Leadership of Patton in Spite Essay

Patton, no doubt had loyal subordinates that worked as a team to carry out his orders making them successful. This is another thing that made him such a great leader. He had the favor of his superiors and the respect and loyalty of his subordinates. Some may view his manner of speech as unorthodox, but overall it worked for him. He was aggressive and tenacious and did not give up. He may have been born with these qualities, but his military schooling and extracurricular activities probably helped to fully develop them.

As successful as Patton was, he was not immune to making poor decisions and terrible mistakes. Because Patton had a tough interior and exterior, he expected this of his subordinates. He was known to slap men whom he felt were showing signs of weakness. He did this to a few subordinates during visits to hospitals around the time of the battle of Messina. When Eisenhower heard of this, he wasn't pleased and once reporters heard how Patton treated his mean, Eisenhower was under pressure. As a result, he passed over Patton for the position of commander of American ground forces (Ethier, 2001).

Patton may have made some mistakes during the course of his career. He may have also been known to be brutal to his subordinates and sometimes swore excessively. However, he was cunning and had a caring side to him. Patton had a son-in-law who had been captured in Tunisia and later imprisoned in Hammelburg, Germany.The troops were told they were to prepare for a special combat mission when in reality Patton had planned all along for his son-in-law to be rescued. He put many of his troop's lives in danger because they didn't have a clear understanding of what exactly their mission was. As a result, the mission was a disaster leaving many troops wounded or dead (Niderost, 2006). Nonetheless, Patton held his ground and that what he did was right.

Many things can be attributed to why Patton was such a successful military leader. His upbringing and education certainly played a part and some could argue that his being dyslexic manifested itself in a way that made him appear more aggressive and perhaps more threatening to those reporting to him. Patton knew how to work the room. He knew exactly how to deal with his superiors and he knew how to treat his subordinates in order to gain their respect and loyalty. His methods may not be considered politically correct in today's world, but it is still widely believed many years after his death that he was one of the greatest military leaders of all time.

References

Ethier, E. (2001). Patton races to Messina. American History, 36(1), 38.

Harvey, R. (2008). Maverick military leaders: the extraordinary battles of Washington, Nelson, Patton, Rommel, and others. New York: Skyhorse Publishing.

Niderost, E. (2006). A fool's errand. World War II, 21(4), 30-80.

Shane, T. (1943). These are the generals --.....