Did Patton's June 5, 1944 Speech to Third Army Include Blood and Guts Language?

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In summary, George Patton's speech to Third Army on June 5, 1944 was a rousing and motivational call to action for his soldiers. He spoke of the American love for battle and the importance of being a real man who is willing to fight. He also emphasized the superiority of their equipment and spirit. Patton rejected the idea of digging foxholes and instead encouraged an offensive mindset. He used strong language to emphasize the brutal nature of war and the need to be willing to spill the enemy's blood. Some may criticize his words, but his troops responded with exceptional fighting ability. Patton's nickname "Blood & Guts" was a play on words and a testament to his effective leadership. Overall, his speech was a reminder of the
  • #1
Robert Zaleski
George Patton's speech to Third Army, June 5, 1944 (Warning Language)
www.lizmichael.com/patton.htm[/URL] - 36k
 
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  • #2
Hightlights...
Americans love to fight, traditionally. All real Americans love the sting and clash of battle.

Third, you are here because you are real men and all real men like to fight.

We have the finest food, the finest equipment, the best spirit, and the best men in the world.

My men don't dig foxholes. I don't want them to. Foxholes only slow up an offensive.

We're going to murder those lousy Hun cock suckers by the bushel-****ing-basket.

War is a bloody, killing business. You've got to spill their blood, or they will spill yours. Rip them up the belly. Shoot them in the guts.
If Patton really said any of this, he was a complete moron, an utterly retarded crapmonkey, and deserves to go down in history as one of the worst leaders ever. I pity any lackwit who thinks the man is in any way a good soldier.
 
  • #3
Adam said:
Hightlights...

If Patton really said any of this, he was a complete moron, an utterly retarded crapmonkey, and deserves to go down in history as one of the worst leaders ever. I pity any lackwit who thinks the man is in any way a good soldier.

That sounds like Patton. And if you really mean what you posted, you are a complete moron, an utterly retarded crapmonky, and deserbe to go down in history as one of the worst poster ever.

I guess you pitied much of the German force, for they feared Patton's leadership more than any other General at the time. Patton was a fine leader, a great general, but he didn't do politics well. He didn't kiss ass, he understood that war is not something to be made into soft talk - war is a brash bloody hell. He spoke to his men like it, and they returned a response of almost mechanised fighting ability. The speech was a morale booster to break down the fear the men had. It apparently worked.
 
  • #4
Phatmonky – If you spent your life inverted, your thought processes would be screwed up also.
 
  • #5
GENIERE said:
Phatmonky – If you spent your life inverted, your thought processes would be screwed up also.

Well, my thought processes aren't screwed up. And Patton's were not screwed up, in context, either. He was made for war. His speeches were made for war. He won wars. His men won wars.
When in the context of war, nothing he said in that speech is in anyway wrong or inappropriate, but rather fully illustrates the mindset that one must have to survive such a hell.
 
  • #6
Phatmonky - Hmm! My comment was meant to be in full agreement with you.
 
  • #7
GENIERE said:
Phatmonky - Hmm! My comment was meant to be in full agreement with you.

Perhaps I missed that - whoops :)
 
  • #8
I would say that anyone who bought into that speech, anyone who truly believed it had problems...
 
  • #9
Patton is a great general and a brilliant strategist but he's also known for his eccentricities. He kicked the Desert Fox's ass. Enough said.


War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself.

- John Stuart Mill

There are times when war is necessary...
 
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  • #10
Okay, for those who have no idea of history, the nickname "Blood & Guts" for Patton was more a play on words than anything else. It was mentioned in his speech. It was also a reference to the number of troops (including his own) who died because of his attitude that guts and glory was what a "real man" was all about.
 
  • #11
And no, watching cheesy Hollywood movies will not give you a decent idea of history.
 
  • #12
Patton talked to his troops in the vernacular readily understood by the common soldier; earthy and to the point. His troops loved him for it.
 
  • #13
Robert Zaleski said:
Patton talked to his troops in the vernacular readily understood by the common soldier; earthy and to the point. His troops loved him for it.

They loved him for it, and responded with some of the best soldiering the world had/has ever seen.
All of you who are TRYING to find a problem with Patton's speech continue to make the same mistake of thinking about his words outside of the context of war. His speech is spot on, and is the type of required dialogue needed to make a successful military in battle.
 
  • #14
Adam said:
Okay, for those who have no idea of history, the nickname "Blood & Guts" for Patton was more a play on words than anything else. It was mentioned in his speech. It was also a reference to the number of troops (including his own) who died because of his attitude that guts and glory was what a "real man" was all about.
No where have I found a general belief that the name blood and guts comes from the number of his own men who died.
To prove yoru assertion, which is one only held by you at this point, I'd like to see somewhere that shows Patton lost a greater ratio of men, to the one's he killed, than the average other American, or allied, army.
A search shows no such ratios, but instead consistent talk of how effective his moves were (particulary with the famous southern flank with the very same third army this speech was given to)
 
  • #15
Adam said:
Hightlights...

If Patton really said any of this, he was a complete moron, an utterly retarded crapmonkey, and deserves to go down in history as one of the worst leaders ever. I pity any lackwit who thinks the man is in any way a good soldier.
Adam: if you're going to war you want all your generals to be Pattons. i was in an armor brigade and patton was something of a hero. he was a man for the time. if you're going to fight - FIGHT!

now, as a pacifist, i am amazed that so many people expect war - combat to be fought according to some sort of rules, ethics. that's the joke. civilians are hiding their heads in the sand, sending men to die and they expect them to wait till the other guy draws his gun - BULL*$%#!

rather than talk about war and it's horrors why aren't we OR why haven't we talked about the beauty of peace? somehow we are affraid that admitting we want peace comes from a weak place and our enemies will take advantage of us. they can't unless we allow them. the world is a small economic comunity at this point. it may be slower, but economic and social restirictions will work.

love&peace,
olde drunk
 
  • #16
Adam said:
Okay, for those who have no idea of history, the nickname "Blood & Guts" for Patton was more a play on words than anything else. It was mentioned in his speech.
I don't think the nickname came from this particular speech. It's actually thought that was a mistatement from a reporter and that in his speech given to officers of the 2nd armored divison, he origionally said "blood and brains" in regards to what was needed to have a successful armored division. However, when the story was picked up by a news reporter he reported the statement incorrectly as "blood & guts" and from there the nickname developed.
It was also a reference to the number of troops (including his own) who died because of his attitude that guts and glory was what a "real man" was all about.
This is an absolute falsification. Patton was extremely concerned with reducing the casualities of his soldiers. As can be seen by the high kill ratios of his enemies as compared to the low death ratios of his own soldiers. If anything the nickname relates more to his "colorful language" then any callousness towards the wellbeing of his soldiers.
 
  • #17
"An undisciplined army always has the greatest casualties. A general who disciplines his troops until he gets spontaneous, automatic reaction to his commands will have the lowest rate of casualties."


- General George Patton, US Army, WWII
 
  • #18
While Patton was obviously rather aggressive, it's certainly a good thing that he was no cowering pansy, & he inspired his men to fight and die in order to subjugate fascism and liberate the people of Europe. But it took an even greater man-- Eiesenhower-- to reign in and control Patton, lest the liberators become like the oppressors that they were fighting.

"your duty is not to die for your country-- it is to make the fascists die for theirs!" Patton
 
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  • #19
Robert Zaleski said:
Patton talked to his troops in the vernacular readily understood by the common soldier; earthy and to the point. His troops loved him for it.

And his "balls will win the day" heroic bollocks speech got people killed. I recall another leader from the time who was also a very charismatic and inspiring public speaker.
 
  • #20
phatmonky said:
They loved him for it, and responded with some of the best soldiering the world had/has ever seen.
Are you referring to the times he got his arse kicked? Or the times he was shut away as an embarrassment to the military? Or the times he simply ordered a human wave, because "charge" was his favourite word, and he got many of his own people killed?

All of you who are TRYING to find a problem with Patton's speech continue to make the same mistake of thinking about his words outside of the context of war.
No. You are assuming.

His speech is spot on, and is the type of required dialogue needed to make a successful military in battle.
Training, discipline, and intelligence are required.
 
  • #21
olde drunk said:
Adam: if you're going to war you want all your generals to be Pattons.
Why? For the losses? The wins? The times he was shut away for being an embarrassment? The people he ordered to charge, who died? Or simply for nostalgia, feelings for "the good old days" which were never as good as people assume, for a chap who wasn't what the publicity made him out to be?

i was in an armor brigade and patton was something of a hero. he was a man for the time. if you're going to fight - FIGHT!
If you're going to fight - think!

now, as a pacifist, i am amazed that so many people expect war - combat to be fought according to some sort of rules, ethics.
As a former soldier, I expect soldiers to abide by the rules their nations have signed on to. I expect soldiers to never even put a finger on the trigger until the target is confirmed. I expect officers to maintain order. I expect humans to be humane, as much as possible. And I do not accept the excuses of weak-willed slugs who try to rationalise their crimes by saying "War is hell, accept it and move on".

that's the joke. civilians are hiding their heads in the sand, sending men to die and they expect them to wait till the other guy draws his gun - BULL*$%#!
Politicians send soldiers to die.
 
  • #22
kat said:
I don't think the nickname came from this particular speech.
No, it came from the people who died due to his "Charge!" idea of tactics.

This is an absolute falsification. Patton was extremely concerned with reducing the casualities of his soldiers.
Hence his orders to charge forward, leaving behind their supplies?
 
  • #23
Adam said:
I recall another leader from the time who was also a very charismatic and inspiring public speaker.

Well said.

The speeches were very probably very awe inspiring, but I don't like the fact that he is depicting the Germans as "fascists" and "Hun". Less than 10% of the population were Nazi's and wanted that regime, especially around 1944. In fact most of the German soldiers were fighting because they had to NOT because they believed what they were doing was right. Very hate-filling, but at the end of the day, it won battles.
 
  • #24
Adam said:
No, it came from the people who died due to his "Charge!" idea of tactics.

Again, your assertion.
Show me a ratio that his tactics were more deadly to his men than other armies.
It's simply not true.
 
  • #25
jimmy p said:
Well said.

The speeches were very probably very awe inspiring, but I don't like the fact that he is depicting the Germans as "fascists" and "Hun". Less than 10% of the population were Nazi's and wanted that regime, especially around 1944. In fact most of the German soldiers were fighting because they had to NOT because they believed what they were doing was right. Very hate-filling, but at the end of the day, it won battles.

War is not the time to be Politically correct. If you are going to shoot at someone, then you have to hate them.
I don't see how you can not like it, when you understand the reason for it, and know that it was effective.
 
  • #26
phatmonky said:
War is not the time to be Politically correct. If you are going to shoot at someone, then you have to hate them.
I don't see how you can not like it, when you understand the reason for it, and know that it was effective.


Yes you are right. Look at how this current war is going. For the most part of it the coalition is being politically correct.
 
  • #27
What a peaceful world it would be if the pacifists disappeared.
 
  • #28
yeah, if I kill everyone and end up along, won't I have eternal peace?
 
  • #29
Phatmonky, please just read SOMETHING about Patton. Anything.
 
  • #30
Adam said:
Phatmonky, please just read SOMETHING about Patton. Anything.

HA, can't provide any proof can you? I already searched. CAn't find something that doesn't exist.
 
  • #31
Im with phatmonky on this one. Prove your newest assertion Adam.
 
  • #32
Odd that the two most sourceless and vehemently ignorant posters (one of whom admits to being unwilling to read links and long posts of information provided by others) would ask for such from others.

It's not a matter of assertions. It's all publicly available knowledge. Patton won a few major victories, mainly through ordering his troops to charge ahead blindly, ignoring the fact that his single tactic left them without supplies. In the process of charging ahead, spurred on by Patton's "balls will win the day" crap speeches, LOTS of people died. And no, I do not have exact figures for the number of troops he killed with his idiotic rampages. I'll be sure to let you know if I find such. Hero-worship of this man is much like the worship of the myth of Davy Crocket; based purely on PR, nothing to do with reality, and those who love him would prefer to grip their illusions.

http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/George-Patton
http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/George Patton
http://www.encyclopedia4u.com/g/george-patton.html [Broken]
http://www.informationgenius.com/encyclopedia/g/ge/george_patton.html
 
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  • #33
Could you stop the personal attacks already.
Your view of Patton is your own business. If youre frustrated by people that worship him, don't take it out on me. It borders a lack of insight even Patton cannot be accused of
 
  • #34
Adam said:
Odd that the two most sourceless and vehemently ignorant posters (one of whom admits to being unwilling to read links and long posts of information provided by others) would ask for such from others.

Well, that did it. I won't be reading this either.
Where is our moderator?
 

1. Did General Patton really use the phrase "blood and guts" in his June 5, 1944 speech to the Third Army?

Yes, General Patton did use the phrase "blood and guts" in his speech to the Third Army on June 5, 1944. He famously said, "I don't want to get any messages saying, 'I am holding my position.' We are not holding a God-damned thing. Let the Germans do that. We are advancing constantly and we are not interested in holding onto anything, except the enemy's balls. We are going to twist his balls and kick the living shit out of him all of the time. Our basic plan of operation is to advance and keep on advancing. We are going to go through the enemy like shit through a tinhorn."

2. Was General Patton's use of the phrase "blood and guts" controversial at the time?

Yes, General Patton's use of the phrase "blood and guts" was considered controversial at the time. While it was not uncommon for military leaders to use strong language to motivate their troops, some felt that Patton's words were too vulgar and could potentially damage morale. However, others saw it as a necessary means of inspiring and energizing the soldiers under his command.

3. Did General Patton's use of the phrase "blood and guts" become a famous quote?

Yes, General Patton's use of the phrase "blood and guts" in his June 5, 1944 speech became a famous quote and is often used to illustrate his aggressive and determined leadership style. It has been referenced in books, movies, and other media as a symbol of Patton's fierce determination to defeat the enemy.

4. Was "blood and guts" the only controversial language used in General Patton's speech?

No, "blood and guts" was not the only controversial language used in General Patton's speech to the Third Army. He also used other strong and profane language, such as referring to the enemy as "sons of bitches" and saying "the quicker we clean up this Goddamned mess, the quicker we can take a little jaunt against the purple pissing Japs and clean out their nest, too."

5. Did General Patton's use of strong language have any impact on the outcome of the war?

It is difficult to say whether General Patton's use of strong language had any direct impact on the outcome of the war. However, his aggressive leadership style and unwavering determination certainly played a significant role in the success of the Allied forces. Patton's troops were known for their tenacity and willingness to push through difficult situations, and his strong language may have helped to reinforce this mindset.

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