George S. Patton

<p>George Smith Patton Jr. was born on November 11, 1885, in San Gabriel, California. Graduating from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1909, Patton represented the United States in the inaugural modern pentathlon at the 1912 Olympic Games in Stockholm, finishing fifth. During World War I, Patton became the first officer assigned to the newly created United States Tank Corps, leading armored units in combat at Saint-Mihiel and the Meuse-Argonne offensive.</p>
<p>During World War II, Patton's genius for mobile, aggressive armored warfare propelled him to global renown. After revitalizing demoralized American forces following the Battle of Kasserine Pass in North Africa, he led the U.S. Seventh Army in the successful invasion of Sicily in 1943.</p>
<p>Patton's finest hour arrived in the European campaign of 1944–1945 as commander of the U.S. Third Army. Following the Operation Cobra breakout from Normandy, Patton's armored divisions swept across northern France with breathtaking velocity. When the German military launched their surprise Ardennes Counteroffensive in December 1944, Patton executed a legendary operational pivot: disengaging six divisions in sub-zero blizzards, turning north 90 degrees, and relieving the encircled 101st Airborne Division at Bastogne, dealing a fatal blow to the German war effort.</p>