George Patton was a Greater General than Bernard Law Montgomery

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." The bullhorn incident which I referred to could have caused the entire collapse of Operation Fortitude. I think that each of you history devotees comprehend how integral Fortitude was to the success of D-Day and Operation Overlord. It is fortunate that English Intelligence (B1A) had completely halted uncontrolled German Intelligence in England, and so Patton was not revealed as having been in England until the necessary time - no thanks to his efforts. I did not implicate the US military, but rather emphasize Patton's perpetual pursuit for glory and his seeming belief that the war existed solely for his pleasure; Montgomery surely revelled in glory, but he never compromised security. The English and Americans were able to coordinate very well under Dwight D. Eisenhower. Eisenhower was the ideal man for the job of creating a coalition. His staff was a mix of tolerable English and Americans who were more than willing to coincide (such as Tedder, Smith, Morgan and Robb) with eachother on most issues. SHAEF's command was structured so that if an American was in charge, the English would have a depute, or vice versa. While the various members did express occasional disgust with their peers, including Montgomery, Patton was perhaps the loudest. Patton criticized, as I have stated before, his peers and his superiors. Ike himself was recipient to much of Patton's scorn, Patton was extraordinarily jealous of Bradley, scorned Clark and admired few. However, Patton recognized that Montgomery was a "good soldier", and he stated it on numerous occasions - even in the same sentence as he cursed Montgomery. To put it plainly, Patton became unstable and temperamental as the war progressed; he was tactless and definitely not charismatic in any way. Working alone doesn't fit an alliance. My opponent's assertion is somewhat strange when considering Patton's individuality quotation, "This individuality stuff is a bunch of..." [http://en.wikiquote.org...(film)] I do agree with my opponent in that Patton obviously didn't believe what he stated. My opponent queries me about my mother in a concentration camp. Concentration camps are considerably different in conditions than PoW camps. Supposing that Waters was alive and residing in the camp, he was protected by various conventions and protocols. Though he may have been bored, hungry and flea ridden, he would not have been tortured. Thence, risking the lives of three hundred for one is not practical. May I remind the readers that Patton was originally relegated to secure a very lightly held Brittany while Montgomery exercised command of Overlord? Montgomery exercised command over all allied forces throughout the duration of Overlord. It was because of his tactical brilliance that Cobra succeeded and the American forces led a breakthrough. During this time, Bradley, Hodges, Patton, Crerar, Dempsey, Devers and numerous others were all answerable directly to Montgomery. Montgomery maintained correspondence with Eisenhower even after relinquishing his command. Monty devised a strategy that would create a narrow thrust into the heart of Germany; a tactic that could end the war quickly. Eisenhower opted to prolong the war by utilizing the "broad front" approach, squeezing the Germans along a wide front toward the Elbe (this also allowed for Ardennes to become reality). Montgomery is responsible for securing the flanks and rear of the American armies during the Ardennes catastrophe. He was granted temporary command, reorganized the front and briskly halted the harrowing German strike. If Montgomery is criticized for being too cautious, then let us remember that he orchestrated the strategy that halted the Germans; Patton was able to do nothing. May I also remind the audience that Patton was awarded his fourth star many days after most of his contemporary generals (Hodges and Bradley, in particular)? Why would this be, if he was "better" than a glorious Field Marshal (note that Field Marshal exceeded even Eisenhower's rank, until the US military made an adjustment)? Lastly, my opponent proclaims that Patton made bold, daring and reckless charges. This is true on all three accounts, but one should emphasize "reckless." Oftentimes Patton would outrun his colleagues and thence leave his flanks completely exposed. This was dangerous, and had Germany been stronger, could have been disastrous. Might I also note that when he made a glorious charge, it was oftentimes against light opposition (such as his mopping up in Brittany, or the charge around Messina) while Montgomery faced some of the best divisions Germany had to offer in the West. Actually, Patton's Third Army was perhaps the most misbehaved group of soldiers that he led. While the desertion rates were typically low, there were numerous incidents in which enemy prisoners were summarily shot (especially in the aftermath of the Malmedy massacre). Also, the venereal disease rates and looting rate among his soldiers was quite high. Patton even blatantly requested that one such shooting of prisoners be hushed up, "Could we not just have the officer certify that they were snipers or escaping or something?" (Irving, pg. 98) and http://www.panzerace.net.... Of course Montgomery's soldiers were responsible for various incidences, but he definitely never attempted to cover them up or gave orders that could be interpreted as permission to commit atrocities. During operations at the Scheldt, Montgomery set up Headquarters in a trailer - it wasn't a fancy, nickel plated trailer like Eisenhower, but a functional modest trailer - he certainly wasn't living in a castle. I find it noteworthy that Montgomery always wore his beret when he inspected the soldiers. He and Ike both decided that it would be improper to appear as if they were actually doing any fighting, and so they made the soldiers feel as if their work was integral. Did Patton ever actually lead his tanks forward into battle once he gained his Third Star and Fourth star? He may have in Tunisia, but I certainly doubt that from the evidence I have read he led from the front in Normandy and Germany; he did wear his helmet, even if he hadn't been in a tank or stood at the battlefront for a week. There is so much more that could be said, due to the fact that Montgomery was such a brilliant strategist, and he was also eccentric. I think it fitting to end with the fact that Patton and Jean Gordon both died shortly after the war in Europe ended (Jean committed suicide; she apparently couldn't find a place in civilian life without George), while Montgomery and Eisenhower maintained correspondence about certain facts of the war for over twenty years. Thanks for reading, all. Thanks for the wonderful debate, Opinionator. I hope that all of you have at least gained some respect for Montgomery, despite previous sentiments. Good luck in the voting period, Opinionator. Happy New Year! 1st Lord of the Venerability