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In early August 1943, Lieutenant General George S. Patton garnered substantial controversy after he slapped two United States Army soldiers under his command during the Sicily Campaign of World War II. Patton's hard-driving personality and lack of belief in the medical condition then known as "battle fatigue" led to the soldiers becoming the subject of his ire in incidents on 3 and 10 August, when Patton struck and berated them after discovering they were patients at evacuation hospitals away from the front lines without apparent physical injuries. Word of the incidents spread among troops, eventually reaching Patton's superior, General Dwight Eisenhower, who ordered him to apologize. Patton's actions were initially suppressed in the news until journalist Drew Pearson publicized them, drawing significant attention in the United States. While Congress and the general public expressed both support and disdain for Patton's actions, Eisenhower and Army Chief of Staff George C. Marshall opted not to fire Patton as a commander. He was nonetheless sidelined from combat command for almost a year. Seizing the opportunity the predicament presented, Eisenhower used Patton as a decoy in Operation Fortitude, sending faulty intelligence to German agents that Patton was leading the Invasion of Europe. While Patton eventually returned to combat command in the European Theater in mid-1944, the slapping incidents were felt by Eisenhower, Marshall, and other leaders to be examples of Patton's brashness and impulsiveness. Patton's career was halted as former subordinates such as Omar Bradley became his superiors. == Background == The Allied invasion of Sicily began on 10 July 1943, with Lieutenant General George S. Patton landing 90,000 men of the Seventh United States Army near Gela, Scoglitti, and Licata to support Bernard Montgomery's British 8th Army landings to the north. Initially ordered to protect the British forces' rear, Patton took Palermo after Montgomery's forces were slowed by heavy resistance from troops of Nazi Germany and the Kingdom of Italy. Patton then set his sights on Messina. He sought an amphibious assault, but it was delayed by lack of landing craft and his troops did not land in Santo Stefano until 8 August, by which time the Germans and Italians had already evacuated the bulk of their troops to mainland Italy. Throughout the campaign, Patton's troops were heavily engaged by German and Italian forces as they pushed across the island. By the end of the battle on 16 August, the 200,000-man Seventh Army had suffered 7,500 casualties, and had killed or captured 113,000 Axis troops and destroyed 3,500 vehicles. Patton had already developed a reputation in the U.S. Army as an effective, successful, and hard-driving commander, punishing subordinates for the slightest infractions but also rewarding them when they performed well. As a way to promote an image that inspired his troops, Patton created a larger-than-life personality. He became known for his flashy dress, highly polished helmet and boots, and no-nonsense demeanor. In spite of Patton's effectiveness, General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the commander of the Sicily operation and Patton's friend and commanding officer, had long noted Patton's colorful leadership style. Eisenhower also knew that Patton was prone to impulsiveness and a lack of self-restraint. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「George S. Patton slapping incidents」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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