General George Patton

1972 Words4 Pages

Synthesis Essay: General George Patton

Standing in a crowd of hundreds, anxious about what is to come—combat; waiting for a man whose reputation greatly precedes him…the man who will lead you into battle—into a nightmare. As he took the microphone and declared, “you are here because you are real men and all real men like to fight.” These words are those of General George Patton…and he has your attention. Inspirational and blunt are just a couple of the many terms used to describe General Patton. General Patton was also a visionary in employment of combat forces; in fact, he was an expert on the subject. The manner in which he led his troops was in itself visionary. Despite his military prowess and formidable leadership, General Patton was humble in leadership and intellect. These three attributes will demonstrate that he was above all, a visionary and ethical leader.

General Patton was a visionary in the operational employment of combat forces and tactical strategy. He dedicated the 20-plus years between World War I (WWI) and World War II (WWII) to honing his combat tradecraft. According to AFSNCOA Student Guide, LM06, Strategic Planning, vision is “ideal state of being or existence in the future” (Department of the Air Force: Thomas N. Barnes Center for Enlisted Education (AETC), 2013). So, the obvious question: does General Patton’s vision regarding operational employment of combat forces stand the test of time? The answer: yes, absolutely. General Patton’s vision is alive and well today, nearly 70 years later, in at least two scenarios: (1) tank combat formations and (2) application of airpower to support ground force maneuvers.

Before, and leading into WWII, tank formations were formed into a square-sha...

... middle of paper ...

...Strategic Planning. Air Force Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academy Student Guide. Maxwell AFB, Alabama, USA.

General George S. Patton, Jr.: Main Concepts, Stategy, Tactics, Leadership. (n.d.). Retrieved May 5, 2013, from University of North Carolina Wilimington: http://people.uncw.edu/kozloffm/pattonnew.doc

Langston University. (n.d.). Transformational Leadership. Retrieved May 13, 2014, from http://www.langston.edu/sites/default/files/basic-content-files/TransformationalLeadership.pdf

Oscar Koch... and the Confidence of the Commander. (n.d.). Masters of the Intelligence Art. Fort Huachuca, NM, USA.

Province, C. M. (n.d.). George S. Patton, Jr. Retrieved May 13, 2006, from Patton-Mania!: http://www.patton-mania.com/George_S_Patton/george_s_patton.html

Sklenka, S. D. (2002). General George S. Patton: Operational Leadership Personified. Naval War College.

Show More
Related

  • COL Prescott’s Command in the Battle of Breed’s Hill

    1339 Words  | 3 Pages

    COL Prescott’s role in the Battle of Bunker Hill, or more correctly know as the Battle of Breed’s Hill, is a great example of how to properly execute mission command. An overview from The Cowpens Staff Ride and Battlefield Tour (Moncure) reveals a number of operation and strategic objectives that the American militia had to consider. In this instance, COL Prescott takes charge of 1200 men with instructions to defend against incoming British forces that were seeking to occupy the surrounding hills during the Siege of Boston campaign. COL Prescott utilized a variety of steps in the operations process that contributed to his expert utilization of mission command over his forces. Through various sources from published works by experts on the subject, COL Prescott’s mission command demonstrates its effectiveness in his understanding of the situation against the British, his visualization to create an end state for t...

    Read More

  • Mission Command: Governor Henry Harrison and the Battle of Tippecanoe

    2208 Words  | 5 Pages

    Successful leadership on a battlefield can be measured in different ways. It is possible for a good, successful leader to lose a battle. Conversely, it is possible for an ineffective leader to win a battle, given the right circumstances. What distinguishes a successful leader from an unsuccessful one is his/her ability to oversee an operation using effective mission command. In ADP 6-0, mission command as a philosophy is defined as “as the exercise of authority and direction by the commander using mission orders to enable disciplined initiative within the commander’s intent to empower agile and adaptive leaders in the conduct of unified land operations” (ADP, 1). William Henry Harrison, Governor of the Indiana Territory, executed good mission command in the Battle of Tippecanoe because of his ability to effectively utilize the doctrinal tasks of “understand, visualize, describe, direct, and lead” operations.

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis of Patton's Papers by Martin Blumesfield

    959 Words  | 2 Pages

    General Patton as born in Virginia in the late 1860s and was raised by both his parents with his sister. He had a good relationship with his family, not many fights or arguments. He was brought up in the South and was taught to be a real gentlemen. This is why he is considered not only one of the United States greatest generals, but also a great person himself. He was in the Olympic games in Stockholm and served in West Point military school. During the first World War he served in the 304th tank brigade and lead his platoon to many quality wins in Europe. In World War II, he was leader of the 504th platoon in Morocco and then moved over to the European front and lead his troops to victory and one of the biggest battles at the Battle of the Bulge.

    Read More

  • U.S. Military Hindered by Indian Guerilla Tactics

    2223 Words  | 5 Pages

    Stewart R. W. (2005). American Military History (Vol. 1). The United States Army and the

    Read More

  • Desert Storm Air Defense Essay

    1624 Words  | 4 Pages

    Brigade General Scales, Robert H. JR. Certain Victory. The U.S. Army in the Gulf War.

    Read More

  • General Patton and Mission Command: The Battle of the Bulge

    1636 Words  | 4 Pages

    Sanderson, Jefferey. "GENERAL GEORGE S. PATTON, JR.” Last modified may 22, 1997. Accessed January 4, 2014. http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CCwQFjAA&url=http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a331356.pdf&ei=tYbHUtv3HcGs2gX2u4HAAQ&usg=AFQjCNFU5EzdWjKlt81w8gh_Bj2UEttaZw&sig2=aAz3jIZg7U6peDzL_i8w9w.

    Read More

  • Analysis of The Battle of Arracourt

    3155 Words  | 7 Pages

    Cameron, R. S. (2003). The army vision: The 4th AD in world war II. Military Review, 83(6), 59-68

    Read More

  • Robert E Lee

    790 Words  | 2 Pages

    Robert E Lee is very quick and smart. He knows how to improve the quality of troops and to nullify the Union’s advantage. Lee is willing to make bold and risky moves, and does not let his defeats hinder his performance. General Lee has great relations with his soldiers, and uses his engineering experience to his advantage.

    Read More

  • Joint Function "Sustainment" and Operation Overload

    1834 Words  | 4 Pages

    War finds success and failure inescapably linked to how well the Combined, Joint, and Multinational Commander ensures the Joint War Fighting Function “Sustainment” planning is linked to strategic, operational and tactical objectives. General Eisenhower’s Operation OVERLORD, the Allied cross channel, air, and seaborne invasion of France during World War II provides an excellent case study to show successful integration of the principles and the spirit of the Joint War Fighting Function “Sustainment.” OVERLORD required synchronizing, coordinating, and integrating the logistics capabilities of coalition forces, their equipment as well as civilian manufacturing capabilities to meet the strategic end state (e.g. the defeat of Germany). This article will review the purpose and definition of Joint Sustainment, its imperatives and logistics planning principles and examine how Eisenhower and his planners incorporated these imperatives and principles into Operation OVERLORD.

    Read More

  • Essay On Eisenhower

    1071 Words  | 3 Pages

    Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces during World War II, was close to not achieving commander status. If this had happened, a different person would have taken control over Operations Torch, Avalanche, and Overlord. Eisenhower, in fact, was the key component in the victory for the Allies. Had he not been assigned by George Marshall to a planning officer in Washington D.C., President Harry Truman might not have saw Eisenhower’s potential. Eisenhower’s past 30 years of military experience, his strong mental and social stature, and his ideas and tactics were all key factors for his triumphant victory in World War II.

    Read More

  • General William T. Sherman

    2168 Words  | 5 Pages

    One of the most colorful characters of the Civil War was a General named William T. Sherman. During the period of the war (1861-1865), General Sherman went full circle from being forced to retire on trumped up charges that he was insane, to becoming a key player in bringing this bloody war to a close. He entered the annals of military history as one of the greatest and most distinguished generals of all time.

    Read More

  • Seven Years War

    2264 Words  | 5 Pages

    5.     Margiotta, Franklin D., Ed. “Brassey’s Encyclopedia of Military History and Biography”, Washington: Brassey’s, Inc. 1994

    Read More

  • The Battle of Gettysburg Analysis

    1961 Words  | 4 Pages

    It is far easier for us in the present than it was for those at Gettysburg, to look back and determine the path that the leaders should have taken. As students, studying battles such as this, we have the advantage of hindsight, knowing the outcome. Nonetheless, we can still learn valuable lessons from it. To do so, this analysis will explore some of the decisions of the leaders at Gettysburg, and how they were affected by the operational variables. This essay will scrutinize some of the leaders at Gettysburg, and the impact of their actions. The outcome of this analysis will show that what was true in 1863 is still true today. While many variables are vital to a successful army on the battlefield, none should be neglected. Each variable discussed in this examination will prove to be important, but the information battle will be paramount in the battle of Gettysburg.

    Read More

  • The Battle of France

    2520 Words  | 6 Pages

    Warfare was in a state of transition. Older commanders and generals in the French and British militaries were very cavalry and infantry focused. These commanders believed that cavalry, infantry, and artillery would assure victory in any circumstance, against any foe. They clung to the static tactics of the bygone World War I era. World War I had been fought primarily on French soil, and the military as well as the government never wanted that to happen again, therefore they wanted to reinforce their main border against any future German. Little did they know that only twenty two years later they would be bested by German forces in a way that would shock the world. This research will be analyzing many important assumptions, oversights,...

    Read More

  • What It Means To Be An Army Leader Essay

    782 Words  | 2 Pages

    All soldiers, especially leaders, are highly recommended to keep a certain set of values that radiate throughout the entire U.S. Army. They are challenged to keep them near and dear to their hearts and to define and live them every day. A leader is one who takes these challenges serious and abides by

    Read More

More about General George Patton

Open Document