Not blaming him for lack of provisioning, but for changing the Orange Plan to fight on the beaches instead of holing up on Bataan. They burned TONS of food before retreating, which would have had them holding out longer.
That being said, I find out that MacArthur told Gen. Marshall what he planned to do and Marshall concurred. He believed MacArthur when he said his Filipino troops were ready to go, when they weren't, by a long shot. Ego intervention here.
Rereading "Last Ditch" now - Jesu, the Filipino troops had WWI Stokes mortars whose ammo had a 70% dud rate, Enfields with broken extractors so they had to use a wood rod to knock out the fired case, etc. etc. It's a wonder they lasted as long as they did.
Thanks for the other titles - will check 'em out.
In France three years later, the understrength Rommel also wanted to meet any invasion on the beach.
Even if American and Filipino forces were able to hold out an additional 6 months, the outcome would have been the same. They could not be resupplied and were doomed.
That being said, I find out that MacArthur told Gen. Marshall what he planned to do and Marshall concurred. He believed MacArthur when he said his Filipino troops were ready to go, when they weren't, by a long shot. Ego intervention here.
MacArthur had an ego but in his defense, his overall strategy and planning was based on assurances from the highest level that his forces would be resupplied.
What also must always be considered when MacArthur is involved is that he is the American military figure most hated by the left and they have done more to slander his record than any other military man. Yes, he was human and as a human made mistakes but as one of the book titles went that I gave, you, he fought with what he had which was very little.
Rereading "Last Ditch" now - Jesu, the Filipino troops had WWI Stokes mortars whose ammo had a 70% dud rate, Enfields with broken extractors so they had to use a wood rod to knock out the fired case, etc. etc. It's a wonder they lasted as long as they did.
The Filipino's were worse off equipment wise than the Americans but much of that has to do with the fact that alarm bells didn't start going off in the Philippines until after the Aug 1941 embargoes and it became apparent that the Philippines lay in the path of the Japanese objectives in SE Asia and Indonesia.
While the poorly trained, badly equipped Americans were better off that their Filipino allies, it wasn't by much.
Much has been written about the number of aircraft destroyed on the ground on Dec 8, 1941 but very rarely is mention ever made that of the generally cited 300 planes in the Philippines, the vast majority of destroyed aircraft were obsolete, worn out and were best left on the ground as decoys.
On Dec 7 in the Philippines, there were 54 operational P-40E's, 18 P-40B's and 18 P-35's. The P-35's listed as operational were effectively useless due to worn out engines, worn out .30 cal machineguns, light armor and no self sealing fuel tanks. One of the P-40 squadrons had just arrived and the engines had not yet been broken in nor guns sighted. Many American pilots would fire their guns for the first time against Japanese aircraft.
None of the fighters, P-40 or P-35 had oxygen for the pilots. Lack of oxygen limited use to about 15,000 feet.
Even the P-40E's would not have lasted more than a few days of continual use because the Japanese bombers could fly much higher than the American fighters and bomb airfields with impunity. The 34 B-17's in commission had gunners that had never even fired a machinegun.
On and on the list of inadequate, obsolete equipment and supplies went. Shortages in every area prevented training and limited subsequent combat. That the Americans and Filipinos held out until May 1942, was a remarkable feat.
Thanks for the other titles - will check 'em out.
Glad to help.