George S. Patton, Jr., was a graduate of West Point who saw service in the tank corps in France in World War I. He was known as a colorful, outspoken, tough-minded officer. He wore ivory -handled revolvers on his hips and was a principal proponent of the adoption of armored weapons and mobile tactics. During World War II, Patton played a major role in the 1942 invasion of North Africa and in the 1943 capture of Sicily. The climax of his career was in 1944-1945, after the Allies Normandy invasion, when his Third Army swept across France and into Germany. He played a pivotal role in halting the German counterattack in the Battle of the Bulge.