Hello everyone my first post here, I hope to learn alot and share on a war that we still feel global repercussions from.
Some very interesting opinions of Macarthur in here, some are not privy to the extensive writings of what went after the fall of Baatan it would appear.
Macarthur so I see played the media and the public much like a politician but as a general there was much better IMO.
4 theaters. ended the japanese’s attempts at controlling the asia region.
Midway.
Coral sea.
Gaudacanal.
New guinea.
Each as important as the next, each as unique to the survival of the communication and supply line between Australia and America.
Macarthur was only involved in 1 of these theaters.
It is worth noting his complete failure in the Phillipines, however the naval aspect of that battle was always going to over ride any difference to what went on. America and Australia could of never supplied that area with the Navy Japan had there.
New Guinea should of been lost, no doubts about it, Japan should of got to moresby and thus have a base to interupt the supply line from America and hit the port of brisbane where so many offensives were built from.
Macarthur really stuffed up in New Guinea, He made silly WW1 style orders. He stated he would never be a WW1 general and sit miles behind the lines giving out orders when not knowing the true conditions of the front or sharing them with the soldiers . He did exactly that but from a different country and enviorement.
He made orders based on his own intelligence section that completly contridicted the reports from the Owen Stanley front line, He told and ordered and bullied a far inferior and supplied force completly without any military initiative to attack and nothing else and that there not doing there job, yet they were facing an enemy at points 6 times greater, the enemy were the veterans of Malaya and amongst the very elite of Japanese soldiers.
The commanders on the ground ignored macarthur completly, took no word he said. They would of been Slaughtered instantly had they.
They staged a fighting withdrawal threw the Oewen Stanlety mountains.
When the battle first erupted the supply line was massive threw an unforgiving jungle mountain range, everything had to be carried, The Japanese had a really short supply line and no such mountains.
The commanders on the spot could only force the Japanese to contest each and every centimeter threw ambushes and slow them down. Every potential point in which a stand could be made was, and before over run by superior numbers a withdrawal with ambush after ambush.
The commanders could only buy time, each mile conceeded was a mile shorter supply line for us and a mile longer for them.
Eventually a much larger force was brought to its knees as re inforcements for us arrived.
The Japanese in an unforgiving enviroment were delayed by about a month and forced to endure horrendous conditions.The soldiers withdrawing destroyed everything they could not carry, this hurt the japanese as they needed supplies just like we did when we had the mass supply line
Thus the withdrawal defeated them.
Macarthur though kept ordering attack, he kept denying the size of the force and never once comprehended the conditions and theater.
If he was listened to Major General Hori’s south seas force would of marched into Port moresby and Macarthur would of lost again.
Quite a serious incompetant piece of leadership from him. Not well known but recorded at the time by the commanders and telegraphs, communications between macarthur and others, japanese records and japanese casulties.
This was the only battle Macarthur was involved in that stopped Japan.
Some may point to Milne bay, same thing happened except with the goings on in Gaudacanal Japan couldnt muster a force capable of taking her.
All the commanders that ignored macarthur basically got sacked, not good.
What went on in the counter attack once the Japanese were brought to her knees is quite abbhorrent to.
When Macarthur was givin command of the allied armies in the south west pacific area he was ordered to have a staff consisting of officers from all involved, he chose his baatan gang only, yet ignored officers more experienced and proven officers who had fought the werhmach successfully in Nth Africa and had seen mostly a full ww1.
Really macarthur in combat operations only ever mopped up what japan left behind after failing to isolate Australia and over committing herself in trying too.
The real American contributer to Japans stopping was a Mr Nimitiz and his action to take Henderson Field. The briallant tactics at Midway which put the three strong carrier force in a position to get some luck and the allied efforts in challanging the attempted seaborne invasion of Moresby.
After that really the allies had the full military iniative, mass more of everything to throw at the japs and basically control of the air and most of the sea once the mighty American industrial machine kicked in.
He could handle superiority and succeeded except in Baatan but couldnt handle mot having the iniative.
Much over rated military commander and much unknown one.
There is some very well researched material written by a Peter Brune which considers everything in the initial battles of New Guinea.
The next stages in New guinea campaign were carried out by an Australian Army corps which was probably the most experienced and successful corps at that point in WW2 on the allied side.
Really only logistic support and naval and air support was contributed by macarthur in the 1 battle that shaped japans eventual defeat that he was involved in, but at first he should of lost it from his doing if not his orders were not ignored.
You are correct indeed…