George S. Patton

George S. Patton

'The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his.'

George S. Patton was a fascinating war chief, of a kind rarely encountered. Idolised by some, hated by others, the man who led the 3rd U.S. Army from Tunisia to the heart of Czechoslovakia, was an eminently complex personality. 'Georgie', a short guy from California, was to earn himself a reputation as a truly dynamic leader. He was to become one of the most talented and the most feared of Second World War generals, living only by and for the war. His fiery character and his legendary outbursts were a source of frequent controversy, yet his personal archives have equally unveiled that, under the hard shell of he who was nicknamed Old Blood and Guts by his men, lay a sensitive and cultivated man, lacking in self-confidence. His accidental death on 21 December 1945 contributed to his legendary fame.