Patton George Smith

George Smith Patton was born on November 11, 1885 in San Gabriel, Los Angeles County, California. He entered the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York following in the military fashion of the Patton family. After graduation, he was assigned to the Cavalry as an aid to General John "Black Jack" Pershing, who at that time was pursuing the Mexican bandit General Pancho Villa. During World War I he saw service in France as part of the United States Army Tank Corps. During World War II he was assignment to Dwight North Africa as head of the II Corp, where he received his third star from General Dwight D. Eisenhower. On to Sicily, the Seventh Army enjoyed an unopposed landing and Patton assumed command of this unit. In January 1944, he was summoned to London and given command of the US Third Army which was still being activated. In July 1944, George Patton arrived in France one month after the D-Day landing. His command still not fully activated, he was forced to wait to engage in combat for the arrival of the bulk of his troops. Once the 3rd Army was fully operational, its exploits throughout Europe became legendary. General Patton's journey into history began in Mannheim, Germany on December 9, 1945, when the sedan in which he was riding ran headlong into an army truck. He was taken to the army hospital outside of Heidelberg, where he died from his injuries on December 21. He lay in state at the Villa Reiner, one of the stately homes in Heidelberg. He also has a cenotaph located in San Gabriel Cemetery, San Gabriel, Los Angeles County, California, USA.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com