WWII · Battle Death Record
George Patton
General, U.S. Army · California
Personnel File — Core Information
- Name
- George Patton
- Entered the Service From
- California
- Rank
- General
- Service
- U.S. Army
- Unit / Regiment
- Commander, Third U.S. Army (later Fifteenth U.S. Army)
- War
- WWII
- Date of Death
- December 21, 1945
- Awards
- Distinguished Service Cross (2), Army Distinguished Service Medal (3), Silver Star (2), Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart
- Burial / Memorial
- Luxembourg American Cemetery and Memorial, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
- Grave
- Plot P, Row 1, Grave 1
Their story
General George S. Patton Jr. commanded the U.S. Third Army, leading its rapid armored advance across France and its relief of Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge in WWII; at war's end he briefly commanded the Fifteenth Army. He was severely injured in an automobile accident near Mannheim, Germany, on December 9, 1945, suffering a broken neck, and died of his injuries in Heidelberg on December 21, 1945. Per his wish to rest among his soldiers, he was buried at the Luxembourg American Cemetery.
Compiled from American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) and National Archives (NARA) records and public sources.
This record is one of more than 200,000 in our historical archive. Some information may have been corrupted or lost over decades of data conversion. Corrections are welcome — please contact the archive.