Wednesday, March 17, 2010

The Death of General George S. Patton Jr. -- In Pictures

On December 9, 1945, Patton was severely injured in a road accident. He and his chief of staff, Major General Hobart R. "Hap" Gay, were on a day trip to hunt pheasants in the country outside Mannheim. Their 1938 Cadillac Model 75 was driven by Private First Class Horace Woodring (1926–2003), with Patton sitting in the back seat on the right side, with General Gay on his left, as per custom. At 11:45 near Neckarstadt (Mannheim-Käfertal), a 2½ ton GMC truck driven by Technical Sergeant Robert L. Thompson made a left turn in front of Patton's Cadillac. Patton's car hit the front of the truck, at a low speed.

 General Patton's Limo

The aftermath

Patton accident clip

At first the crash seemed minor, the vehicles were hardly damaged, no one in the truck was hurt, and Gay and Woodring were uninjured. However, Patton was leaning back with trouble breathing. The general had been thrown forward and his head struck a metal part of the partition between the front and back seats, incurring a cervical spinal cord injury. Paralyzed from the neck down, he was rushed to the military hospital in Heidelberg. Patton died of a pulmonary embolism on December 21, 1945. The funeral service was held at the Christ Church (Christuskirche) in Heidelberg-Südstadt.

 The death of a legend

A World War Two legend is dead

 Beatrice Patton arrives at the funeral

 Patton's funeral

General Patton's pallbearers

Patton's casket on a half-track

Patton's funeral procession

Patton's flag draped casket

Patton's dog Willie mourns his master

Patton was buried at the Luxembourg American Cemetery and Memorial in Hamm, Luxembourg along with other members of the Third Army, as per Patton's request to "be buried with my men." On March 19, 1947, his body was moved from the original grave site in the cemetery to its current prominent location at the head of his former troops. A cenotaph was placed at the Wilson-Patton family plot at the San Gabriel Cemetery in San Gabriel, California, adjacent to the Church of Our Saviour (Episcopal), where Patton was baptized and confirmed. In the narthex of the sanctuary of the church is a stained glass window honor which features, among other highlights of Patton's career, a picture of him riding in a tank. A statue of General Patton was placed between the church and the family plot. Patton's car was repaired and used by other officers. The car is now on display with other Patton artifacts at the General George Patton Museum at Fort Knox, Kentucky. (source wiki )

 The Grave of General George S. Patton

Patton is buried at the head of the Third Army

Bless You General

14 comments:

  1. Thanks for the information on a great leader like General Patton. These pictures of his funeral are some I haven't seen before.

    Love the blog, thanks.

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  2. Glad to hear you enjoyed it. General Patton was a great man, he deserves our respect.

    Don't forget to follow this blog, it will be updated often.

    Cheers

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  3. I know this is a strange request. I work for the History Channel show Brad Meltzer's Decoded. I came across your blog. The photos and newspaper images you have, are those yours that you own? Would you be able to contact me when you get a chance. I'd love to speak with you about your interest in Patton. He was a phenomenal soldier.

    j.klein@bradmeltzersdecoded.com

    Best,
    Jennifer

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  4. My favorite military general. Loved his brutal honesty and compassion. Wish I could have had a conversion with this great warrior.
    Why no on listened to his projections is beyond me. World would be a better place today if we had.

    Patricia Richards
    Knoxville Tennessee

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  5. The article states the car was hardly damaged? Strange the photo of Patton's Cadillac by today's standards looks to be badly damaged?

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    1. I agree. Cold rolled steel was used on car bodies in those days. The crash must have been brutal, indeed.

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  6. RIP General. You are missed and a leader of your caliber is badly needed at this time in our Nation.

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  7. Military leaders of his caliber are few and far between. We had numerous military leaders "exactly" when we needed them for probably the most necessary conflict that the USA has ever been involved in. Patton, Nimitz, Eisenhower, Bradley, Montgomery, McArthur, we were blessed with such great minds in our time of need. We have minds and officers today that are probably just as great however the "Red Tape" that keeps them from being as successful is constantly being second-guessed by civilian powers micro-managing our military expertise. It's like Jerry Jones telling Troy Aikman how to play quarterback.

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  8. Back to the car I've been around cars since I was eleven the damage to his vehicle is extensive a low speed collision wouldn't have caused the amount of damage seen on his especially on that particular vehicle

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  9. I love this man and I think he was terribly under used and maligned. We need men like him today, along side Gen. Mattis. Gen. Patton was one of the best military minds ever. May he be resting in the sweetest of peace and grace.

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  10. Gen. Patton was a man equal to none. Our future could learn from him. Rest In Peace General.

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  11. I Enjoy Reading About Famous People,And i Occasionally Watch Patton
    The Movie Now That Was Great Man!

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  12. My dad was a tank comander with Patton from Omaha beach all the way to Germany. We could use his leadership now more than ever.

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  13. General Patton was a great leader in the right place at the right time. Too bad that the politicians in Washington didn't let him finish his job. He hatted the Russians more than the Nazi's. He knew what the Russians were up to.
    We could use a leader like General Patton today.

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