| Original caption: “Faithful friend mourns American hero. Along with the many millions to mourn the passing of American hero, General George S. Patton, Junior, is his dog ‘Willie,’ the late general’s pet bull terrier.” General George S. Patton Junior (November 11, 1885 – December 21, 1945) commanded the 3rd Army from August 1, 1944, until the end of the war. During his time in London in command of the fictional “First United States Army Group (FUSAG)” Patton purchased “Pinch,” a 15-month-old terrier sold by the wife of a Royal Air Force pilot killed in action who didn’t want the dog reminding her of her dead husband. Patton, always an ardent dog lover, saw him in a London kennel and bought him on the spot on March 4, 1944. “My bull pup…took to me like a duck to water…pure white except for a little lemin [sic] on his tail, which to a cursory glance would seem to indicate that he has not used toilet paper.” Patton wrote excitedly to his wife, Beatrice Banning Ayer Patton (January 12, 1886 – September 30, 1953), that evening. Willie had quite a fierce appearance but was in fact usually a very amiable dog and obviously loved his master, although he is reputed to have given Patton a wide berth whenever the general was off smoking. To his master’s chagrin, however, the dog soon proved itself timid and was especially terrified of bombardment and shell fire. A coward, the dog also behaved with singular rudeness in the presence of women, mounting their legs and pushing his wet nose up their skirts. It is not clear how Patton felt about this. Patton doted on the dog; he had GI dog tags made for Willie and once hosted a birthday party for his “second in command.” Willie accompanied Patton everywhere and was said to enter tents and compounds before the General, alerting his men that he was about to arrive. On December 9, 1945, Patton was driven in Mannheim, Germany, for pheasant hunting in a Cadillac limousine by Private Horace L. Woodring (September 30, 1926 – November 2, 2003) when it struck a CCKW 2 1/2 ton truck. Patton’s neck was broken. Woodring was found to be careless but was not disciplined. He later claimed that the General had forgiven him and that he was blameless. Despite an emergency flight for Beatrice and neurosurgeon Colonel Roy G. “Glen” Spurling (September 6, 1894 – February 7, 1968) from the United States to Germany in dangerous weather, Patton died 13 days later. Patton was buried in the Luxembourg American Cemetery and Memorial on December 24, 1945. Patton’s effects, including his diaries and personal papers, were shipped to the United States in January 1946. Willie was taken to the Patton Homestead in Hamilton, Massachusetts. The dog exhibited separation anxiety for weeks, but eventually settled down. Willie outlived Beatrice and died in 1955. | |
| Image Filename | wwii0744.jpg |
| Image Size | 372.89 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 1960 x 1334 |
| Photographer | |
| Photographer Title | Kriegsberichter |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | May 2, 1940 |
| Location | |
| City | Oslo |
| State or Province | Østlandet |
| Country | Norway |
| Archive | Library of Congress |
| Record Number | LC-USZ62-128686 |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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