The Slap That Cost General Patton His Command of the 7th!

[Gator]

This recent addition and a new form of ephemera for me in the form of V-Mail goes way beyond it small 4.25 x 5.5 size. I was reviewing the latest EBay auctions the other day when I came across postings for V-Mail. I admit that I had seen the correspondence before but never gave it much more thought until I read the history behind the creation to save on cargo space etc. Well the "researcher" part of mind started humming and I started querying the names on some of the auctions. I quickly discovered an Air-graph that was sent by a British soldier who was sadly KIA just days after he sent it to his family but then I found the following V-Mail from a soldier that was sent to his wife for Valentine's Day but he wasn't just any soldier this soldier, by no fault of his own, ended General George S Patton's command over the 7th Army. This V-Mail had been written by, imagine my surprise, Pvt. Charles Herman Kuhl!

 

For those who do and dont know the following incident took place in Sicily on August 3, 1943. It was further immortalized by George C Scott in the the movie "Patton". Pvt Kuhl saw combat in Sicily, Africa, and the invasion of Normandy.

 

Pvt Kuhl had served as a Private for 8 months in Company L, 26th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, when he was admitted to the 3rd Battalion, 26th Infantry aid station for reported combat exhaustion.

At the aid station, Kuhl was initially diagnosed with "exhaustion," and his medical chart said "psychoneurosis anxiety state, moderately severe (soldier has been twice before in hospital within ten days. He can't take it at the front, evidently. He is repeatedly returned.)" Kuhl was transferred from the aid station to the Army's 15th Evacuation Hospital near Nicosia for further evaluation.

 

On a tour of the 15th Evacuation Hospital, Patton encountered Kuhl, who was sitting slouched on a stool midway through a tent ward filled with injured soldiers. Years later, Kuhl would recall that when General Patton entered the hospital tent, "all the soldiers jumped to attention except me. I was suffering from battle fatigue and just didn't know what to do." When Patton asked Kuhl where he was hurt, Kuhl shrugged and replied that he was 'nervous' rather than wounded, adding "I guess I can't take it." Patton slapped Kuhl across the chin with his gloves, then grabbed him by the collar and dragged him to the tent entrance, shoving him out of the tent with a final kick to Kuhl's backside. Yelling "Don't admit this son-of-a-bitch," Patton demanded that Kuhl be sent back to the front at once, adding "You hear me, you gutless bastard? You're going back to the front."

 

Following the incident, Kuhl was found to have both chronic dysentery and malaria. Patton's actions may have been motivated in part by a report given him by Gen. Clarence R. Huebner, the Commander of the 1st Infantry Division to which Kuhl belonged. Prior to visiting the 15th Evacuation Hospital, Patton had asked Huebner how things were going. Huebner replied, "The front lines seem to be thinning out. There seems to be a very large number of "malingerers" at the hospitals, feigning illness in order to avoid combat duty."

 

Word of Patton's actions soon spread to several Allied commanders in Sicily, who took no action in the matter. Initially, the incident was not reported by any of the news reporters in the theater. However, a group of war correspondents eventually decided that General Dwight D. Eisenhower should be informed of the incident. They compiled a report on the Kuhl slapping and sent it to General Bedell Smith, Eisenhower's Chief of Staff. When General Eisenhower learned of the matter, he ordered Patton to make amends, after which Patton formally apologized to the soldier "and to all those present at the time." The news reporters who had sent their report to Bedell Smith demanded that Patton be fired in exchange for killing the story, a demand which Eisenhower refused. Contrary to popular impression, Eisenhower never seriously considered removed Patton from duty in the ETO: "If this thing ever gets out, they'll be howling for Patton's scalp, and that will be the end of Georgie's service in this war. I simply cannot let that happen. Patton is indispensable to the war effort - one of the guarantors of our victory."

 

Kuhl wrote his parents about the incident, but asked them to "just forget about it." Kuhl's parents later stated that they had avoided mention of the matter "because they did not wish to make trouble for General Patton." Eventually the story of Kuhl's slapping was broken in the U.S. by muckraking newspaper columnist Drew Pearson on his 21 November 1943 radio program. Pearson's version of the incident bore little relation to the actual event, and falsely claimed that General Patton would "not be used in important combat anymore." Allied Headquarters denied that Patton had received either an official reprimand or a relief from combat duty, but confirmed that Patton had slapped a soldier with his gloves. Demands for Patton to be recalled and sent home soon came from Congress as well as in newspaper articles and editorials across the country. However, public opinion was largely favorable to Patton, and Kuhl's father Herman even wrote his own congressman, stating that he forgave Patton for the incident and requesting that he not be disciplined. While Patton was later reassigned, he was not relieved and would continue to serve in the European Theater, where he would later command the famous U.S. Third Army, which under his leadership advanced further and faster than any army in military history.

 

 

Link to Patton Clip:

 

[Gator]

Here are some more scans and there is much more details that can be found on the internet. May he rest in peace.

 

[VMI88]

Now that is an amazing find! Just goes to show you should always research a named item before selling.

[sgtdorango]

That really is amazing...mike

[USdog]

That's so cool!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[cutiger83]

I was looking up information on Kuhl and found there was another slapping incident a week later, Aug 10^th. I did not realize there were two slapping incidents in one week. Since Patton threatened a subordinate with a pistol on this date, it appears this one caught more attention than the first one on Aug 3rd.

 

Private Paul G. Bennett, 21, of C Battery, 17^th Field Artillery Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, was a four-year veteran of the U.S. Army, and had served in the division since March 1943. Records show he had no medical history until 6 August 1943, when a friend was wounded in combat. According to a report, he "could not sleep and was nervous."^[12] Bennett was brought to the 93rd Evacuation Hospital. In addition to having a fever, he exhibited symptoms of dehydration, including fatigue, confusion, and listlessness. His request to return to his unit was turned down by medical officers.

 

On 10 August, Patton entered the receiving tent of the hospital, speaking to the injured there. Patton approached Bennett, who was huddled and shivering, and asked what the trouble was. "It's my nerves," Bennett responded. "I can't stand the shelling anymore."^[12] Patton reportedly became enraged at him, slapping him across the face. He began yelling: "Your nerves, hell, you are just a goddamned coward. Shut up that goddamned crying. I won't have these brave men who have been shot at seeing this yellow bastard sitting here crying." Patton then reportedly slapped Bennett again, knocking his helmet liner off, and ordered the receiving officer, Major Charles B. Etter, not to admit him. Patton then threatened Bennett, "You're going back to the front lines and you may get shot and killed, but you're going to fight. If you don't, I'll stand you up against a wall and have a firing squad kill you on purpose. In fact, I ought to shoot you myself, you goddamned whimpering coward.” Upon saying this, Patton pulled out his pistol threateningly, prompting the hospital's commander, Colonel Donald E. Currier, to physically separate the two. Patton left the tent, yelling to medical officers to send Bennett back to the front lines.

[Gator]

Thanks to all. Yes, always research before you sell but I must admit that so many dont. Now thinking of how I might creat a proper display???

[collector]

If you could find Patton's gloves.......

[MTracey]

Wow, what a find....

[Gator]

Thanks to all and it would be nice but sure the gloves are in a museum somewhere.

 

Mark

[HistoryNut]

Wow...that is incredible!

[aerialbridge]

Thanks to all. Yes, always research before you sell but I must admit that so many dont. Now thinking of how I might creat a proper display???

 

Phenomenal historical find! Thanks for sharing it. It's great when the sellers don't do their diligence but it also takes the other prospective buyers to stay in the dark or for the "winner" to snake an off the books deal. I don't do snake but your score reminds me of the 1933 good conduct and expert pistol medal group to a sailor on one of Byrd's 1930's expeditions to Antarctica that I won a couple years ago after 10 days for less than the cost of run-of-the-mill, non-historic medals. Like dinner for two at Applebees.... with drinks. Getting those reunited with his named congressional silver medal ain't too likely, but glad for what I've got and it gives me something else to look for.

[BagmanL6]

Truly, truly historic.

[Jayhawker353]

Great find, and very interesting. Congrats!

[Gator]

Thanks for all the feedback and compliments. It is a neat piece of history. The only thing that could make it better would be if there had been a comment made about the incident in the letter! I am pleased none the less.

 

Mark