An Unprepared Army
As always, out of self-interest, I’ve been watching these documentaries on General Patton, and they’re extraordinary.
(You know, he is my third cousin—at least that is what I was told.)
One thing becomes clear very quickly when talking about our situation during World War II: we were not prepared. Our armies did not stand up at all to the power of Hitler and the Germans. We were outmatched in every category. We lacked discipline; we really didn’t know how to fight, and our arsenal at the time was not able to stand against German might and innovation.
An Unorthodox Man Enters the War
In comes Patton—General George S. Patton. A completely unorthodox man and leader. He is given a chance in Africa, replacing Com. Lloyd Fredendall after the failure at Kasserine Pass. On the other side of the campaign stood the most feared German commander of the moment: Erwin Rommel.
Rommel, watching and reacting, quickly took notice of Patton because of his unorthodox style. It has been said that he even mentioned Patton in letters to his wife. What is certain, however, is that Rommel alerted the German High Command. He understood that this American commander was different—unorthodox even by American standards. He was unpredictable. Because of that concern, the Germans pressed for renewed action, moving quickly in an effort to strike again before Patton could fully reshape the American forces and impose his own way of fighting. At least, that was the calculation.
Reform Before Victory
After the American pummeling at Kasserine Pass in Africa under Com. Lloyd Fredendall, Patton came in and did something few believed possible. He transformed an entire corps in record time. He imposed discipline, order, and relentless pressure. Confusion was no longer tolerated. Hesitation was removed. Fear was not allowed.
And the men under him—at least most of them—believed in him. The rest of the military, and even some politicians, raised an eyebrow or two in concern over his methods. But his men were ready to follow him and were willing to die for him. His army learned how to move, how to obey, and how to fight with intent—how to be unpredictable.
All of this to say this: The momentum that would later change the course of history began on March 6, 1943, when Patton took command of the U.S. II Corps.
Funny enough, as always, this blog is the result of a text I was going to send my family which only contained that one sentence. And, as always, it eventually gets so extensive, it turns into a blog.
Okay, but to the subject at hand…
Join Us Each Month as We Read Through the Great Works of Church History!
Reprimanded at the Wrong Moment
And yet, even with such success, Patton was reprimanded.
Not because he wasn’t effective in battle, but because he didn’t fit the mold. His temperament, methods, and abrasiveness clashed with what the institution was prepared to tolerate. At a critical moment, the very traits that made him dangerous to the enemy made him uncomfortable to his own side.
Unleashed When It Mattered Most
But Patton was not sidelined for long. In fact, Hitler’s fear of Patton was so great that even while Patton was temporarily benched, his aura was used to misdirect the Germans in the lead-up to Normandy.
Once unleashed again in France, his way of war reshaped the campaign. After the breakout in France, he drove his army forward at a pace no one believed could be sustained. He fought through terrain and conditions no general had ever attempted at that speed, accepting casualties because the stakes were too high to slow down. When the 101st Airborne was surrounded at Bastogne, Patton pivoted his entire army in the dead of winter and broke through enemy lines in days to relieve them—something no one thought possible.
It can very easily be argued that without Patton, we would all be Germans today—or Nazis.
Why? Again, because he knew the stakes.
Get Your Manuscript Now!
Chosen for the Moment
There is so much more that could be said, but my thesis here is not a bout Patton, but about God. This is often how God works.
God uses unorthodox people to change the world substantially when the time is necessary and when the stakes are high.
Their character is often not the kind we would approve of in other situations, their personality may be off-putting, and they are not the kind we would always recommend as a model for others.
Think of Nebuchadnezzar—an arrogant pagan king used to discipline nations and humble Israel. Think of Habakkuk, who openly questioned God: Why do You use the wicked to judge those more righteous than themselves? Think of Martin Luther—brilliant, faithful, and courageous, yet neurotic, abrasive, impulsive, and often unbearable by modern standards.
And then there are the apostles. Jesus chose twelve men who, by every worldly measure, had nothing going for them. They were not scholars, Pharisees, or religious leaders. They had no influence, no formal training, and no standing. They were fishermen, tax collectors, and ordinary men.
These are not people chosen because they fit the mold. They are chosen because the moment demanded people who would not be constrained by accepted standards. And in that sense, Patton fits the pattern exactly. His personality was harsh, his manner abrasive, and his temperament difficult to tolerate. He was not the kind of man we would choose in ordinary times, nor one we would easily recommend as a general model for leadership. But when the stakes were as high as they could possibly be, he was the man needed for the moment. Like others God has used throughout history, Patton was not chosen because he was ideal, but because the time demanded someone willing to act when caution, comfort, and conformity would have failed.
