25. The Destruction of Task Force Baum
Task Force Baum’s raid ended catastrophically: all of the tanks and vehicles were lost, and only 35 men made it back. The rest were killed or captured. Eisenhower was furious at Patton’s misuse of military personnel and assets for personal reasons, and reprimanded him. In light of his valuable services, however, Eisenhower refrained from punishing Patton beyond the reprimand.
A reporter got wind of the scandal, and when the story first broke in a major publication on April 12th, 1945, it could have wrecked Patton. However, Franklin Delano Roosevelt died that same day, and the president’s demise eclipsed all other news. The scandal got little traction, and when Patton died a few months later, the story became a mere historic footnote.
