Tuesday, January 09, 2007

George S Patton

This post is strictly for World War II buffs. One of the most interesting characters of that war was the US General George S Patton. I have read articles about him, his obsession with warriors of earlier era, his relationship with General Omar Bradley (who was his junior officer before becoming his senior officer), his one-upmanship games with the British General Field Marshall Montgomery and his lightning marches across Europe. Everything I read about him portrayed him in good light.

Then I read this WW II thriller, The Runner by Christopher Reich. It is a predictable thriller, set in post WW II Germany. Any one who has read the entire Ludlum series of novels can unravel the plot halfway through. It is an average book, what is called time pass material.

But the novel stood out in one aspect, for me atleast. This was the first time I read something portraying George S Patton in negative light. I thought may be Reich took paper back licence in order to make the novel work. However, in the author's note at the end of the book, Reich claims that his portrayal of Patton is close to reality and Patton indeed was pro Nazi after the end of the war. At its best, the novel portrays Patton as hating the Russians more than the Nazis.

Is there any fellow WW II buff out there who can throw light on this unheard (by me) side of Patton?

10 comments:

Nilu said...

athavathu, you are a buff..

Anonymous said...

how does one become a buff? I would love to be one... :-)

Chenthil said...

Nilu, athavathu you are not a buff.

Anon - buff. It means an ardent follower. You become one by reading everything about a subject, trying to find out all the trivia related with it and so on.

It also means naked. That is achieved by stripping of your clothes.

Anonymous said...

Patton sure was a character. Try to watch the movie 'Patton', based on Omar Bradley's, 'A Soldier's Story'. Definitely one of my favorite war movies. George C Scott was just superb as Gen Patton.

Even in that movie they allude to Patton's sympathetic treatment of Nazis. Patton justified it by saying he needed experienced people to run post-war Germany. And he was a virulent anti-communist and was spoiling for a fight with the Russians.

Great General, showman and a prick. Omar Bardley and Patton couldn't have been any more different.

Chenthil said...

Karthik, I saw the movie too. Scott was awesome. Just that opening speech gives you the complete picture of the man Patton was. But I didn't know that there were conspiracy theories about his death. That was a revelation to me, through this book.

Bala said...

Patton wasnt pro nazi, he was rabidly anti-communist and anti-soviet. Post nazi surrender, he wanted to take the war to conclusion by fighting the soviets.

There is another book called "The war between generals" by david irving (notorious holocaust denier, but the book is good). It paints a good picture of the strains and conflicts between the various allied generals in the later part of WW II - eisenhower, montgomery, bradley, patton, le clerc, de gaulle, hodges.

I said...

I think he hated the germans as enemies, not as Nazis. That is not to say he sympathized with the Nazi atrocities. And may be, he was right in recognizing that Soviet Communism was a bigger evil than Nazism. Which it turned out to be.

Anonymous said...

dabbler - an amateur who engages in an activity without serious intentions and "Who pretends to have knowledge"

Why does Centil have such a name ?. It signifies something wrong

Anonymous said...

hoodia pill hoodia pure hoodia hoodia diet pill hoodia diet pills hoodia diet hoodia gordonii hoodia prices compare hoodia best hoodia hoodia side effects hoodia pills buy hoodia hoodia patch hoodia pill hoodia pure hoodia hoodia diet pill hoodia diet pills hoodia diet hoodia gordonii hoodia prices compare hoodia best hoodia hoodia side effects hoodia pills buy hoodia hoodia patch hoodia pill hoodia pure hoodia hoodia diet pill hoodia diet pills hoodia diet hoodia gordonii hoodia prices compare hoodia best hoodia hoodia side effects hoodia pills buy hoodia hoodia patch hoodia pill hoodia pure hoodia hoodia diet pill hoodia diet pills hoodia diet hoodia gordonii hoodia prices compare hoodia best hoodia hoodia side effects hoodia pills buy hoodia hoodia patch hoodia pill hoodia pure hoodia hoodia diet pill hoodia diet pills hoodia diet hoodia gordonii hoodia prices compare hoodia best hoodia hoodia side effects hoodia pills buy hoodia hoodia patch hoodia pill hoodia pure hoodia hoodia diet pill hoodia diet pills hoodia diet hoodia gordonii hoodia prices compare hoodia best hoodia hoodia side effects hoodia pills buy hoodia hoodia patch hoodia pill hoodia pure hoodia hoodia diet pill hoodia diet pills hoodia diet hoodia gordonii hoodia prices compare hoodia best hoodia hoodia side effects hoodia pills buy hoodia hoodia patch hoodia pill hoodia pure hoodia hoodia diet pill hoodia diet pills hoodia diet hoodia gordonii hoodia prices compare hoodia best hoodia hoodia side effects hoodia pills buy hoodia hoodia patch hoodia pill hoodia pure hoodia hoodia diet pill hoodia diet pills hoodia diet hoodia gordonii hoodia prices compare hoodia best hoodia hoodia side effects hoodia pills buy hoodia hoodia patch hoodia pill hoodia pure hoodia hoodia diet pill hoodia diet pills hoodia diet hoodia gordonii hoodia prices compare hoodia best hoodia hoodia side effects hoodia pills buy hoodia hoodia patch hoodia pill hoodia pure hoodia hoodia diet pill hoodia diet pills hoodia diet hoodia gordonii hoodia prices compare hoodia best hoodia hoodia side effects hoodia pills buy hoodia hoodia patch hoodia pill hoodia pure hoodia hoodia diet pill hoodia diet pills hoodia diet hoodia gordonii hoodia prices compare hoodia best hoodia hoodia side effects hoodia pills buy hoodia hoodia patch hoodia pill hoodia pure hoodia hoodia diet pill hoodia diet pills hoodia diet hoodia gordonii hoodia prices compare hoodia best hoodia hoodia side effects hoodia pills buy hoodia hoodia patch hoodia pill hoodia pure hoodia hoodia diet pill hoodia diet pills hoodia diet hoodia gordonii hoodia prices compare hoodia best hoodia hoodia side effects hoodia pills buy hoodia hoodia patch hoodia pill hoodia pure hoodia hoodia diet pill hoodia diet pills hoodia diet hoodia gordonii hoodia prices compare hoodia best hoodia hoodia side effects hoodia pills buy hoodia hoodia patch hoodia pill hoodia pure hoodia hoodia diet pill hoodia diet pills hoodia diet hoodia gordonii hoodia prices compare hoodia best hoodia hoodia side effects hoodia pills buy hoodia hoodia patch hoodia pill hoodia pure hoodia hoodia diet pill hoodia diet pills hoodia diet hoodia gordonii hoodia prices compare hoodia best hoodia hoodia side effects hoodia pills buy hoodia hoodia patch hoodia pill hoodia pure hoodia hoodia diet pill hoodia diet pills hoodia diet hoodia gordonii hoodia prices compare hoodia best hoodia hoodia side effects hoodia pills buy hoodia hoodia patch hoodia pill hoodia pure hoodia hoodia diet pill hoodia diet pills hoodia diet hoodia gordonii hoodia prices compare hoodia best hoodia hoodia side effects hoodia pills buy hoodia hoodia patch hoodia pill hoodia pure hoodia hoodia diet pill hoodia diet pills hoodia diet hoodia gordonii hoodia prices compare hoodia best hoodia hoodia side effects hoodia pills buy hoodia hoodia patch hoodia pill hoodia pure hoodia hoodia diet pill hoodia diet pills hoodia diet hoodia gordonii hoodia prices compare hoodia best hoodia hoodia side effects hoodia pills buy hoodia hoodia patch hoodia pill hoodia pure hoodia hoodia diet pill hoodia diet pills hoodia diet hoodia gordonii hoodia prices compare hoodia best hoodia hoodia side effects hoodia pills buy hoodia hoodia patch hoodia pill hoodia pure hoodia hoodia diet pill hoodia diet pills hoodia diet hoodia gordonii hoodia prices compare hoodia best hoodia hoodia side effects hoodia pills buy hoodia hoodia patch hoodia pill hoodia pure hoodia hoodia diet pill hoodia diet pills hoodia diet hoodia gordonii hoodia prices compare hoodia best hoodia hoodia side effects hoodia pills buy hoodia hoodia patch hoodia pill hoodia pure hoodia hoodia diet pill hoodia diet pills hoodia diet hoodia gordonii hoodia prices compare hoodia best hoodia hoodia side effects hoodia pills buy hoodia hoodia patch hoodia pill hoodia pure hoodia hoodia diet pill hoodia diet pills hoodia diet hoodia gordonii hoodia prices

CRKB IT SOLUTION PVT LTD said...

Best content & valuable as well. Thanks for sharing this content.
Approved Auditor in DAFZA
Approved Auditor in RAKEZ
Approved Auditor in JAFZA


i heard about this blog & get actually whatever i was finding. Nice post love to read this blog
Approved Auditor in DMCC
Virgin Linseed Oil BP