Patton's "dumb bastard"

[Jonathan Lighter]

YBQ traces the follwoing famous saying, attributed to George S. Patton, Jr.,
no farther back than the 1970 film "Patton." It says that "documentation is
lacking."

1958 James M. Gavin _War and Peace in the Space Age_  (N.Y.: Harper) 64:
George Patton's last words to us before we left Africa [in 1943] came home
with meaning: "No dumb bastard ever won a war by going out and dying for his
country. He won it by making some other dumb bastard die for his country."

Gen. Gavin is a better source than the movie.

Somewhere I believe I have an even earlier reference, which I will search
for unless someone can me why not to bother. GB has
something comparable from 1944 though it is not identical and certainly not
attributed to GSP:

1944 Gilbert Bailey _Boot_ (N.Y.: Macmillan) 31: The idea works. It saves
lives. Like Sergeant Rountree told us when he wound up a lecture on the M1
rifle: "Learn to use this thing. LET THE OTHER BASTARD DIE FOR HIS COUNTRY.
YOU LIVE FOR YOURS."


Most of George C. Scott's opening remarks in "Patton" really does come more
or less from P's repertoire.

JL
--
"If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."

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