Posted on 03/23/2020 1:45:09 PM PDT by Ozguy1945
I filmed this in a meditation cave at Dieng Plateau, Central Java, Indonesia.
Forgot about the attack on the Bonus mMarchers in Anacostia.
Figures he’s a hero in a world where the WWII vets attack on Athens Georgia is long forgotten.
Why not read his own autobiography?
An amazing man. One of the greatest of the last century.
How was being hit on the ground by an inexplicably delayed attack force precisely when patrols were refueling his fault?
Also ignored all evidence that Chinese were across the Yalu infiltrating to attack.
What in a commander's experience at that time would cause him to believe a full scale attack by Red China would not be regarded as an act of war by the United States?
There was more than a little ass in Mac.
Only because there is such a pile of books about him written by leftist historians
Why would you suspect I have not read it?
“I give him credit for keeping the casualty lists low through both his island-hopping campaigns and his strategy in Korea (Inchon).”
The island hopping strategery belonged to Nimitz, not MacArthur.
Mac wanted to fight for every scrap of land on the way to Tokyo. Therefore we ended up with a split command in the Pacific. One headed by MacArthur, the other headed by Nimitz.
The landing at Inchon wasn’t really needed. The Pusan defense had held and the buildup of men and materials there was sufficient to kick the NORKS back to their part of the peninsula.
Some critics have said Inchon was Mac’s answer to Normandy. His own, personal, high stakes gamble of a landing operation.
“and for his governing of Japan after the war. (Emperor Hirohito came out to see him off at the airport when he left — unprecedented).”
Hirohito was doing plenty of unprecedented things by then.
For a man who had never been seen by more than a handful of his subjects as Emporer OF Japan he reinvented himself as the Emporer FOR Japan.
He gave speeches before the Diet, extolling them to work for the nation as a whole.
He traveled to factories, schools, parks, where ever people gathered telling them that they had lost the war but that Japan would remake itself into an economic power that they could all be proud of.
Hirohito became the Emporer the people needed.
“and for being a symbol for the US to rally to, when we were losing everything in the Pacific and had no way to resist in early 1942.”
The same MacArthur who, as Commanding Officer of the Philippine armed forces, kept his planes grounded and his soldiers on base after being warned that the Japanese had attacked Pearl?
The “I shall return” MacArthur was a nice PR thing his staff put together from the comfy confines of his HQ in Australia while the men of Corregidor were dieing on the Bataan Death March.
Because of his age and the fiasco of the PI he was afraid of being replaced. His ISR campaign was his last gasp at retaining a command.
“His personality, however, and his acting abilities, must result in some downvotes. . .”
I asked an old Marine once why Marines hated Mac so much. He said “The son of a bitch hated us so we hated him right back.”
“The most overrated U.S. general of all time.”
Amen!
You like all other MacArthur haters have bee brainwashed by leftist propagandists.
US fighter patrols were up before dawn searching for the Japanese... but there were none... because the Japanese attack planes were grounded on Formosa due to heavy fog. By the time the fog cleared and the Japanese strike force reached Luzon, the American patrols were low on fuel and had to return to Clark for refueling. That is why they were on the ground.
On April 19, 1951 I was in 6th grade and televisions were rare in those days. My grammar school on the south side of Chicago set one up in the auditorium and we had an all school assembly to watch the speech. One of most moving speeches EVER...especially the end! I will remember it always and have profound respect for the man.
General MacArthur Farewell Address to Joint Session of Congress
PS An earlier historic an epic speech of his was at the Japanese surrender ceremony on the deck of the Missouri BB-63 on 2 September 1945.
Did you just make that up, or is it part of your leftist brainwashing?
You obviously know nothing about the nature of the Southwest Pacific operations.
My dad fought under MacArthur in the Leyte Campaign. He never said a bad word about him. I have long since obtained a graduate degree in American History. It is my belief that while MacArthur certainly had some unsavory personal characteristics, he was an excellent strategist and tactician. No other general in the Pacific compares to him at the operational or strategic level. Trying to compare the PTO to the ETO for generals, is apples to oranges. Two completely different wars.
Agreed.
Caught flat-footed three times. Slow learner, unable to anticipate the enemy. Even with advanced warning.
Not the worst US General of the era, but he’s on the list.
And those three times were?
Philippines, December, 1941.
Korea, June, 1950.
Korea, November, 1950.
So Mac wasn’t smart enough to have rotating flights up looking for Japanese planes?
Still doesn’t explain why his planes weren’t better dispersed on the ground.
One Japanese survivor said the planes in the PI were practically wing tip to wing tip when they attacked.
Mac dithered in the PI.
How was having all forces on alert with air patrols up at dawn searching for the Japanese flat footed?
Korea, June, 1950.
Are you trying to say MacArthur was somehow responsible for the defense of Korea in June 1950, or are you trying to hide the fact that Truman, the president who turned China over to the reds, emboldened and reassured the communists by announcing that the US had no interests in Korea?
Korea, November, 1950.
What American commander in 1950 would not believe that an attack by China would be treated by Washington as an act of war?
“Did you just make that up, or is it part of your leftist brainwashing?”
No leftist brainwashing here.
I just don’t genuflect at the Altar of MacArthur.
Mac’s best days were behind him in WW1.
They were parked tight to prevent sabotage.
He was but if you knew anything about Clark Field in Dec 1941, or who was responsible for those airplanes you would understand why there were no significant rotations.
Still doesn’t explain why his planes weren’t better dispersed on the ground.
Primarily because Clark Field had no dispersal areas due to Washington having denied funds for such dispersal areas.
One Japanese survivor said the planes in the PI were practically wing tip to wing tip when they attacked.
True because Clark Field was like a docked aircraft carrier. Due to the weather in Formosa delaying the Japanese attack by several hours, American fighters had been up all morning with no contact. Low on fuel, they had to return to Clark to be refueled. The Japanese force arrived precisely at this moment. Bad luck. The gods of war just happened to favor the Japanese in the Philippines on Dec 8, 1941.
That was at Pearl. At Clark, they were packed tight due to the field having no dispersal areas. Clark had no dispersal area because Washington denied requests for funds.
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