评论
打印
The leading generals of World War Two carried a huge weight on their shoulders. Their decisions could mean the difference between life and death for thousands of men; their actions helped to shape the fate of nations. History has judged some of them as fools, others as butchers, and a handful as military geniuses... Few, at least on the Allied side, have generated as much controversy in life and death as George S Patton. The flamboyant American commander never lost a major battle, but his explosive temper almost cost him his career. He survived two World Wars, often placing himself in considerable danger, only to die in unlikely circumstances within months of Germany's defeat. The unconventional general was a devout Christian, yet he believed he was just the latest incarnation of a warrior spirit who'd once fought alongside the likes of Julius Caesar and Napoleon Bonaparte. He was the epitome of the rough, tough warrior who reveled in his macho image and seemingly lived only for war. But he could be a surprisingly sensitive individual who cried at funerals and penned poetry throughout much of his life. In this Biographics video we are going to dive right into the details of this man's life. "The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his."
二战战场上的将领都肩负着巨大的重任。他们的决定可能意味着成千上万人的生死之别；他们的行动塑造了国家的命运。历史证明，他们中的一些人是傻子，一些人是刽子手，还有许多人都是军事天才……至少在同盟军里，几乎没有人能像小乔治·史密斯·巴顿一样。他的生与死都充满了争议。这位抢眼的美国司令从未输过一场大型战役，但他火爆的脾气差点毁了他的事业。在两次世界大战中幸存的他经常置身于巨大的危险之中。但在战胜德国的几个月后，他意外身亡。他不是个传统的将军。作为一名虔诚的基督徒，他却相信自己是勇士精神的新化身，与尤利乌斯·恺撒和拿破仑·波拿巴之类的人并肩作战。他是个典型的、坚强又粗糙的战士，得意于自己的男子汉气概的他似乎生而为战。但他也非常敏感，会在葬礼上哭泣，而且坚持写诗多年。在这个视频传记中，我们将详细讲述此人一生中的许多故事。“战争的目标不是为你的国家牺牲，而是让其他混蛋为此而亡。”
Early Life
早年生活
George S Patton was in born in California on November 11, 1885. Twenty years earlier the Patton family had lost much of their wealth when they found themselves on the losing side of America's civil war. However, by the time of George's birth, the Patton's were prosperous and influential once again. The young George knew from an early age that he wanted to be a soldier. His main obstacles were his weaknesses in maths and English. This was not a result of any lack of natural ability, but rather because his father's mistrust of formal education, meant that George hadn't attended school until he reached twelve years of age. He caught up quickly but only narrowly passed the entrance exam for West Point, America's most prestigious military academy. While Patton would regularly clash with his superiors during World War II, his conduct at West Point was exemplary. He was particularly successful at sports such as polo and football, playing with such relentless aggression that he broke several bones. He would later bring this aggression to his method of waging war.
1885年11月11日，小乔治·史密斯·巴顿在加利福尼亚州出生。20年前，美国南北战争期间，巴顿家族发现自己处于战败方时，他们就失去了大部分财富。然而，乔治出生时，巴顿家族再次变得兴旺而具有影响力。乔治小时候就知道他想成为一名军人。他的阻碍主要来源于他较差的数学和英语成绩。这不是因为没有天赋，而是因为他父亲不信任正规教育，这意味着，乔治12岁之前都没有上过学。他很快就跟上了，但只是勉强通过了美国最负盛名的军校——西点军校的入学考试。虽然在二战期间，巴顿经常与上级发生冲突，但他在西点军校时的表现是相当出色的。他尤其擅长马球、橄榄球等体育项目。比赛时，他非常咄咄逼人，弄得身上多处骨折。之后，他把这种侵略性的行为带到了战场上。
Olympic Games
奥运会
Patton's considerable sporting ability did not go unnoticed, and he was selected to represent the United States of America in the Modern Pentathlon at the 1912 Stockholm Olympic Games. He would compete at riding, shooting, fencing, running and swimming, all things that Patton excelled at. Interestingly, in the event it was Patton's shooting that may have let him down. He fired twenty bullets, but the judges ruled that three of them had missed the target. Patton remained adamant that his aim had actually been too good and his shots had passed through the hole he had already made in the bull's eye. It's possible he was correct, but the judges ruled against him. At the end of the first day Patton was placed in a slightly disappointing 21st from 41 competitors. Strong performances in each of the remaining events saw him climb all the way to fifth place. It was the first and last time he competed in the Olympic Games, but he didn't have to wait long to test the accuracy of his shooting in a combat situation...
巴顿杰出的体育才能并未被埋没，他代表美国参加了1912年斯德哥尔摩奥运会的现代五项比赛。他参加了马术、射击、击剑、跑步和游泳的比赛项目，而这些都是巴顿擅长的。有趣的是，射击比赛结果让巴顿感到失望。他开了二十枪，但裁判表示，有三枪脱靶。巴顿坚持认为他非常精准地射中了，并且子弹穿过了靶心。他可能说对了，但裁判否决了。比赛首天结束时，巴顿在41名选手中位列21名，这有些令人失望。在接下来的比赛中，他一路攀升，最终取得第五名的成绩。这是他第一次也是最后一次参加奥运会，但他没等多久就迎来了测试射击精准度的战斗机会。
Bandit Hunting
追捕土匪
By 1916 most of the world's great powers were locked together in seemingly interminable combat. Only the United States had thus far succeeded in avoiding being drawn into the slaughter. However, America did suffer a surprise attack from the direction of Mexico. On 9 March 1916 four-hundred heavily-armed bandits led by the notorious Francisco "Pancho" Villa stormed across the border. For two hours they ransacked and looted the border town of Columbus, before finally being chased away by the cavalry. If Villa believed he could hide out safely back in Mexico, he was sorely mistaken. President Woodrow Wilson ordered the US Army to cross the border and put an end to the threat posed by Villa and his bandits. John Pershing was given command of the expeditionary force, and he chose Patton to serve as his aide. Patton would go on to become famous for his skill at commanding fast-moving motorized forces, so it's perhaps fitting that while in Mexico he took part in the first motorized action in the history of warfare. Travelling in three Dodge Touring cars, Patton and his men launched a raid on Villa's henchmen. When the smoke cleared at the end of a brief firefight, three of Villa's bodyguards lay dead. Patton ordered their bodies to be strapped to the cars for the drive back to headquarters. Pershing was apparently impressed, reportedly saying: "This Patton boy, he's a real fighter!"
1916年，在似乎漫无止境的战争中，大多数强国都团结在一起。只有美国尚未卷入杀戮之中。然而，美国意外地遭遇了墨西哥的攻击。1916年3月9日，臭名昭著的弗朗西斯科·潘奇奥·维拉带领400名全副武装的土匪猛攻边境。在两小时的时间里，他们洗劫了边境小镇哥伦布，而骑兵未能追捕到他们。如果维拉认为他可以安全回到墨西哥并躲藏起来，那他就完全错了。伍德罗·威尔逊总统命令美军过境，终止维拉和其他土匪带来的威胁。约翰·潘兴对远征军发出命令，他选择巴顿作为他的副官。巴顿指挥了高速移动的摩托化部队，展现了他的才能，因此成名，因此，在墨西哥时，他参与战争史上首个摩托化行动也就是适合的了。巴顿等人乘坐三辆道奇房车，在路上，他们袭击了维拉的下属。交火结束，硝烟散尽时，维拉的三名保镖倒地身亡。巴顿命令将他们的尸体捆起来放在车上，开回司令部。这给潘兴留下了深刻的印象，据说他表示：“巴顿是个真正的勇士！”
World War I
一战
On 6 April 1917 the United States of America declared war on Germany and entered World War One. Pershing was given command of the American Expeditionary Force, and once again he took George Patton at his side. Pershing offered him an infantry battalion but by that time Patton had become fascinated by tanks - powerful yet unreliable weapons still in their infancy since being unleashed by the British at the Somme in September of 1916. Patton became the first officer assigned to the American Expeditionary Force Tank Corps, was one of the first Americans to learn how to operate a tank, and personally taught the first crews to be assigned to the Tank Corps. The American Expeditionary Force Tank Corps finally went into action in September 1918, with Patton riding into battle clinging onto the outside of one of the machines. Later that same month he would be badly injured in an act of near-suicidal bravery.
1917年4月6日，美国对德国宣战并参与一战。潘兴受命领导远征军，他再一次地让乔治·巴顿伴他左右。潘兴让他领导步兵营，但那时，巴顿对坦克非常痴迷——这是尚处在发展初期的一种强有力却不稳定的武器。1916年9月，英国人在索姆河战役首次使用这种武器。巴顿是首个被分配到美国远征军坦克部队的军官，也是第一个学习如何操作坦克的美国人，他还是分配到坦克部队的第一批士兵的教官。1918年9月，美国远征军坦克部队终于投入战斗，巴顿在一辆坦克外面，紧紧抓住坦克机身，参与了战斗。当月的晚些时候，他在一次行动中受重伤，勇气十分可嘉。
World War I tanks were seriously underpowered, unreliable, and vulnerable without infantry support. So when his tanks became isolated during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, Patton called for volunteers to help him storm the German lines. Only five men stepped forward. They were quickly cut down by a hail of German bullets. Patton himself was badly injured by a piece of shrapnel which hit him in the thigh. He continued to direct the battle from a shell hole, he later refused medical treatment until he had completed and submitted his report. Patton's injuries weren't life threatening, but they were serious. By the time he had recovered sufficiently to return to combat the armistice had been signed and the guns fallen silent. While Patton's time at the frontlines had been brief, he had done more than enough to demonstrate that he possessed the kind of raw courage he expected and demanded of those who served under him.
一战时的坦克马力极为不足，而且不稳定、易受攻击，还没有步兵支援。因此，当巴顿的多辆坦克在默兹-阿贡尼攻势孤立无援时，他让人帮助他猛攻德军防线。只有五个人前进了。很快，他们就被德军扫射，倒地不起了。巴顿也被一块弹片击中大腿，受了重伤。他坚持在弹坑里指导作战，后来，他直到完成并递交报告之后，才接受治疗。巴顿受的伤虽未危及生命，但也是十分严重的。当他恢复得能够重返战斗时，停战协议已经签署，枪炮声音都消失了。虽然巴顿没有在前线待多长时间，但他已经做了很多，他展示了他的手下拥有无畏的勇气，而这正是他所期待并要求的。
