The Hedgehog Report – Phoenix Edition

What happened to General Patton?

December 1945. The shocking news broke that U.S. General George Patton was involved in a vehicular accident in Germany, leaving him paralyzed from the neck down. He died days later.

Patton was on the way to a hunting trip when his staff car was struck head on by a military truck. The truck driver was way off his assigned route and witness testimony suggested he might have been under the influence, explaining why the truck suddenly veered into a head on collision with Patton’s car. Patton’s driver was unhurt. The subsequent investigation quickly concluded it was just a minor vehicular accident, and Patton was just unfortunate to have been thrown forward at an awkward angle resulting in a broken neck.

There have been attempts in recent years to re-think this conclusion and proposals of a conspiracy theory have spread–particularly with the dawn of the internet.

Patton was a lightning rod for trouble with his big mouth. He was constantly in and out of trouble with his superiors throughout the war, and in the subsequent occupation of Germany, he had embarrassed the USA command by failing to de-nazify administrative positions and he said that Russia was the real enemy, not Germany. He also compared Germans who joined the Nazi party to Americans who joined the Democratic party.

Given that Patton seemed unwilling to avoid the microphone, he was perceived to be a liability rather than an asset once the fighting in Europe was over. After Germany surrendered, Patton was refused a commission in the Pacific war with Japan.

The conspiracy theory suggests Patton was assassinated by truck, and when that failed to fully do the job, they finished him off in the hospital. He had started to show some improvement, even getting some feeling back in his upper body, but then took a sudden turn for the worse and died. The accident investigation was quickly wrapped up without any apparently lingering questions, adding to the apparent suspicions of those looking for a conspiracy.

What is your answer regarding Patton’s death:

1. He was an unfortunate victim of a motor vehicle accident.
2. He was taken out on purpose because he was a political liability during a time of fragile peace.