Comments on: General George S. Patton and the Battle of the Bulge http://www.historynet.com/general-george-s-patton-and-the-battle-of-the-bulge.htm?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=general-george-s-patton-and-the-battle-of-the-bulge From the World's Largest History Magazine Publisher Wed, 15 Feb 2012 02:15:35 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 By: Parker http://www.historynet.com/general-george-s-patton-and-the-battle-of-the-bulge.htm#comment-779652 Parker Tue, 18 Oct 2011 01:58:11 +0000 #comment-779652 I feel your pain. I feel your pain.

]]> By: Jay http://www.historynet.com/general-george-s-patton-and-the-battle-of-the-bulge.htm#comment-779469 Jay Fri, 14 Oct 2011 22:31:54 +0000 #comment-779469 I have tried to read extensively about General Patton and in particular material that goes deeper than the usual folklore stuff about the great man. I have often wondered about what happened with Sgt Mims after the war and you're indeed fortunate to have met with him. I am sure he would have offered you several insights into Patton's personality which are not found in the number of biographies and other books about him in print. I have tried to read extensively about General Patton and in particular material that goes deeper than the usual folklore stuff about the great man. I have often wondered about what happened with Sgt Mims after the war and you're indeed fortunate to have met with him. I am sure he would have offered you several insights into Patton's personality which are not found in the number of biographies and other books about him in print.

]]> By: Tom Byars http://www.historynet.com/general-george-s-patton-and-the-battle-of-the-bulge.htm#comment-319600 Tom Byars Tue, 17 Aug 2010 02:20:58 +0000 #comment-319600 While working at Alabama Power Company in the mid 80s, I was given a photograph of Gen. Patton with a tag on the front of the Jeep which said, "War Eagle". It was taken at Ft. Benning and apparently some Auburn graduates had christened the Jeep for him. More importantly, it gave me reason to research who was driving the Jeep in those days and a professor at Auburn, in their veterinary school said that Gen. Patton's driver was from Abbeville, Alabama, known to Alabamians as the wiregrass region around Dothan. That Christmas in 1986, as I went to Troy, Alabama for my wife's family dinner, I felt compelled to drive to Abbeville that evening and meet this historic veteran. I called ahead, told him who I was and was kindly greeted by his wife. Sgt. Mims had gotten liver cancer, but was eager to talk to me, anyone who would make sure Alabamians knew that he had gotten Gen. Patton through the war safely, and not the one driving him after the war. He showed me many photos and told me the differences of the movie and real life. Patton stayed most of his nights in a working van converted to a command post on wheels. It is still on display at Ft. Knox. Sgt. Mims said he did dress up, but not as elaborately as the movie showed. He even got angered when talking about the way Patton was portrayed. He spoke of a man who sacrificed and was tough, but did have his moments of drinking to fall asleep. Mims said he had removed Patton's boots several times following an evening of enjoying friends and fellow military personnel. Mims was relieved of his driving duties following the surrender of Berlin. When he heard of Gen. Patton's accident, it saddened him deeply. After I shared some champagne with this American hero at Christmas, I thanked him for his service and role in the war. My father was a drill sergeant at Ft. Bliss, so I understood a little bit about what tough really was. Later, I received a hand-written letter from him, one that I treasure. A few months later, his wife wrote me to tell me that he had passed. When I see WWII vets, I always tell them that Gen. Patton's driver was from Abbeville, Alabama and he was a great soldier and companion to his commanding officer. She even included one of their family matchcovers, which I also cherish. Sgt. Mims is mentioned a few times in the many biographies and books written about the general... I just wish Sgt. Mims had been buried at Arlington National Cemetery, because without his skill, Gen. Patton may have never made it through the war for all Americans. While working at Alabama Power Company in the mid 80s, I was given a photograph of Gen. Patton with a tag on the front of the Jeep which said, "War Eagle". It was taken at Ft. Benning and apparently some Auburn graduates had christened the Jeep for him.
More importantly, it gave me reason to research who was driving the Jeep in those days and a professor at Auburn, in their veterinary school said that Gen. Patton's driver was from Abbeville, Alabama, known to Alabamians as the wiregrass region around Dothan. That Christmas in 1986, as I went to Troy, Alabama for my wife's family dinner, I felt compelled to drive to Abbeville that evening and meet this historic veteran.
I called ahead, told him who I was and was kindly greeted by his wife. Sgt. Mims had gotten liver cancer, but was eager to talk to me, anyone who would make sure Alabamians knew that he had gotten Gen. Patton through the war safely, and not the one driving him after the war.
He showed me many photos and told me the differences of the movie and real life. Patton stayed most of his nights in a working van converted to a command post on wheels. It is still on display at Ft. Knox. Sgt. Mims said he did dress up, but not as elaborately as the movie showed. He even got angered when talking about the way Patton was portrayed. He spoke of a man who sacrificed and was tough, but did have his moments of drinking to fall asleep. Mims said he had removed Patton's boots several times following an evening of enjoying friends and fellow military personnel.
Mims was relieved of his driving duties following the surrender of Berlin. When he heard of Gen. Patton's accident, it saddened him deeply.
After I shared some champagne with this American hero at Christmas, I thanked him for his service and role in the war. My father was a drill sergeant at Ft. Bliss, so I understood a little bit about what tough really was. Later, I received a hand-written letter from him, one that I treasure.
A few months later, his wife wrote me to tell me that he had passed. When I see WWII vets, I always tell them that Gen. Patton's driver was from Abbeville, Alabama and he was a great soldier and companion to his commanding officer. She even included one of their family matchcovers, which I also cherish. Sgt. Mims is mentioned a few times in the many biographies and books written about the general… I just wish Sgt. Mims had been buried at Arlington National Cemetery, because without his skill, Gen. Patton may have never made it through the war for all Americans.

]]> By: Martyn http://www.historynet.com/general-george-s-patton-and-the-battle-of-the-bulge.htm#comment-307836 Martyn Fri, 09 Jul 2010 12:11:56 +0000 #comment-307836 In response to JB: You state in your comment that "Patton managed to outrun his supply lines on a regular basis", do you know what that means? That means that Patton was ignoring his logisics. You made reference to the quote "amatuers study tactics, proffessional study logistic" then go off on how Patton was far better than Montgomery because he ignored Logistics. Isn't that like having it both ways? In response to Dan: Market Garden was failure and it was a failure caused by Montgomery, his staff and poor planning but it didn't lead to the loss of "innumerable troops on both British and American side." The troops lost in Market Garden, in an attempt to cross the Rhine and get into Germany before the year was out, numbers just over 15-17,000, this pales in comparison to the Hurtgen Forrest which wasted more than twice the amount of men, material and time for a nearly pointless goal. Yes Montgomery has a lot to answer for where Market Garden is concerned but Market Garden was not the biggest failure of the allies in Europe and more was lost by the Allies in the Hurtgen Forrest and the Lorraine Campaign respectively than was lost in Market Garden. In response to JB: You state in your comment that "Patton managed to outrun his supply lines on a regular basis", do you know what that means? That means that Patton was ignoring his logisics. You made reference to the quote "amatuers study tactics, proffessional study logistic" then go off on how Patton was far better than Montgomery because he ignored Logistics. Isn't that like having it both ways?

In response to Dan: Market Garden was failure and it was a failure caused by Montgomery, his staff and poor planning but it didn't lead to the loss of "innumerable troops on both British and American side." The troops lost in Market Garden, in an attempt to cross the Rhine and get into Germany before the year was out, numbers just over 15-17,000, this pales in comparison to the Hurtgen Forrest which wasted more than twice the amount of men, material and time for a nearly pointless goal. Yes Montgomery has a lot to answer for where Market Garden is concerned but Market Garden was not the biggest failure of the allies in Europe and more was lost by the Allies in the Hurtgen Forrest and the Lorraine Campaign respectively than was lost in Market Garden.

]]> By: Dan http://www.historynet.com/general-george-s-patton-and-the-battle-of-the-bulge.htm#comment-242798 Dan Wed, 07 Apr 2010 15:11:19 +0000 #comment-242798 Montgomery in a play for the Victoria Cross ignored intel and pushed Market Garden down Ike's throat through political whining rather than sound strategic arguments. This led to the loss of innumerable troops on both British and American side either as a direct result of the debacle or the indirect side in the troops that may have been saved by utilizing the resources wasted on a successful plan that would have brought the war to an end that much sooner and probably have held Stalin to lesser gains in the east. Monty has a lot to answer for, and apologists can't create revisionist fantasies and hope people won't notice. Montgomery in a play for the Victoria Cross ignored intel and pushed Market Garden down Ike's throat through political whining rather than sound strategic arguments. This led to the loss of innumerable troops on both British and American side either as a direct result of the debacle or the indirect side in the troops that may have been saved by utilizing the resources wasted on a successful plan that would have brought the war to an end that much sooner and probably have held Stalin to lesser gains in the east. Monty has a lot to answer for, and apologists can't create revisionist fantasies and hope people won't notice.

]]> By: JB http://www.historynet.com/general-george-s-patton-and-the-battle-of-the-bulge.htm#comment-228413 JB Sat, 20 Mar 2010 11:00:20 +0000 #comment-228413 Ya know, there's an old saying: "Armchair generals discuss strategy, real generals discuss logistics" Patton managed to outrun his supply lines on a regular basis. Patton was all about going fast and hard into an opponents lines. Montgomery was tentative and would never stretch an inch past what his supply could reach. Patoon won battles because he went past what the supply lines went to and the basically said "deal with it". This Go!Go!Go! mentality along with his triumphs are why he is so revered. Ask any NCO in the army today about which of the two mindset is the appropriate one for morale. Tentative and slow, or fast and ruthless. Patton earns more praise than montgomery because he is truly what a private or NCO should look up to. Deal with it Ya know,
there's an old saying:
"Armchair generals discuss strategy, real generals discuss logistics"
Patton managed to outrun his supply lines on a regular basis. Patton was all about going fast and hard into an opponents lines. Montgomery was tentative and would never stretch an inch past what his supply could reach. Patoon won battles because he went past what the supply lines went to and the basically said "deal with it". This Go!Go!Go! mentality along with his triumphs are why he is so revered. Ask any NCO in the army today about which of the two mindset is the appropriate one for morale. Tentative and slow, or fast and ruthless.

Patton earns more praise than montgomery because he is truly what a private or NCO should look up to.

Deal with it

]]> By: Jim http://www.historynet.com/general-george-s-patton-and-the-battle-of-the-bulge.htm#comment-204127 Jim Wed, 24 Feb 2010 05:45:00 +0000 #comment-204127 MONTY WAS A COWARD. MARKET GARDEN WAS TERRIBLE PLAN. IF US DIDNT COME TO BAIL OUT MONTY AND THE BRITS GERMANY WOULD HAVE EASILY POUNDED THEM INTO THE GROUND MONTY WAS A COWARD. MARKET GARDEN WAS TERRIBLE PLAN. IF US DIDNT COME TO BAIL OUT MONTY AND THE BRITS GERMANY WOULD HAVE EASILY POUNDED THEM INTO THE GROUND

]]> By: McIvan http://www.historynet.com/general-george-s-patton-and-the-battle-of-the-bulge.htm#comment-163590 McIvan Mon, 21 Dec 2009 20:43:11 +0000 #comment-163590 Yeah, I agree up to a point...but the problem is that whenever credit is taken from Monty (or blame attributed), it is usually for the benefit of [insert favourite US general here]. Consequently it becomes impossible to have a balanced discussion of the merits of the actions or inaction of [insert favoured US general here] without dragging Monty into the discussion. Fortunately Monty is quite easy to defend. Yeah, I agree up to a point…but the problem is that whenever credit is taken from Monty (or blame attributed), it is usually for the benefit of [insert favourite US general here].

Consequently it becomes impossible to have a balanced discussion of the merits of the actions or inaction of [insert favoured US general here] without dragging Monty into the discussion.

Fortunately Monty is quite easy to defend.

]]> By: Bob Jones http://www.historynet.com/general-george-s-patton-and-the-battle-of-the-bulge.htm#comment-152906 Bob Jones Mon, 30 Nov 2009 18:07:45 +0000 #comment-152906 Still fighting the internecine Monty klopopletch eh? How foolish. Monty was a good general . . . so what? Still fighting the internecine Monty klopopletch eh?
How foolish.

Monty was a good general . . . so what?

]]> By: Arnie http://www.historynet.com/general-george-s-patton-and-the-battle-of-the-bulge.htm#comment-140802 Arnie Sat, 31 Oct 2009 11:06:54 +0000 #comment-140802 The bulge was technicaly a draw both sides had losses about the same. In fact when the battle was closed down the US Army had not recovered the ground it had lossed. Initially Patton refused to move North when ordered by Bradley and had to be odered by Eisenhower Opertion Cobra the US Breakout at Normandy only took place after Monty took the bulk of the German tanks onto the Brits and Canadian Armies. six and a half Panzer Divisions including all the SS Panzers. The US faced one and a half panzer divisions at Cobra. and after 'Goodwood' The Germans had only 174 AFVs to counter attack Cobra. The British were facing almost 700 It is now widely accepted that that Patton used Ultra to avoid having to fight German Panzers. The British Secret Recconnaisance Regiment (The Phantoms) provided most of Pattons intelligence on the Ground and some of their reports seem to support this Many people believe that the German Alpine Fortress was invented by the US government to excuse Patton's moving away from the main German defended areas, going south when the main German forces were moving North. But to the US as long as Patton was advancing even when it was in the wrong direction that was OK. By the way Monty commanded four of the major succesfful battles of WW2, Alamein, Mareth, Normandy and the Rhein crossingand many smaller succesfull ones. Tell me which US General could match him for success and size The bulge was technicaly a draw both sides had losses about the same. In fact when the battle was closed down the US Army had not recovered the ground it had lossed.

Initially Patton refused to move North when ordered by Bradley and had to be odered by Eisenhower

Opertion Cobra the US Breakout at Normandy only took place after Monty took the bulk of the German tanks onto the Brits and Canadian Armies. six and a half Panzer Divisions including all the SS Panzers. The US faced one and a half panzer divisions at Cobra. and after 'Goodwood' The Germans had only 174 AFVs to counter attack Cobra. The British were facing almost 700

It is now widely accepted that that Patton used Ultra to avoid having to fight German Panzers. The British Secret Recconnaisance Regiment (The Phantoms) provided most of Pattons intelligence on the Ground and some of their reports seem to support this

Many people believe that the German Alpine Fortress was invented by the US government to excuse Patton's moving away from the main German defended areas, going south when the main German forces were moving North. But to the US as long as Patton was advancing even when it was in the wrong direction that was OK.

By the way Monty commanded four of the major succesfful battles of WW2, Alamein, Mareth, Normandy and the Rhein crossingand many smaller succesfull ones. Tell me which US General could match him for success and size

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