General Patton: The Impact of Persona on Success

Introduction:
*Hello class, my name is Today we will be discussing General Patton.
*Specifically, our objective will be to discuss the military contributions of General George
Patton during World War II. We will understand the impact of public persona on an individuals
success as a leader.
A mathematician does not just memorize formulas without ever attempting to solve equations. A
scientist does not only read about the properties of chemicals; the scientist physically
experiments with them. Likewise, historians must understand historical figures as three
dimensional people who operated in their own context, we cannot just memorize names and
dates.
2.5 Minutes- Engage:
*Lets begin by taking a look at the man himself. The following clip is from the 1970, 20th
Century Fox film, Patton. There is no sound for the first 30 seconds. The clip is historically
accurate, with some paraphrasing.
2.5 Minutes- Explore:
Raise your hand if you have any prior knowledge of Patton.
Id like to briefly hear the thoughts of someone who has not heard of Patton before.
Id like to briefly hear the thoughts of someone who does have prior knowledge of Patton.
8 Minutes- Explain:
Now let's take a closer look at the man.
George Smith Patton jr. Was born on November 11th, 1885-December 21st, 1945. He had a deep
Christian faith and prayed often and on his knees. Patton simultaneously believed in
reincarnation and even that in a former life he was a soldier. His uniform consisted of a polished
helmet, riding boots and a tool to train horses. He carried an ivory pistol, also a 357 Magnum.
Patton's vehicle made it apparent who he was whether in combat or riding. He came down hard
on troops who had their uniform out of order or missed a step when training and would often,
curse profusely. He was, however quick to praise those he regarded as persons.
Now that we have a picture of the man, let's go over his contributions to the war.
North African Campaign
November 8, 1942- Landed at beach in North Africa, defeated the Vichy French by
November 11.
March 6-Took control of U.S. II Corps.

 March 17, 1943-Won Battle of El Guettar, soon took all of North Africa
Invasion of Sicily
July 10, 1943-7th US Army landed at beach, meant to support British forces.
July 21, 1943-Took city of Palermo
August 16, 1943-Took Messina
Controversy-Killed two mules
Two slapping incidences, story leaked to public
Europe
Patton was not allowed to participate in Invasion of Normandy.
He was stationed in Europe as a decoy.
August 1-31, 1944-Patton moves rapidly through Europe, runs out of gas.
Battle of Metz was a costly victory.
Battle of the Bulge
December, 1944- Pattons troops were fighting near Saarbrucker
Patton pulls all six divisions, begin march north
Prayer for fair weather
Patton supplies relief at Battle of the Bulge
6 Minutes- Elaborate (Part 1): Now we will move into discussion mode. I will divide you into
two groups. One group will prepare to argue that Pattons persona hindered his success as a
military leader. The other group will prepare to argue that Pattons persona increased his success
as a military leader. Discuss it amongst yourselves and we will come back together in a few
minutes.
10 Minutes- Elaborate (Part 2): Okay class, lets all come back and discuss the
evidence and our interpretation of it. Please argue your points.

4 Minutes- Evaluate:
I think by now we understand the version of himself General Patton was trying to convey. For
the final assessment, I would like everyone to draw a caricature, or a little cartoon, of the
general. Based on what we learned today, how do you view General Patton?
Conclusion:
Let's all consider the information we discussed today. When looking at General Patton's record,
we can see that our public persona does impact what we are able to accomplish in both positive
and negative ways. The accomplishments of a leader depend on their goals. And finally, we
cannot look at any historic figure and be able to understand them without putting them in their
context.