After he slapped two soldiers, US Lieutenant GeneralGeorge S. Patton was sidelined from combat command by General Dwight Eisenhower and Army Chief of StaffGeorge C. Marshall. On 3 August 1943, during the Sicily Campaign of World War II, Patton struck, kicked and berated a soldier he found at an evacuation hospital with no apparent injuries, for being "gutless"; in fact, the soldier had malaria with a temperature of 102.2 °F (39.0 °C). Patton struck another soldier complaining of "nerves" at another hospital seven days later and threatened him with a pistol for being a "whimpering coward"; in fact, the soldier had been begging to rejoin his unit. Both soldiers suffered from what is now known as post-traumatic stress disorder. Patton's actions were suppressed in the news until journalist Drew Pearson publicized them. Congress and the general public expressed both support and disdain. Patton was removed from combat command for almost a year, but did take a decoy command in Operation Fortitude to mislead German agents as to the location of the planned invasion of Europe. His later successes commanding the US Third Army largely rehabilitated his reputation. (Full article...)
The Fringes of the Fleet is a booklet written in 1915 by Rudyard Kipling. It contains essays and poems about nautical subjects in World War I. Lyrics from poems in this booklet were used for a song-cycle of the same name written in 1917, with music by the English composer Edward Elgar and lyrics. This song cycle was first recorded by Elgar on 4 July 1917, with singers Charles Mott, Frederick Henry, Frederick Stewart and Harry Barratt.
Illustration: Anonymous; restoration: Adam Cuerden
