General George Patton, Jr. Signed Photograph.

PATTON JR., George S.

Item Number: 96598

Original black and white photograph of General George Smith Patton, Jr. shaking hands with Lieutenant General Alexander Patch. Boldly signed by General Patton, “GS Patton Jr.” and Alexander Patch, “Lieut Patch.” Alexander Patch was a senior United States Army officer who fought in both World War I and World War II, rising to rank of general. During World War II, he commanded U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps forces during the Guadalcanal Campaign, and the U.S. Seventh Army on the Western Front in the invasion of southern France in Operation Dragoon on 15 August 1944. In September 1944, the Seventh Army joined forces with the Third Army, under General Patton in Dijon. In near fine condition. Double matted and framed. The entire piece measures 17 inches by 15 inches.

General George Smith Patton was a senior officer of the United States Army who commanded the United States Seventh Army in the Mediterranean and European theaters of World War II, but is best known for his leadership of the U.S. Third Army in France and Germany following the Allied invasion of Normandy in June 1944. Born in 1885 to a family with an extensive military background (with members having served in the United States Army and Confederate States Army), Patton attended the Virginia Military Institute and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He studied fencing and designed the M1913 Cavalry Saber, more commonly known as the "Patton Sword", and partially due to his skill in the sport, he competed in the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden. Patton first saw combat during the Pancho Villa Expedition in 1916, taking part in America's first military action using motor vehicles. He later joined the newly formed United States Tank Corps of the American Expeditionary Forces and saw action in World War I, commanding the U.S. tank school in France before being wounded while leading tanks into combat near the end of the war. In the interwar period, Patton remained a central figure in the development of armored warfare doctrine in the U.S. Army, serving in numerous staff positions throughout the country. Rising through the ranks, he commanded the 2nd Armored Division at the time of the American entry into World War II.