Patton Page #9

...we humbly beseech Thee...

...of Thy great goodness...

...to restrain this

immoderate weather...

...with which we've had to contend.

Grant us fair weather for battle.

Graciously hearken to us...

...as soldiers who call upon Thee...

... that armed with Thy power...

... we may advance

from victory to victory...

...and crush the oppression...

...and wickedness of our enemies...

...and establish Thy justice...

...among men and nations.

Amen. ''

Weather's perfect.

Cod, get me that chaplain.

He's in good with the Lord

and I want to decorate him.

Hiya, general!

Supported by medium bombers

and fighter bombers...

...flying sorties

against German positions...

...elements of the 3rd Army...

...spearheaded by the

4th Armored Division...

...drive into Bastogne...

... to relieve its 18,000 defenders...

...on the day after Christmas.

During this operation,

3rd Army moved farther and faster...

...and engaged more divisions

in less time...

... than any other army in the history

of the United States.

Excuse me, sir.

General Katkov would like to know

if you'll join him...

...to drink to the surrender

of Germany.

My compliments to the general.

Please inform him that I do not care

to drink with him...

...or any other Russian

son of a b*tch.

Sir...

...I cannot tell the general that.

You tell him that.

Tell him word for word.

The general says he thinks that...

...you are a son of a b*tch too.

Okay. I'll drink to that.

One son of a b*tch to another.

Is it true that Roosevelt,

before he died...

...promised you

a command in the Pacific?

Yes. But now that he's gone, I don't

think there's much chance of that.

Doug MacArthur

doesn't want me up there.

We're told of "wonder weapons"

the Germans were working on:

Long-range rockets,

push-button bombing...

...weapons that don't need soldiers.

"Wonder weapon"?

My God, I don't see

the wonder in them.

Killing without heroics. Nothing

is glorified, nothing is reaffirmed.

No heroes, no cowards, no troops.

No generals.

Only those that are left alive

and those that are left...

...dead.

I'm glad I won't live to see it.

It's said you're still

using former Nazis in key positions.

Despite the denazification policy.

Well, if I'm supplied

with trained personnel...

...I'll get rid of the Nazis.

Until then, I'll use them to keep

the railroads and telephones working.

After all, didn't most

ordinary Nazis join the Party...

...in about the same way Americans

become Republicans or Democrats?

Yes, that's about it.

You agree that national policy be made

by civilians, not by the military?

Of course. But the politicians

never let us finish.

They always stop short and leave us

with another war.

You thinking about our Russian allies?

Did you say if you found your army

between the Germans and the Russians...

...you'd attack in both directions?

No, I never said that.

I never said any such thing.

But I wish I had.

Sir, there's a call on your line from

supreme headquarters, General Smith.

Bedell?

Ike is furious.

How could you compare Republicans

and Democrats to the Nazi Party?

And the statement

that you refuse to denazify...

...has the Russians, the British,

everybody, screaming.

Well, the hell

with the Mongoloid Russians.

We've given them Berlin, Prague,

God knows what else.

They gonna dictate policy too?

George, don't be a fool.

The war in Europe is over.

Washington dictates policy.

The war shouldn't be over. We should

stop pussyfooting about the Russians!

We'll have to fight them anyway. Why

not do it now, when the army's here?

lnstead of disarming Germans let's

get them to help fight the Bolsheviks.

You better shut up.

This line may be tapped.

I don't care. I'll tell you...

...we've been fighting

the wrong people.

You and I don't have to get involved,

you're so soft about it.

Leave it to me. In 10 days

I'll have us at war with them...

...and make it look like their fault!

George, you're mad.

You're absolutely out of your mind!

Well, I'm no diplomat.

I'm a combat soldier.

That's all they understand.

Get Ike to give me the word,

and I'll kick them back to Russia!

Shall I call the artist back, sir?

Oh, the hell with it.

Nobody wants to see a picture of me.

I'm mad!

Don't you know that?

Field Marshal Montgomery,

his majesty is prepared...

...to receive the next chief

of the imperial general staff.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Take care of yourself.

George.

Well, gentlemen...

...all good things

must come to an end.

And the best thing

that's happened to me...

...in my life...

...has been...

...uh...

...the honor...

...and privilege...

...of commanding the 3rd Army.

Goodbye...

...and God bless you.

Brad...

...they've taken the 3rd Army

away from me.

I know.

I thought we could have dinner

together tonight.

Thank you, Brad.

That's damn thoughtful.

I appreciate it.

Right now, I think I'll take

Willie for a walk.

George, look out!

After all I've been through...

...imagine getting killed

by an oxcart.

No, Brad, there's only one proper way

for a professional soldier to die.

That's from the last bullet

of the last battle of the last war.

At least the 3rd Army earned its pay.

In our drive across Europe,

we liberated...

... 12,000 cities and towns...

...and inflicted a million and a half

enemy casualties.

I sense from now on, just being

a good soldier won't mean a thing.

I'm afraid we're gonna have to be

diplomats, administrators, you name it.

God help us.

George, I want to say one thing.

You've done a magnificent job

here in Europe.

That's right, George.

That soldier you slapped did more to

win the war than any other private.

I'll see you for dinner.

Six-thirty?

For over a thousand years...

...Roman conquerors

returning from the wars...

...enjoyed the honor of a triumph,

a tumultuous parade.

In the procession came trumpeters

and musicians and strange animals...

...from the conquered territories...

... together with carts laden with

treasure and captured armaments.

The conqueror rode

in a triumphal chariot...

... the dazed prisoners

walking in chains before him.

Sometimes, his children,

robed in white...

...stood with him in the chariot,

or rode the trace horses.

A slave stood behind the conqueror...

...holding a golden crown...

...and whispering in his ear

a warning...

... that all glory...

...is fleeting.

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