General Patton was one of the most distinctive American generals during World War II. In the minds of most people, Patton was a very radical general. He is rough and wild, especially likes to use the martial spirit to motivate his subordinates, and can achieve very good results every time. General Pershing once described him as a "bandit in the U.S. army", which is also commensurate with Patton's temperament.
(Old patton photo)
Patton is very reckless like Zhang Fei and Li Kui, but this does not mean that he is really a brave and resourceful person. Patton's greatest characteristic in the wartime period is that while constantly looking down on the opponent, he quietly and carefully studied the combat characteristics of the opponent.
From the beginning of the landing in North Africa, there were frequent news among allied troops that "Patton despised Montgomery, and Patton believed that Rommel was excessively deified" and so on. Although he did not stop talking, Patton had been quietly studying Rommel's tactical characteristics in private. During the later Sicily landings, Barton fought with Montgomery, whom he "despised", and eventually succeeded in capturing Palermo.
After the war, just as people had become accustomed to Patton's big mouth, Patton died suddenly, and he could no longer speak harshly.
On December 9, 1945, just the day before Patton was about to return to the United States, he suddenly suffered a bizarre car accident.
It was a clear weekend, and Patton had agreed with his chief of staff, Major General Guy, to hunt in Germany one last time. They were in a Cadillac sedan with their driver, Woodring, and a hound in addition to Barton and Guy. Behind Barton was a jeep loaded with hunting gear such as shotguns.
Barton's group departed in the morning, when there were not many cars on the road and the driver had a good view. When he saw the piles of rubble on the side of the road, Patton couldn't help but sigh: "The war is really fucking terrible, look at those waste cars, look at the pile of garbage." ”
After saying this, the jeep behind Patton suddenly overtook cadillac and came to the front to lead the way. This move did not attract Patton's attention, after all, the driver Woodring had not been to the hunting ground, and it was normal for the driver who knew the way to lead the way.
Just like that, Woodlyn stared at the jeep ahead, listened to Barton and Guy chatting, and continued to drive on the road. At this time, a large truck suddenly came from the opposite lane, and when the large truck approached the Cadillac, it suddenly lost control, and the body began to rotate at 90 degrees, and then crashed sideways into the Cadillac.
Woodlyn quickly slammed on the brakes, but it was too late, and the two cars slammed into each other. The driver, Woodring, was lucky not to be injured, and Major General Guy was only slightly injured, and it was not a big problem. But Barton cried out in the back row for neck pain, and a crack appeared between the bridge of his nose and his forehead, constantly bubbling with blood.
A Red Cross woman witnessed the crash and quickly ran to the sapper camp across the street for help. The sapper battalion soldiers then arrived, and Patton was quickly taken to the hospital.
Patton had been teetering on the line of life and death since he was hospitalized, and by December 18, he suddenly showed signs of improvement. Mrs. Barton, with the doctor's permission, decided to take him back to a hospital in the United States for treatment.
Just before leaving, Patton's injury suddenly worsened and he could no longer be transferred to the hospital. On 21 December, General Patton passed away.
News of Patton's eventual death from a car accident soon spread throughout the U.S. military barracks, and the U.S. military leadership conducted an investigation into the matter. Ultimately, the matter was identified as a traffic accident.
However, many Barton fans do not buy this statement, they feel that Patton's death is strange, much like a murder. Why?
First, the official determination that Barton's injury was caused by hitting the partition between the cab and the rear, resulting in a spinal rupture. So why would Woodring and Guy in the back row be out of the way?
Second, the truck driver drove after a night of drinking, he first said that he had to turn the corner with the turning lights, and then he denied this statement. He was not only a perpetrator, but also a key suspect, so why did the U.S. military inexplicably let him go?
Third, where did the jeep that led the way go? Why didn't they save people at the first time, but the people on the side of the road came to seek help?
Patton's death was highly questionable, and people at the time were constantly exploring the true cause of his death.
It has been speculated that Patton was killed after the war by proposing to the government to attack the Soviet Union and by making several public outcrys about the attack on the Soviet Union.
Others speculate that Patton's death was due to the loss of some people's financial means. Soldiers in the U.S. army once found gold hidden by the Nazis in Mittenwald, but Patton immediately confiscated all the gold when he learned of it, and also punished the soldiers. The soldiers held a grudge against each other, which led to tragedy.
If it is really murder, then it has to be said that the timing of the murderer's crime is really too good. On the eve of the return of the American army, the soldiers were all like arrows, and they would not spend their minds on such an accident. And the war is over, and the death of the general will not cause an uproar. In this way, the impact of Patton's death is minimized, and the probability of the murderer getting away with it is correspondingly increased.
Of course, the true cause of Patton's death is still a mystery.
(Reference: Target: Patton – The Conspiracy to Assassinate General George Patton)