WWII Reflections from Gener al Patton ’ s Personal Driver ront Seat
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WWII Reflections from Gener al Patton ’ s Personal Driver ront Seat
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From Fr ancis “ Jeep ” Sanza
U . S . Army Photo
Sgt . Francis “ Jeep ” Sanza held a unique role in the United States Army during WWII . He was a driver for General George S . Patton as a member of the Army ’ s 34 th and 7 th Ordinance Medium Automotive Maintenance Company and was regarded as one of the Army ’ s best mechanics .
As the primary driver for Gen . Patton during some of the most pivotal battles in the European Theater of WWII , including the Siege of Bastogne , Sgt . Sanza gained rare perspective into the personality of Gen . Patton .
Now 93 years old , Sgt . Sanza sat down with AVQ to share some of his fondest memories of the famous WWII general .
I liked driving a jeep , so my role as driver for Gen . George Patton was natural for me , especially following the opportunity I had to demonstrate an early military jeep prototype made in Waynesboro , North Carolina .
We tested the jeep ’ s durability by driving it through water , which it was capable of doing , although you had to watch out for the sand that got in the bearings because they would wear out over time . Gen . Patton was there for that demonstration , in addition to British Prime Minister Winston Churchill , and even Dwight D . Eisenhower , who of course would go one to become supreme Allied commander during the
GENERAL GEORGE S . PATTON STRIKES HIS ICONIC POSE IN A REVIEW OF THIRD ARMY TROOPS IN APRIL , 1944 . THE SCENE CAPTURES THE ESSENCE OF THE SUPREMELY CONFIDENT GENERAL .
war , and later the 34th president of our nation .
Even before I joined the war effort , I had a knack for operating and caring for engines , which I had done while working at camp with the Civilian Conservation Corps . I learned a lot about engines in those days , including how to overhaul them . I could take an engine out of a jeep in 40 minutes —
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