Perhaps no other 20th century military commander epitomized the fighting spirit of the American infantryman better then George S. Patton. Patton’s success on the battlefield has made him without a doubt one of the country’s greatest military tacticians, best remembered as the aggressive, no nonsense World War II tank commander of the Seventh Army in the Mediterranean and later the Third Army in France and Germany after the Normandy invasion in June 1944. His military career, however, saw him fighting in nearly all major American conflicts during the first half of the 20th century. Rock Island Auction Company is pleased to offer a physical piece to the Patton legacy that has inspired generations of military officers. Throughout World War II, Patton carried a swagger stick. This is one of the general’s swagger sticks when he held the rank of lieutenant general. It is a personal item belonging to the general himself who later gifted it to his close friend General Geoffrey Keyes, another gifted battlefield tactician. This swagger stick, an item that historically symbolized authority, certainly fits well into the flashy image of Patton who carried an ivory stocked, engraved, silver plated Colt Single Action Army revolver at his hip and wore a highly polished helmet. Historian Alan Axelrod wrote "for Patton, leadership was never simply about making plans and giving orders, it was about transforming oneself into a symbol." The tapered swagger stick measures 29 inches long, is constructed out of contrasting mahogany, and is inlaid with three contrasting wood five-pointed stars each measuring ½ inch. The three stars represent the rank of lieutenant general. Patton was promoted to the temporary rank of lieutenant general on March 12, 1943, promoted to the permanent rank of major general on August 16, 1944, (demoted due to slapping two battle fatigued soldiers), and on April 14, 1945 was promoted to the permanent rank of general. After receiving his fourth star, Patton gifted his lieutenant general swagger stick to his close friend and deputy commander in Sicily General Geoffrey Keyes, who had received his third star on April 17, 1945, just a few days after Patton was promoted to general. The ownership of this swagger stick is presented in two letters. In 2000, militaria dealer Terry Patton acquired the swagger stick from Geoffrey Brooks Keyes, the son of General Geoffrey Keys, as confirmed by an accompanying letter of provenance. Terry Patton sold the swagger stick to Mark Hinton. As Hinton explained in his included notarized letter of provenance, “During the year of 2000 and 2001 I purchased from Terry Patton several items that he had acquired from the family of the late Lt. General Geoffrey Keyes, who was a close personal acquaintance of General George S. Patton Jr.” In the Terry Patton and Mark Hinton letters, both men referenced a letter from General Keyes, son Geoffrey Brooks Keyes, which explained how General Keyes received Patton’s swagger stick as a gift when he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general. As to confirming Patton personally owned the swagger stick, Keyes quoted his father as saying, “That was Gen. Patton’s.” Unfortunately, the Keyes letter has since been lost. A wood display stand is included along with an 8x10 inch photo of Lt. General Omar Bradley and Lt. General Patton in Bastogne, Belgium, February 1945. A 1909 graduate of West Point, George S. Patton saw combat for the first time during the Pancho Villa Expedition of 1916. This military operation was the first time the U.S. military used motor vehicles in action, and Patton led the first motorized attack in U.S. military history. During World War I the future general led tanks into combat for the newly created United States Tank Corps and was wounded towards the end of the war. During the interwar period Patton was instrumental in the development of U.S. armored warfare doctrine that he would later personally implement on the frontlines of World War II. Often leading from the front, Patton’s World War II exploits, where he led armies from North Africa to the European continent, solidified him as an American legend that captured the nation’s imagination and gratitude. On the heels of the success in North Africa, Patton and his 2nd Army Corps advanced quickly through Sicily. At Patton’s side during the Sicily campaign was General Geoffrey Keyes. Like Patton, Keyes participated in the Pancho Villa Expedition and World War I and took an interest in armored warfare. Prior to World War II Keyes was chief of staff of the 2nd Armored Division commanded by Patton. Keyes was assigned under Patton as the deputy commander of the Seventh Army when Operation Husky began, but when Patton split the Seventh Army in half, Keyes was given command of the Provision Corps. Fighting through mostly difficult mountainous terrain, the corps was able to capture most of western Sicily, including the country’s capital. Keyes was awarded the Army Distinguished Service Medal for actions taken in Sicily. Keyes was a brilliant tactician whose achievement have been often overlooked in the history books. In regard to Keyes, Patton said the he “had the best tactical mind of any officer I know.” Keyes went on to play a major role in the offensive in Italy as well as into the early Cold War period. Patton went on to England. The swift liberation of Sicily was not without its controversies. The Biscari massacre and the slapping of two battle fatigue soldiers sidelined Patton. He would not command a force in combat for the next 11 months. Understanding that the Germans perceived Patton as the central figure to any invasion of Europe from England, the Allies placed Patton as the commander of a phantom army. This was part of the deception scheme Operation Fortitude in the buildup to the 1944 Normandy invasion as a way to mislead German High Command as to the location of the actual invasion. Following the Normandy invasion, Patton arrived in France in July 1944 to command the Third Army and conducted a successful rapid armored drive across the Germany occupied country. During the Battle of the Bulge the Third Army relived battle weary troops at Bastogne and then drove deep into Germany. In early December 1945, Patton was severely injured in an auto accident in occupied Germany and died twelve days later with Keyes at his side. Keyes took command of his late friend’s famous Third Army from 1946 to 1947. Provenance: General George S. Patton; General Geoffrey Keyes; Geoffrey Brooks Keyes; Terry Patton; The Mark Hinton Collection; Property of a Gentleman
Exceptionally fine, showing minimal handling marks. This is a very historic swagger stick as it is a personal item that belonged to not one but two of America's most brilliant World War II tacticians: General Patton and General Keyes. It stands as a symbol of a type of generalship from a bygone era well worthy of the finest public or private collection.
There are currently no customer product questions on this lot