How much was George Patton’s reputation a considerable factor in the deception operation, Fortitude? I’ve read conflicting opinions about whether the German high command considered his whereabouts an indicator of where the allies were to land in Western Europe. On the one hand, I’ve read that German high command had more respect for Patton at the time, than any other Allied Commander, meaning his whereabouts were key to the deception campaign. To the contrary I’ve also heard that German high command barely cared or knew who he was at all at the time, and that his reputation and where he supposedly was or was not had little effect on the outcome of operation Fortitude.
What’s the thought on this?
Patton had commanded the U.S. landing troops in two successful allied amphibious operations in Europe, Torch in North Africa and the Invasion of Sicily. The two later Italian landing operations (Salerno and Anzio) had been less successful. Patton was therefore the most experienced American commander of Landing operations in England. The German intelligence was certainly aware of this information.
His reputation among German intelligence in June 1944, before his successes in western Europe, is not crucial. He was simply the most logical general to have in change of a Pas de Calais operation and commanding an "Army Group". Certainly it would have looked odd to have a relatively inexperienced General in charge of the fictitious army group. On the other hand, if Allied High Command had handed the deception role to Montgomery, Alexander, or Mark Clark there isn't much evidence that it would have changed the effect given the rest of the deception operation. An army group simply can't be ignored no matter who commands it.