"WHY HAVE MAJORS & COLONELS MAKE PLANS FOR A GENERAL. ALL HE NEEDED WAS A STATEMENT OF HIS MISSION": GENERAL GEORGE S. PATTON JR.'S PERSONAL COPY OF TWO VOLUMES OF THE WORD WAR I HISTORY THE CAMPAIGN IN MESOPOTAMIA, EACH ANNOTATED AND THRICE SIGNED BY HIM

(PATTON, Jr., George S.) MOBERLY, F.J. The Campaign in Mesopotamia, 1914-1918 [Volumes I and III from Patton's library]. London: His Majesty's Stationery Office, 1923. Four volumes. Octavo, original red cloth. Housed in a matching pair of custom clamshell boxes.

First editions of this four-volume official history of the Mesopotamia Campaign of World War I, with Volumes I and III coming from General Patton's library, each signed in ink on the front board, the spine and the front free endpaper by General Patton, Volume I with a dozen passages interestingly annotated by him in the margins, and Volume III with Patton's annotations on 31 pages, demonstrating that Patton read and studied these volumes carefully. (The set is completed with Volumes II and IV from another set.).

"General George S. Patton Jr. has earned a place in the pantheon of authentic American heroes…. [Yet] his great success on the battlefield did not come about by chance…. He read voraciously" (D'Este, Patton, 3-4, 317-18). These copies of Volumes I and III of The Campaign in Mesopotamia—Patton's own copies—are each thrice signed by him, as was customary: on the front cover ("G S Patton" in block letters), the spine ("Patton"), and the front free endpaper, with Volume III dated by him "Oct 13, 1926." Patton himself served in World War I, leading tank brigades in the France and Germany. In Volume I he has made 12 interesting marginal notations, including "Why have Majors & Colonels make plans for a General. All he needed was a statement of his mission," "Note disparity in losses between British & Indian, yet there were 3 Indians to each Britisher," "High horse casualties in Charge," and "Allies are a nuisance." In Volume III, Patton has made interesting marginal notations on 31 pages, including "His Gen's did not make his plans," "Really maneuvered his men," "Air Corps does Good," "God is with the Big Battalions," "22 months and not yet ready God help us," "lack of guts," and many others.

Patton's full annotations in Volume I, all in pencil, are as follows:

Page 59: Patton partially underlines "European Powers had increased, or were increasing, their military expenditure, in order to equip their armies with the latest scientific and mechanical inventions. The result was to be seen in Mesopotamia. Economy had become a tradition, and the inherent military risks attaching to such a policy had also become a tradition." Next to it, Patton writes "To [sic] much economy."

Page 67: Next to a paragraph about officers in India: "it must always be questionable policy to officer alien oriental races with any but the best available material," Patton writes, "white officers."

Page 100: The first paragraph begins "The 'plans of operation' prepared by the General Staff in India were based on the latest available information, which it was noted might require revision… It was, however, stated that it was to be clearly understood that these plans were not intended to fetter the discretion of the officer commanding as to the action he might consider best calculated to carry the intentions of Government into effect." Patton draws an arrow in the left margin from the last sentence to the upper margin where he writes "Why have Majors & Colonels make plans for a General. All he needed was a statement of his mission."

Page 101: Next to "The second section of each plan gave a method by which the object desired could, in the opinion of the General Staff, be attained," Patton underlines and writes "wrong."

Page 119: In the lower margin Patton writes "too scattered" and draws an arrow to the lengthy footnote which describes the forces of Major General C.I. Fry.

Page 124: Beneath the footnotes listing numbers of British and Indian casualties, which Patton bracketed, in the lower margin he writes, "Note disparity in losses between British & Indian, yet there were 3 Indians to each Britisher."

Page 140: In the left margin, next to "Judging, however, by subsequent events, it would appear to afford a good illustration of how military operations are at times rendered more difficult through the exigencies of national policy," Patton writes "allies are a nusance [sic]."

Page 147: Next to "Owing to the mirage it was only when our artillery had got within sixteen hundred yards of the enemy's position that they were able to see the enemy's trenches clearly," Patton writes "1600 yds Artillery in Action."

Page 206: Patton underlines a number in the sentence "In this small affair the 7th Lancers had twenty-one men and eighty-one horses killed and wounded and the 104th lost six killed and twenty-two wounded." In the left margin he write "High horse casualties in Charge."

Page 262: Patton writes "l'Audace" in the left margin next to a report of the ship 'Shaitan' and its part in the capture of Amara on the Tigris River.

Page 265 Patton underlines part of the sentence "General Nixon praised General Townshend… for his prompt action in following up the enemy and for the dash and enterprise he displayed in occupying Amara." In the right margin, Patton writes "Due to the urging of Capt Nunn R.N."

Page 333: A footnote explains that "A wireless could not be available for General Delamain for this day's operations. The wireless sets available were with General Townshend's headquarters and on board the 'Malamir' with General Nixon's headquarters." Patton underlines "General Nixon's" and writes "Too many HQ Delamain should have had it."

Patton's full annotations in Volume III, all in pencil, are as follows:

Page 37: Patton brackets paragraphs about Gen. Maude, Patton writes "A good Soldier" in the margin.

Page 38: Patton underlines "both" in the sentence: "The staff of the existing corps was, he considered, large enough to furnish sufficient staff for both corps." He also writes "small staffs" in left margin.

Page 51: He underlines in footnote: "It is noteworthy that General Maude had not disclosed his plan and intentions to any of his own staff or to either of his corps commanders." Patton writes "like Jackson" [Stonewall Jackson] in the right margin. In the lower margin he writes "His Gen's did not make his plans."

Page 54: He underlines the text "beginning of June 1916," and writes "22 months and not yet ready God help us."

Page 55: Patton underlines the word "Japan" and writes in the margin "An ally."

Page 56: He underlines one word: "wounding one man," and writes "Effect of Artillery" in the left margin.

Page 62: Next to a paragraph about Lieutenant-General Sir P. Lake, Patton writes "Generous and Politic."

Page 77: Patton writes "No AA yet, bombs failed" in the margin next to a paragraph about advance towards the Shumran bridge. Next to orders by Gen. Maude, Patton writes "Really maneuvered his men."

Page 78: After a paragraph about a pilot dropping all his bombs on a target at night, Patton writes "Air Corps does Good."

Page 83 and 84: marginal markings next to a paragraph about the enemy in trenches on the bank of the Tigris River.

Page 86: Next to a paragraph about Gen. Maude's operations Patton writes "Too much caution."

Page 87: Next to a paragraph about fighting the enemy, he writes "more violence."

Page 147: In the lower margin beneath a description of the capture of prisoners and rifles, Patton writes "God is with the Big Battalions odds much better than 4 to one."

Page 161: He underlines "the Dujaila depression," and next to "supported by the fire of ten guns," he writes "10 guns."

Page 162: Next to a description of the crossing of the Dujaila, Patton writes "700 yds wide," adding "11 out of 100" next to "suffered eleven casualties."

Page 163: Next to "further supporting fire would be available" Patton writes "support fire" in the margin. Beneath that, next to "to lead the Turks to believe that a crossing was intended" Patton writes "feint" and brackets the footnote listing the howitzers and guns of the various brigades and Patton writes "Guns."

Page 164: Next to paragraphs detailing the ammunition of various brigades, in the left margin Patton writes "84 guns" and "45 MG's" and, next to "Just before the columns moved off, two hostile aeroplanes passed overhead," Patton writes "Air Planes move col."

Page 165: Next to the text "About 5:15 a.m. on the 23rd February, while it was still dark" Patton writes "Dark" in the right margin. Partial underlining to a passage describing crossing a river "few casualties, owing probably to the dim light," Patton writes "Ferrying in Dark Good." Next to a sentence concluding on page 166, "though a direct hit sunk one of the pontoons—whose crew, however, was saved," Patton writes "hit not fatal."

Page 167: Next to paragraph "Communication was established" Patton writes "V.C." in the right margin, adding, next to the sentence "a forty-yard gap between the two battalions at a break in the river embankment could not be crossed" Patton writes "Cross on a wide part" adding "Day-light Crossing Costly" next to the paragraph describing the crossing "Of the thirteen pontoons, only two, owing to the very heavy casualties among the rowers were able to return to the right bank."

Page 168: Marginal marking by Patton in the margin next to a paragraph describing "the wagons and carts carrying the bridging material" and next to a paragraph describing "the work of transporting man across the river" Patton writes "Rate of crossing."

Page 169: Beneath a lengthy footnote detailing a suggestion by General Maude to General Marshall and Marshall's reply, Patton writes "All that was necessary."

Page 170: Marginal marking next to a paragraph describing the successful building of a bridge and that "neither bridge, cables, nor motor boats were hit," Patton writes "Air Supremacy."

Page 179: Next to a paragraph "Cavalry Division had made very little progress, two armoured cars with it," Patton writes "Armoured Cars" and partially underlines "The total casualties among officers and men in the Cavalry Division during the day amounted to about 23," Patton writes "Cav 300 Carting."

Page 180: Beneath a footnote explaining the possible "reasons why the Cavalry Division after crossing the Dahra ridge did not make a longer detour to try and get round the Turkish northern flank" Patton writes "One staff officer should not change a division. Parallel present indicated. Poor work by Cav."

Page 182: Beneath a footnote reporting the time the cavalry reached its destination Patton writes, "Note the long delay in all these operations have to be many headquarters issuing orders."

Page 213: In the margin next to a paragraph describing a charge "having no reason to suppose that he had anything but a weak enemy force to deal with, Colonel Richardson gave the signal to extend an charge… but only to come under an intense rifle and machine gun fire," Patton writes "Cav Charge failed."

Page 215: In the margin next to proposed movements "if the enemy had retired," Patton writes "Command well up."

Page 227: Next to the paragraph beginning "The Turkish account of their attempts to drive out this British detachment affords a fine testimony to the gallant tenacity of these men of Lancashire" Patton writes "Courage."

Page 228: In the margin next to "After the Cavalry Division lost direction but did not discover it had done so till about 2 a.m." Patton writes "mile an hour Cav at night."

Page 229: Next to "the commander of the 6th Cavalry Brigade suggested to General Crocker that the Cavalry Division should gallop the position and stampede the enemy; but the latter did not agree and decided to move westward to gain the enemy's right flank" Patton writes "lack of guts."

Page 239: Beneath the footnote "During the morning General Jones, commanding 7th Cavalry Brigade, took over command of the Cavalry Division from General Crocker" Patton writes "About time."

Volumes I and III are from Patton's library; the set has been completed with Volumes II and IV from another set. No other military leader wrote so frequently in his letters or diary what he was reading, and no leader's library was so well-documented since Napoleon's. Patton often traveled with what he was reading, even on campaigns, and his books typically show signs of substantial wear. Patton's library, which was almost entirely inherited by his son, Major General George Patton III, was given to West Point, with just a small portion of books, including these volumes, inherited by other descendants or friends. Some years ago, when a prominent bookseller was discussing Patton's library with his son, his son remarked, "My old man could afford to buy the books and he could afford to write in them—nobody else in the army had any money." Patton's book collection remains a testament to the value he placed on books and the interest he took in them as tools for learning.

A bit of light wear and toning to cloth. Two extremely good and very desirable annotated volumes.