21st December 1945. Tokyo, Japan. General Douglas MacArthur sits in his office in the Daichi Assurance Building, the headquarters from where he administrates occupied Japan. An aid brings him an urgent telegram from Europe. MacArthur reads it quickly. His expression, normally irascible, shows a flash of something. Surprise, perhaps sadness. He sets the telegram down on his desk. General George S. Patton Jr. is dead. He died that morning in a military hospital in Heidelberg, Germany, 12 days after a “car accident” that broke his neck and left him paralyzed. Patton was 60 years old. He’d survived the Mexican-American War, WWI, WWII, multiple combat commands, and countless battles.
Most recently, Patton had led armies across North Africa, Sicily, France, and Germany. He was one of the most famous generals in American history. Now he was gone, not killed in combat, but dead from “injuries sustained in a minor car accident” on a country road in Germany. MacArthur, from accounts of his staff officers, sat quietly for several moments after reading the news. MacArthur then begins drafting a statement. This is the story of what he said when Patton died, how MacArthur memorialized his fellow general, and what MacArthur’s words revealed about his view of Patton and of military greatness. In order to understand Mac’s position, we need consider both men to understand the relationship between them and why Patton’s death mattered to MacArthur.
Douglas MacArthur and George Patton were not close friends. They served in different theaters during World War II. MacArthur in the Pacific, Patton in Europe. They rarely met and corresponded infrequently. Their careers were parallel yet separate, however, they knew each other. The two had served together briefly decades earlier in WWI and they shared certain characteristics that made each recognize something in the other. MacArthur was born 26 January 1880. Patton was born 11 November 1885-the day which became Veterans’ Day, as that is when the Armistice of WWI was signed. Both came from military families. MacArthur’s father, Arthur MacArthur Jr., was a Yankee Civil War hero and a general. Patton’s grandfather had been a Civil War Confederate colonel, and his family revered military tradition. Both men attended West Point, though at different times.
MacArthur graduated in 1903, first in his class. Patton graduated in 1909 after an extra year due to academic struggles. Their first documented interaction came during World War I. Both served in France in 1918. MacArthur commanded the 42nd Rainbow Division. Patton commanded the early tank units. Military records show, they met at least once during that war, though accounts of this meeting are sparse. After WWI, their paths crossed again in the United States. In the 1920s and 1930s, both were rising officers in the peacetime army. Various accounts report, they encountered each other at military functions and in Washington, D.C.
The most significant interaction between MacArthur and Patton came in 1932 during the Bonus Army incident. Official records reflect, MacArthur, then, Army Chief of Staff, commanded the operation to clear World War I veterans from their protest encampment in Washington, D.C. Patton, then a major, commanded cavalry and tank units that participated in the operation. This was a controversial episode. Veterans who had served in WWI were camping in Washington, demanding early payment of bonuses promised to them for financial hardship relief from The Great Depression. (The bonuses weren’t paid out until 1945…) President Herbert Hoover ordered the then regular army to clear the protesting veterans out of the encampment. MacArthur commanded the operation. Patton was one of the officers executing MacArthur’s orders. Contemporary accounts recorded that Patton followed MacArthur’s orders without question. Years later, both men would have different recollections of the event. The bottom line was, in 1932, Patton served under MacArthur in a difficult and unpopular operation. After 1932, their paths diverged. MacArthur went to the Philippines to organize the Filipino Army. Patton remained in the United States, continuing his career in the cavalry, which became the armored forces, due to Patton’s influence and understanding of mechanized warfare.
During World War II, MacArthur was in the Pacific Theatre, Patton, the European Theatre. According to available records, they exchanged few if any letters during the war, so their contact was minimal at best. They were aware of each other’s achievements through news reports and military communications, but they weren’t collaborating or even communicating regularly. Interestingly, both men followed similar approaches to warfare. Both believed in aggressive offense. Both valued mobility and boldness. Both cultivated distinctive public images. Mac with his corn cob pipe and sunglasses. Patton with his ivory-handled pistols and profane speeches. Both were controversial. MacArthur feuded with civilian leadership and was famously difficult to manage. Patton made politically damaging, albeit factual, statements and slapped two soldiers. Patton’s relationship with Eisenhower was strained, as Ike had to manage other allies as Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force. MacArthur didn’t have to answer to an Eisenhower in the Pacific, as he was the “Ike of the Pacific.” 8 May 1945 ended the war in Europe; 2 September 1945 ended the war in the Pacific.
MacArthur was supreme commander for the Allied powers in Japan, essentially ruling the country during that occupation. MacArthur had complete autonomy. Patton had been commanding the 15th Army in Germany, a largely administrative posting as Governor General of Bavaria, documenting the war’s history. Patton’s position in Germany had become problematic, as he had made controversial statements about Nazis, comparing Nazi party membership to Democratic or Republican party membership in America, as well as keeping the Germans (former Nazis) working for the infrastructure to keep electricity, telephones, water works, trains, etc., operational. These all created outrage from the U.S. politicos and some of the Allies. As a result of this pressure, Ike relieved Patton of his command of the 3rd Army in October 1945 and demoted him to the 15th Army posting in Bavaria. Per his diary entries and letters to his wife, Patton was unhappy with this demotion. He felt unappreciated and bitter about his treatment, which was not unfounded, considering the Allies might have lost the war were it not for his commands, the most impressive being the Battle of The Bulge in January of 1944.
Patton was planning to return to the United States and retire from active service. On 9 December 1945, Patton was riding in a car near Mannheim, Germany. According to the “official accident report”, his car collided with a U.S. Army truck at low speed. Patton was thrown forward and “struck his head on a metal partition in the car”.
The impact broke his neck and severed his spinal cord, leaving him paralyzed from the neck down, while the other passengers were completely unscathed. For twelve days, Patton lay in a hospital in Heidelberg. Medical records and accounts from those present state “he was conscious and aware, but unable to move”. He knew he was dying.
On 21 December 1945, at 17:50, Patton died from a pulmonary embolism and congestive heart failure. News of Patton’s death spread quickly through military channels. The news reached MacArthur in Tokyo on 22 December Japan time due to the time difference. MacArthur’s immediate reaction is documented in accounts from staff officers present. He received the telegram informing him of Patton’s death and read it without comment. He then asked to be left alone for a few minutes. After this brief period, per these accounts, MacArthur called in his staff and began dictating a statement about Patton’s death. The statement Mac issued is preserved in military archives and was published in newspapers. MacArthur’s statement read as follows:
“The death of General Patton is a great loss to the army and to the nation. He was one of the most brilliant soldiers America has produced. His daring and resourcefulness were matched by his tactical skill and strategic vision. He was a great captain who will take his place in history with the finest field commanders of all time.”
This statement was formal and measured, typical of official military tributes. Accounts from those present when MacArthur dictated it, he spoke more extensively about Patton before settling on this concise statement. According to his aid, Colonel Sydney Huff’s later account, Mac said something to the effect that “Patton was a warrior in the truest sense and that men like Patton are born for war and die when war is over.” Huff’s account suggests MacArthur saw Patton as a man whose natural element was combat and who struggled during peacetime. This was not a criticism. MacArthur himself was a warrior who thrived in war and found peacetime frustrating. Mac’s official statement was cabled to Washington, D.C. and released to the press. Newspaper accounts from 22 December 1945, Eastern Standard Time, contained MacArthur’s tribute alongside statements from other military leaders.
General Eisenhower issued a statement saying, “General Patton was one of the most brilliant soldiers of his time. His boldness, energy, and tactical genius were vital to Allied victory in Europe.” General George Marshall, Army Chief of Staff, said, “General Patton’s death is a great loss to the Army and to the nation. He was a combat leader without peer.” President Harry Truman issued a statement, “The nation has lost one of its greatest soldiers. General Patton’s service in two world wars demonstrated the highest traditions of American military leadership.”
MacArthur’s private comments about Patton went beyond his official statement. Per Mac’s biographer, William Manchester, interviewed people who worked with MacArthur. The general privately expressed admiration for Patton’s aggressive leadership and combat success. MacArthur saw Patton as a kindred spirit; another general who understood that war required bold action, aggressive leadership, and willingness to take risks. MacArthur embodied these qualities, as well as acknowledged them in Patton. Mac also recognized that both Patton and he were controversial figures who created “problems” for civilian leadership. Both had been criticized for insubordination. Both had feuded with their superiors. Both had said things that created “political problems”. Mac’s statement about Patton “being one of the most brilliant soldiers America has produced” was significant.
Those who knew MacArthur, knew he rarely gave such unqualified praise to other generals. MacArthur was confident in his own abilities while sometimes dismissive of others. His praise of Patton was genuine respect. In the days following Patton’s death, MacArthur received more information about the circumstances of Patton’s demise. He was troubled by the fact that Patton had died in a “car accident” rather than in combat. Huff’s account about MacArthur said something about “it being tragic that a warrior like Patton didn’t die in battle.” This reflected a romantic view of military service that both warriors shared-the idea that great generals should fall in combat, not in peacetime accidents.
Patton was buried on 24 December 1945 in the American Military Cemetery in Luxembourg among the soldiers of his Third Army. MacArthur remained in Tokyo, occupied with the duties of governing Japan. Mac did not send a personal representative to Patton’s funeral. He did not send a wreath or any personal tribute beyond his official statement. The distance between Tokyo and Luxembourg as well as MacArthur’s responsibilities in Japan made attendance impractical and virtually impossible.
In the years after Patton’s death, MacArthur occasionally spoke about Patton in speeches and interviews. He always spoke respectfully of Patton as a great combat leader. In his 1964 memoir, Reminiscences, he devoted a brief passage to Patton. He wrote: “George Patton was one of the great captains of war. His tactical brilliance and aggressive leadership contributed immeasurably to Allied victory in Europe.” This was consistent with MacArthur’s public statement from 1945. Respectful, admiring, but not deeply personal. MacArthur and Patton respected each other but were not close friends. They recognized similar qualities in each other: boldness, aggression, leadership, and a romantic view of warfare. Mac saw Patton as a warrior who belonged on the battlefield, not behind a desk. He saw Patton’s death as the end of an era-the passing of a type of general who thrived in combat but struggled in peacetime.
MacArthur himself would face similar challenges. Like Patton, MacArthur was a combat leader who clashed with civilian authority. Like Patton, MacArthur would eventually be removed from command, fired by President Truman in 1951 for insubordination during the Korean War. Perhaps MacArthur recognized in Patton’s fate a preview of his own. Both were warriors who couldn’t quite fit into peacetime military service. Both created controversies. Both were brilliant in battle, but difficult to manage. What MacArthur said when Patton died was measured and appropriate. But what MacArthur might have thought: that he and Patton were similar souls, warriors born for combat who struggled when the fighting stopped may have gone unspoken.
The historical record gives us MacArthur’s official statement and a few reported private comments. They show respect and recognition of Patton’s military achievements, but the full extent of MacArthur’s reaction to Patton’s death, his private thoughts and feelings remain largely undocumented. What we know is this. When George Patton died, MacArthur called him “one of the most brilliant soldiers America has produced and a great captain who will take his place in history with the finest field commanders of all time.” Coming from MacArthur, a general not known for praising others generously, these words represented high praise. They placed Patton in the highest ranks of American military leadership, not just in MacArthur’s personal estimation, but in the judgment of history. Perhaps that’s what mattered most to both men-their mark on history. MacArthur’s tribute to Patton acknowledged that Patton had earned that place, and, that his name would endure alongside the great military leaders of the past. For two generals who cared deeply about legacy and historical reputation, this recognition from one to the other carried weight. MacArthur was saying that Patton had achieved what both men sought: greatness in the profession of arms and a place in the pantheon of military history.
Support Independent Local Journalism — High Country Advocate was created as a real alternative to regional media that too often silences dissenting voices while taking sides in the political struggle. Producing in-depth, unflinching reporting like this series and others is expensive: servers, editing, research time, and legal review all add up quickly. If these articles have informed you or given you new perspective, please consider supporting HCA with a paid subscription — every subscriber helps keep this reporting strong and independent. 