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Eisenhower and Patton Comparison

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Eisenhower and Patton Comparison
General Eisenhower and General Patton:
A Comparison

Zerrrouk (PN)

From a fiercely brave General, who strictly enforces customs, bravery, formalities, and success; to a General with a lighthearted-mood, down to earth attitude, a steadfast courage, and a integrity and decency to lead the nations of the world into battle; while both these legendary Generals fought on the same side, both General S. Patton and General D. Eisenhower were distinctly different Generals. This paper seeks to outline the differences and similarities between the two Generals by taking a close look at their lives, and the impacts they had on WWII.
George S. Patton was born on November 11th, 1885, in San Gabriel California. As Patton grew older, he developed a huge interest in military and strategy. When he was only seven years old, his father used to read to him from the Iliad, “and he performed his first military maneuver by dragging a dead chicken around the house, as Achilles dragged the body of Hector around the walls of Troy. Patton’s childhood, was a childhood that was full an imagination that thrived off of the old stories and poetries of war. This interest and imagination drove him to want to succeed within the military.
When WWI came in 1914, Patton was already enlisted in the military. He was a successful officer in the 15th cavalry division, and when the first tank divisions emerged Patton would become infatuated with it. He said, “The first appearance of a new weapon is the highest point of its effectiveness and the lowest point of its efficiency,” and Patton was determined to understand its effectiveness in war, and its inefficiency in war as well. It was due to his understanding of this weapon that he would be put in charge of a Light Tank School in 1917. Not only was Patton also familiar with the tank, but he also learned how to fly himself; and later in his career Patton would use air cover as a means to cover his flanks – something that would become a new method of



Bibliography: Bowery, Charles R. Review of General Patton: A Soldier’s Life, by Stanley P. Hirshon. Armed Forces and Society, Spring, 2004. “Eisenhower: A Factual Sketch.” Time 59 (1952): 25-26. Eisenhower, John D. “Ike’s Son Remembers George S. Patton Jr.” American Heritage 62 (2012): 26-33. “Eisenhower on War.” Time 45 (1945): 19. “Eisenhower: Soldier of Peace.” Time 93 (1969): 21-29 Parshall, Gerald Sheean, Vincent. “The Patton Legend –And Patton as Is.” Saturday Evening Post, June 23, 1945. Yeide, Harry. “The German View of Patton.” World War II 26 (2012): 26-35. [ 6 ]. John D. Eisenhower, “Ike’s Son Remembers George S. Patton Jr.,” American Heritage 62 (2012): 26. [ 13 ]. Charles R. Bowery, review of General Patton: A Soldier’s Life, by Stanley P. Hirshon, Armed Forces and Society, Spring, 2004, 501. [ 18 ]. Harry Yeide, “The German View of Patton,” World War II 26 (2012): 27. [ 27 ]. Gerald Parshall, “Dwight Eisenhower,” U.S. News & World Report 124 (1998): 60. [ 28 ]. “Eisenhower on War,” Time 45 (1945): 19. [ 30 ]. “Eisenhower: A Factual Sketch,” Time 59 (1952): 26.

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