Personality and Ego

Many of the characters that served in the North African campaign had very strong personalities. Good examples are Patton, Montgomery, and Eisenhower.

Patton was a fiery, passionate man who had both good and bad qualities. On the good side, he was decisive and not afraid to take chances. On the bad, he often made these decisions out of passion and emotion, without really thinking through the repercussions of his actions. Once he made a decision, he expected it to be followed without question, even if the situation changed. For example, he ordered Orlando Ward to lead his troops on a mission to take the high ground at Maknassy, even after Ward had explained that such a mission would come to no good. Ward obeyed and was nearly killed. Patton also felt very passionate about officers leading their troops. He even thought that from time to time...