7 Things German Generals Couldn't Understand About Patton's Army

They thought they had already figured out the American soldier. Then they met George S. Patton's Third Army. Seven things about Patton's army that German commanders never saw coming: the beaten army of Kasserine Pass, neckties and helmets under fire, a phantom army group that kept a whole German army waiting at Calais, generals who were replaced if they stalled, a flank guarded by fighter-bombers, an army that ran on gasoline and the Red Ball Express, and a printed prayer for good weather days before the Battle of the Bulge. It ends at Bastogne. Chapters 0:00 Intro 0:53 Part 1: The Army They Had Already Judged 2:23 Part 2: Neckties Under Fire 3:31 Part 3: The Army That Did Not Exist 5:01 Part 4: Generals Who Did Not Last 6:02 Part 5: Moving Without Orders 7:44 Part 6: An Army on Wheels 9:04 Part 7: A Prayer for the Weather 11:32 Final Thoughts Photos: U.S. National Archives, U.S. Army, Library of Congress and Wikimedia Commons contributors (public domain and Creative Commons licenses). Photo credits Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-721-0372-13A, Frankreich, Offiziere in Schwimmwagen - Koll / Bundesarchiv - CC BY-SA 3.0 de George S. Patton, Luxembourg American Cemetery - Gbern3 - CC BY-SA 4.0 American Cemetery, Luxembourg (IMG 20210919 115157) - Matti Blume - CC BY-SA 4.0 Bundesarchiv Bild 183-L08129, Gerd v. Rundstedt (thumbnail) - Bundesarchiv - CC BY-SA 3.0 de Which of these seven surprised you most? Tell us in the comments. #militaryhistory #ww2 #patton