Jimmy Patterson

Lt. James "Jimmy" Steven Patterson is the main fictional character of the award-winning Medal of Honor franchise beginning with the original Medal of Honor in 1999, in three levels of Medal of Honor: Underground and later in a sequel Medal of Honor: Frontline in 2001. He has also appeared as a main character in Medal of Honor: Heroes.

Early life
James Steven Patterson was born on Armistice Day, November 11, 1919 in Carthage, Missouri.

College
James Patterson attended the University of Michigan where he excelled in most of his classes. The following transcript states the subjects he took, his professors, and his grades.

Dean: Hirschmen

Student Advisor: Dr. McDevitt

Student ID: TE 64-46

Patterson was an honor student and expected to go to Harvard, but instead shocked his family by going to West Point. He graduated third in his class and volunteered for the Army Air Corps. All of the listed "Professors" Patterson had in college in fact are members of the Medal of Honor crew. For example Kraber, Patterson's German Professor, is named after Eric Kraber, the chief sound engineer for Frontline. Patterson's grade in German changes in his second semester to a B.

Officer Candidate School
Upon entering the United States Army Air Corps, James Patterson applied and was accepted to Officer Candidate Training. The following is his official OCS Summary dated on May 30, 1942.

FIELD RATINGS:

SPECIAL QUALIFICATIONS:

The end of the summary was pressed as RECOMMENDED, indicating a recommendation to whichever assignment James would choose. James had subsequently chosen the Army Air Corps.

First Encounter with the OSS (Lighting the Torch) (5 November 1942)
James Patterson's first encounter with the Office of Strategic Services occurred in November 1942. James was randomly chosen from a select few of officers from the Air Transport Command. His mission was to pilot a specially modified Northrop Alpha to an undisclosed German-controlled airfield in occupied North Africa. Upon his arrival his orders were to pick up an OSS operative who had just destroyed a fuel depot in anticipation of the upcoming invasion of North Africa known ironically as Operation Torch. His strict orders stated that he was not even allowed to look at the operative, as to keep the operative's identity secure. In fact, the operative was none other than Manon Batiste, whom he would later be working with upon his entrance into the OSS.

Assignment to the 101st Airborne
Lt. Patterson was assigned as pilot for the 101st "Screaming Eagles" and soon became a well respected pilot by the men of 4th Platoon. He was widely considered the best .45 shot on the base.

D-Day minus One (5 June 1944)
On the night of June 5, 1944 Lt. James Patterson, now twenty four years old, flew his over-laden C-47 transport plane over the Contentin Peninsula in order to drop the 4th Platoon over its drop zone.

Once the last paratrooper left the C-47, Patterson turned around and made his way home. Unfortunately his plane was attacked by German fighters. With one engine burning and a hole in the tail of plane, James crash-landed his plane into an open field bound by the hedgerows of Normandy. James and four of his crewmen survived.

Battle through the Night (5 June 1944)
Immediately after crashing, a group of German soldiers arrived investigating the crash, James killed six of them as he and his fellow crewmen retreated into the darkness. Armed with his pistol, an M1 Garand and a few grenades, James and his men continued towards the coast, taking out a few Wehrmacht checkpoints along the way.

Encounter with the Resistance (5 June 1944)
Running low on ammunition and determination, Patterson and his men were finally found by the French Resistance group the Maquis, led by none other than Manon Batiste herself. The Maquis had then agreed to help Patterson and his men reach their lines. The resistance group escorted them to a small port city just north of Quinéville on the Eastern Edge of the Peninsula where they boarded a fishing trawler.

Arrival onboard the USS Thomas Jefferson (6 June 1944)
After navigating through miles of German mine-studded waters they final reached the Allied Armada. James and his men were taken aboard the USS Thomas Jefferson, a transport ship carrying members of the 2nd Ranger Battalion. Despite his harrowing ordeal which would earn him a foreclaimed Medal of Honor, James came to terms with the fact that the invasion would require the efforts of every able bodied man on the vessel, James decided to return to France with the Rangers.

D-Day (6 June 1944)
In the morning of June 6, 1944 James and the men of the 116th Regiment, 29th Infantry Division and the 2nd Ranger Battalion were loaded off of the USS Thomas Jefferson and on to a Higgins boat for the pending invasion. When the boat lowers its ramp, to let the soldiers out, an artillery shell hits it, destroying the LCVP and forcing its passengers to swim to shore. After James makes it off the beach he infiltrates an MG bunker, encounters a number of enemy soldiers, and signals the Allied ships to destroy it with a smoke grenade.

Rescue the G-3 Officer (12 June 1944)
A few days after D-Day, Jimmy receives word from the OSS. He meets Colonel Hargrove who informs him of the OSS's interest in him. He is then given orders to locate a G-3 officer who has been shot down. The officer is carrying crucial documents that must not fall into enemy hands. Jimmy is forced to fight through the fields of France until finding the G-3 officer's plane. With no officer in sight, Jimmy decides to check out the nearby town of Dubuisson, a small French burgh that also houses a Maquis hideout. After arriving at the hideout, he finds it empty with the exception of the dead G-3 officer. After taking the officer's attache case, Jimmy then heads down to the sewers to escape. However the sewers are crawling with Germans soldiers who quickly pursue him. Jimmy just barely manages to exit the sewers and returns with the documents to Allied lines.

Destroy the Mighty Railgun Greta (15 June 1944)
In July the German Army finishes construction on Greta, a huge railway gun. Greta begins firing shells onto the English Channel. Well hidden and mobile, the cannon escapes several RAF bombing raids. With time slipping away, the OSS quickly dispatches Jimmy to destroy the cannon. Donning a Wehrmacht officer's uniform, Jimmy infiltrates a train station and follows its rails towards Greta. After arriving at a small canyon Jimmy finds Greta. After dispatching the guards around it he quickly mounts several explosive charges and flees as Greta explodes.

Scuttle Das Boot U-4901 (23-28 June 1944)
In late June, the OSS uncovers the designs for a new German U-boat. This U-Boat, far more silent, reliable and with longer range poses a deep threat to the Allies. Jimmy is soon dispatched to destroy the submarine and all materials attaining to it. Jimmy, disguised this time as a Kriegsmarine officer, travels aboard the merchant ship Wolfram, one of the largest ships in the German Merchant fleet. While onboard the ship Wolfram Jimmy sabotages the ships engines and makes his escape. Making his way through the shipyard Jimmy also manages to steal the engine specs and the hull blueprints for the submarine. He then infiltrates the submarine and awaits as it heads out to sea. Some miles away from the coast, he forces the sub to dive, then blows the controls, radios the HMS Belfast and forces the submarine to surface, making his escape on the Belfast.

Panzerknacker Unleashed (23-28 June 1944)
During the exact same dates as Scuttle Das Boot U-4901 Patterson is sent to a castle to investigate a distress call. Patterson must now encounter dogs that dance, drive half-tracker, and fire weapons. Zombies driving motorcycles and armed with StG-44's that explode when killed. Knights armed with battleaxes and shields. Automatons (Panzerknackers) that resemble nutcrackers are his final enemies. He eventually gathers supplies and builds his own Panzerknacker who assists him while they fight their way out.

A Storm in the Port (17-18 August 1944)
By August 1944, the Allies are still fighting the Germans throughout France. Jimmy is briefed about the Kriegsmarine port at Lorient. The port doesn't just house U-boats, but contains research and production facilities. Jimmy is dropped at the town of St. Mathieu were he meets up with isolated American soldiers. He learns that the German U-boat U-4902 is docked there. Jimmy smuggles himself aboard the U-boat when it makes leave to Lorient. When the U-boat docks, he clears it out and sabotoges it. He then proceeds to destroy other U-boats and Fuel reserves while the confused Germans attempt to stop him. He leaves the burning port successfully with a handful of German documents.

Needle in a Haystack (20-21 September 1944)
In September 1944, Lt. Jimmy Patterson receives his next mission. A Dutch Resistance operative, code-named Gerrit, had stolen intelligence material detailing a new German weapons project. But he is captured in Holland. His last known position was in a town called Kleveburg. A Dutch informant that has information on Gerrit has arranged to meet Patterson in a pub called the Golden Lion. Jimmy has to find him and recover the information by any means. He is arranged to be air dropped on the outskirts of the town. He will be dropped on the same day as Operation Market Garden will take place. He is dropped with Corporal Barnes, a demolitions expert on his own mission to destroy any tanks in the area and a translator named Private Conners of the 82nd Airborne Division (the latter is killed during the drop when his parachute snags on a windmill and he is shot, although with cheat codes and patience he can be saved but will remain on the windmill). Barns and Patterson move through the picturesque Dutch countryside and occasionally encounter German patrols and tanks. They meet up with a misdropped soldier named Pfc. Langteu. When they reach the town, Jimmy departs and slips in undetected. When night falls, he moves about the town avoiding Gestapo patrols and is helped by a Dutch operative named Fox. He finds a German uniform and meets his contact at the pub. He informs Jimmy that Gerrit is being held at the Dorne Manor, just outside of town. Jimmy travels to the manor house, which is swarming with SS, disguised as a member of the catering crew. However, his disguise is blown and a fierce firefight erupts. Jimmy rescues Gerrit and finds the information and successfully escapes.

Several Bridges Too Far (23 September 1944)
In mid September 1944, Jimmy is ordered to put a stop to Sturmgeist's plot. The good news is, the OSS arranges for him to meet an informant who can get him close to Sturmgeist. The bad news is, the informant is in the middle of Arnhem, a city right on the frontlines of Market Garden. He must fight his way across the titular Nijmegen Bridge after which the American forces quickly capture it. He then arrives and fights through the relatively calm suburbs of Arnhem and hooks up with a group of British paratroopers, led by Master Seargant Kelso, stuck in the war-torn heart of the city. Through infantry, tanks, and the dreaded Panzerschreck squads, Jimmy makes his way to a local Customs house to meet his informant.

Rolling Thunder (23 September 1944)
The story picks up again in late September 1944, in Emmerich, a German city near the border, close to Düsseldorf. The informant he rendezvoused with in Arnhem is able to get him close to Sturmgeist's personal armored train, which should take him directly to the Ho IX production base. Since the location of the Ho IX fighter facility is heavily classified, Jimmy has to sneak into the local train station and board Sturmgeist's personal train, and ride it out of the city to the production base. Jimmy once again dons the uniform of a German officer and approaches the train station, only to have his cover blown by the uniforms' half naked previous owner. With his cover gone, Jimmy is forced to fight his way through the train station in the midst of an Allied bombing raid and board Sturmgeist's train. From there, the action shifts to an all out assault on Sturmgeist's private ranks, including his "escort" trains. However, Sturmgeist manages to escape by decoupling the train from the engine, which he then rides out on. The bulk of the train comes to a rest near the industrial town of Friedrichroda. Jimmy must battle through the trainyards until he finally finds the Ho IX production facility located in a disused mine shaft adjacent to the town of Gotha.

The Horten's Nest (27 September 1944)
Jimmy manages to sneak into the production plant via the ventilation system, fighting through bleak concrete corridors and destroying whatever sensitive German construction materials he can get his hands on. He gets the opportunity to ride a mine cart out of the facility and onto the runway proper. Through forests, fields, trenches, and bunkers, Jimmy finally gets to his goal: the brand new Ho IX fighter. A final shootout with Rudolf Von Sturmgeist and his bodyguards insues, and Von Sturmgeist is killed in the battle. Jimmy then quickly hops into the Ho IX and takes off, for just a minute later, Allied bombers reduce the airfield and buildings to rubble.

He then goes on a long deserved vacation, but Colonel Hargrove tells that he'll be calling on him again shortly...

Attack Impenetrable Fort Schmerzen (25 November 1944)
In early September, 1944 the Allies have broken through Normandy and have liberated most of France. With the pending invasion of Germany, one threat remains: the impenetrable Fort Schmerzen. To make the situation worse, in November the Germans have stationed an obsolete Ju-87 Stuka dive bomber outside of the fort. Unable to determine what is going on inside of the base and seeing that it has to be taken out anyway, Colonel Hargrove assigns Jimmy to infiltrate the base and find out what is going on, and to do a little sabotage. Jimmy manages to successfully destroy the Stuka and infiltrate the base, only to find to his horror that the Germans are producing Mustard gas to dispense when the Allies attack the fort. Horrified by the thought, Jimmy quickly sabotages the two main valves, causing the gas to fill the fort, killing all but Jimmy who is donning a gas mask.

Sabotage the Rjukan Hydro Plant (01 February 1945)
In February 1945, Jimmy is sent to Norway to stop the German's heavy water production. After infiltrating the Rjukan Hydro Plant, Jimmy has to destroy several key components of the German's heavy water production including the destruction of the power station, various valves, research papers, and the motor pool. Patterson then exits the facility and fights through hordes of Germans before destroying the ferry containing the Heavy Water and the Heavy Water itself.

Capture the Secret German Treasure (20 Feb 1945)
The OSS receives word of where the Germans have been holding their stolen treasures from all across Europe. Shortly after returning from his foray into Norway, Jimmy is sent into Austria to prevent the Germans from destroying the salt mine near the town of Altaussee and the stolen art located inside the mine. Patterson fights his way to the mine through canyons and Germans armed with Panzershreks. He enters the mine and kills several members of an SS Demo squad. He then disarms several bombs securing the mine and recapturing some of the greatest arts in history.

Escape the V-2 Rocket Plant (25 March 1945)
A month later, in March 1945, Jimmy is sent to Germany for one last time to destroy a German V-2 rocket & destroying the whole rocket facility in the process. In addition, Jimmy also destroys various controls, and capturing V-1 target lists, scientist rosters and schematics for the V-2. After tampering with a gyroscopic device Patterson fights his way to the launch pad where he launches the rocker from the safety of the control booth. The rocket falls back to earth killing all but Patterson.

After World War Two
Medal of Honor: Heroes revealed that Manon and Jimmy became involved in a relationship towards the end of the war and that he proposed to her. It did not reveal whether she accepted. It also suggested he became part of the Central Intelligence Agency.

Trivia

 * In the mission "Panzerknacker Unleashed", a bonus mission in Medal of Honor Underground that was originally supposed to be in the first Medal of Honor, is dated to take place between 23 June 1944 and 28 June 1944. The odd thing is is that the dates are exactly the same as the mission where Patterson must destroy U-4901. This is a minor glitch in the small details to which almost no one pays attention to.


 * Patterson's dress uniform, although rarely seen, is inaccurate for several reasons. First he doesn't wear any rank on his epaulets (which is where any officer rank would go). Two, he wears the U.S. and Infantry discs (one on each lapel). As an officer he should wear his crossed rifles (no disc) on both is top lapels and two non-disc U.S. pins on his bottom lapels.


 * After Patterson graduates from West Point it is stated that he goes to OCS. This makes no sense because after graduating from USMA the graduate is given the rank of 2nd Lieutenant automatically.

Medals
Army Commendation Medal
 * Awarded for: Heroism, valor or meritorious service while serving in the Army after 6 December 1941.

Soldier's Medal
 * Awarded for: Heroism involving the voluntary risk of life under conditions not involving conflict.

Dutch WWII Commemorative Cross
 * Awarded for: Service in the liberation of The Netherlands from Nazi occupation.

Legion of Merit
 * Awarded for: Exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements by key individuals.

Distinguished Flying Cross
 * Awarded for: Heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight in any capacity in the Armed Forces.

Army Distinguished Service Medal
 * Awarded for: Exceptional meritorious service to the Army in a duty of great responsibility in which performance is clearly exceptional.

Distinguished Service Cross
 * Awarded for: Any act of heroism that is so extraordinary as to set the individual apart from his comrades.

Bronze Star
 * Awarded for: A single act or meritorious service accomplished with distinction while in the military service of the United States.

Silver Star
 * Awarded for: Galantry in action against an enemy of the United States while engaged in military operations involving conflict with an opposing foreign force.

DWI Medal of Valor
 * Awarded for completing every mission with three stars in the first Medal of Honor.

EA Los Angeles Medal of Valor
 * Awarded for completing every mission with a gold star in Medal of Honor: Frontline.