Leadership of George S Patton

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saber, the last to be issued, and wrote the manual on its use (Blumenson, 1971). What he is most famous for though is his accomplishment as an armor crewman. No American in the early twentieth century appreciated the future importance of Armor on the battlefield the way George Patton did. Even after congress refused to appropriate funds for its exploration Patton continued to study its concepts, abilities, and communication theory. His mastery of integrating his infantry and his armor was the reason the Nazi’s felt he was their greatest adversary (Sanderson, 1997).

Unfortunately history will always remember Patton for famously slapping a soldier he felt was acting in a cowardly manner. Fortunately the majority of the soldiers serving under him felt differently. He genuinely cared for all of his men. He tended to their needs, even ordering during the Moselle River battle that every soldier be issued a new pair of socks daily (Sanderson, 1997). It was these types of gestures that motivated his men to do the impossible, “maneuver at incredible speeds” and achieve “unparalleled success” (Carter & Finer, 2004).

George Patton was eerily capable of seeing the long-range plan and the big picture. Whether he was utilizing his skill to defeat Rommel in Africa or beating Montgomery to Messina Patton had an uncanny ability to think three steps ahead of any challenger. Amazingly, had a report he wrote in 1937 (Hollen, 2012) been given more attention, he may have altered history. In this report Patton explained in great detail how “Japan was willing and possibly able to attack Hawaii” (Hollen, 2012). The ability to conceptualize on such a grand scale was a key factor in Patton’s battlefield victories.

Being a great leader is as difficult as defining what a great leader is or what characteristic’s he or she must possess. Countless studies have been done and many models have been built (Northouse, 2013) yet the topic is still continuously debated today. The one thing that is without debate, however, is that General George S. Patton Jr. was a warrior who was destined to be a leader of men. Although General Patton enjoyed some acknowledgement early in his career (Carter & Finer, 2004), it was not until he was thrust into the spotlight that his reputation, and possibly his fate, was sealed. History will forever remember him as “a master of the battle command dynamic of leadership” (Sanderson, 1997).

References

Biography.com editors. (n.d.). George Patton Biography. Retrieved from

http://www.biography.com/people/george-patton-9434904

Blumenson, M. (1971). The many faces of General George S. Patton JR. Retrieved from

http://www.usafa.edu/df/dfh/docs/Harmon14.pdf

Carroll, Andrew (2009). A sidelined Patton shares his philosophy on leadership. Retrieved 20

September 2015 from http://goo.gl/eDkQox

Carter, J.C.& Finer, Michael S. (2004). Stonewall Jackson and George S. Patton a survey of

leadership. Infantry, Vol 93 number 1, 13(1) 10-13. Retrieved from http://goo.gl/x90PvK

History of Veterans Day. (n.d.). Office of public affairs. Retrieved from

http://www.va.gov/opa/vetsday/vetdayhistory.asp

Hollen, K. (2012). Patton warned of Pearl Harbor attack). Retrieved from

http://www.army.mil/article/49030/Patton_warned_of_Pearl_Harbor_attack/

Northouse, P.G., (2013). Leadership: Theory and practice, 6th ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage

Publications Inc.

Sanderson, J.R. (1997). General George S. Patton Jr.: master of operational battle command.

Retrieved from http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a331356.pdf