MacArthur never left his couch except to abandon his men to the death march. He was a fraud , and probably the best example of incompetence supporting this article. Despite having advance warning, he let his Philippine command be decimated by the Japs. Most of his soldiers hated him. Now, Patton..his men are still proud to say,” I was in General Patton’s Army.”
The attack began early on the morning of October 14, and the fighting was fierce. MacArthur's 168th Iowa regiment, fighting with great courage, took Hill 288 by noon. MacArthur had little time to savor their success, as he led the repeated but fruitless assaults on Chatillon, now the final key to the area. MacArthur planned a bayonets-only attack for the next day (to avoid the muzzle flashes which gave away their locations), but after listening to the protests of his men thought better of it and canceled the order.
October 15 was a bad day for the Rainbow Division. MacArthur's 84th attacked repeatedly, but could get no further than halfway between Hill 288 and the Cote de Chatillon. From the high ground, the Germans were able to pour machine-gun and small-arms fire on Lenihan's 83rd, preventing it from making progress toward the towns. That evening, furious at the lack of progress, Summerall relieved Lenihan of his command, and repeated to MacArthur his demand that he take his objective or die trying. That night, MacArthur led the night patrol and found a relative weak spot in the German lines.
The next day, MacArthur's men, led by the 167th Alabama and 168th Iowa regiments, exploited this weakness and finally took the Cote de Chatillon. MacArthur directed a massive barrage which pinned the Germans down while Major Ross of the 168th led a group through the wire and enveloped the Germans, who were routed and either killed, fled, or captured. There were numerous acts of personal bravery; it was perhaps the Rainbow Division's greatest achievement in the war. The Rainbows were too decimated to press their advantage, but the tide had turned with the taking of Chatillon. Menoher wrote in his report to Summerall: "The indomitable resolution and ferocious courage of these two officers [MacArthur and Ross] in rallying their broken lines time and time again, in re-forming the attack and leading their men that saved the day. Without them the German line would not have been broken. On a field where courage was the rule their heroism was the dominant feature. I regard their efforts as among the most remarkable of the war."
Funny my uncle serve under MacArthur as and 18 year old in the Pacific an worshipped the guy
I can’t agree with your assessment of MacArthur.
I would suggest you read William Manchester’s book on the subject, “American Caesar”, he dishes out the good and bad and you can ten make your own decision.