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What Eisenhower Said When He Realized German Generals Feared Patton More Than Montgomery

The Hidden Front

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1944 — General Dwight D. Eisenhower often had to manage the explosive ego of George Patton, frequently threatening to send him home. But during the lead-up to D-Day, Eisenhower realized Patton possessed a psychological power that no other Allied general could match. Allied intelligence (Ultra) revealed that the German High Command was obsessed with Patton's location, convinced he would lead the "real" invasion at Pas-de-Calais. Eisenhower famously remarked that while Montgomery was "indispensable for the set-piece," Patton was the only general who "put the fear of God into the Boche."

Sources:

Stephen Ambrose — "Eisenhower: Soldier and President" (Simon & Schuster, 1984)

F.W. Winterbotham — "The Ultra Secret" (Dell Publishing, 1974)

Ladislas Farago — "The Tenth Fleet" (Obolensky, 1962)

National Archives — "SHAEF Intelligence Summaries, June 1944"

Image Credits:

Eisenhower and Patton in a jeep courtesy National Archives

German intelligence maps of "FUSAG" courtesy Imperial War Museum

20 Comments

@paul9745pdb 9 months ago (edited)

Patton is Stonewall Jackson and Montgomery is McClellan.

@MitchellValentine-pr2lt 9 months ago

Monty cared more for his own image and glory, he wasn't fit to lick Patton's boots.

@followernumber1 8 months ago

In war only thing worse than skilled enemy is an incompetent ally

@mike9387 9 months ago

How many lives were lost due to coddling Montgomery’s ego?

@PumaIsGr8 9 months ago

One line of this made me sick ... Patton's contributions were kept classified until all parties were dead, This made the Brits look more effective than they were, and greatly enhanced Monty's strategies. Anyone can be a great general with a four to one advantage and all damn day to act! What really makes me ill is wondering what else the U.S. Government classified from WWII, Korea, Vietnam, etc, etc. Truth should never be classified .... Facts should never be suppressed!

@Cazenave26 9 months ago

This is a great example of how your enemy defines the real truth of your team. This is true in sport and war. When you have one player forcing your opponent to scheme specifically for them and to prioritize their focus, that is your most important player.

@dailyhistory_tv 9 months ago

Do you think Eisenhower saw Patton as a necessary weapon — dangerous, unpredictable, but impossible to replace?

@frankgesuele6298 9 months ago

You respect Wyatt Earp. You fear Doc Holiday.

@butchgeagan9768 9 months ago

3rd army crossed the Rhine BEFORE monty.

@karlpeterson9334 9 months ago

It was said that when the frontline map posted Patton's advance, the line looked like a middle finger, incentivizing the other armies to catch up with him.

@P46345 9 months ago

Saying Montgomery was undefeated is like say Britain is undefeated, Patton was a warrior and Montgomery was not.

@unnaturalselection8330 9 months ago

Ike knew exactly what was up WAY before this.
If Sicily didn't open his eyes, Monty stalling out and having a picnic at Normandy told him everything he needed to know.
Market Garden was just icing on a VERY well decorated cake.
Thing is, Ike's main job was to keep the alliance firmly welded together, which meant not being percieved to be "playing favorites".
As long as Montgomery didn't faceplant, he couldn't replace him.
...Personally I think he prioritized sending materiel to Monty precisely because he knew he was weak sauce and needed propping up.
He could have hacked off one of Patton's legs and the man would have charged harder than Monty.

@thomasbroadhurst8938 9 months ago

Wonder what would have happened if Ike had just said, "OK, Monty...it's all yours...we're out of here!!! You're the super star, win the war on your own!!! I'll just take all the men and all the equipment we supplied you for the last three years home with us!!! Good Luck!!!" Might have been real interesting!

@jimo-tx6385 9 months ago

The German’s could move quickly, and Monty was so slow and cautious that there was always time to respond to him.

Patton was fast moving like the Germans and required more vigilance.

@superdave8248 9 months ago (edited)

14:06 Fun fact. The gas cans you see pictured are referred to as "Jerry Cans". Why? because it was the Germans who came up with the original design. And it was so popular with Allied troops in the field both the British and Americans produced their own varients. At one point I had a couple of these gained from military surplus. But the design was modified later because there was concerns with spillage. But people still prefer the original design. More user friendly.

@karlpeterson9334 9 months ago

Metz was Patton's only speed bump. Monty was his own speed bump.

@rabbit251 9 months ago

I'm a retired attorney living in Japan. Before that I was an American social studies teacher. WW2 has been a hobby of mine since high school. I never understood why Ike agreed to green light Market Garden which should've told him it was a waste of resources. Patton was making a sweeping drive across southern France. I have a Canadian friend who was a major in their army. He agreed with me, you have to keep ahead of your enemy and not allow them to redeploy. But for politics, not military objectives, Ike agrees to Monty's insane idea and Patton's drive is stopped.

I hate playing "what if" but in this matter I really do wonder, if MG had not happened and Patton was allowed to keep his attack going the US probably would've reached Berlin before the Russians, or if Patton followed the agreement at Potsdam that the Russians would be allowed to take Berlin, then Patton would've driven across the south and probably captured Romania, Bulgaria, Greece and much of the Cold War would've been avoided.

@PeteKiefer 9 months ago

Excellent video.
Best 26 minutes on YouTube.
You hit a grand slam home run with this one.
Congratulations.
Keep up the good work.
Sincerely,
Pete

@kenito2050 9 months ago

Churchill to Montgomery when Monty asked for Patton's firing: "If I demand (Patton's) firing, I'm admitting that British pride matters more than Allied victory"