FEATURE IMAGE: Lieutenant General George Patton watches operations from a town in Sicily on the front line accompanied by his staff. Unknown photographer. Fair Use. For Operation Husky, the invasion of Sicily in July 1943, Patton commanded the Seventh U.S. Army, in landings on the southern bay of Sicily at Gela, Scoglitti and Licata. Patton’s I Armored Corps was officially redesignated the Seventh Army just before his force of 90,000 landed. Initially ordered to protect the British forces’ left flank, Patton was granted permission by British General Sir Harold Alexander (1891-1969) to take Palermo.

(2.42 minutes) June 6, 2024 – D-Day 80th (June 6, 1944) – After the remarkable North Africa and Sicily campaigns, three-star Lieutenant General Patton (George C. Scott) was sidelined by the architect of D-Day, Supreme Allied Commander and five-star General Dwight Eisenhower (“Ike”) (1890-1969) because of this “slapping” incident of an American soldier by Patton that took place in the time the American army reached Nicosia, Sicily, in the interior of the Italian island. Both by air or street to street, the fighting against the occupying Germans was a dogfight. This highly controversial “slapping” incident, witnessed by many, in Gen. George C. Patton’s command of the 7th Army occurred in an American evacuation hospital in Nicosia, Sicily, on August 3, 1943. Afterwards, Ike privately chastised Patton and insisted he apologize to the soldier, which Patton did.

The account of Patton’s humiliating slap of a young U.S. soldier leaked to the press and three-star Patton had to go on an extensive apology tour. Americans sacrificing at home were deeply disturbed by Patton’s action done at least partly out of misguided compassion. The result was that Patton was relieved of his command for six months citing his intense and unprofessional lack of personal discipline and self-control.

Patton was feared by the Germans more than any Allied commander. Yet American protocols sent him to England to train troops for combat in anticipation of D-Day. Patton was given combat command again only following the D-Day invasion. He crossed the Channel with the Third Army in July 1944. Nine months later, in April 1945, he was made a four-star general.

After the war, on December 9, 1945, Patton, the armored forces commander who criticized American leadership for not rolling right on through into Eastern Europe to fight the Russians – his suggestions were refused – was involved in a freak road accident near Heidelberg, Germany. The accident left Patton paralyzed. He died 12 days later in a Heidelberg hospital, on December 21, 1945. Patton was 60 years old.

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