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rican military hospital in Italy. He told me the
following: the American forces had suffered large
10sses, and Patton decided to visit some American field
hospitals. He found most of the wounded soldiers
very interested in the course of the battles, and they
had only one wish, that the advance continue as
rapidly as possible. When he left the hospital, he noticed
an American soldier sitting in the waiting room,
and asked him what was the matter with him.
”Nothing”, he answered, ”except that I cannot stand it
any longer — I left my company and now I am here.”
With the other soldiers’ interest and enthusiasm in
the military operations in mind, and confronted with
this American soldier’s sullen behavior, General
Patton lost his temper and slapped him in the face with
his gloves. He told him to report back to his company
immediately. He probably thought no more of the
matter, but later, there Were serious repercussions in
the American press, which Patton, however, took
very calmly. l
The interesting part of this episode is that Patton
later came across this soldier again. He came up to
the General and thanked him for the surely brusque
but very useful treatment. He had recovered from the
temporary depression he had suffered from and
afterward had successfully taken part in his company’s
battle engagements.
Patton is remembered as a hero. A short time
after we separated, on the airfield outside Ham-
1i, General Patton himself described this episode in his
diary published posthumously under the title of ”War
as I Knew It” (1947). Patton stresses here that he
considered the soldier in question hysterical and that he
wanted to cure him by slapping him in the face. Author.
114
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