PATTON

He remains the most famous Allied general of the Second World War thanks to George C Scott’s unforgettable performance in the Oscar winning movie. But our remarkable documentary reveals there was vastly more to Patton than his so-called lust for glory. We provide a concise and comprehensive overview of the great battlefield commander the Wehrmacht’s generals most feared. The son of a rich, distinguished family, the young Patton loved the Classics and history, was an Olympic athlete and “master of the Sword”. But he also had revolutionary ideas about how the US Army should fight modern wars. Ideas he tested against reality in action in Mexico and the Great War. We study his complex relationships with other generals and follow his successful Second World War campaigns in North Africa, Italy, the Low Countries, but also his unsuccessful “behind-the-scenes” confrontations with his superiors and the politicians. We show how he could be worshipped by the ordinary GIs under his command because of his care for them, yet still come close to being court-martialed in notorious incidents involving men recovering in hospital. His life ended in controversy and mystery and we examine the reality behind this. In one brilliant hour of amazing images and wonderful words, we deliver History’s Verdict on General George S Patton.