Leadership of General George S. Patton Essay Example

General George Patton was an adaptive leader. He was a resilient leader that used new methods to aid in World War I and II. Throughout his career, it can be shown that he taught others his skills, was driven, risk-taking, tactically and technically proficient, and an instigator of change. He utilized transformational leadership skills by focusing on the long-term goal of winning the wars. Moreover, he molded organization and taught his troops to be tactically proficient. Although General Patton may have ignored some of his higher up commands and moved away from known military tactics, he was outstanding adaptive leader. 

General George Patton started his military career young. He enrolled in the Virginia Military Institute for a year and then transferred to West Point. After graduating in June 1909, he commissioned as a second lieutenant in the calvary. Patton was a driven individual; he knew from a young age what it took to become a solider. 

Later in General Patton’s career, while attending the Mounted Service School in Fort Riley, Kansas he was awarded the title Master of the Sword due to his stellar ability to fence which he learned at West Point. While being an instructor of swordsmanship, he designed the U.S. Model 1913 Enlisted Cavalry Saber, known as the Patton Sword. Shortly after leaving Fort Riley, General Patton partook in his first battle in 1916 when Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa led an attack on the border town of Columbus, New Mexico. In turn, Patton was responsible for killing three of Villas men during a raid. General Patton was a resilient leader and confident during this battle which strengthen his adaptive leadership qualities. Additionally, Patton partaking in the battle as well allowed for him to earn respect among his soldiers. 

Patton quickly moved up the ranks once World War I started. He moved from captain to major to lieutenant colonel through his services. He helped organize, train, and design uniforms for the new tank units. Patton was a proactive leader and tactically and technically proficient which was proven through his ability to train these units. 

On September 12, 1918, Patton ignored orders to stay in radio contact and personally led the first US tank units into battle during the Saint-Mihiel offense. During the battle, he was wounded and refused to be taken to the hospital until he spoke to his commander. Due to this, he was promoted to temporary rank of colonel and awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. Due to Patton’s extensive knowledge of tanks and tank warfare, he was promoted colonel in 1938 as he continued to train soldiers. This solidifies that General Patton was an adaptive leader; he used his skillset to train others and gained recognition by refusing to go to the hospital until speaking to his commander. 

As World War II continued, General Patton organized and led several battles. He organized the Desert Training Center to simulate combat and maneuvers in the harsh North African climate. He was also the commanding general of the western task force during the successful US landings at Casablanca in 1942. Additionally, he led the US Seventh Army into Sicily. He used tactical skills and thought through this march to aid in the capturing of Palermo and Messina. General Patton was publicly placed in command of the First US Army Group who although was not operational until August 1, managed to capture Mayenne, Laval, Le Mans, Reims, and Chalons by the end of the month. He led his Third Army across northern France in 1944 in a campaign that disregarded classic military rules. He adapted to the times of the war and used intuition to lead his men. At the time, he may have not been a traditional leader; however, his risk-taking critical thinking skills did not prove him wrong or his men.

The Third Army helped pushed the Germans back in World War II. Under the command of Patton, the Third Army was able to relieve US 101 Airborne Division at Bastogne with surprising speed. By the end of January 1945, the Third Army has reached the German frontier. General Patton was instructed to bypass certain territories due to lack a of soldiers; however, he ignored these messages and continued to storm the area. Through use of critical thinking, problem solving, and resilience General Patton and the troops he led made headway in the war. They cleared the entire north region of the Moselle River, and sweep Saar and Palatinate. Overall, Patton’s Third Army captures more than 80,000 square miles within 9 months. There were 137,000 casualties, but 10 times that was inflicted on the enemy. After the Germans surrendered and Patton maintain other military positions, he died due to a low-speed car accident on December 9, 1945. 

Ultimately, Patton was a leader not a follower. He used his knowledge to train his soldiers and to maintain there well beings. Using his expertise and critical thinking, he was able to capture thousands of miles of land even though he was warned not to due to lack of soldiers. He adapted to the circumstances that were presented to him and his armies and figured a way to solve them. General Patton is an adaptive leader.