Question for Indy.

[Alex]

Was discussing earlier how the western front in WW2 would have went if Patton had got the top job rather than Eisenhower and was wondering what your views on it would be?

[indianasmith]

Patton was a superb field commander, but the job of Theater Commander required a level of diplomatic skill he did not possess.
I think he would have caused a LOT of problems with our Allies.  Ike had a gift for soothing ruffled egos and making people who hated each other work well together.  I mean, consider, he had to juggle Charles De Gaulle, Bernard Montgomery, and Patton among others!

[ER]

Good answers, Indy!

If I can add my two cents worth....

In a position of highest authority Patton would have alienated more people than he unified, barking orders in do it and screw you fashion. (He also had a rather high voice when agitated.) Patton was good at what he did, he scared everyone, be they on our side or the enemy's, but Patton was fundamentally a bully and an egotist.

He was also spoiling for WWIII....

Eisenhower had a gift for finding the right person for a particular job, then letting that individual do it. That made the Allied commanders much more confident in their mission compared to the German High Command, which had too much power concentrated in too few hands, leading to so much fear there that there were stories about Nazi Generals being afraid to wake their superiors up and inform them attacks were underway, because they'd been told not to disturb them.

Eisenhower was in his own way a genius, and also an underrated President.

I still don't know whether great times create great people or whether there has so often in history been just the right person on-hand to do a much-needed job.

Great question, Dark Alex, and Indy nailed it as usual.

[Alex]

I find both your replies interesting. In our chat we were more discussing how they performed on the battlefield, what grand stategy he would have tried. Wither or not that made a difference to the war for us seemed to come down to if his more aggressive nature would have allowed him to seize a deepwater port earlier in the war thus allowing more fuel supplies to be shipped, or if he'd have just left his flanks dangerously exposed in a thrust towards Berlin.

Thanks both for contributing. It's given me some more stuff to think about. :)

[AoTFan]

Speaking of such... I don't want to sound like a conspiracy nut, but I think Patton was straight up murdered. 

I mean, the dude who hit his car just flat out disappeared but they tried to prosecute Patton's driver.  WTF?!?

[ER]

Speaking of such... I don't want to sound like a conspiracy nut, but I think Patton was straight up murdered. 

I mean, the dude who hit his car just flat out disappeared but they tried to prosecute Patton's driver.  WTF?!?

It's certainly possible. Shrug.

[ER]

I find both your replies interesting. In our chat we were more discussing how they performed on the battlefield, what grand stategy he would have tried. Wither or not that made a difference to the war for us seemed to come down to if his more aggressive nature would have allowed him to seize a deepwater port earlier in the war thus allowing more fuel supplies to be shipped, or if he'd have just left his flanks dangerously exposed in a thrust towards Berlin.

Thanks both for contributing. It's given me some more stuff to think about. :)

Unless I'm mistaken I don't THINK Eisenhower ever had a battlefield command, did he, Indy? While talented, brave, excellent at what he did, Eisenhower was for all intents and purposes literally an armchair general. Patton was a Frontline monster.

[Alex]

Battlefield command there was referring to the entire western front rather than any individual battle. The ability to organise and command entire armies rather than a single battle.

[indianasmith]

I think he was the commander of the TORCH landings in Africa in Nov. of 42.

[BoyScoutKevin]

Speaking of such... I don't want to sound like a conspiracy nut, but I think Patton was straight up murdered. 

I mean, the dude who hit his car just flat out disappeared but they tried to prosecute Patton's driver.  WTF?!?

It's certainly possible. Shrug.

Well, they made a film out of it. Brass Target in 1978 with George Kennedy, who was under Patton's command in WWII, as General Patton. Which gives good old George the unique distinction, as far as I know, among actors, to be the only Hollywood actor to portray his commanding officer in a film.