This day marked their first taste of the “real thing.”
This is the lie from which all the other lies come from. The Third Army was not going to see combat on D-Day. It was not preparing for combat on D-Day. It was not capable of combat on D-Day. Patton did not even know that D-Day was about to happen.
The Third Army was a diversionary force meant to look like a real combat army, but not actually be a real combat army. The actual forces being used on D-Day was the First Army. Patton had received orders to have as much of the Third Army on leave as possible. They wanted the entire Third Army on the streets of England, so the Germans would think there was no attack about to happen.
It was the easiest assignment given to any military commander, ever, and Patton failed at it. All he had to do was clear out the bases, and have his troops go get drunk. Instead, he grabbed over a thousand troops and gave them a rousing speech to make himself feel better.
Maybe that's why Truman couldn't allow him or MacArthur to retain command.
Patton lost command because he died. Truman kept Patton in command of the Third even through Patton doing absolutely stupid things.
MacArthur retained command for 6 years after Truman became President. Truman supported MacArthur even as MacArthur broke all rules for military command, not least of which running for political office while in uniform. Truman supported MacArthur through the worst defeat of American forces in the last 150 years. Truman supported MacArthur while MacArthur showed flagrant disrespect to the President, and the American system.
I didn't say Truman ordered anyone to be killed. I said Truman couldn't allow him or MacArthur to retain command.
If you had said that Truman killed Patton, that would have made more sense. It would have been untrue, but would have made sense.
Truman allowed MacArthur to retain command for 6 years. Not only allowed him to retain command, but actively gave him an exception to mandatory retirement.
General Patton did not fight a war that would be fought today. He would very likely be clueless.
It is a fact that Patton had trouble following simple orders. That failure cost America then, but would cost America far more today.