Douglas MacArthur - American Caesar Part 1 Quiz

Answer: 61

General Douglas MacArthur's time on the world stage came at a time in his life when most people would be contemplating retirement. He used all his considerable talents and extensive network of contacts to prepare his command for the coming conflict with Japan but was overtaken by the speed of developments.

Answer: False

In fact there was total confusion in the American camp. Instructions from Washington insisted that there be no covert act by US forces to provoke the Japanese during the tense days before the surprise attack. When news came of the Pearl Harbour attack there was confusion in MacArthur's command.

His air chief, Brereton, wanted to launch a B 17 strike on Japanese bases in Formosa but he received no direct instructions to go ahead with a strike from his commander. At this critical moment MacArthur seems to have been paralysed by indecision with the instruction not to initiate an aggressive move and the immediate need for some decisive action.

He finally authorised a reconnaissance to the north, the expected invasion route but the results were inconclusive. For their part the Japanese strike force had been grounded at their bases by fog and by the time they finally took off it was mid morning.

In one of those extraordinary moments which occur in war they caught most of the American aircraft on the ground at Clarke an Iba airfield and destroyed most of them.

At a stroke MacArthur had lost his air power. After Japanese ground forces finally landed he ordered his Filipino-American forces into more easily defended positions on the Bataan peninsular on the western side of Luzon.

Answer: PT Boat

The General, his family and members of his staff were finally evacuated in March 1942 by a PT Boat squadron commanded by Lt Bulkley. The four boats of Bulkley's command were worn out after weeks of continuous action and only capable of making 17 knots. Nevertheless they made the 900 km trip through enemy infested waters to the southern island of Mindanao after several narrow escapes.

Here a B17 which had been dispatched by Brereton from Australia picked up the party. The flight to Australia was especially harrowing as they arrived over Darwin in the midst of a Japanese air raid and had to be diverted to the nearby airstrip at Batchelor.

After transferring to a DC 3 for another long rough flight to Alice Springs MacArthur's wife, Jean, refused to fly any further as she and her three year old son Arthur jr. were in a poor state of health after nearly a week on the open sea and flying through hostile airspace.

The journey to Adelaide was completed by train which unfortunately in those days only operated once a week so a special had to be organised to transport the party for the seventy hour trip.

Answer: Adelaide

This was part of a rehearsed statement that MacArthur made when he arrived at Adelaide station. He was at pains to point out that the President had ordered had ordered him to break out of the Philippines but it was the last three words that caught the public imagination and became the most famous rallying cry of the Pacific war.

It had been an appeal by Prime Minister Curtin of Australia for MacArthur to be evacuated to lead Allied Forces in the SW Pacific that had decided the President to issue his order. Curtin and the Australian government were alarmed after the Allied collapse in Singapore and the Dutch East Indies and with most of the Australian Army committed to the fighting in North Africa they felt the country was defenceless. Curtin ordered the Australian divisions home much to the frustration of Churchill and placed Australian forces under MacArthur's command. For his part MacArthur had been expecting an Army to be ready for him to lead for an immediate counter-attack to relieve the Filipino-American Forces in Bataan.

The reality was it would be over two long years before his Army was in a position to fulfil his pledge.

Answer: Northern Papua

Buna is on the northern coast of Papua and together with nearby Gona was the base from which the Japanese had launched their ill fated attempt to take Port Moresby by the overland Kakoda Track. Australian diggers had forced the Japanese back over the Kakoda in a bitterly fought jungle conflict and after a fierce battle had taken Gona.

The failure of the 32nd Division to take Buna was deeply frustrating for the proud General so when Australian General Blamey requested experienced Australian troops to do the job MacArthur was determined that US forces would take Buna hence his order to Eichelberger. Buna was finally taken but the overall operation was very costly. MacArthur never visited the battlefield to see for himself the difficult conditions facing his troops as he was 40 mins away by air on the other side of the Owen Stanley range at a temporary HQ in Port Moresby. Eichelberger resented the fact that heavy fighting at nearby Sananada was referred to as 'mopping up' in communiqués from the General's HQ.

The entire operation cost the lives of 3300 with 5500 wounded nearly 3 times the casualties suffered by Marines in the Guadalcanal operation which was underway at the same time. Together with Bataan the Buna/Gona campaign was one of the General's most costly operations. For his part Eichelberger said that 'mopping up' was not a good enough phrase to die for.

Answer: Operation Cartwheel

Operation Cartwheel was directed by General MacArthur now Supreme Allied Commander South West Pacific Area. While his Australian and US forces advanced along the north coast of New Guinea the Marines would continue their advance through the Solomon's to Bougainville. Japanese reinforcements destined for their Papuan bases were destroyed in the Battle of the Bismarck Sea by a combined air assault by General Kenny's Fifth Air Force and RAAF Beaughfighters. Landings in the Admiralty Islands finally sealed off Rabaul and the 100,000 man garrison keyed up and ready to fight to the death was left to 'wither on the vine'. MacArthur's amphibious operations continued through 1943 and early 1944 bypassing one enemy garrison after another. From the tail at Milne Bay to the to the head at Vogelkop the large island of New Guinea was now dominated by Allied air and naval power.

Answer: All of these

In the fall of 1944 the success of MacArthur's SW Pacific operations and the Navy's Central Pacific thrust presented a quandary to Allied planners for the next move. The Navy wanted to bypass the Philippines and invade Formosa which would provide a more direct route for the final assault on the Home islands. MacArthur insisted that the Philippines needed to be taken because of his pledge to the Filipino people and his Army was now in a position to invade Mindanao the southernmost island.

The debate was thrashed out in Hawaii at a meeting between MacArthur, Nimitz and Roosevelt and MacArthur's argument won the day.

When intelligence reports and Halsey's aviators reported surprisingly light opposition in the Central Philippines the decision was taken to step up the timetable and bypass Mindanao and invade Leyte in October.

Answer: False

MacArthur, together with Filipino President Osmena and Carlos Romulo made the broadcast from the beach at Leyte where they had come ashore shortly after the first troops had landed. When the harassed beach master heard that a party of VIP's wished to use one of the few intact jetty's to disembark he said that none were available and growled "Let 'em walk.' MacArthur had donned a newly pressed uniform for his big occasion and was visibly angry at being forced to wade ashore in knee deep water. However when he saw the dramatic photos of the historical event he was very pleased and was happy to stage a re-enactment for assembled photographers the next day.

This became his hallmark in future amphibious operations. Shortly after this MacArthur was awarded his fifth star.

Answer: False

Nothing could be further from the truth. After criticisms of his performance directing the Gona/Buna operation from Port Moresby and Brisbane he made a point of travelling to the front line to see conditions for himself. He was acutely aware that to inspire his men he must be seen to be prepared to expose himself to the same dangers he was asking of them.

He landed at Los Negros in the Admiralties soon after his men and paced out the airstrip to check out its suitability. When cautioned by a soldier: "Sir we just killed a Jap sniper there a few minutes ago." "Fine" he said "that's the best thing for them." He flew over Nazdeb in a DC 3 to check out it's suitability for a parachute drop.

He checked out an airstrip on Leyte with his air chief Kenney while a fire fight was still going on with Japs at the far end of the strip.

When he commandeered a house in Tacloban on Leyte it was the frequent target of air attacks as the enemy knew he was quartered there. There were several bullet holes in his room from near misses. Two journalists were killed in the house. One anti-aircraft shell landed on his couch but fortunately was a dud.

The next morning he placed it on the desk of the officer responsible with the admonition: "Bob, ask your gunners to raise their sights a little higher." The list goes on. His disdain for his personal safety is illustrated by an incident in Luzon when he came under fire while inspecting front line positions. When his escort begged him to take cover he replied: "I'm not under fire. Those bullets are not intended for me."

Answer: True

None of these operations were authorised by the Joint Chiefs or the President but they never criticised him for exceeding his authority. This set a precedent that explains his actions six years later. Nevertheless the casualty lists continued to mount as families loved ones continued to fall in faraway places that no one had ever heard of. Australians were ordered to take Borneo and when they questioned the necessity of such an operation when most of the fighting now closing in on the Home Islands he made sure he was present at the subsequent landings at Tarakan, Brunei Bay and Balikpapan. All these invasions were carried out with an economy in casualties (for the invaders) which had become a hallmark of his at this time.

This was in marked contrast to the huge casualty tolls at Iwo Jima and Okinawa which were Navy directed operations, a point he liked to emphasise. For his part MacArthur believed they were necessary for the future position of the West in their relations with the peoples of Asia.