General Patton's Grave

[Glockster35]

Today I visited General Patton's Grave site. It is located at a American Cemetary and Memorial in the city of Hamm, Luxembourg.

While I had wanted to actually plan a trip to this cemetary and bring along my camera, we happened upon it today while lost. My wife and I decided since we were without the kids, it would be a perfect opportunity to really get to look this place over, and spend time with thet troops. We walked through this lovely military cemetary to honor the troops burried there, and reflect on what happened so many years ago in the area where we are currently stationed.

I have never been to Arlington, or any other Military Cemetary before, and all I can say is it is a must see.

 

[kbr80]

Been there, it is a great tribute to one of our greatest warriors. It is humbling to say the least.

 

[nick89302]

I am stationed at Ramstein AB. This summer I had the oppourtunity to see the Normandy Beaches and the Museum. If you get the chance to go out there make sure you drive or rent a car while you're there. Don't miss Point Du Hoc.

 

[Nando Aqui]

It is a moving experience. Even for a young boy... My grandson was 11 years old when he wrote the following after having visited the Cemetery and Memorial:
==========================================
The Luxembourg National Cemetery and Memorial
By Kyle
Written March 15, 2002

A sunny day.
A beautiful day.
The wind blowing steadily.
Hearts racing.
Two pillars.
Each with thousands of names.
Two flags.
Each red, white and blue.
Both waving the same way.
Beyond the flags....over a thousand graves.
One lone grave standing in front of an Army.
As if leading this Army to the battle.

I walk down the steps, around the flags and toward the grave.
Gen. George S. Patton, Jr.
1885-1945
It is not the only grave.
Many others had died.

It was beautiful in a sad way.
This is how we honor those who died for their country.
Many books have been written, few dedicated.
If they are dedicated, it is usually to one soul.

This poem is dedicated to all those who fought the battle strong in all wars.
To others the Army means nothing.
To me, it means honor.
Some see this and think...How? Why?
I hope that this is a poem to teach those that think nothing of the Army to think twice.

Red for courage,
Blue for loyalty,
White for purity.
========================================

Am I proud? You bet!

 

[Glockster35]

Nick89302,

After my time at the cemetary today, I am thinking of planning a trip to Normandy next summer. Thanks for the reminder on it though.

Nando Aquí,

That is a great poem, he must be a great boy, you should be very proud.

Last December I marched in the 25th annual 101st Airborne "March on Bastogne". It is a march around several locations involved in the Battle of the Bulge.

You start out at 0800, and walk (20KM or 11 miles if I recall correctly). They have re-enactors on hand, and midway is a real WW2 soup kitchen set up for a quick meal.

Was really neat to be involved in this event.

Post covering the March on Bastogne

I never made it to the 82nd's March in January or February due to the War in Iraq. Maybe this coming year I will take it on.

 

[Justin]

Would someone please post about Patton's pair of ivory-handled revolvers so I don't have to lock this thread for being off-topic?

Thanks.
(BTW, they can be seen at the Ft. Knox Patton Museum.)

 

[semf]

Gen Patton carried a pair of ivory handeled revolvers

 

[submin]

I'm searching. This will keep it on topic. Patton is one of my favorite Americans.

Glockster, I'm envious.

 

[robear]

IIRC, one of those revolvers was one of the earliest S&W .357 Magnums..

Saw it on the History Channel..

R

 

[submin]

Found it.

serial # 332088
Shipped March 4 1916
cost $50.00
4 3/4" barrel
overall length 10 1/4"
weight 38 oz.


Yep. You can see the 357's and several other guns belonging to the old soldier at http://www.pattonhq.com/homeghq.html Scroll down to Patton's pistols.

Salute ‘Ol Great One

 

[Holly76201]

Nando Aqui,
Your grandson's poem gave me cold chills. Very moving.

 

[BluesBear]

Interesting Patton website, but Patton's Colt 1903 Pocket Automatic was a .32 NOT a .380 and it only had 3 stars on the grip.

 

[Kentucky Rifle]

I think I read that he had holsters made to look alike, but one revolver was in a different caliber and barrel length. I've been to the museum and I took a look at those pistols but I can't remember for sure.

KR

 

[c_yeager]

If memory serves he carried both a .45 colt (forget manufacture) and a .357 both with ivory handles and in matching holsters. I recall him reffering to his .357 as his killin' gun. And i really hope that the walther is NOT pearl handled. There was a quote that i probably shouldnt repeat here about Patton's fealings on peal gripped revolvers.

 

[stellarpod]

Nando Aquí:

Incredible insight from such a young boy. I'm humbled by his writing. I hope his family has encouraged him to keep it up.

stellarpod

 

[Gabby Hayes]

From Charles Whiting's "The Battle of Hurtgen Forest," p.271:

For those interested in the ironies of history, no leading U.S. politician has ever visited Blood and Guts' grave. Even President Reagan, when he was a mere 20 miles away at Bitburg during his controversial visit to Germany, never took the half-hour journey to the grave of one of World War II's leading U.S. generals.

 

[Glockster35]

I currently live on the old Bitburg base, but have never heard where Nuts, Blood and Guts is burried, you say 20 minutes away, but where at?

I have a picture of his bust, it sits in the town square of Bastogne Belgium, but never knew he was burried nearby here. I will make the trip to pay my respects.

"NUTS"

 

[Gabby Hayes]

I think you may be mixing up General Patton, "Old Blood and Guts," with Brig. Gen. Tony McAuliffe, Acting Division Commander of the 101st Airborne troops at Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge. McAuliffe gave his famous "Nuts" response to the German surrender ultimatum at Bastogne on Dec. 22, 1944.

Here's a link to Patton's famous "Blood and Guts" speech that he gave on June 5, 1944 on the eve of the Normandy landings: http://www.geoffmetcalf.com/patton_20010914.html

As long as you're in the area, you might want to take a trip to the small town of Vossenack, a bit south of Aachen in the Hurtgen Forest, site of a long, fruitless, and very bloody battle in the months leading up to the Bulge. There you'll find one of the Heroes' Cemeteries, as the Germans call such places, where Generalfeldmarschall Walter Model is buried.

 

[Glockster35]

You are right, I am mixing them up. I am not a WW2 buff, nor a military history buff. I just figured while I was here I would visit the sites where these tremendous battles took place, and many Americans lost their lives.

 

[submin]

Here is a picture of Pattons S&W .357 mag revolver.

serial # 47022
S&W .357 mag revolver
shipped Oct. 18 1935
cost $60.00
3 1/2" barrel
weight 41 oz.

The Colt Mod 1908 and the Rem. Mod 51 pictured in the Patton link were not Pattons but are examples of guns he owned.

I'm still envious of Glockster. I'd love to go to Europe to see the things he is seeing. :^)

 

[Gabby Hayes]

Glockster35, if you're going to be in Bitburg for any length of time, and are interested in WW-II battlefields, you might want to do a little web research on the battle of the Hurtgen (or "Huertgen") Forest, the thick, rugged, densely wooded hilly area south of Aachen. It was one of the longest and most brutal battles in American military history, so bloody in fact that the U.S. pretty much tried to sweep its losses under the rug in the post-war years. And the battle was, according to many military historians, unnecessary.

In the six months of combat, the American high command sent eight infantry and two armored divisions, plus several smaller U.S. outfits into what the troops called the "Death Factory," of the Hurtgen. In a matter of 14 days on average, most rifle companies suffered up to 50% casualties. The 9th Infantry Division's 60th Regiment and the 4th Infantry's 22nd Regiment staggered back out with 100% losses. The 2nd Ranger Battalion was thrown in and virtually decimated. Thirty thousand Americans were killed or wounded there.

The area is so rugged that, according to the officials at the German military cemetery at Vossenack, six or seven skeletons are still delivered each year, found by hunters and others wandering the old forests looking for relics from the slaughter of the 1944-45 period.

The Battle of the Bulge got all the attention and publicity, but if you want to know anything the history of WW-II in western Europe, you'll want to learn about the Hurtgen.

 

[mcshot]

This discussion brings out memory fragments about Patton's death. I recall a report that his injuries were not consistent with the vehicle accident and some speculated that a Czech "debris gun" may have been used to deliver the fatal blow. I know this was a controversial topic and its been years if not a decade or two since I read about this. Anyone with a better recollection?
mc

 

[Jaco]

Patton's 1903 was a .32 with four stars, not a .380 and not three stars.

 

[SATCOM]

Unique Chance

Glockster35,

Glad you and your family found the cemetary at Hamm. I visited there often, as part of my hobby (Military Histroy) and teaching soldiers about WW II battles. My last duty assignment as a Senior NCO was in K-town. I found so many of the troops did not have an appreciation or understanding of what sacrifices thier fellow soldiers had made during the war. I would teach a battle one week and the next put them in a bus and drive to the battle field. I taught the Battle of the Bulge many times. The Luxemburg Cemetary has mostly those from the Battle of the Bulge. His grave was moved to the more easily found location because of such a high visitor rate. His body was to be flown home but his wife had him buried near his soldiers and to show compassion for those families whose remains could not be returned to the US. There is a German equivelant cemetary 2 Ks down the road. Once a year we would go to Class A uniforms and take flowers to both of the cemtaries.

The statue of General Patton in your hyper text is down the road a bit on the way to Bastogne. He is wearing a military 1911 flap hoster on one side and a open top for his Colt SAA on the other side.

There are several small museums between Bitburg and Bastogne. The operators are volunteers and nothing better than Americans visiting their little places.

By all means visit Normandy. Well worth the effort. And for something from
WW I try Verdun. Can you imagine a single Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers that has the bones of 100,000 French and German soldiers???!!

Not nearly as many US Forces station in Germany now days, so traveling with your family around Europe is now a unique chance to visit so much history.

Thank you for bringing back such nice memories for me.

SATCOM

 

[Nando Aqui]

Glockster, Holly, Stellarpod, et al -

Yes, proud to say the least. He has good footsteps to follow - his Dad and Uncle are both career military.

Speaking of Normany, when Kyle's Dad returned from Iraq several weeks ago after seven months, the first thing they did was go to Normandy. I believe it was the only place they hadn't been yet. (They have been in Germany for three years and have traveled all over Europe. I was fortunate to go with them to several historical sites as well, from the Luxembourg Memorial to the Eagle's Nest and many in between.)

I believe Kyle's interest in Patton and WWII started around the time when I gave him the DVD "Patton" when he was about nine. Since then, he has read many books on WWII. He also has read quite a few on WWI and Vietnam. Yes, he likes to read - and sports - and school- etc.

The Gun Related Part:
I will be giving Kyle a 1945-vintage M1 Garand for his 13th birthday. I have been working on this project for a while and will post pictures of the rifle and the presentation case when I'm done. Tony Giacobbe did the restoration and did an excellent job. Kyle's Mom and Dad know about it, but Kyle doesn't. They should be back in the US for Kyle's birthday. I can hardly wait to see his face when he sees the rifle and everything else that goes with it.

And thanks for your comments!

Alex