George Patton citations
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George Smith Patton, Jr., né le 11 novembre 1885 à San Marino en Californie et mort le 21 décembre 1945 à Heidelberg en Allemagne, est un général « quatre étoiles » de l'Armée de terre américaine qui a notamment commandé la 7e puis la 3e armée américaine sur le théâtre européen des opérations de la Seconde Guerre mondiale.

Né en 1885 dans une famille aisée ayant une forte tradition militaire, Patton étudie à l'institut militaire de Virginie puis à l'académie militaire de West Point. Il fait partie de l'équipe américaine de pentathlon moderne aux Jeux olympiques de 1912 ; féru d’escrime, il conçoit ensuite un sabre de cavalerie de qualité — modèle 1913 — destiné à l'armée, mais qui s'est avéré peu utilisé par la suite car les méthodes de guerre ont évolué rapidement au cours de la période. En 1916, Patton participe aux combats de l'expédition punitive contre Pancho Villa au Mexique dans l'un des premiers exemples de guerre mécanisée. Il rejoint ensuite le corps blindé de la force expéditionnaire américaine qui participe aux combats sur le front de l'Ouest de la Première Guerre mondiale, après l'entrée en guerre des États-Unis en 1917. Entre les deux guerres mondiales, Patton est l'un des principaux partisans de l'introduction des techniques de la guerre mécanisée dans l'armée américaine et il exerce diverses fonctions administratives militaires sur le territoire américain. Ayant gravi les échelons de la hiérarchie, il est à la tête de la 2e division blindée au moment de l'entrée en guerre des États-Unis fin 1941.

Patton mène les troupes américaines lors de l'opération Torch au Maroc en 1942 et, sous son commandement efficace, le 2e corps d'armée démoralisé recouvre sa cohésion au cours de la campagne de Tunisie. Il commande la 7e armée lors de l'invasion de la Sicile et devance les troupes britanniques de Montgomery en arrivant le premier à Messine. Il est néanmoins impliqué dans une controverse après avoir giflé deux de ses hommes souffrant de stress post-traumatique et est temporairement relevé de son commandement. Comme il est craint de l’ennemi, Patton est utilisé pour une vaste opération de désinformation destinée à tromper les Allemands sur le lieu exact de l'attaque alliée qui doit avoir lieu en Normandie début juin 1944. À l'issue du débarquement, il est réaffecté en juillet à la tête de la 3e armée qui intervient dans la bataille de Normandie et il mène une offensive éclair jusqu'en Lorraine. Il se porte au secours des troupes américaines encerclées à Bastogne durant la bataille des Ardennes et entre en Allemagne au printemps 1945. À la fin de la guerre, il est nommé gouverneur militaire de Bavière avant d'être relevé de ses fonctions et affecté au commandement de la 15e armée stationnée dans l'Allemagne occupée. Il est victime d'un accident de la route alors qu'il est assis à l'arrière de sa berline qui heurte un camion militaire le 9 décembre 1945 : il succombe à ses blessures douze jours plus tard dans l'hôpital de Heidelberg.

Le caractère pittoresque et énergique de Patton ainsi que ses succès militaires ont parfois éclipsé ses déclarations maladroites à la presse. Sa philosophie de commander depuis le front et d'encourager ses hommes avec des discours comportant des grossièretés apparentes — « On ne vous demande pas de mourir pour votre pays, mais que le salaud d'en face meure pour le sien » — a néanmoins entraîné l'apparition de nouvelles méthodes de commandement au sein du corps des officiers de l'Armée américaine. De même, ses tactiques basées sur des offensives rapides et percutantes se sont traduites par le développement de nouvelles doctrines de combat dans le domaine de la guerre mécanisée. Si les opinions des commandants alliés à son sujet étaient souvent mitigées, il était tenu en haute estime par ses adversaires allemands. Le film Patton de 1970 a remporté sept oscars et a contribué à faire de lui un héros populaire américain. Wikipedia  

✵ 11. novembre 1885 – 21. décembre 1945   •   Autres noms Georg S. Patton, Джордж Смит Паттон
George Patton photo
George Patton: 77   citations 0   J'aime

George Patton: Citations en anglais

“It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived.”

Speech at the Copley Plaza Hotel, Boston, Massachusetts (7 June 1945), quoted in Patton : Ordeal and Triumph (1970) by Ladislas Farago

“Fixed fortifications are a monument to the stupidity of man.”

Quoted in 50 Military Leaders Who Changed the World‎ (2007) by William Weir, p. 173
Unsourced variant: Fixed fortifications are a monument to the stupidity of man. Anything built by man, can be destroyed by him.

“Accept the challenges, so that you may feel the exhilaration of victory.”

As quoted in Textbook of Phacoemulsification (1988) by William F. Maloney and Lincoln Grindle, p. 79

“Fatigue makes cowards of all of us.”

War as I knew it (1947), as cited in Oxford Dictionary of American Quotations, By Hugh Rawson, Margaret Miner, p. 258 https://books.google.com/books?id=whg05Z4Nwo0C&pg=PA258(via books.google.com).

“Give me an army of West Point graduates, I'll win a battle. Give me a handful of Texas Aggies and I'll win a war!”

Mike Province, founder and president of The Patton Society http://www.pattonhq.com/ calls this an urban legend and in the Texas A&M Battalion (2 October 2006) http://media.www.thebatt.com/media/storage/paper657/news/2006/10/02/Aggielife/Traditionally.Speaking-2319058.shtml?sourcedomain=www.thebatt.com&MIIHost=media.collegepublisher.com is quoted as saying "I've gotten e-mails and questions regarding that quote for several years... People will use it with Texas Aggies, The Citadel, Virginia Military Institute and even Clemson. All of these schools want to be linked to Patton... Anything is possible... I honestly don't believe he said it, because I've heard too many people say that he said it about their school. But if anyone out there can find proof that he said it, I'd love to hear about it and get it out there." If any school has a claim, it is the Virginia Military Institute; Patton's grandfather, grand-uncles, and his father all were VMI graduates. Patton himself spent a year at VMI before going to West Point. VMI has many George Patton relics donated by his family in its museum. Please also note that the photo of Patton as a cadet has him wearing a VMI coatee and cap.
Misattributed

“Rommel, you magnificent bastard! I read your book!”

Spoken by George C. Scott in the film Patton, portraying his defeat of what he thought were forces under the command of Erwin Rommel; however, the book portrayed in that film is purely fictional — Rommel never finished the book he was writing on tank warfare, but did write a book on his experiences in WW I. It was widely read, regarded a classic of modern military tactics, and published in abbreviated form for study by US army officers.
Misattributed

“My men can eat their belts, but my tanks have gotta have gas.”

On the gasoline supplies for his tanks, as quoted in The Struggle for Europe‎ (1972) by Chester Wilmot, p. 473

“I finished the Koran – a good book and interesting.”

Diary, October 30, 1942, published in The Patton Papers 1940-1945 https://books.google.com/books?id=zaRKDgAAQBAJ&pg=PT79 (1996), p. 79.

“It is a popular idea that a man is a hero just because he was killed in action. Rather, I think, a man is frequently a fool when he gets killed.”

Speech at the Hatch Memorial Shell, Boston, Massachusetts (7 June 1945), quoted in The Last Days of Patton (1981), p. 85, by Ladislas Farago and The Patton Papers: 1940-1945 (1974), p. 721, edited by Martin Blumenson.

“Always do everything you ask of those you command.”

As quoted in I Remember General Patton's Principles (1984) by Porter B. Williamson, p. 174

“It is the cold glitter of the attacker's eye not the point of the questing bayonet that breaks the line.”

Quoted in How We Are Changed by War: A Study of Letters and Diaries from Colonial Conflicts to Operation Iraqi Freedom (2010) http://books.google.com/books?id=h-Fens34378C&pg=PA70 by D.C. Gill, p. 70

“Fail to honor people, They fail to honor you; But of a good leader, who talks little, When his work is done, his aims fulfilled, They will all say, We did this ourselves.”

This is actually a translation of a statement by Lao Zi from the Tao Te Ching (Daodejing). Patton may have used a similar or identical expression, perhaps quoting the book.
Misattributed

“Few men are killed by bayonets, but many are scared by them. Having the bayonet fixed makes our men want to close. Only the threat to close will defeat a determined enemy.”

notes on combat written by General Patton were published in Tactical and Technical Trends, No. 30, July 29, 1943. http://www.lonesentry.com/articles/ttt09/patton-notes-on-combat.html

“I want you to remember that no bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor, dumb bastard die for his country.”

Spoken by George C. Scott in the film Patton.
Variants:
No man ever won a war by dying for his country. Wars were won by making the other poor bastard die for his.
You don't win a war by dying for your country. You win a war by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his.
War is not meant to be you dying for your country-it is by making the other bastard die for his.
Misattributed

“Don't fight a battle if you don't gain anything by winning.”

This is cited to Patton in Patton's Principles : A Handbook for Managers Who Mean It! (1982) by Porter B. Williamson as well as Leadership (1990) by William Safire and Leonard Safir, p. 47, but is also cited to Erwin Rommel‎ from his Infanterie Greift An [Infantry Attacks] (1937) in World War II : The Definitive Visual History (2009) by Richard Holmes, p. 128, and Timelines of History (2011) by DK Publishing, p. 392
Disputed

“I don't know what you think you're trying to do, but the krauts ought to pin a medal on you for helping them mess up discipline for us.”

During a March 1945 meeting with Bill Mauldin, complaining about his "Willy and Joe" cartoons; as quoted in The Brass Ring (1971) by Bill Mauldin

“I'd rather have a German division in front of me, than a French one behind.”

Misattributed by former Defense Secretary James Schlesinger on Fox News. Patton commanded French troops, the 2nd Armored Division commanded by Philippe Leclerc, integrated in the Third Army, and had rocky but friendly relations with the French general. For instance, on August, 15 1944 Patton wrote in his diary: "Leclerc came in very much excited. He said, among other things, that if he were not allowed to advance on Paris, he would resign. I told him in my best French that he was a baby and said I had left him in the most dangerous place on the front. We parted friends"
Misattributed

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