Promotion of Patton to Lieutenant Colonel

On 01/03/1934, George S. Patton Jr. was promoted to the permanent rank of lieutenant colonel in the United States Army. The advancement came during the interwar period, when promotions were slow and largely based on seniority within a reduced peacetime force. Patton had spent the early 1930s in cavalry assignments following his service as aide to Army Chief of Staff General Douglas MacArthur earlier in the decade, and the promotion marked his progression into senior field grade leadership within the cavalry branch. The permanent lieutenant colonel rank placed Patton among the experienced officers being prepared for higher regimental and staff responsibilities. In the mid 1930s, the U.S. Army still relied heavily on horse cavalry formations, though mechanization experiments were underway. Patton continued serving in cavalry roles after the promotion and remained in that branch until later assignments that eventually led to regimental command and, by 1938, promotion to colonel and command of the 5th Cavalry Regiment at Fort Clark, Texas.