AMERICAN GENERAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 25 November 1943, Page 3

AMERICAN GENERAL

CALLED TO ACCOUNT FOR STRIKING SHELL-SHOCKED SOLDIER. ' EPISODE OF SICILIAN CAMPAIGN. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) LONDON, November 23. Lieutenant-General G. S. Patton, commander of the Seventh Army, has apologised to all his officers and men for striking a soldier during the Sicilian campaign. At the same time, Allied Headquarters in Algiers has permitted correspondents to reveal the facts of the case. General Patton struck a shell-shocked soldier in a hospital tent because he thought the soldier was shirking his duty. General Patton in a fit of fury expressed sympathy for men who were really wounded, but made it plain that he did not believe this particular soldier was in that category. General Patton struck the youth with the back of his hand. The commanding officer of the hospital intervened, but General Patton, still in a high temper, expressed his views again and berated the stricken soldier, who offered to return to the front.

The facts showed that the soldier had an excellent record, had founght throughout the Tunisian and Sicilian campaigns, and had been diagnosed as a medical case a week earlier, but re= fused to leave his post. Finally a doctor had ordered him to hospital. The incident was reported to General Eisenhower, who wrote to General Patton denouncing his conduct, and ordering him to make amends or be removed from his command. General Patton apologised to the stricken soldier, to the hospital commander, and to all those present at the time, and explained that at a time of stress a general is under great nervous tension and may do things which he afterward regrets. . When the incident was first disclosed by the columnist Drew Pearson it was officially denied that General Eisenhower reprimanded General Patton. A high-ranking official at Allied Headquarters, in a statement today on the incident, repeated the official denial that General Eisenhower reprimanded General Patton, but disclosed that General Eisenhower “mercilessly castigated”, General Patton after the slapping incident. The official explained that a reprimand would mean official, military punishment. i

Known as “Two-gun Patton” because of the armament at his belt, the general has been widely publicised in the American Press as a highly colourful soldier. He formed ths United States first tank division, trained the tank forces for the North African campaign, and commanded the troops who captured Bizerta. Later he commanded forces in Sicily.