“Do you have a good prayer for weather?”

In the fall of 1944 in their final drive to defeat Nazi Germany Allied forces faced intense combat and  logistic challenges all contributing to high casualty rates as they moved close to “The Fatherland.” Despite their air superiority in numbers of aircraft, the Allies suffered heavy losses in both men and material. Poor weather complicated matters where weeks of steady rain had turned the terrain into a muddy quagmire, and low visibility hampered close air support required for offensive ground operations.

https://www.wwiimemorialfriends.org/blog/pattons-prayer

Weather, which is beyond the control of humans, is often the most crucial factor in planning and executing military campaigns, and General George S. Patton recognized this all too well. Though he couldn’t control the skies, he believed he could offer hope to his men. A man perhaps more known for his profanity he also was a man of deep religious  faith and turned to the Chief Chaplain of the Third Army, James H. O’Neill, with a request,” Do you have a good prayer for weather?” asked Patton. “We must do something about those rains if we are to win the war.”

As Chaplain O’Neill later recalled, Patton firmly believed in the power of
prayer. The general once said, “There are three ways that men get what they
want: by planning, by working, and by praying.” While planning and
preparation are essential, Patton knew that between strategy and action lies
an element of the unknown. He believed that the outcome of battle was
often decided in those uncertain moments. Moments shaped not by luck,
but by the hand of God.

What began as a simple prayer request became much larger. Patton ordered
250,000 printed copies of the prayer to be distributed to every soldier in
the Third Army:

“Almighty and most merciful Father, we humbly beseech Thee, of Thy great goodness, to restrain these immoderate rains with which we have had to contend. Grant us fair weather for Battle. Graciously hearken to us as soldiers who call upon Thee that, armed with Thy power, we may advance from victory to victory, and crush the oppression and wickedness of our enemies and establish Thy justice among men and nations. Amen.”

A directive was issued in Patton’s name to all 486 chaplains representing thirty-two denominations as well as senior officers across more than twenty divisions:

“Pray when driving. Pray when fighting. Pray alone. Pray with others. Pray by night and pray by day. Pray for the cessation of immoderate rains, for good weather for battle… Pray for victory. Pray for our Army and pray for peace.”

The timing could not have been more critical. On December 23, more than a week into what would become the deadliest battle for American forces in World War II, the weather finally broke. Patton believed his prayer had been answered. By the end of January 1945, the Allies had won the fierce Battle of the Bulge, and the Berlin Express was underway, and the rest is history.