7:04 am
Posted on 5/27/15 at 7:04 am to terd ferguson
quote:
over something as dumb as slapping a piss ant private... which is really fricking stupid when you think about it
In defense of Eisenhower, the slap was just the straw that broke the camels back. Patton had trouble keeping his mouth shut around the media.
Posted on 5/27/15 at 7:04 am to terd ferguson
quote:
They couldn't believe that we would actually pull him from the war over something as dumb as slapping a piss ant private... which is really fricking stupid when you think about it. Removing your best battlefield commander for slapping a crybaby... dumb.
And people say there was no PC in the 40's...
Posted on 5/27/15 at 7:10 am to Tiger1242
quote:
The movie attempted to make him look bad? It makes him look like an incredible leader with strict unwavering rules, and the only general the Germans were afraid of.
Well, Omar Bradley was the technical advisor and they did want (successfully) to show the contrast, but they also wanted the average 20-something hippie boomer to "tsk, tsk" his lust for glory, relative disregard for casualties, slapping the PTSD cases, pro-Nazi stance, etc.
It backfired, while winning 7 Oscars (despite not having a female speaking role).
Posted on 5/27/15 at 7:12 am to terd ferguson
I dk man, I get the whole tough general refusing to suffer cowards thing...
But he slapped 2 soldiers suffering mental trauma and probably PTSD and threw them out of the hospital, that wasn't a good idea
But he slapped 2 soldiers suffering mental trauma and probably PTSD and threw them out of the hospital, that wasn't a good idea
Posted on 5/27/15 at 7:14 am to Ace Midnight
quote:
winning 7 Oscars (despite not having a female speaking role
Coincidence?
I think not.
Posted on 5/27/15 at 7:25 am to Ace Midnight
quote:
Omar Bradley
Bradley was as bad as Montgomery, but no one ever talks about it. One of the biggest myths about Bradley is how he was a "GI General"
Posted on 5/27/15 at 7:28 am to Tiger1242
quote:
But he slapped 2 soldiers suffering mental trauma and probably PTSD and threw them out of the hospital, that wasn't a good idea
There was no such thing as PTSD in WWII. I think it was still "battle fatigue" or some such thing. And he wasn't going to allow them to defile that place by staying alongside soldiers who had been wounded in battle!!!
He thought that if he could shame a coward, he could help him regain some of his self respect.
Posted on 5/27/15 at 7:28 am to geauxtigers87
quote:
Bradley was as bad as Montgomery, but no one ever talks about it. One of the biggest myths about Bradley is how he was a "GI General"
I'm not saying you're wrong, but what are you basing that on?
This post was edited on 5/27/15 at 7:29 am
Posted on 5/27/15 at 7:31 am to Tiger1242
Posted on 5/27/15 at 7:40 am to geauxtigers87
quote:
Bradley was as bad as Montgomery
Meh - he was the main ground forces commander for Overlord, greenlit Cobra, Dragoon and Market-Garden (although that was everybody) - if anything, they were overly aggressive with Market-Garden. Both he and Monty get a knock for being too passive, but part of that is because of this film we're discussing in the thread. Monty was aggressive at times in Afrika and both guys recognized that Patton's success was due to speed, pressure and aggressiveness.
The guy was as good an opertional/strategic ground force commander as we've had since the Civil War. Not the Operational/Tactical genius that Patton was, but definitely the best guy we had for that job at that time.
Posted on 5/27/15 at 7:40 am to Tiger1242
My grandfather told me that the sentiment of most the men was that if they could have gotten a clear shot at him, they'd have probably taken it...
Posted on 5/27/15 at 7:43 am to Tiger1242
One of my great uncles served in Third Army and didn't have anything good to say about him. He was always regarded as a tactical genius and one of the best combat commanders the United States ever produced. But IYAM the movie minimized some of his negative qualities. It did show one of the soldier slapping incidents (there were two), but glossed over his fixation on meaningless bullshite, such as soldiers having an immaculate uniform in a combat zone. And there was nothing about the foolhardy operation behind German lines to try to rescue his POW son-in-law, that got a lot of men needlessly killed.
The movie also ficitonalizes the relationship between Patton and Bradley. In the movie, Bradley is often exasperated, but regards Patton somewhat affectionately. IRL, Bradley didn't like Patton at all.
Lightning Joe Collins was Patton's equal as a commander, without all Patton's bullshittery. But the general public has never heard of Collins because he wasn't flamboyant enough to have a movie.
The movie also ficitonalizes the relationship between Patton and Bradley. In the movie, Bradley is often exasperated, but regards Patton somewhat affectionately. IRL, Bradley didn't like Patton at all.
Lightning Joe Collins was Patton's equal as a commander, without all Patton's bullshittery. But the general public has never heard of Collins because he wasn't flamboyant enough to have a movie.
Posted on 5/27/15 at 7:45 am to rumproast
quote:
My grandfather told me that the sentiment of most the men was that if they could have gotten a clear shot at him, they'd have probably taken it...
Likely because most of his men didn't understand that the aggressive tactics Patton employed helped keep them alive.
Patton understood the future or warfare, truly a great field commander.
Posted on 5/27/15 at 8:04 am to Tiger1242
quote:"Great General. They should make a movie about him. I'd watch it."
Was that how he was thought of before the movie?
Posted on 5/27/15 at 8:18 am to ballscaster
I personally knew a couple of old WWII vets who served under General Patton and both spoke highly of him. One in particular teared up when he spoke of him. He told me of a personal experience of being in Patton's presence when the General said something along the lines of "we're going in and get our boys out if we all have to die", not quoting exactly but something like that.
Posted on 5/27/15 at 8:21 am to Tiger1242
quote:
How well regarded was General Patton before the movie "Patton"? by Tiger1242
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