March 12 1942 MacArthur abandons his Troops

[whitehall]

I was alive when all of this happened and remember well the news reels of the war. Afterward, I devoured just about everything I could about the war on both fronts.

I has always been clear to me that Mac, like Ike, was first and foremost politician. He relied on subordinates to make the tactical decisions and selected them for their ability to say yes to everything he said. I agree that he failed to prepare the Philippines to defend itself against the Japanese and his indecision resulted in the Bataan Death March.

However, when FDR ordered him to leave and establish a base in Australia, he had clearly learned his lesson and set about relying on men like Chester Nimitz and others in the island-hopping campaigns, using naval forces he was not familiar with, to force the Japanese back to their home islands.

Maybe because of him and a strong anti-war feeling, we were totally unprepared for the north's invasion of the south in Korea. More thousands died because of political instead of tactical decisions. And, when Mac finally woke up and wanted to use nukes, politicians stepped in and stopped him.

So, decades later, we face a serious problem in the Korean Peninsula that should have been ended decades ago.

Damn the politicians.

We would have faced Russian troops as well as Chinese if we used Nukes. Russia was clear on that. I don't know if Russia had the ability to deliver nukes on the US in 50 but I am sure they would have used them in Korea.

Truman spent his time after WW2 trying to downsize the Marine Corps to nothing but a ceremonial detachment after all the blood they shed in the Pacific. Ironically it was the Marines that bailed Truman's ass out of Korea. After the N.K. invaded South Korea the U.N. Troops were pushed back to the end of the Peninsula and fighting for their lives. MacArthur's brilliant Inchon landing cut the N.K. Supply lines and they were surrounded and systematically defeated and even the N.K. capital of Pyongyang was captured by U.N. forces.The war was over in a year ...but wait. In a moment that can only be characterized as a "senior citizen episode" MacArthur disregarded China's threats and sent exhausted ill equipped Troops in a winter campaign in an area with the harshest winters on the planet. It seems that Truman was more afraid of MacArthur than the Chinese so the expedition to the Yalu was authorized and Truman/MacArthur managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory in a three year quagmire that cost the lives of an estimated 50,000 Americans (later downsized by the Clinton administration to a "mere" 35,000 lost in three years). Truman and MacArthur received a tickertape parade organized by the left wing media that never saw a democrat they didn't like but Korean War vets remembered. Truman couldn't even win a primary to run for his second full term and MacArthur ran as a 3rd party candidate.

 

[The Sage of Main Street]

"Stick with Mac and never get back."
"Move over God, it's me, Mac."
Come to think of it, Mac and Trump are like peas in a pod. Both need adulation and both make enormous mistakes.

Warriors Who Don't Whine Dig Doug

Because of his strategic genius, MacArthur won the Pacific War costing millions of American lives fewer than it would have cost under most other Generals. In the same kind of situation, the Russians lost 20 million. Later, he won South Korea its freedom, and would have won the North back if Truman hadn't been bribed by the M-IC to drag out the Cold War.

 

[regent]

"Stick with Mac and never get back."
"Move over God, it's me, Mac."
Come to think of it, Mac and Trump are like peas in a pod. Both need adulation and both make enormous mistakes.

Warriors Who Don't Whine Dig Doug

Because of his strategic genius, MacArthur won the Pacific War costing millions of American lives fewer than it would have cost under most other Generals. In the same kind of situation, the Russians lost 20 million. Later, he won South Korea its freedom, and would have won the North back if Truman hadn't been bribed by the M-IC to drag out the Cold War.

The big saver of lives in the Pacific was the use of the bomb. The invasion of Japan, the biggie, did not take place. To the enlisted pukes, MacArthur was, let's say, not admired
much. Check out the Driniumor River for his strategic genius.

 

[The Sage of Main Street]

"Stick with Mac and never get back."
"Move over God, it's me, Mac."
Come to think of it, Mac and Trump are like peas in a pod. Both need adulation and both make enormous mistakes.

Warriors Who Don't Whine Dig Doug

Because of his strategic genius, MacArthur won the Pacific War costing millions of American lives fewer than it would have cost under most other Generals. In the same kind of situation, the Russians lost 20 million. Later, he won South Korea its freedom, and would have won the North back if Truman hadn't been bribed by the M-IC to drag out the Cold War.

The big saver of lives in the Pacific was the use of the bomb. The invasion of Japan, the biggie, did not take place. To the enlisted pukes, MacArthur was, let's say, not admired
much. Check out the Driniumor River for his strategic genius.

"There Is No Substitute for Victory"

BATTLE OF DRINIUMOR RIVER (New Guinea, July 1944)

Japanese fatalities: 10,000
American fatalities: 440

You want us to believe the spin that MacArthur got his troops trapped and it was only their own skill and bravery that got them out of it. Unspin and rewind.

 

[harmonica]

"Stick with Mac and never get back."
"Move over God, it's me, Mac."
Come to think of it, Mac and Trump are like peas in a pod. Both need adulation and both make enormous mistakes.

Warriors Who Don't Whine Dig Doug

Because of his strategic genius, MacArthur won the Pacific War costing millions of American lives fewer than it would have cost under most other Generals. In the same kind of situation, the Russians lost 20 million. Later, he won South Korea its freedom, and would have won the North back if Truman hadn't been bribed by the M-IC to drag out the Cold War.

read posts #s 10, 11, and 19
Mac screwed up big time in Korea--undeniable
..he said air power would stop the Chinese en masse --wrong
..refused to believe the Chinese were in Korea in great force
..after the UN got their asses kicked by the Chinese, he still believed it!!!!!!!!!!
..believed UN forces could easily reach the Yalu en masse and tactically deployed in very tough terrain, harsh weather, with extended supply lines, etc --very stupid!!!!!
..a whole corps was thrown off the peninsula !!!! with the rest of the UN forces getting their ass kicked--because of his stupidity
..and you say Mac did a good job??

 

[regent]

"Stick with Mac and never get back."
"Move over God, it's me, Mac."
Come to think of it, Mac and Trump are like peas in a pod. Both need adulation and both make enormous mistakes.

Warriors Who Don't Whine Dig Doug

Because of his strategic genius, MacArthur won the Pacific War costing millions of American lives fewer than it would have cost under most other Generals. In the same kind of situation, the Russians lost 20 million. Later, he won South Korea its freedom, and would have won the North back if Truman hadn't been bribed by the M-IC to drag out the Cold War.

The big saver of lives in the Pacific was the use of the bomb. The invasion of Japan, the biggie, did not take place. To the enlisted pukes, MacArthur was, let's say, not admired
much. Check out the Driniumor River for his strategic genius.

"There Is No Substitute for Victory"

BATTLE OF DRINIUMOR RIVER (New Guinea, July 1944)

Japanese fatalities: 10,000
American fatalities: 440

You want us to believe the spin that MacArthur got his troops trapped and it was only their own skill and bravery that got them out of it. Unspin and rewind.

I don't think your response is a measure of strategy. In fact in Taaffe's book, "MacArthur's Jungle War" he devotes an entire chapter to calling it a strategic worthless operation.

 

[whitehall]

The Korean expedition to the Yalu with exhausted Troops was a criminal exercise by a general who possibly had senior citizen issues and never even spent a single night in Korea and ran the conflict with maps and charts in his palace in Japan. Mac relied on "intelligence" from a hand picked racist idiot Army general who only sent the general good news no matter what the situation. If it wasn't for Marine Generals like O.P. Smith and Chesty Puller the U.N. would have been kicked off the peninsula and China and N.K. would have been in charge today or maybe the demented general would have found a way to order nukes on China.

 

[regent]

This thread sounds like two wars intermixed: the Pacific War and the Korean War.

 

[MisterBeale]

He was given direct orders by FDR to leave the Philippines at the earliest possible moment.

How many orders did MacArthur disobey? The last order he disobeyed, led to his dismissal,

He wanted to stop the massive invasion of Korea by the Chinese army using a nuclear weapon. HST told him it was out of the question and Mac openly disagreed with him. HST canned him for being insubordinate.

Maybe if he had been allowed to nuke the Chinese, a whole lot of allied deaths would've been avoided, we'd have a unified Korea, and Mao would've lost power.

. . .yeah, but that wouldn't have been good for the weapon's business in America, not the CIA, and the Deep State.

And besides, where would the US be getting it's cheap goods from now?

Can you imagine a free China? Holy shit, if they had been free all this time and been as productive as Taiwan? We'd be in totally deep shit right now. . . . .

 

[bodecea]

..Mac changed his plan 180 in the Philippines--and this lost a lot of supplies---logistics are a critical point in war
..so all the planning and staging was for a forward defense--then on 23 Dec--he CHANGED the plan completely!!
very chaotic/insane/etc
..first he wanted to stop them on the beaches--then he changed it to a Bataan defense

However, by this time Brigadier General Charles Drake's supply corps, although desperately attempting to move tons of food, ammunition, fuel, and medical supplies to the Bataan Peninsula, were hampered by air raids, lack of vehicles, lack of personnel, and, most importantly, lack of time, even with General Jonathan Wainwright's Northern Corps fighting a delayed retreat.[67] As a result, they were only able to relocate a portion of the much needed supplies to the peninsula. In addition, the pre-invasion construction of the planned Bataan fortified defensive positions had also been neglected.

Military History Online - MacArthur's Failures in the Philippines

He didn't do much even later...it was all Navy and Nimitz

 

[bodecea]

"Stick with Mac and never get back."
"Move over God, it's me, Mac."
Come to think of it, Mac and Trump are like peas in a pod. Both need adulation and both make enormous mistakes.

Warriors Who Don't Whine Dig Doug

Because of his strategic genius, MacArthur won the Pacific War costing millions of American lives fewer than it would have cost under most other Generals. In the same kind of situation, the Russians lost 20 million. Later, he won South Korea its freedom, and would have won the North back if Truman hadn't been bribed by the M-IC to drag out the Cold War.

It was Nimitz and the Navy that won the Pacific.

 

[The Sage of Main Street]

"Stick with Mac and never get back."
"Move over God, it's me, Mac."
Come to think of it, Mac and Trump are like peas in a pod. Both need adulation and both make enormous mistakes.

Warriors Who Don't Whine Dig Doug

Because of his strategic genius, MacArthur won the Pacific War costing millions of American lives fewer than it would have cost under most other Generals. In the same kind of situation, the Russians lost 20 million. Later, he won South Korea its freedom, and would have won the North back if Truman hadn't been bribed by the M-IC to drag out the Cold War.

read posts #s 10, 11, and 19
Mac screwed up big time in Korea--undeniable
..he said air power would stop the Chinese en masse --wrong
..refused to believe the Chinese were in Korea in great force
..after the UN got their asses kicked by the Chinese, he still believed it!!!!!!!!!!
..believed UN forces could easily reach the Yalu en masse and tactically deployed in very tough terrain, harsh weather, with extended supply lines, etc --very stupid!!!!!
..a whole corps was thrown off the peninsula !!!! with the rest of the UN forces getting their ass kicked--because of his stupidity
..and you say Mac did a good job??

Follow the Money Or You Will Be Led by the Nose

He was right about Inchon. After taking over both Koreas, Mac had the tools to defeat the Chinese, but Truman wouldn't let him use them for the same reason Dirty Harry wouldn't use our temporary nuclear monopoly to drive the Soviets out of Eastern Europe.

So the Birchers were right for the wrong reason; the Military-Industrial Complex bribed "our" government to appease the Communists in order to drag out the lucrative Cold War for the next 50 years.

 

[harmonica]

"Stick with Mac and never get back."
"Move over God, it's me, Mac."
Come to think of it, Mac and Trump are like peas in a pod. Both need adulation and both make enormous mistakes.

Warriors Who Don't Whine Dig Doug

Because of his strategic genius, MacArthur won the Pacific War costing millions of American lives fewer than it would have cost under most other Generals. In the same kind of situation, the Russians lost 20 million. Later, he won South Korea its freedom, and would have won the North back if Truman hadn't been bribed by the M-IC to drag out the Cold War.

read posts #s 10, 11, and 19
Mac screwed up big time in Korea--undeniable
..he said air power would stop the Chinese en masse --wrong
..refused to believe the Chinese were in Korea in great force
..after the UN got their asses kicked by the Chinese, he still believed it!!!!!!!!!!
..believed UN forces could easily reach the Yalu en masse and tactically deployed in very tough terrain, harsh weather, with extended supply lines, etc --very stupid!!!!!
..a whole corps was thrown off the peninsula !!!! with the rest of the UN forces getting their ass kicked--because of his stupidity
..and you say Mac did a good job??

Follow the Money Or You Will Be Led by the Nose

He was right about Inchon. After taking over both Koreas, Mac had the tools to defeat the Chinese, but Truman wouldn't let him use them for the same reason Dirty Harry wouldn't use our temporary nuclear monopoly to drive the Soviets out of Eastern Europe.

So the Birchers were right for the wrong reason; the Military-Industrial Complex bribed "our" government to appease the Communists in order to drag out the lucrative Cold War for the next 50 years.

...you can't have the military giving the civilian government orders/mandating political rulings/politics !!
...we could not have defeated China in a war--and China was not going to let the US on it's border!!-he did NOT have the tools to defeat China...they had over 500,000,000 people
...

 

[harmonica]

"Stick with Mac and never get back."
"Move over God, it's me, Mac."
Come to think of it, Mac and Trump are like peas in a pod. Both need adulation and both make enormous mistakes.

Warriors Who Don't Whine Dig Doug

Because of his strategic genius, MacArthur won the Pacific War costing millions of American lives fewer than it would have cost under most other Generals. In the same kind of situation, the Russians lost 20 million. Later, he won South Korea its freedom, and would have won the North back if Truman hadn't been bribed by the M-IC to drag out the Cold War.

read posts #s 10, 11, and 19
Mac screwed up big time in Korea--undeniable
..he said air power would stop the Chinese en masse --wrong
..refused to believe the Chinese were in Korea in great force
..after the UN got their asses kicked by the Chinese, he still believed it!!!!!!!!!!
..believed UN forces could easily reach the Yalu en masse and tactically deployed in very tough terrain, harsh weather, with extended supply lines, etc --very stupid!!!!!
..a whole corps was thrown off the peninsula !!!! with the rest of the UN forces getting their ass kicked--because of his stupidity
..and you say Mac did a good job??

Follow the Money Or You Will Be Led by the Nose

He was right about Inchon. After taking over both Koreas, Mac had the tools to defeat the Chinese, but Truman wouldn't let him use them for the same reason Dirty Harry wouldn't use our temporary nuclear monopoly to drive the Soviets out of Eastern Europe.

So the Birchers were right for the wrong reason; the Military-Industrial Complex bribed "our" government to appease the Communists in order to drag out the lucrative Cold War for the next 50 years.

the US bombed the crap out of Japan...many more dead than what the A bombs killed....even AFTER the A bombs, the Japanese refused to surrender--the vote was 3-3
..even after the Emperor broke the tie, some Japanese tried to stop the surrender
History 20
the Allies bombed the crap out of Germany and were closing in on Berlin--from 2 sides and Germany still did not surrender
...look at how big China is !!!.....they would not be surrendering because of nukes

 

[The Sage of Main Street]

"Stick with Mac and never get back."
"Move over God, it's me, Mac."
Come to think of it, Mac and Trump are like peas in a pod. Both need adulation and both make enormous mistakes.

Warriors Who Don't Whine Dig Doug

Because of his strategic genius, MacArthur won the Pacific War costing millions of American lives fewer than it would have cost under most other Generals. In the same kind of situation, the Russians lost 20 million. Later, he won South Korea its freedom, and would have won the North back if Truman hadn't been bribed by the M-IC to drag out the Cold War.

The big saver of lives in the Pacific was the use of the bomb. The invasion of Japan, the biggie, did not take place. To the enlisted pukes, MacArthur was, let's say, not admired
much. Check out the Driniumor River for his strategic genius.

"There Is No Substitute for Victory"

BATTLE OF DRINIUMOR RIVER (New Guinea, July 1944)

Japanese fatalities: 10,000
American fatalities: 440

You want us to believe the spin that MacArthur got his troops trapped and it was only their own skill and bravery that got them out of it. Unspin and rewind.

I don't think your response is a measure of strategy. In fact in Taaffe's book, "MacArthur's Jungle War" he devotes an entire chapter to calling it a strategic worthless operation.

The Ivory Tower Is Made Out of Plastic

Sissyboy academics have a desperate need to try anything their childish and jealous minds can think of in order to trick gullible readers into discrediting America's heroes.

 

[The Sage of Main Street]

"Stick with Mac and never get back."
"Move over God, it's me, Mac."
Come to think of it, Mac and Trump are like peas in a pod. Both need adulation and both make enormous mistakes.

Warriors Who Don't Whine Dig Doug

Because of his strategic genius, MacArthur won the Pacific War costing millions of American lives fewer than it would have cost under most other Generals. In the same kind of situation, the Russians lost 20 million. Later, he won South Korea its freedom, and would have won the North back if Truman hadn't been bribed by the M-IC to drag out the Cold War.

read posts #s 10, 11, and 19
Mac screwed up big time in Korea--undeniable
..he said air power would stop the Chinese en masse --wrong
..refused to believe the Chinese were in Korea in great force
..after the UN got their asses kicked by the Chinese, he still believed it!!!!!!!!!!
..believed UN forces could easily reach the Yalu en masse and tactically deployed in very tough terrain, harsh weather, with extended supply lines, etc --very stupid!!!!!
..a whole corps was thrown off the peninsula !!!! with the rest of the UN forces getting their ass kicked--because of his stupidity
..and you say Mac did a good job??

Follow the Money Or You Will Be Led by the Nose

He was right about Inchon. After taking over both Koreas, Mac had the tools to defeat the Chinese, but Truman wouldn't let him use them for the same reason Dirty Harry wouldn't use our temporary nuclear monopoly to drive the Soviets out of Eastern Europe.

So the Birchers were right for the wrong reason; the Military-Industrial Complex bribed "our" government to appease the Communists in order to drag out the lucrative Cold War for the next 50 years.

the US bombed the crap out of Japan...many more dead than what the A bombs killed....even AFTER the A bombs, the Japanese refused to surrender--the vote was 3-3
..even after the Emperor broke the tie, some Japanese tried to stop the surrender
History 20
the Allies bombed the crap out of Germany and were closing in on Berlin--from 2 sides and Germany still did not surrender
...look at how big China is !!!.....they would not be surrendering because of nukes

Appease Porridge Cold

Never negotiate out of fear; always force your enemies to negotiate out of fear.

 

[harmonica]

..when Mac did not have the advantages of air/naval/logistics/etc in WW2 he lost
..when he won in WW2 he had all those advantages
..in Korea he got his ass kicked when he had air/naval/logistics/etc advantages --really not good--not good at all
..at Inchon he had all those advantages PLUS he was only fighting the NKs--whose supply lines/troops were extended ---not so much a masterful genius

 

[The Sage of Main Street]

..when Mac did not have the advantages of air/naval/logistics/etc in WW2 he lost
..when he won in WW2 he had all those advantages
..in Korea he got his ass kicked when he had air/naval/logistics/etc advantages --really not good--not good at all
..at Inchon he had all those advantages PLUS he was only fighting the NKs--whose supply lines/troops were extended ---not so much a masterful genius

Vietnam Mirrored the Inferior Leadership We Have in All Sectors

Both my father and stepfather would have been killed if it weren't for MacArthur. And if we had had a MacArthur in Vietnam instead of Low IQ conformists, I wouldn't have seen half my company killed.

 

[harmonica]

..when Mac did not have the advantages of air/naval/logistics/etc in WW2 he lost
..when he won in WW2 he had all those advantages
..in Korea he got his ass kicked when he had air/naval/logistics/etc advantages --really not good--not good at all
..at Inchon he had all those advantages PLUS he was only fighting the NKs--whose supply lines/troops were extended ---not so much a masterful genius

Vietnam Mirrored the Inferior Leadership We Have in All Sectors

Both my father and stepfather would have been killed if it weren't for MacArthur. And if we had had a MacArthur in Vietnam instead of Low IQ conformists, I wouldn't have seen half my company killed.

irrelevant
the 1st and 2nd Chinese offensives in the Korean were one of the worst defeats in US history--all because Mac really screwed up
a whole corps!!! thrown off the peninsula !!
tell me some other times a whole US CORPS was beaten off the battlefield --thrown off the continent

 

[whitehall]

This thread sounds like two wars intermixed: the Pacific War and the Korean War.

Actually it's about the myth of MacArthur.