George Smith Patton (November 11, 1885 – December 21, 1945), born in San Gabriel, California, was an American general leading US forces in various World War II campaigns. He was a staunch believer in reincarnation.
Early Career
Educated at Virginia Military Institute and West Point. During the 1916 Mexican Border Campaign, he accompanied Brigadier General John Pershing into Mexico. In World War I, he commanded the US Tank Corps and was seriously wounded in the St. Mihiel offensive of September 1918.
North African Campaign
In 1942, Major General Patton commanded the Western Task Force in Operation Torch. After the defeat at Kasserine Pass in 1943, Patton was given command of II Corps. His career nearly ended in August 1943 when he slapped two soldiers suffering from battle fatigue, leading to his relief from command of the Seventh Army.
Normandy and Europe
Before D-Day, Patton served as decoy commander of the fictional First US Army Group (FUSAG) for Operation Fortitude. He then commanded the Third Army during Operation Cobra, the breakout from Normandy, and helped trap hundreds of thousands of German soldiers at Falaise.
During the Battle of the Bulge, Patton disengaged his army fighting eastward and turned it ninety degrees north — a considerable tactical and logistical achievement. He then moved into the Saar Basin and was planning to take Prague when the advance was halted.
Death
In October 1945, Patton assumed control of the Fifteenth Army in occupied Germany. He died from injuries in an automobile accident and was buried at the American War Cemetery in Hamm, Luxembourg.