Should we have listened to Patton?

“I understand the situation. Their (the Soviet) supply system is inadequate to maintain them in a serious action such as I could put to them. They have chickens in the coop and cattle on the hoof — that’s their supply system. They could probably maintain themselves in the type of fighting I could give them for five days. After that it would make no difference how many million men they have, and if you wanted Moscow I could give it to you. They lived on the land coming down. There is insufficient left for them to maintain themselves going back. Let’s not give them time to build up their supplies. If we do, then . . . we have had a victory over the Germans and disarmed them, but [b]we have failed in the liberation of Europe[/b]; we have lost the war!”

George S. Patton

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Northwest · M

Sure, because 75 years later, we have confirmation that regime change, works swimmingly.

irishmolly72 · 56-60, F

@Northwest Yes, Germany and Japan have become exemplary countries.

Northwest · M

@irishmolly72 [quote]Yes, Germany and Japan have become exemplary countries.
[/quote]

Not exactly. In Germany's case, we did not get rid of middle management and the worker bees. We simply changed a bit off the top. In Japan's case, we did not touch the top of Pyramid, we only eliminated the very thin layer right below the top.

In both cases, they were already beaten, so we were not conducting a regime change, more like a surrender. You may sat it's a distinction without a difference, but it is when it comes to "regime change", as change must come from within. Example: Soviet Union. The minute it broke apart, wait, you know the answer: Ukraine.

Short of nukes, we would not have been able to effect regime change in the 1945 Soviet Union.

dancingtongue · 80-89, M

@Northwest [quote]In Germany's case, we did not get rid of middle management and the worker bees. We simply changed a bit off the top. In Japan's case, we did not touch the top of Pyramid, we only eliminated the very thin layer right below the top.[/quote]

It is an interesting distinction, although I agree with you, probably a distinction without a difference. Hitler and Nazism was seen as a top down problem where the vast numbers in middle management only joined the Nazi Party because it was required and were just doing their jobs, whereas Tojo and his middlemanagement were seen as the culprits in Japan, feeding bad advice to the Emperor. But the different personalities and management styles of Ike and MacArthur also played a role, I'm sure.

Northwest · M

@dancingtongue

[quote]the different personalities and management styles of Ike and MacArthur also played a role, I'm sure.[/quote]

Ahem, and the skin color.

dancingtongue · 80-89, M

@Northwest And cultures. MacArthur was very attuned to the fact that the Japanese still viewed their Emperor as a god.