At the end of World War II, as Soviet Armies moved into Eastern Germany, instead of liberating German held Allied (including American) prisoners of war - they shot them!
When Patton found out about this, he was outraged and demanded that we go to war with the Soviets.
Fearful that if he ever returned to the US, he would publicize these events and stir up public outrage, he was assassinated by US Army Intelligence.
The order was signed by General Eisenhower.
Patton died December 21, 1945 in a Hiedelberg hospital after being critically injured in a three vehicle accident in which he was the only person hurt.
In he late 1970's, PBS ran the series "Lowell Thomas Remembers", a one year per episode retrospective of his career by the famous journalist ("So long until tomorrow").
In the 1945 episode, he stated that at the time there were rumors about the mysterious circumstances regarding Patton's death.
With the fall of Communism in the early 1990's, I remember hearing a news report that the Russians had revealed that there had been incidents of liberated Allied prisoners of war being executed by Soviet forces at the end of World War II.
This newly revealed secret information confirmed the first part of the rumor which I had heard over 20 years earlier.
I recently received this e-mail from someone who wishes to remain anonymous:
When I was very young, my father would tell me stories of a "crazy guy" he knew at work - a World War II veteran. He said the guy swore he witnessed General Patton's murder. Supposedly the "jeep-crash" was staged on the base, with General Patton dazed but still alive.
He claims the Lieutenant driving the General's jeep then picked up a monkey wrench and proceeded to crush Patton's skull with it.
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(c) 1998 Thomas F. Swezey