Conclusion

Prior to the Great War, George S. Patton was a lowly lieutenant known more for his personal wealth than for military ability. World War I changed all that. Always a driven and intrepid solider, Patton was a decent peacetime officer, but in peace he had no chance to rise through the ranks. World War I offered Patton a chance to prove his abilities to his superiors, his family, and, more important, himself. The war taught Patton how to organize, how to command, and how to lead men in battle and make them do things they did not want to do. Without his experience in World War I, Patton would never have learned how to prepare and lead men for war, and without this knowledge there would have been no dashing Third Army commander to help win World War II.