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LOT 347
Historic World War II Legend General George S. Patton’s
Lieutenant General Swagger Stick Later Gifted to His
Close Friend General Geoffrey Keyes - Perhaps no other
20th century military commander epitomized the fighting
spirit of the American infantryman better then George S.
Patton. Patton’s success on the battlefield has made him
without a doubt one of the country’s greatest military
tacticians, best remembered as the aggressive, no nonsense
World War II tank commander of the Seventh Army in the
Mediterranean and later the Third Army in France and
Germany after the Normandy invasion in June 1944. His
military career, however, saw him fighting in nearly all major
American conflicts during the first half of the 20th century.
Rock Island Auction Company is pleased to offer a physical
piece to the Patton legacy that has inspired generations of
military officers.
Throughout World War II, Patton carried a swagger stick. This
is one of the general’s swagger sticks when he held the rank
of lieutenant general. It is a personal item belonging to the
general himself who later gifted it to his close friend General
Geoffrey Keyes, another gifted battlefield tactician. This
swagger stick, an item that historically symbolized authority,
certainly fits well into the flashy image of Patton who carried
an ivory stocked, engraved, silver plated Colt Single Action
Army revolver at his hip and wore a highly polished helmet.
Historian Alan Axelrod wrote “for Patton, leadership was
never simply about making plans and giving orders, it was
about transforming oneself into a symbol.” The tapered
swagger stick measures 29 inches long, is constructed out of
contrasting mahogany, and is inlaid with three contrasting
wood five-pointed stars each measuring ½ inch. The three
stars represent the rank of lieutenant general. Patton was
promoted to the temporary rank of lieutenant general on
March 12, 1943, promoted to the permanent rank of major
general on August 16, 1944, (demoted due to slapping
two battle fatigued soldiers), and on April 14, 1945 was
promoted to the permanent rank of general. After receiving
his fourth star, Patton gifted his lieutenant general swagger
stick to his close friend and deputy commander in Sicily
General Geoffrey Keyes, who had received his third star on
April 17, 1945, just a few days after Patton was
promoted to general.
The ownership of this swagger stick is presented in two
letters. In 2000, militaria dealer Terry Patton acquired the
swagger stick from Geoffrey Brooks Keyes, the son of
General Geoffrey Keys, as confirmed by an accompanying
letter of provenance. Terry Patton sold the swagger stick to
Mark Hinton. As Hinton explained in his included notarized
letter of provenance, “During the year of 2000 and 2001
I purchased from Terry Patton several items that he had
acquired from the family of the late Lt. General Geoffrey
Keyes, who was a close personal acquaintance of General
George S. Patton Jr.” In the Terry Patton and Mark Hinton
letters, both men referenced a letter from General Keyes,
son Geoffrey Brooks Keyes, which explained how General
Keyes received Patton’s swagger stick as a gift when he was
promoted to the rank of lieutenant general. As to confirming
Patton personally owned the swagger stick, Keyes quoted
his father as saying, “That was Gen. Patton’s.” Unfortunately,
the Keyes letter has since been lost. A wood display stand is
included along with an 8x10 inch photo of Lt. General Omar
Bradley and Lt. General Patton in Bastogne,
Belgium, February 1945.
A 1909 graduate of West Point, George S. Patton saw
combat for the first time during the Pancho Villa Expedition
of 1916. This military operation was the first time the U.S.
military used motor vehicles in action, and Patton led the
first motorized attack in U.S. military history. During World
War I the future general led tanks into combat for the newly
created United States Tank Corps and was wounded towards
the end of the war. During the interwar period Patton was
instrumental in the development of U.S. armored warfare
doctrine that he would later personally implement on the
frontlines of World War II. Often leading from the front,
Patton’s World War II exploits, where he led armies from
North Africa to the European continent, solidified him as an
American legend that captured the nation’s imagination and
gratitude. On the heels of the success in North Africa, Patton
and his 2nd Army Corps advanced quickly through Sicily.
At Patton’s side during the Sicily campaign was General
Geoffrey Keyes. Like Patton, Keyes participated in the Pancho
Villa Expedition and World War I and took an interest in
armored warfare. Prior to World War II Keyes was chief of
staff of the 2nd Armored Division commanded by Patton.
Keyes was assigned under Patton as the deputy commander
of the Seventh Army when Operation Husky began, but
when Patton split the Seventh Army in half, Keyes was given
command of the Provision Corps. Fighting through mostly
difficult mountainous terrain, the corps was able to capture
most of western Sicily, including the country’s capital. Keyes
was awarded the Army Distinguished Service Medal for
actions taken in Sicily. Keyes was a brilliant tactician whose
achievement have been often overlooked in the history
books. In regard to Keyes, Patton said the he “had the best
tactical mind of any officer I know.” Keyes went on to play a
major role in the offensive in Italy as well as into the early
Cold War period. Patton went on to England.
The swift liberation of Sicily was not without its
controversies. The Biscari massacre and the slapping of
two battle fatigue soldiers sidelined Patton. He would
not command a force in combat for the next 11 months.
Understanding that the Germans perceived Patton as the
central figure to any invasion of Europe from England, the
Allies placed Patton as the commander of a phantom army.
This was part of the deception scheme Operation Fortitude
in the buildup to the 1944 Normandy invasion as a way to
mislead German High Command as to the location of the
actual invasion. Following the Normandy invasion, Patton
arrived in France in July 1944 to command the Third Army
and conducted a successful rapid armored drive across the
Germany occupied country. During the Battle of the Bulge
the Third Army relived battle weary troops at Bastogne and
then drove deep into Germany. In early December 1945,
Patton was severely injured in an auto accident in occupied
Germany and died twelve days later with Keyes at his side.
Keyes took command of his late friend’s famous Third Army
from 1946 to 1947.
CONDITION: Exceptionally fine, showing minimal handling
marks. This is a very historic swagger stick as it is a personal
item that belonged to not one but two of America’s most
brilliant World War II tacticians: General Patton and General
Keyes. It stands as a symbol of a type of generalship from a
bygone era well worthy of the finest public
or private collection.
Provenance: General George S. Patton; General Geoffrey
Keyes; Geoffrey Brooks Keyes; Terry Patton;
The Mark Hinton Collection; Property of a Gentleman.
Estimate: 15,000 - 25,000 325