Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Watched Patton again today

Was there ever a general who lived more on his (trumped up) reputation then Bernard Montgomery?

Aside from Douglas MacArthur?

Both men were average generals whose country made them into something more because they were desperate for a hero.

Truman should have allowed Patton's Army to drive into eastern Germany.

Montgomery’s problem was he really couldn’t afford to lose men. England was literally running out of military aged men so Montgomery had to be super cautious. He didn’t want to attack until he was assured of victory in an overwhelming fashion. I’m pretty sure he’d have been much more aggressive if he’d had more men he could gamble with. I’m with Patton that it’s better to go fast , hard , and bloody because in the end you will lose less by ending the war sooner. I think Montgomery lost more than he saved by being so slow and cautious.

An elderly neighbor has loaned me numerous WWII books in the last year or so. I think the clearest images of the many generals comes from several books derived from Eisenhower's perspective. Near every general is a type A personality, and each is fully convinced he should be the one in charge.

It takes some serious thought to say "no" to people like Montgomery, Churchill, Patton, and de Gaulle.

My parents, who attended a showing about once every ten years, made it known they would be seeing Patton when it made town. They thought it an accurate rendering.

Great flick. One of my favorites. Watched the first half today.

Of course he should have, but Truman was determined to help the Soviets end up in control of half of Europe after the war.

I remember when the movie came out. I was pretty young, not close to double digits yet. Mom and Dad got all dressed up and had an actual date, which was something they never did. Dad owned one suit, for weddings, funerals, and such. To honor his former commander, he actually bought a new suit to wear to the movie. They scrimped and saved so they could go. Money was beyond tight for our family, but Dad refused to miss this.

As for Montgomery, Dad couldn't stand the man, and found the Brits to be a major annoyance, and more in the way than anything else. He had little more respect for them than he did for the French. A soldier's view on things usually rings true.

Patton definitely had some faults, but if he was good enough for Dad to spend money he didn't have to get dressed up and go see the premiere of this movie to honor him, he gets my respect.

Call me a kookista but I believe that Patton was assassinated. He wasn't buying into the post-war propaganda blitz, quite the contrary. He was having none of it and wasn't afraid to say and write what he believed.

He was a loose end to be tied up.

my father-in-law was with the 82ndAB in North Africa too, told many stories and about > BULLY BEEF they ate with the English too

I wish America would go back to having the General Patton attitude and quit babying these countries !

Sum up Montgomery in one phrase,

Market Garden

This. He knew the West was being sold out by a fifth column on the inside, and was actually writing his thoughts down.

Dimocraps were always benevolent to commies that way.

Ive known several retired military officers over the years who thought very little of Patton as a hero. He was always ready to have his troops die to benefit himself and he reveled in the glory bought by the blood of others.

His vehicle hit a landmine the morning of leaving the last base he visited and spent the night at as his vehicle went over the first ridge out of the valley after hosting a party the night before that he hosted in his own honor. My Maj uncle and multiple medaled war hero was there at the time.

Patton had ordered all officers to attend to be able to hobknob and befriend them as he knew he was not universally adored. Several officers didnt attend due to their disgust with him dancing on the graves of their men and their names were taken by order of Patton and were to be courts martialed later.

My uncle was one of those officers.

Someone didnt want that to happen.

There was no way the enemy could have gotten to the road out of the encampment overnight to plant a landmine as the road was heavily patrolled.

He was essentially assasinated by some of his own troops.

America had been through a hard war and had lost a lot of fathers, brothers and sons. It needed a hero to point to- someone who could be pointed to with pride in the knowledge he had kicked the Germans backside. They had that man of pride in the prima donna Patton, in spades.

What a Clusterhuckypucky!

Yeah.

Apparently by 1944, Great Britain had enough military age men to waste again!!

Well, he knew by then, he had ours to throw away, too.

Precisely

But the ones that got truly thrown away were his own 1st airborne.

That was my original point!

Truman was a big ego, contained in a little man. He always had to prove he was "as good as Roosevelt", and that was our undoing, especially in Korea. We had China and N Korea on the run and should have helped the Nationalist Chinese invade and kick Mao's azz. The Soviets bluffed him, and he pissed down his leg.

My dad took me to see it when I was 11.
Never forget it.
I still watch it from time to time.

dave