Patton’s Last Battle: The Final Year of the War and the Making of a Legend

George Smith Patton Jr. is one of the best-remembered American generals of World War Two, with a legacy of brilliant but controversial command. ‘Ol’ Blood and Guts’ Patton had already become something of a legend in his own time. With his immaculate, custom-tailored uniform, ivory-handled pistols, and fierce temper, he cut an imposing figure on the battlefield.

In January 1945, Patton was flushed with success following the Battle of the Bulge and riding high in command of his Third Army, desperate to push forward and reach the Rhine. He was determined to beat his greatest rival, ‘that little fart,’ Field Marshal Montgomery, across the river. Always conscious of gaining headlines in the press back home, the General was hungry for more personal glory — seemingly regardless of the cost to young American lives. His superiors, Supreme Commander Ike Eisenhower and Army Group Commander Omar Bradley, found it increasingly difficult to exercise any authority over a man who appeared determined to fight a private war.

Author Charles Whiting draws on his extensive personal knowledge of the period, thorough research, and correspondence with those who were on the scene to present an accurate and authoritative account of Patton’s final battles during the last few months of his life. It was a difficult period for the General, increasingly consumed by paranoia and convinced he was being sidelined and passed over in favor of others less worthy.

The end of the war left the old soldier exposed and anxious for the future. Still an active man, he was desperate for another command, but his controversial opinions, attitude, and impetuous behavior ensured this was not to be. The complex and contradictory George S. Patton Jr. had already done enough to guarantee his place in history as one of the greatest military leaders the United States ever produced.