Patton Promoted to Brigadier General and Major General

On 16/08/1944, General George S. Patton received a permanent promotion within the Regular Army to the rank of Major General while he was commanding the U.S. Third Army during its rapid advance across France following the Normandy breakout. At the time, Patton had already been serving in higher temporary ranks in the Army of the United States, including temporary Lieutenant General since 12/03/1943. The August 1944 action adjusted his permanent Regular Army status, bringing it closer to the level at which he was already serving operationally. The 16 August 1944 update effectively advanced Patton’s permanent standing from colonel to Major General by first promoting him to Brigadier General and then to Major General in the Regular Army on the same date, a practice sometimes used to align senior wartime commanders with appropriate permanent grades. These permanent promotions were administrative and did not change his field command, as he continued leading Third Army operations across France. During this period, Third Army forces were conducting fast moving armored advances eastward after the Allied breakout from Normandy in late July and early August 1944. Patton’s wartime rank structure reflected the dual system used by the U.S. Army during World War II, in which officers often held higher temporary ranks in the Army of the United States while maintaining lower permanent Regular Army grades. He later received a temporary promotion to full General on 14/04/1945, near the end of the European campaign, while continuing to command Third Army forces in Germany. Key Promotion Timeline 02/10/1940 – Brigadier General, temporary (Army of the United States) 04/04/1941 – Major General, temporary (Army of the United States) 12/03/1943 – Lieutenant General, temporary (Army of the United States) 16/08/1944 – Brigadier General, permanent (Regular Army) 16/08/1944 – Major General, permanent (Regular Army) 14/04/1945 – General, temporary (Army of the United States)