Ep. 14: Kevin Hymel on General George S. Patton

School of War

Historian Kevin Hymel joins the show to discuss the life and leadership of the American World War II general most feared by the Nazis: George S. Patton

Historian Kevin Hymel joins the show to discuss the life and leadership of the American World War II general most feared by the Nazis: George S. Patton. Times<ul>
<li>01:48 - Introduction</li>
<li>04:38 - Recently uncovered details about General Patton</li>
<li>08:38 - History’s first draft</li>
<li>10:51 - How Patton became one of the most famous World War II leaders</li>
<li>13:35 - Patton before the war</li>
<li>17:34 - Patton in North Africa</li>
<li>23:08 - Problems with General Dwight D. Eisenhower</li>
<li>26:55 - Patton’s leadership style</li>
<li>28:20 - Fighting in Tunisia </li>
<li>32:49 - Patton’s risk calculations</li>
<li>34:16 - Patton’s behavior, temperament, and treatment of other officers</li>
<li>43:05 - The Civil War and Patton’s strategy in North Africa</li>
<li>45:00 - Patton’s role in Sicily </li>
<li>49:49 - Shell shock and Patton's anti-Semitism </li>
<li>55:21 - Sicily and combat stress </li>
</ul>

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This podcast seeks to learn what war teaches. There has been a steady decline in the study of military history and its associated theoretical discipline, strategy.This podcast seeks to fill that gap through in-depth interviews on military and diplomatic history.&nbsp; Our guests have included former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the Cold War historian John Lewis Gaddis, and China Select Committee chairman Mike Gallagher. We discuss the battlefield commanders, diplomats, strategists, policymakers, and statesmen who have had to make wartime decisions in the ancient and modern eras.The subject of an episode may be an historical battle, campaign, or conflict; the conduct of policy in the course of a major international incident; the work of a famous strategist; the nature of a famous weapon; or the legacy of an important military commander or political leader.&nbsp;&nbsp; Aaron MacLean is a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. He has worked as a foreign policy advisor and legislative director to Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas and spent seven years in the U.S. Marine Corps. <a href="https://schoolofwar.substack.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Visit our Substack for episode transcripts</a><a href="https://www.instagram.com/school.of.war/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Follow along on Instagram</a>