.tif)
The Red Army launched Operation Rumyantsev aimed at recovering to recapture Belgorod and Kharkov. As with many such actions, the offensive would gain ground, but feature huge Soviet material and manpower losses.
Gen. George S. Patton visited the 15th Evacuation Hospital in Nicosia, Cyprus and slapped Pvt Charles H. Kuhl with his gloves. Kuhl was in the hospital for malaria, dysentery and shell shock, and made the mistake of giving Patton the incomplete answer to an inquiry about why he was there with "I guess I just can't take it." The level of his illness was not appreciated until after the incident, and he had in fact been in the hosptial on two prior occasions prior to it occuring and returend to the front. The "can't take it" line had been put on his admittance notes.
Kuhl's malarial infection was undiagnosed at the time, and he was actually much sicker than initially believed. He passed off the Patton incident and didn't seem to think it a big deal. Patton later apologized directly to him, following the firestorm of bad publicity and official reprimand this incident was partially responsible for, and noted that Patton hadn't realized he was so ill.
Kuhl noted later that when he met Patton, Patton seemed to be quite worn out. Depictions of Patton fail to appreciate this, but he was constantly ill during World War Two, a condition probably partially brought on by chain-smoking cigars. Additionally, there is reason to suspect that he suffered from lingering after affects from horse accident related head injuries.
The incident is depicted in the movie Patton, although a second incident that would occur on August 10 is not. They would ultimately hit the press, but the public, contrary to what might be suspected, largely supported Patton.
Kuhl died at age 55 from a heart attack.
