Ol' Blood an' Guts

[too much coffee]

@too much coffee, Was the Colt ivory handled?
@dhermann1, cool story, shame about the Picasso though. Was there a particular reason Sam didn't like Patton?

VL;
Sorry for the delay..............yes the Colt had ivory handles with the initials GSP on them. I can't remember the grips on the .357, the last time I was in the museum was 1982.

Regards, coffee

 

[Vintage lover]

VL;
Sorry for the delay..............yes the Colt had ivory handles with the initials GSP on them. I can't remember the grips on the .357, the last time I was in the museum was 1982.

Regards, coffee

I gotta should me one of those when I turn 21. I remember in the movie, him saying (language ahead) "they're ivory, only a pimp from a cheap New Orleans whorehouse would carry a pearl handled pistol".

 

[Atinkerer]

Yes Aristaeus, I think he was one of the finest commanders we ever had.

And yes Lone_Ranger, he was a poet, too.

But do you guys know about the private army he personally put together to go on a totally unauthorized mission to get his niece's (I think) husband out of a German POW camp??? This was a cowboy operation complete with Tanks. It didn't go well, and a lot of U.S. soldiers died in that outlaw mission by a renegade general.

Tony

 

[conrad5157]

Finding decent pics of his Colt SAA and S&W isn't easy but this page actually shows them side by side with the movie props. Apparently they used painted wood for the film.

 

[Vintage lover]

@Atinkerer, I hadn't heard that one. But when it comes to a man that was considered an old fashioned gentleman even then, matters concerning family hit a special spot on a personal scale. And while many of us would gladly fight for our family and loved ones, I do agree that raising a private army is a little extreme. Btw I like your avatar pic lol
@conrad5157, excellent pics. I could understand why the movie pistols didn't use real ivory, as they were most likely made in the 70's, when I would imagine ivory was starting to be illegal.

 

[filfoster]

Ditto

I don't have any Patton memorabilia but I can highly recommend the U.S. Army Armor Museum in Ft. Knox, KY and the Patton Desert Training Museum at Chiriaco Summit, Ca.

If I remember correctly, Patton's Colt SAA and S & W 357 Magnum were on display at Ft. Knox along with uniform pieces, his razor, glasses, binos and many other assorted artifacts including one of his staff cars and pull along tactical trailer.

Quite the General........what a guy!

This is a great service museum and not too far from Mammoth Cave if you are making a long trip to see it-see both!
My father was in the Third Infantry Division in the North African "Torch" landings and badly wounded in Sicily. He never told me what he thought of him but my Mom is not a fan.

 

[filfoster]

Hammelburg raid

Yes Aristaeus, I think he was one of the finest commanders we ever had.

And yes Lone_Ranger, he was a poet, too.

But do you guys know about the private army he personally put together to go on a totally unauthorized mission to get his niece's (I think) husband out of a German POW camp??? This was a cowboy operation complete with Tanks. It didn't go well, and a lot of U.S. soldiers died in that outlaw mission by a renegade general.

Tony

This is covered in Blumenson's "Patton Papers" I believe 2nd volume page 671. The Hammelburg raid rescued at great cost Patton's son in law, Lt. Col. John Waters. It was not a 'private army' but certainly a questionable allocation of military resources that gave an unseemly appearance.

 

[Ruptured Duck™]

Finding decent pics of his Colt SAA and S&W isn't easy but this page actually shows them side by side with the movie props. Apparently they used painted wood for the film.

Here's some pics I took last year when visiting the Patton Museum at Fort Knox.

Hope this helps!

 

[conrad5157]

Here's some pics I took last year when visiting the Patton Museum at Fort Knox.

Hope this helps!

Yes it does, thanks for taking the pics and posting. The engraving and ivory grain really show through nicely. In the world of SAAs(my favorite handgun), this one ranks 4 stars.

 

[Kopf-Jaeger]

I have a couple pictures of his grave when he was first buried. My Grandpop served in the 2nd Armored Division. I need to find out how to post them. I am technologically impaired...lol

 

[Theo J.]

Patton Stories...

My late Dad served in the 3rd Infantry Division during WW2, and was under General Patton's command several times. Watching the film PATTON on television w/ Pop was interesting but unnerving---I kept more of an eye on his blood pressure than on the TV screen! (Just as well that I'd already seen the film in a theatre...) The depictions of wounded soldiers especially got to Pop, just as Patton's battlefield grandiosity still made him fume. He was impressed by the film's accuracy and details, but even thirty years after the war, it was clear that the old gent still had issues w/ 'Old Blood And Guts'.(It's possible that Pop actually met General Patton. My Dad 'promoted' himself a job as Col. James Wendt's jeep driver/radio operator, and led 'recon' patrols any number of times. He was also a fly-on-the-wall at some of the subsequent briefings, which could well have included Patton. He DID see the General on battlefields, blaring siren on his half-track, oversized 'rank' boards, and all. Wasn't impressed. Bradley and Truscott I know he met, and they were more to his liking.)

 

[dhermann1]

Truscott!

Yeah, how about Truscott?!

 

[Vintage lover]

Probably more easy to get along with than Patton. Most likely the same with the G.I General.

 

[1961MJS]

Hi

After I finish a Charley Birger book (bootlegger in Southern Illinois), I have Truscott's biography from the Library to read. He worked for Patton and apparently told him to (more or less) get screwed a couple of times. Truscott took over the Third Army when Patton irritated Eisenhower the last time.

Later

 

[Story]

In June 1944, a secret U.S. Army unit went into action in Normandy. The weapons they deployed were decidedly unusual: hundreds of inflatable tanks and a one-of-a-kind collection of sound effects records. Their mission was to use bluff, deception, and trickery to save lives. Many were artists, some of who would become famous, including a budding fashion designer named Bill Blass. They painted and sketched their way across Europe, creating a unique visual record of their journey. The story of what these men accomplished was hushed up by the Pentagon for more than forty years.

After seven years of effort, and interviews with more than 20 veterans, the documentary that tells their story is coming to PBS.

http://ghostarmy.org/index.php?page=homepage