Patton and the Battle of the Bulge
By John S. D. Eisenhower

When Adolf Hitler launched his gigantic counteroffensive in mid-December, 1944, Lieutenant General George S. Patton, Jr., was as surprised as everyone else, from the Supreme Commander on down.

Patton, lacking the intelligence resources available at higher headquarters, was slower to recognize the offensive for what it was: an effort to break the Anglo-American lines through the lightly-defended First Army position in the “impassable” Ardennes with the object of seizing the major port of Antwerp, splitting the Western Allies, and causing the Allies to settle for a peace that would leave Germany, and Hitler’s regime, intact.

When General Omar N. Bradley, on General Dwight Eisenhower’s orders, directed Patton to send his treasured 10th Armored Division to First Army he protested at the top of his voice. With his sights set on his impending attack past Metz to the Saar, Patton interpreted the attack up north as merely a spoiling attack to relieve the Germans from the pressure of his vaunted Third Army. But the order stood and it was not long before Patton realized that the war in Europe had taken on a completely new aspect.

General Patton pinning the Distinguished Service Cross on BG Anthony C. McAuliffe, Commander of the 101st Airborne division

During the next two weeks, the period when the tactical situation on the Western Front was fluid, George Patton was at his best. His accomplishments, in my opinion, constituted the apex of a long and distinguished (if sometime tempestuous) career. During that time he proved himself to be one of Ike’s best tactical commanders, if not the very best. The climax of the campaign came long before German General Hasso von Manteuffel’s spearheads were stopped just short of the Meuse River. It happened at Bradley’s main headquarters at Verdun on the morning of December 19, three days after the German attack had begun.

By that time the situation was beginning to clarify itself. The main German attack at Elsenborn Ridge, in the north, had been halted; further south the important road center of St. Vith was in grave danger; in the middle of the bulge, an apt description, the likewise important town of Bastogne, defended by the 101st “Screaming Eagle” Airborne Division was about to be surrounded. The question was: how to deal with it?

At that meeting, both Patton and Eisenhower showed up at their best, and part of the explanation lay in their close friendship of a quarter century earlier when both worked with tanks at Fort Meade, Maryland. To Eisenhower goes the credit of infusing a spirit of optimism among a gloomy group of commanders and ordering an attack on the south flank of the penetration. No passive defense for Ike. To Patton goes the credit of making Ike’s concept possible.

Before leaving his headquarters for Verdun that morning, Patton had viewed the entire front and had foreseen what would be the outcome of the meeting – or at least one of three possibilities. Before climbing into his jeep he gave his chief of staff, General Hobart Gay, three possibilities, each with a codeword. When the decision was made – Patton was sure that it would be one of his alternatives – he would merely have to pass that codeword to Gay, and the machinery at Third Army could begin to function.

The meeting that morning was monopolized by the two old friends, Patton and Eisenhower. Once Ike had announced his decision to turn Patton’s Third Army northward toward Bastogne, deferring his attack in the Saar, the two men discussed the strength and the timing of the attack. Patton was a bit more optimistic than Ike, but they settled on a three-division attack to be executed in three days from Arlon toward the beleaguered town of Bastogne. Once they had agreed, Patton excused himself form the meeting, went to the telephone, and gave his codeword to his chief of staff. The Third Army was on the move.

Patton did not have to rely completely on his staff. Turning an army in a right angle direction was a difficult move – plans for road nets, supply depots and, above all, communications had to be changed. But Patton had these matters straight in his own mind. He dictated his instructions as he bounced along in his jeep.

The fighting was hard, and Patton would have liked to drive on faster. But the roads were icy, and the overcast weather made air support impossible at first. Patton, in an amusing sidelight, directed a reluctant chaplain to compose a prayer for good weather. The mimeographed prayer was issued throughout Third Army to be offered by everyone in supplication for the opportunity for killing more Germans. The prayers were answered by good weather on December 23, and Patton forthwith decorated the chaplain with the Bronze Star medal.

On December 26, 1944, the lead elements of Patton’s 4th Armored Division led by a lieutenant colonel named Creighton Abrams, made contact with the outposts of the 101st Airborne. General Anthony McAuliffe, in command, is famous for his single word of defiance to a German demand for surrender: “Nuts.” But it doubtless gave him more pleasure to say a less celebrated sentence: “I am mighty glad to see you.”And the Allies, especially the Americans, could be mighty glad that it was George Patton who led the relief of Bastogne.

About the Author

John S. D. Eisenhower is one of America's most distinguished soldiers, diplomats and historians. Among his works are The Bitter Woods, a best selling account of the Battle of the Bulge and Agent of Destiny: The Life and Times of General Winfield Scott. His most recent biography is General Ike, a personal reminiscence that focuses on his father's military leadership and life. A retired reserve brigadier general, Eisenhower also served as the United States Ambassador to Belgium.

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Forever a Super Sixer: Band of Brothers Holds Last Reunion

Their last gathering began with a candlelight memorial in a darkened hall. Twenty men, one for each unit of the 6th Armored Division, lit candles and placed a rose in a vase. As the name of the unit was called the candle was extinguished. At the end of the ceremony a single candle remained which symbolized the enduring spirit of the brave band of brothers who liberated Europe and put an end to Nazi tyranny.

A group of 6th Armored Division Association Past Presidents posed for this picture at their 1982 reunion in Louisville, Kentucky.

Although they were together for only a few years during World War II, the men of the 6th Armored Division formed a bond that has lasted for more than 50 years.

The division was activated at Fort Knox on February 15, 1942. Ed Reed, former Patton Museum Trustee, served as a technical sergeant in the 46th Armored Signal Corp. He earned a Silver Star for his service and offers his recollections for Saber readers: After training in Arkansas, California and England, the division landed at Utah Beach July 18, 1944 under the command of MG Robert W. Grow. They would go on to participate in five major campaigns: Normandy, Northern France, Ardennes-Alsace, Rhineland and Central Europe.

Creating and maintaining vital communications links, the Signal Corp laid and maintained over 1,400 miles of field wire, handled an average of 1,500 calls daily, and cleared 374 teletype messages a month.

“We were active all the time, laying wire and repairing wire that was torn up by the tanks,” said Reed. Braving the coldest winter in Europe in 50 years, the Corp traveled over icy roads and slept outdoors at times or in their vehicles to keep communication following freely between commanders and troops.

“We arrived in Bastogne on Christmas Eve and over the next five weeks we faced miserable weather that seemed as formidable as our enemy,” said Reed.

They found refuge among grateful Belgian families who offered their beds and shared their food. Reed has kept in contact with the children of one family that took in the soldiers for the past 60 years.

The soldiers’ good deeds were not forgotten. Little did the Sixers know that some 42 years later, in 1986, one of the people they liberated in Luxembourg would become town mayor and celebrate their heroism by holding a reception in their honor.

From its landing July 19, 1944 at Utah Beach, France through the end of hostilities May 8, 1945, the 146th Armored Signal Co. had moved 2,211 miles to Rochlitz, Germany. The peace secured, the division was deactivated Sept. 15, 1945 at Camp Shanks, N.Y.

The Sixth Armored Division Association, known as the Super Sixers, was formed in 1947. The first reunion, held in Louisville in 1948, was “practically a stag affair,” according to Reed. But as soldiers settled into life stateside, families began to join them at yearly reunions.

In 1959, reunion attendees visited the original Patton Museum. They would visit five more times before the group disbanded.

On their last visit, Saturday, October 16, 2004, five buses brought 200 Super Sixers veterans and family members for a guided tour of Fort Knox and the Patton Museum.

The more than 100 engraved brick pavers displayed at the museum entrance, purchased by the men and women of the Sixth Armored family, stand as a testament to their past contributions to and continued support of the armed forces. “I like people to remember that we were part of a team effort that included soldiers, sailors, airmen and the folks at home. We all did our best to do our part,” said Reed.

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Glock Gift Boosts Restoration Efforts

On December 15, Fort Knox played proud host to a contingent from firearms giant GLOCK, Inc. Visitors included company founder Gaston Glock, his son, and several high ranking officers of the company, who made the journey to deliver a $200,000 check to the Patton Museum Foundation.

“Mr. Glock is a great supporter of the United States military and the democratic principles it upholds. He recognizes the sacrifices of the people on the front lines, like General Patton, and thinks it is important to uphold their legacy,” said Gary Thomas, vice president of GLOCK, Inc.

Left to right: Glock President Dr. Johann Quendler, MG (ret) Dick Chegar, Fort Knox CG Terry Tucker, Glock Founder Gaston Glock, Glock Vice President Robert Glock and Museum Director Frank Jardim

GLOCK was founded by Mr. Gaston Glock, an engineer, in 1963 in Deutsch-Wagram, near Vienna, to specialize in the manufacture of plastic and steel components. In the United States, Glock pistols are in use in 65% of law enforcement agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Police Department and more than 7,500 other agencies at the federal, state and local levels.

Police and military agencies worldwide rely upon the Glock pistol. The donation will be used for conservation and restoration of the museum collection.

After landing on the airfield at the post, the group was treated to a tour of the museum by Foun-dation President MG (ret) Dick Chegar, Museum Director Frank Jardim, Foundation Trustee and General Patton's grandson Jamie Totten and COL Timothy Reese, Director, CAPO.

Left to right: Fort Knox CG Terry Tucker, Gaston Glock and MG (ret) Dick Chegar

The contingent had lunch with soldiers in the mess hall and took part in a check presentation in the Abrams Auditorium, where Fort Knox Commanding General Terry Tucker was also in attendance.

“Thanks to the generosity of Mr. Gaston Glock, this significant donation will fund an important preservation project that helps to tell the story of armor development. It is also a wonderful moment in the history of the Patton Museum, when a legendary name in the development of arms, Mr. Gaston Glock, is linked to a legendary American warrior, General George S. Patton, Jr. All of us associated with the museum extend a heartfelt thank you to Mr. Glock, his family and corporate team,” said Chegar.

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New Museum Audio Tour Enlivens Museum Experience

When you slip on your headset to take the new Patton Museum Audio Tour the voice you hear may sound familiar. The tour’s narrator, Sam Gaves III, COL, USA, retired, has been the commercial voice of hhgregg Consumer Electronics, Ringling Brothers Circus, and University of Notre Dame, among others.

Graves has nearly 35 years of broadcast, advertising, public relations, news and writing experience, both in civilian and military areas. But he got his start at Fort Knox. As the son of a military man, he lived on base. As a recent graduate of Fort Knox High School years ago, Graves worked in the cafeteria and was recruited to get on the P.A. system to announce that the cafeteria would close in ten minutes. After he made the announcement, co-workers told him he had a good voice and should “be on radio.”

After entering the military, he took information officer and broadcast officer classes and worked at a radio station at night. He had an auspicious career in the military, serving in both Vietnam and the first Gulf War, earning numerous medals including Combat Infantryman’s Badge, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Liberation of Kuwait Medal, and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry.

Since 1984, he has run Sam Graves Productions in Cicero, Indiana. He also works as a public relations consultant.

“I was happy to have been involved in the project. It was a labor of love,” said Graves. The tour was created by Alion Science and Technology. Foundation Trustee and former Fort Knox CG, George H. Harmeyer, is a senior executive with the company.

“Colonel Sam Graves brings not only a passion for armor history to the Patton Museum, but he is also blessed with one of America's great voices. The combination makes the audio tour an exciting must for museum visitors,” observed Foundation President Dick Chegar.

The tour lasts 90 minutes and can be rented at the museum store.

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New Entrance Opens Door to Future Improvements

Accessibility, interactive elements and the ability to tell a compelling story are what make a tourist attraction timeless.

On Saturday, November 6, a huge step was taken to make a world class museum easier to visit. On that day, a ribbon cutting ceremony unveiled the new entrance to the museum directly off of Highway 31W. The new entrance will allow museum visitors to bypass the post's security checkpoint that was put in place after the terrorism attacks of September 11, 2001.

Left to right (top): State Senator Elizabeth Tori and State Representative Mike Weaver (bottom) Transportation Secretary Clay Bailey and Museum Director Frank Jardim

The museum’s attendance dropped 50 percent immediately after 9-11, from approximately 300,000 visitors a year to 150,000 visitors a year. The Patton Museum is one of Kentucky’s top 20 tourist sites and is the most frequently visited attraction in Hardin County, according to local tourism officials.

Mike Weaver, a retired Army colonel, state representative, and member of the board of trustees, was instrumental in securing the new entrance.

He worked with state officials on the development of the new entrance directly off U.S. 31W that allows people to enter the museum without passing through military checkpoints.

“All of these improvements are well worth the costs. This museum is a tourism jewel for Kentucky. People visit the museum from across the globe. The Patton Museum experience may be their only introduction to the history of armor. It deserves to be seen in the best light possible,” said Weaver.

We’re sure the many visitors to the museum from near and far will be grateful for his efforts!

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