15,697
edits
Changes
no edit summary
It is generally accepted that Patton or "Old Blood and Guts" as his men liked to call him was an outstanding soldier who possessed an oversized personality. Scott effectively captured the essence of the man and his many contradictions. Patton was a cultured man and believed in traditional values, yet he could also be crude and a bully.<ref>Essame, H., Patton: A Study in Command (New York City: Scribner & Sons, 1995), p. 67</ref> The drive and the ambition of Patton are also brilliantly captured in the movie. He was a very ambitious man and believed that he was a great leader. Even from childhood, Patton believed that he was destined for greatness.
The physical bravery of Patton is also shown several times in the movie. It also accurately portrays Patton's outspokenness and his love of publicity. Never shy to boast about his exploits, Patton was regularly in the papers and was a very well-known figure in America. The movie also traces the relationship between Patton and General Omar Bradley, and indeed the two men were close friends and colleagues. The film gets right many of the details of Patton’s life such as his pearl-handled revolvers and his white English bull terrier.<ref> Essame, p. 203<dh-ad/ref>These were part of the public image of Old Blood and Guts, which he cultivated assiduously. The movie does catch the character of the General.{{MediaWiki:AmNative}}
====Patton and the Phantom Army====
After his disgrace in Sicily, Patton was essentially sent out to pasture. Instead of being to the D-Day invastion he was placed in charge of the "Phantom Army.’ <ref>D’Este, p. 2013</ref> In real life, Patton was placed in charge of a "phantom army" that was designed to deceive the Nazis concerning the location of the D-Day landings. Patton was part of an elaborate plan of misinformation that fooled the Germans into thinking that the invasion of Europe would happen at Calais and not in Normandy.
