Was France to Germany an easy walkover for Patton and Third Army during WW2?

Question:

Was France to Germany an easy walkover for Patton and Third Army during WW2?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Well, yes... in comparison with many other events in many other campaigns. Once out of Normandy, Patton had air superiority, a fully-mechanised army (the Germans still relied on horse), fresh troops, and most of all the experience of other people's four years of war.

Others here might marvel at Patton's turning his army to face a different direction before the relief of Bastogne- and it was a good achievement- but on a par with what the Germans did on the same area in 1940? Or the defence of Stalingrad? Or Operation Bagration? Or the Japanese capture of Singapore with a small, unmechanised army?

Patton might have resented the hell out of the 'slow British' but they were fighting the Germans, so Patton didn't have to. It was the British who broke the German armoured units in Normandy.

Certainly as Patton reached the German frontier the defence toughened up, and his units were in some hard fights. But despite desperate attempts to make him the greatest general of the 20th century, he simply never had the chance to do anything as difficult or challenging as those who fought for five years instead of one, and on fronts covering tens of thousands of kms, not just hundreds, those who overcame massive challenges of inferior equipment, numbers, air support and so on.

'Easy walkover' might be overstating it a little, but of all the postings you could have in WW2, Patton's command would be pretty safe and comfortable.