Just a day before the 70th anniversary of D-Day, a personal Third Army guidon from General George S Patton has sold at Bonhams.

Patton's Third Army claimed to have killed, wounded or captured 1.8m German soldiers, six times the strength of its numbers

In a sale dedicated to second world war memorabilia on June 5 in New York, the guidon made an impressive $50,000. It would have been flown on any of Patton's personal cars, with the general known for his conspicuous appearances, designed to inspire pride in his men.

Patton (1885-1945) was one of the greatest generals of the second world war, with the tactics he used in tank warfare still studied today.

Under his command, the Third Army was one of the most successful of the war, fighting continuously for 281 days and capturing 81,500 square miles of territory.

However, he was famously hot headed, and was discharged as leader of the Third Army following an argument with Eisenhower.

"All good things must come to an end. The best thing that has ever happened to me thus far is the honor and privilege of having commanded the Third Army," he said when leaving the post.

Patton was killed in a car crash shortly afterwards.

The auction featured a remarkable array of artefacts from the war, with a German Enigma machine selling for $92,500, followed by a rare 1944 edition of the Kurzsignalheft, or Enigma code book, which made an outstanding $146,500.

Paul Fraser Collectibles has an exceptional collection of militaria for sale, including this wonderful autograph from D-Day commander Omar Bradley - one of the most celebrated military figures in America.