Editing George S. Patton (section)

== Inter-war years ==
[[File:George S. Patton 1919.jpg|thumb|Patton as a temporary colonel at [[Camp Meade, Maryland]], 1919]]
Patton left France for [[New York City]] on 2 March 1919. After the war, he was assigned to [[Camp Meade, Maryland]], and reverted to his permanent rank of captain on 30 June 1920, though he was promoted to major again the next day. Patton was given temporary duty in Washington D.C. that year to serve on a committee writing a manual on tank operations. During this time he developed a belief that tanks should be used not as infantry support, but rather as an independent fighting force. Patton supported the [[Christie Model 1919|M1919]] design created by [[J. Walter Christie]], a project which was shelved due to financial considerations.{{sfn|Axelrod|2006|pp=63–64}} While on duty in Washington, D.C., in 1919, Patton met [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]],{{sfn|Brighton|2009|p=46}} who would play an enormous role in Patton's future career. During and following Patton's assignment in Hawaii, he and Eisenhower corresponded frequently. Patton sent notes and assistance to help Eisenhower graduate from the General Staff College.{{sfn|Axelrod|2006|pp=65–66}} With Christie, Eisenhower, and a handful of other officers, Patton pushed for more development of armored warfare in the interwar era. These thoughts resonated with Secretary of War [[Dwight F. Davis|Dwight Davis]], but the limited military budget and prevalence of already-established Infantry and Cavalry branches meant the U.S. would not develop its armored corps much until 1940.{{sfn|Steele|2005|p=18}}

On 30 September 1920, then-Major Patton relinquished command of the 304th Tank Brigade and was reassigned to Fort Myer as commander of [[3rd Squadron, 3rd Cavalry]].{{sfn|Axelrod|2006|pp=65–66}} Loathing duty as a peacetime [[staff officer]], he spent much time writing technical papers and giving speeches on his combat experiences at the General Staff College.{{sfn|Axelrod|2006|pp=63–64}}

In July 1921 Patton became a member of the [[American Legion]] Tank Corps Post No. 19.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045462/1921-07-17/ed-1/seq-20/#date1=1916&index=1&rows=20&searchType=advanced&language=&sequence=0&words=George+Patton+Smith&proxdistance=5&date2=1922&ortext=&proxtext=George+Smith+Patton&phrasetext=&andtext=&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1|title=Veterans of Great War|newspaper=[[The Washington Star|The Evening Star]]|date=July 17, 1921|page=20|via=Chronicling America|access-date=October 28, 2016|archive-date=November 18, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161118080212/http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045462/1921-07-17/ed-1/seq-20/#date1=1916&index=1&rows=20&searchType=advanced&language=&sequence=0&words=George+Patton+Smith&proxdistance=5&date2=1922&ortext=&proxtext=George+Smith+Patton&phrasetext=&andtext=&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1|url-status=live}}</ref> Maj. Patton led the rescue effort after [[Knickerbocker storm|the January 1922 blizzard]] destroyed the [[Knickerbocker Theatre (Washington, D.C.)|Knickerbocker Theatre]] in D.C.<ref name="Ambrose2022">{{cite news | last=Ambrose | first=Kevin | title=How the Knickerbocker snowstorm became D.C.'s deadliest disaster 100 years ago | newspaper=Washington Post | date=2022-01-27 | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2022/01/27/knickerbocker-theater-dc-snowstorm-record/ | access-date=2022-03-03 | archive-date=January 28, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220128160815/https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2022/01/27/knickerbocker-theater-dc-snowstorm-record/ | url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Gormly2022">{{cite web | last=Gormly | first=Kellie B. | title=When a Winter Storm Triggered One of the Deadliest Disasters in D.C. History | website=Smithsonian Magazine | date=2022-01-26 | url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/when-a-winter-storm-triggered-one-of-the-deadliest-disasters-in-washington-dc-history-180979446/ | access-date=2022-03-03 | archive-date=March 3, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220303031838/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/when-a-winter-storm-triggered-one-of-the-deadliest-disasters-in-washington-dc-history-180979446/ | url-status=live }}</ref> From 1922 to mid-1923 he attended the Field Officer's Course at the [[United States Army Cavalry School|Cavalry School]] at Fort Riley, then he attended the [[United States Army Command and General Staff College|Command and General Staff College]] from mid-1923 to mid-1924,{{sfn|Axelrod|2006|pp=65–66}} graduating 25th out of 248.{{sfn|Brighton|2009|p=57}} In August 1923, Patton saved several children from drowning when they fell off a yacht during a boating trip off [[Salem, Massachusetts]]. He was awarded the Silver [[Lifesaving Medal]] for this action.{{sfn|D'Este|1995|p=335}} He was temporarily appointed to the General Staff Corps in [[Boston, Massachusetts]], before being reassigned as [[Staff (military)#Continental Staff System|G-1 and G-2]] of the [[Hawaiian Division]] at [[Schofield Barracks]] in [[Honolulu]] in March 1925.{{sfn|Axelrod|2006|pp=65–66}}

Patton was made [[Staff (military)#Continental Staff System|G-3]] of the Hawaiian Division for several months, before being transferred in May 1927 to the Office of the Chief of Cavalry in Washington, D.C., where he began to develop the concepts of [[mechanized warfare]]. A short-lived experiment to merge infantry, cavalry and artillery into a [[combined arms]] force was cancelled after [[Congress of the United States|U.S. Congress]] removed funding. Patton left this office in 1931, returned to Massachusetts and attended the [[United States Army War College|Army War College]], becoming a "Distinguished Graduate" in June 1932.{{sfn|Axelrod|2006|pp=67–68}}

In July 1932, Patton (still a Major) was [[Executive officer#Military|executive officer]] of the 3rd Cavalry, which was ordered to Washington by Army Chief of Staff General [[Douglas MacArthur]]. Patton took command of the 600 troops of the 3rd Cavalry, and on 28 July, MacArthur ordered Patton's troops to advance on protesting veterans known as the "[[Bonus Army]]" with [[tear gas]] and [[bayonet]]s. Patton was dissatisfied with MacArthur's conduct, as he recognized the legitimacy of the veterans' complaints and had himself earlier refused to issue the order to employ armed force to disperse the veterans. Patton later stated that, though he found the duty "most distasteful", he also felt that putting the marchers down prevented an insurrection and saved lives and property. He personally led the 3rd Cavalry down [[Pennsylvania Avenue (Washington, D.C.)|Pennsylvania Avenue]], dispersing the protesters.{{sfn|Axelrod|2006|pp=69–70}}{{sfn|Brighton|2009|pp=58–59}} Patton also encountered his former orderly, [[Joe Angelo]], as one of the marchers and forcibly ordered him away, fearing such a meeting might make the headlines.{{sfn|Allen|Dickson|2006|p=194}}

Patton was promoted to lieutenant colonel in the regular Army on 1 March 1934, and was transferred to the [[Hawaiian Division]] in early 1935 to serve as G-2. During this posting, Patton feuded with his commander, [[Hugh Aloysius Drum]], another Pershing protégé.<ref>Carlo D'Este, [https://books.google.com/books?id=zZd3AAAAMAAJ&q=%22hugh+drum%22 ''Patton: A Genius for War''], 1995, page 360</ref><ref>Alan Axelrod, [https://books.google.com/books?id=biQ1A7kGQ1AC&q=drum&pg=PA256 ''Patton's Drive: The Making of America's Greatest General'']{{Dead link|date=August 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, 2010, page 257</ref> At a polo match in which Patton was playing, Drum was among the spectators and rebuked Patton for his use of angry profanity during the game.<ref name= Holt>{{cite web |url=http://www.historynet.com/relax-its-only-a-maneuver.htm |title=Relax—It's Only a Maneuver |last=Holt |first=Thaddeus |date=December 1, 1992 |website=HistoryNet |publisher=World History Group |location=Leesburg, VA}}</ref> The civilian players, who were members of Hawaii's wealthy elite on friendly terms with the equally wealthy and elite Patton, humiliated Drum by standing up for Patton.<ref name="Holt"/> Patton followed the growing hostility and conquest aspirations of the militant Japanese leadership. He wrote a plan to intern the Japanese living in the islands in the event of an attack as a result of the atrocities carried out by Japanese soldiers on the Chinese in the [[Second Sino-Japanese War|Sino-Japanese war]]. In 1937 he wrote a paper with the title "Surprise" which predicted, with what D'Este termed "chilling accuracy", a surprise attack by the Japanese on Hawaii.{{sfn|D'Este|1995|p=361}} Depressed at the lack of prospects for new conflict, Patton took to drinking heavily and allegedly began a brief affair with his 21-year-old niece by marriage, [[Jean Gordon (Red Cross Donut Girl)|Jean Gordon]].{{sfn|Axelrod|2006|pp=71–72}} This supposed affair distressed his wife and nearly resulted in their separation. Patton's attempts to win her back were said to be among the few instances in which he willingly showed remorse or submission.{{sfn|Brighton|2009|pp=379–380}}

Patton continued playing polo and sailing in this time. After sailing back to Los Angeles for extended leave in 1937, he was kicked by a horse and fractured his leg. Patton developed [[phlebitis]] from the injury, which nearly killed him. The incident almost forced Patton out of active service, but a six-month administrative assignment in the Academic Department at the Cavalry School at Fort Riley helped him to recover.{{sfn|Axelrod|2006|pp=71–72}} Patton was promoted to colonel on 24 July 1938, and given command of the [[5th Cavalry Regiment|5th Cavalry]] at [[Fort Clark, Texas]], for six months, a post he relished, but he was reassigned to Fort Myer again in December as commander of the 3rd Cavalry. There, he met the Army's Deputy Chief of Staff, [[George C. Marshall]], who was so impressed with him that Marshall considered Patton a prime candidate for promotion to general. In peacetime, though, he would remain a colonel to remain eligible to command a [[regiment]].{{sfn|Axelrod|2006|pp=73–74}} When [[Malin Craig]] retired as [[Chief of Staff of the United States Army]] in 1939, Drum was a candidate to succeed him.<ref name=Holt/><ref name="Frye">{{cite book |last=Frye |first=William |date=2005 |title=Marshall: Citizen Soldier |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8y5BDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT341 |location=Whitefish, MT |publisher=Kessinger Publishing, LLC  |pages=341–343 |isbn=978-1-4179-9503-5}}</ref> Drum wanted the position badly enough to set aside his feud with Patton and ask Patton to intercede with the retired but still influential Pershing.<ref name="Holt"/><ref name="Frye"/> Despite these efforts, Drum was passed over in favor of Marshall.<ref name="Holt"/><ref name="Frye"/>

Patton had a personal schooner named ''[[When and If]]''. The schooner was designed by famous naval architect [[John G. Alden]] and built in 1939. The schooner's name comes from Patton saying he would sail it "when and if" he returned from war.<ref>{{cite web|title=Storied Schooner Once Owned by General Patton to be Sold|url=https://vineyardgazette.com/news/2010/09/23/storied-schooner-once-owned-general-patton-be-sold|website=The Vineyard Gazette – Martha's Vineyard News|access-date=January 10, 2017|archive-date=January 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170110162213/https://vineyardgazette.com/news/2010/09/23/storied-schooner-once-owned-general-patton-be-sold|url-status=live}}</ref>