General George S. Patton Signed Photograph.

PATTON, George.

$9,800.00

Item Number: 139221

Rare original gelatin silver print photograph of General George Patton in military uniform, signed by him, “G S Patton Jr.” From the collection of Colonel Nicholas Campanole, Patton’s Assistant Chief of Staff, with a collection of typed letters and postcards addressed to him. Colonel Nicholas Campanole was aide to Gen. John J. Pershing during the Mexican campaign of 1914 and served on his staff during World War I. Physically retired in 1937, Gen. George Patton recalled him to active duty in 1942 and he remained with Patton as assistant chief of staff throughout World War II. In very good condition.

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.