George Patton was a Greater General than Bernard Law Montgomery

I will begin by addressing my Point number 3, and also my opponent's counter. We intentionally created this debate with the word "better" so that we could analyze as many aspects of the general as possible. My opponent has a valid assertion in that the general's life at home should largely be discounted - it is irrelevant as to how the general conducted himself on the battlefield. However, the problem with Patton is that he interwined his personal life with his command on the front. He was notorious for taking advantage of women at the different theatres - in France, England, Italy and even Germany! Patton behaved in this manner throughout his wartime years and considered himself, "A connoisseur of the European female form, favouring the statuesque Norman and Breton women to the shapeless Arabs, the overstuffed Italians and the boyish English." (Irving, pg. 312)" Many men have cheated on their wives while overseas. Patton is no different, I still don't see how this fits in with this debate at all. The English where not the easiest people to work with. There is a reason why Patton has coined the name "Old Blood and Guts" he simply was his own man and he liked to work alone. This also may be the reason he wasn't for an alliance. "My opponent asked why Patton hadn't been dismissed if he couldn't keep military secrets. I must say that I wish I knew the answer. Eisenhower simply refused to sack any 3 Star general throughout the course of Cossack and Overlord. There were many that should have been dismissed, including but not limited to Bedell Smith, Tex. C. H. Lee, Mark Clark etc. It is obvious that Patton couldn't keep his mouth shut. On multiple occasions Patton dodged the censors by having a friend returning home carry his mail. http://books.google.ca...... During Operation Fortitude, Patton was supposed to keep the fact that he was in England a secret. What did he promptly do but equip a truck with a bullhorn and then announce his arrival to the countryside. Patton was never privy to Ultra or involved in the planning of Overlord." The secrets that he leaked obviously didn't affect the U.S. or the Allies severely enough for us to lose the war. The British are probably as guilty as the U.S. in leaking secrets, so do not act like Patton and the U.S. military where the only ones at fault. "My apologies, as it isn't Walkers but Waters, Patton's son in law. Patton sent 300 soldiers and 57 tanks and other vehicles to "liberate" a prisoner of war camp that he suspected his son in law was imprisoned in. The camp was deep in enemy territory and only 35 men made it back - all vehicles were lost. He made reckless charges, contravened strategy (such as the incident at Messina) and even directly disobeyed orders from Ike (such as through the Black Forest when he had been ordered to halt, but proceeded anyway, stealing petrol from other units)." If you where in a position where you had the power to save one of your own in a time of war wouldn't you act on it as well? His son in law was part of his family, and all he wanted to do was to save him from the murderous Nazis. Here is a scenario for my opponent to think about. If your mother was in a Nazi concentration camp, wouldn't you try and save her?? Patton simply didn't see the need to halt, he simply wanted to get the job done. He knew what he and his men could accomplish, and he wanted to get the job done quicker than the U.S. and the Allies where willing to. When Patton's army was stealing fuel he was simply doing what was needed to accomplish his goal. Rules are meant to be broke, and when you have a world that is trying to be taken over by the Nazis, and the fate of the world hangs in the balance. Patton did what he thought was needed and that was breaking the rules. "Patton bathed in luxury and delight, fine artwork and lavish accommodations while his men slogged through the mud at the front. (Keep this in mind; I'm going to note this, later) There are a plethora of balls, dinners etc. that Patton attended throughout the course of the war; his social life was quite active, and he (as well as a number of American generals) acted as if rationing in the United States and much of Europe was nonexistent. While engaging the enemy at the Metz, for example, while his soldiers suffered from the trauma of constant fighting, Patton headquartered in a lovely Regensburg castle of German design. (Irving, pg. 406)" During his sweep across France, to his time in Africa, to the takeover of French ports. Patton would watch his troops from a tank, ship or jeep. My opponent can say what he want about Patton, but no matter what he was great. He expected more from his troops than many other commander, and they never let him down. This is a quote from an article about the siege of Bastone"The Third Army had to stop a full scale attack they had started to the east, pull back the entire army, swing around ninety degrees to the north, and then begin another full scale attack on the southern flank of the German forces. Nothing like that had ever been done in the history of warfare. Everyone thought it was impossible except General Patton. He knew his men could do the impossible. It only took three days for the Third army to perform that massive maneuver. Today, military historians readily admit that only Patton's Third Army could have accomplished a maneuver like that and make it look easy. Patton always demanded more from his soldiers than other commanders did and they never let him down. Patton was a hard man and a hard general, he trained his men to be the same way. My opponent states that his men where miss treated, but if they where as mistreated as he states than why did his army perform so well? You would think if men where so miss treated wouldn't do the type of things Patton's third army did. Montgomery was a great general in his own right, but he didn't have the mind nor the ability to command and concur like General Patton did. I ask that the readers of this debate vote PRO because General Patton was a better commander than Montgomery Thanks to the readers and my opponents time in this debate! I am having a blast!