Tankers

When the Sixth Armored Division was activated (Army for "hatched") at Fort Knox last week, the Army let it be known that the Armored Force now has two armored corps, made up of two divisions of 390 tanks apiece. Previously only two of the divisions were organized into a corps, the three other Armored Divisions were independent units. Under the present reorganization the tankers will have two new bosses: Major General Alvan Gillem Jr., who used to command the Third Armored Division, will take over the newly formed Second Corps; chief of the First Corps will be tough, profane, gimlet-eyed Major General George S. ("Georgie") Patton Jr., variously known to his men as "Flash Gordon," "Old Blood and Guts," "the Green Hornet." Henceforth Generals Gillem and Patton will be No. 2 men to Armored Force Chief Major General Jacob Devers. For Georgie Patton, the promotion indicated that he was finally, after various ups & downs, in solid with the Army high command.

Now 56, Patton has served with tanks and cavalry by turns. Before World War I he was a hell-for-leather cavalry officer. As a member of General Pershing's staff overseas, he joined the tank corps in 1917. He went back to the cavalry in 1920, emerged in 1940, served as brigade commander of the Second Armored Division.

A year later he was the Division's head man.

One of the wealthiest men in the Army, Patton was born in San Gabriel, Calif., attended V.M.I, before he went to West Point, where he was famous for his jingles and atrocious spelling. It took him five instead of the usual four years to get through, but in his last year he was made adjutant--the second highest military honor at the Academy.

Always a dashing figure, Patton drilled indefatigably in swimming, riding, fencing, attended the Olympics at Stockholm in 1912 at his own expense, won every event in the modern pentathlon except cross-country riding. Never a shy man, Patton reputedly got his job as aide to Pershing in Mexico by simply barging in and roaring: "General, here's your new aide." In France, Patton attended the French Tank School, organized and directed the American Tank Center at Langres.

The job that Patton has taken over used to be handled by gnarled, toothy Major General Charles L. Scott, who looked too brittle to ride the Armored Corps's mechanical monsters. Patton enjoys bouncing around in tanks, was usually far out in front during last fall's maneuvers in the Carolinas. His bellows to his men on maneuvers were always succinct. Once he asked a private what he was shooting at. "A concealed machine gun," the private said. "Goddammit," exploded Patton, "That's not a machine gun. It's a dirty Nazi bastard."

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