The Footlocker

On December 10, 1945, General Patton was scheduled to board a plane back to the United States. His bags were packed, including a footlocker labeled “OFFICIAL PAPERS,” which contained his diary from the war. The footlocker was being sent from Patton, who was headquartered with the 15th Army, to Lt. Col. Charles Codman, who had served as Patton’s Aide since 1943 and was now back in the United States. Interestingly, the footlocker was labeled with two identifying ranks: Lt. General (3-star rank) and General (4-star rank), representing both the old and new rank of General Patton.

Unfortunately, Patton never boarded that plane. On December 9, 1945, General Patton was involved in an automobile accident in which he sustained grave injuries. Instead of General Patton, it was his wife Beatrice who stepped onto a plane. Her flight took her to Germany, where her dying husband lay. General Patton succumbed to his injuries on December 21, 1945.

There is little doubt that General G. S. Patton, Jr. was one of the most photographed generals of World War II. Strangely, one of the most iconic photographs related to Patton does not feature the General in it at all. Taken shortly after General Patton’s death, it shows his dog Willie lying beside his footlockers.

The Armored Diesel project chose this photograph, signifying the loss which the United States felt the day General George S. Patton, Jr. died, to commemorate him through the Armored Diesel project. A detailed study of General Patton’s footlocker was made at the Patton Museum for use in recreating the actual appearance of the footlocker for this special edition. Because there are apparent contradictions in rank on the original footlocker, we chose to preserve them to represent the footlocker just as it was in December of 1945.