His legendary status continued to grow in the postwar years culminating with the 1970 release of the biopic about his life. The New York Times, in its obituary of the general, called Patton “one of the most brilliant soldiers in American history.” The “audacious, unorthodox and inspiring” nature of his life, including his tradition of going into battle with “two pearl-handled revolvers in holsters on his hips” and his “unprintable brand of eloquence,” helped cement Patton as one of the nation’s great war heroes. On December 9, 1945, as he prepared to return to the United States, Patton suffered severe injuries in a car accident, which led to his death. His hostility toward the Soviet Union, an American ally, and his seeming sympathy with the Nazis, led Eisenhower to relieve him of his command. Unfortunately, his testy temper once again sidelined his career. Determined to redeem himself, Patton led his forces in efforts to liberate much of northern Europe, winning praise along the way. Patton took control of the Third Army only after the invasion was well underway. General Dwight Eisenhower ultimately chose General Omar Bradley to command the ground forces for the Normandy Invasion. However, revelations about his intolerance of soldiers suffering from fatigue emerged not long after his victories. Patton thus seemed poised to play a significant role in the opening of a second front in Europe in 1944. His troops liberated Palermo and Messina, further adding to his reputation. Then Patton went on to command the Seventh Army in the invasion of Sicily in 1943. He took over the United States Second Corps, and through his diligent efforts at training, victories soon followed. Early American failures in the North African campaign, which began in 1942, provided Patton an opportunity for advancement. Patton’s experience in World War I, as well as his continued study of the use of tanks in battle, led to his command of the Second Armored Division. He was in his early fifties, so the possibility seemed unlikely, until General George Marshall decided the army needed an armored force. With the possibility of another war in Europe increasing, Patton wondered if he would receive a combat command should the United States join the war. In the interwar years, Patton served in a variety of staff posts and attended the Command and General Staff College and the Army War College. Stories of his escapades won him hero status in many American newspapers. He won both the Distinguished Service Cross and the Distinguished Service Medal for commanding the tank force while injured. His service in the campaign against Francisco “Pancho” Villa in Mexico the following year led to a plumb position as the head of the army’s first tank division in France during World War I. Using his family’s connections, Patton secured a post at Fort Bliss in Texas in 1915 where he first met General John J. Military Academy at West Point in 1909, married Beatrice Mayer in 1910, and competed in pentathlon at the Stockholm Olympics in 1912. After a comfortable childhood in California, he decided to follow in the footsteps of the men in his family by choosing a career in the military. Few Americans, including President Richard Nixon, would forget the opening scene where the general gave an inspiring speech to his troops in the midst of the war. Scott in the title role, first appeared in movie theaters across the United States. In the ensuing years, the less savory aspects of his character faded from view. In the wake of his death, most people focused more on his heroism than his recent disgrace. At the time, Patton had just been relieved of his command of the Third Army largely because of his candid comments about the liberation of Europe. died from injuries suffered in a car accident in Germany in the wake of World War II.
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