Was Patton killed?

[REDY]

I have heard some vague statement about it. This person refused give me more info because "I am communist and former STB agent". So lets give me some informations.

 

[1889]

Is posting here easier than searching on Google or something?

On December 9, 1945, in Germany a day before he was due to return to the United States, Patton was severely injured in a road accident. He and his chief of staff, Major General Hobart R. "Hap" Gay, were on a daytrip to hunt pheasants in the country outside Mannheim. Their 1939 Cadillac Model 75 was driven by PFC Horace Woodring (1926 - 2003). Patton sat in the back seat, on the right with General Gay on his left, as per custom. At 11:45 near Neckarstadt, (Käfertal), a 2½ ton truck driven by T/5 Robert L. Thompson appeared out of the haze and made a left-hand turn towards a side road. The Cadillac smashed into the truck. General Patton was thrown forward and his head struck a metal part of the partition between the front and back seats. Gay and Woodring were uninjured. Paralyzed from the neck down, George Patton died of an embolism on December 21, 1945 at the military hospital in Heidelberg, Germany with his wife present.

Trivia: His cousin now hosts Blue's Clues

 

[Sharwood]

He can't use Google. Communists aren't permitted to use Western capitalist pig's computer software.

 

[Cutlass]

There was a long standing conspiracy theory that is was murder by Soviet agents because Patton advocated taking the war to Russia once Germany was defeated.

I don't believe any evidence ever backed that up.

 

[REDY]

There was a long standing conspiracy theory that is was murder by Soviet agents because Patton advocated taking the war to Russia once Germany was defeated.

I don't believe any evidence ever backed that up.

Yes, thats it. It would be great if someone know some evidences about it.

 

[privatehudson]

I very much doubt that the Soviets would have executed Patton on the simple grounds that Patton wasn't very popular at the time with the powers that be, and therefore wasn't very likely to persuade them to start a shooting war with the Soviet Union. Its not like he was the only person advocating war with the USSR after all. The rumour I've heard the most is that he was assasinated by the OSS on Ike's orders because he was becoming an unbearable pain in the butt over issues like the return of Soviet held US POWs, de-nazification and the post war borders.

If someone can find a site advocating either theory that isn't linked to either Holocaust Denial, anti-semetism or the Spear of Longinus then please post it here, because all of the ones I've found so far start with something like "Why The Zionists Controlling The Allies Killed General Patton"

 

[Ambidexter]

In July 1946 Patton had been relieved of command of the Third Army (one of the occupying units in Germany) and given command of the Fifteenth Army, a paper command preparing a history of the war. While his abilities as a combat leader were recognized by his superiors, it was felt that he had no place in the peacetime military. He was not considered for advancement to higher positions and had been told so by George Marshall. Patton was expected to retire and "quietly fade away."

 

[MilesGregarius]

The rumour I've heard the most is that he was assasinated by the OSS on Ike's orders because he was becoming an unbearable pain in the butt over issues like the return of Soviet held US POWs, de-nazification and the post war borders.

I've always found Patton's dying before the end of 1945 to be either suspicious - because having him offed would remove the potential disaster, literal or PR, he could have precipitated with his big mouth - or appropriate due to Patton's own views on war, reincarnation, and his own place in history. If Patton was, as he apparently believed, the umpteenth reincarnation of the great warriors of the past, it would have been unseemly for him to have lived to see the dawn of a year at peace, and it's only fitting that his tombstone have 1945 engraved upon it.

 

[Swedishguy]

There was a long standing conspiracy theory that is was murder by Soviet agents because Patton advocated taking the war to Russia once Germany was defeated.

I don't believe any evidence ever backed that up.

It's all a conspiracy...!

 

[MarkC1]

it would make no sense for the soviets to do that...

What's more likely to cause a war? Some rogue general who has already fallen out of favor calling for war like a madman... or being caught red-handed organizing the assisnation of a western general? Hmm??

 

[holy king]

ah, patton was killed and only a few people know about this, including me. that makes me feel so special!

 

[Cutlass]

Ike would have had no problem telling Patton to shut up and shipping him home if he was a real problem. And he wasn't enough of a problem for the Soviets to bother with.

 

[sabo]

I've always thought of that too, Patton wanted to reorginize the Nazi's and go after Soviet Russia, but then dies in 1945. Since it was his car that hit the truck I don't think it was conspiracy, and there is no evidence to prove otherwise.

 

[Cutlass]

A car accident that doesn't destroy the target car completely is a very inefficient way to arrange an assignation.

 

[Hornblower]

The book by Carlo d'Este "Patton - A Genius for War" deals with this final chapter of Patton's life extremely well. It is interesting to note that Patton's extremely experienced driver for the entire war period had been sent home to demobilise shortly before this accident. Patton was known for his love of speed and constantly badgered his driver to drive as fast as he possibly could. Any driver never went fast enough for Patton but his regular experienced driver was not scared to drive appropriate to the conditions. One wonders whether the new driver was driving beyond his limits because he was scared of Patton's legendary temper.

 

[Plotinus]

No, he died of a heart attack in 1934.

 

[1889]

Thats exactly what they want you to think.

In fact FDR felt that Blues music and its practicioners were subversive elements.

 

[Tank_Guy#3]

A car accident that doesn't destroy the target car completely is a very inefficient way to arrange an assignation.

That's because it wasn't an assassination.

@Plotinus: Haha, funny Plot. Though it's not technically wrong, as it was merely assumed to be General Patton. Never was it stated in the OP that we were talking about George S. Patton Jr.

 

[Cheezy the Wiz]

No, he died of a heart attack in 1934.

Leading by example, are we now?

 

[Plotinus]

I was just trying to make exactly the point that Tank Guy did. Be more specific! Not everyone automatically thinks of soldiers when presented with nothing more than a surname.