Apollo 8 crew (from left) Frank Borman, William Anders, and James Lovell.
General George S. Patton Jr., an American World War II
hero famed for his battlefield brilliance, unvarnished view
of combat and volatile personality, died in Heidelberg,
Germany, on this day in history, Dec. 21, 1945. He was
60 years old.
Patton was paralyzed in an auto accident on Dec. 9. "Old
Blood and Guts" died in the hospital of a blood clot in his
heart.