Word: patton
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Said General Patton in his memoirs: "I directed General Walker to stop fooling around . . . and go in and take it." Walker did. It was the first time in the era of gunpowder that Metz had been taken by storm...
Slashing Envelopment. During the Battle of the Bulge, in which most of the Third Army was pulled out of line to carve a spectacular corridor north to isolated Bastogne, the XX Corps' principal job was to hold the whole of Patton's depleted former front. Walker did it by mining and wiring in depth, plus aggressive patrolling. When the Bulge was erased, Walker was thirsty for action-and he got it. In a roaring campaign he cleaned up the Saar-Moselle triangle, seizing the key German stronghold of Trier, then took a leading part in the Third Army...
Military Fundamentalist. Toward the end of the war, Walker had become such an expert in the tactical management of armor that Patton considered creating an all-armored corps of three divisions and putting Walker in charge of it. "Johnnie" Walker's colleagues do not remember that he ever argued with anything Patton ever said, or, in fact, answered anything to a Patton order except "Yes, sir." A military fundamentalist, Walker believes wholeheartedly in the ancient military dictum that a man must learn to obey orders before he can give them. Of Patton's many commendations, Walker prized this...
...Like Patton, Walker believes that generals should visit the front constantly and take their chances in battle, not only to see (and correct) what is going on, but to encourage the troops. Like Patton, he believes in assiduous visits to the wounded (but not to "battle fatigue" cases). Patton always insisted that the officers around him wear neckties; now, in tieless Douglas MacArthur's area, Walker often goes without...
...Pistol. Walton Walker is not a colorful prima donna, or an affable diplomat, or a profound strategist, or an egoist with a flair for drama. Military historians will probably not quarrel lengthily over his capabilities; psychologists will not find him an enigma. In World War II he fought as Patton wanted him to; in Korea, he will fight as MacArthur wants him to-however much retreats and holding actions may go against his grain. If ordered to hold, he will stand and fight to the last man, including Walton Walker. He is, in every sense of the phrase...