No, General George S. Patton Jr. did not consider retreat an acceptable option as a core philosophy of warfare. His strategy was built on aggressive, relentless, and constant offensive action, with a focus on speed and pursuit to disorient and destroy the enemy.
Patton's views on retreat and general military philosophy can be summarized as:
Attack at all costs: His motto in battle was "GO FORWARD!". He believed in maintaining the initiative and never giving the enemy a chance to regroup or build strength.
"Live to fight another day" doctrine rejected: He explicitly dismissed the "Live to fight another day" philosophy, believing that "defeat is not due to losses but to the destruction of the soul of the leaders". He advocated that a leader must be committed to coming out "either a conquerer or a corpse".
Never conducted a retreat: It was a notable point of pride for him that, like Helmuth von Moltke, the Prussian General Staff chief, he had "never conducted a retreat," a maneuver he viewed as the trickiest and least desirable in war.
Avoiding defensive tactics: Patton was known for his disdain for purely defensive tactics, stating, "Wars are not won by defensive tactics," and "fixed fortifications are a monument to man's stupidity".
While he was not reckless and incorporated reconnaissance and planning, his overarching principle was an unyielding drive forward, prioritizing the psychological defeat of the enemy through constant pressure.