How MacArthur Caused the Philippines Disaster - Pacific War #31

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Kings and Generals' historical animated documentary series covering the Pacific War week by week continues with another video in the series. Last week, we covered the Japanese attack on Sydney Harbor in June of 1942. This week's special episode will talk about Douglas MacArthur and the Philippines Disaster.
Pacific War Podcast: thepacificwar.podbean.com
Cold War channel: / @thecoldwartv
Modern Warfare series: • Modern Warfare
Pacific War #1 - Attack on Pearl Harbor: • Attack on Pearl Harbor...
Pacific War #2 - Japanese Invasion of Malaya: • Japanese Invasion of M...
Pacific War #3 - Japanese attack on Guam, Wake, and the Philippines: • Japan Attacks Everywhe...
Pacific War #4 - Japan Continues Attacking: Borneo, Philippines: • Japan Continues Attack...
Pacific War #5 - Fall of Wake Island: • Fall of Wake Island - ...
Pacific War #6 - Battle of Kampar: • Battle of Kampar - Pac...
Pacific War #7 - Battle of Slim River: • Battle of Slim River -...
Pacific War #8 - Battle for the Dutch East Indies: • Battle for the Dutch E...
Pacific War #9 - Invasion of New Britain: • Invasion of New Britai...
Pacific War #10 - Fall of Malaya: • Fall of Malaya - Pacif...
Pacific War #11 - Battle of Makassar Strait: • Battle of Makassar Str...
Pacific War #12 - Fall of Singapore: • Fall of Singapore - Pa...
Pacific War #13 - Invasion of Sumatra: • Japanese Invasion of S...
Pacific War #14 - Invasion of Timor: • Japanese Invasion of T...
Pacific War #15 - Fall of Java: • Fall of Java - Pacific...
Pacific War #16 - Fall of Rangoon: • Fall of Rangoon - Paci...
Pacific War #17 - How the US Responded to Pearl Harbor: • How the US Responded t...
Pacific War #18 - Hideki Tojo: Bringing Japan Into The Pacific War: • Hideki Tojo: Bringing ...
Pacific War #19 - Japanese Raids in the Indian Ocean: • Japanese Raids in the ...
Pacific War #20 - Fall of Bataan & The Bataan Death March: • Fall of Bataan & The B...
Pacific War #21 - Doolittle Raid: • Doolittle Raid: Americ...
Pacific War #22 - Japanese Advance on Burma Road: • Japanese Advance on Bu...
Pacific War #24 - Battle of the Coral Sea: • Battle of the Coral Se...
Pacific War #25 - Fall of the Philippines: • Fall of the Philippine...
Pacific War #26 - Fall of Burma: • Fall of Burma - Pacifi...
Pacific War #27 - Operation Sei-Go: • How Japan Responded to...
Pacific War #28 - Battle of Midway: • Battle of Midway - Pac...
Pacific War #29 - Japanese Invasion of Alaska: • Japanese Invasion of A...
Pacific War #30 - Japanese Attack on Sydney: • Japanese Attack on Syd...
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The video was made by Zakuan Musa ( / @vectorhistoria7767 , while the script was researched and written by Ivan Moran, while Craig Watson ( / thepacificwarchannel ) consulted on the script. Narrated by Officially Devin ( / @offydgg & / @gameworldnarratives )
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[@KingsandGenerals]

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[@medelsiege6946]

philippines isis war please

[@itachi-kun7736]

British Invasion in The Philippines in 1762 or Marawi Seige 2017

[@buttemountain]

You should do a doc on the fire bombing of Dresden and the heroic Allied pilots who flew the mission. Or maybe Stalin's tactical genius of letting his troops do whatever they wanted for 3 days during The Rape of Berlin.

[@matta5498]

A video on the Bonus Army would be appreciated. MacArthur was put in charge of clearing them out.

[@fergropp]

Dear Kings and Generals. It could be possible to carry out a project on the bombing of Buenos Aires (specifically in Plaza de Mayo and surroundings) carried out by the Argentine Navy on June 16, 1955 in the context of the overthrow of President Juan Domingo Peron. Its objective (according to historians) was to bombard the nerve center of the government and then invade the executive palace with marines (pink house) and assassinate Peron. The bombardment left almost 400 dead and 1,000 wounded, including children who were in a trolleybus at the time of the impacts. The bombing was carried out during the day and had devastating consequences on the population. A disastrous day that is estimated to have been the worst attack on a population in Argentina, and that it is estimated that it was the first baptism of fire of the Argentine air force and the naval aviation since combats were also crossed in the air, shooting down fighters vs. fighters.(before falklands/malvinas conflict) It would be a great contribution to history to reflect it in the way that you disclose it. and that they do it in an excellent and well described way. There are a lot of sources to be able to investigate, although I think most of them are in Spanish, but they are very varied. I thank you and I cannot and do not want to stop congratulating you on the excellent work you are doing. Atte Fernando

[@aldreenbautista2375]

The fact that his name is more familiar and well known here in the Philippines compared to the other Filipino heroes during WW2 shows how strong his propaganda machine was. You can find a lot of streets, buildings, parks, and towns named after him all over the Philippines. Even in the history books. He gets all the glory in victory but not responsibility in defeat.

[@SuperCatacata]

He definitely does not get all the glory anymore(at least on a global level). It's way more common to see people ignoring anything he actually did right, now. See this entire comment section as exhibit: A. The propaganda only worked for so long. And now he's become the overly cartoonish caricature of failure. Even though it's super overblown by everyone now. It may be that way in the Philippines, but it's definitely not that way anywhere else.

[@davidlewis8640]

That shows the beauty of the human mind. Possibly the one man most responsible for the baton death March, but because he had good propaganda he was considered a hero for years.

[@manofcultura]

MacAuthur is shrewd and narcissistic but he was very correct about the threat from Japan and the need to integrated the Philippine military into a new national government. The reason his name is all over is because he advocated for more autonomy for the Philippines during his entire stay there. It’s not he’s all good or all bad, he has many faults but he is overall the best commander for the East Asian theatre. His enemies in the state department and especially FDR admin are largely to blame for not giving him all the resources he needed to be more successful.

[@aldreenbautista2375]

@@manofcultura I agree that he is a great commander but his plans for the Philippines were too idealistic for his own good. He implemented his own plans, spreading the troops far and wide on different islands without proper support, conducted a beach defense without structures, relied on untrained and ill-equiped troops to hold strategic points. By the time he switched to original plans, the defense was already crumbling. I'll pick Nimitz or Spruance over him 😁

[@armandotalampas4800]

MacArthur didn't expect Imperial Japan would attack sooner than April 1942. Any man from world history cannot fully train a people for a few months. Time is against Mac. The US government in general is also to blame for the fall of the Philippines. They have a Europe-first policy. Those government officials and military officers regard the Philippines as a military liability not an asset. They accept the tragic fate that will befall the Philippines and they cannot tell that to President Quezon's face directly

[@robertgallagher7734]

My grandfather served in the Pacific & never had anything good to say about MacAurthur. The more I learn, the more I understand why. Probably his order to Wainright to fight to the death after he left for Austrailia and then opposoing Wainrights medal of honor speaks loudly about what kind of leader MacAuthur was. Been to US Fort Mills 2×, once Bataan fell it was hopeless. Understand why Truman fired him in Korea.

[@leonardbleeker1310]

Not to mention his outrageous stance on nuking korea during the korean war when things started to go China's way.

[@bawalmagisip1]

McArthur's firing in The Korean War was because he wanted to nuke China & its forces.

[@thanksmaybe4103]

@@leonardbleeker1310 he wanted to nuke china

[@Rellana1]

He;s not exactly a war hero here in Australia either. Mainly because he issued orders from a hotel in Brisbane that were impossible to follow which caused at least one commander to reply "come down here and do it your bloody self"when he whined about his orders being ignored.

[@GabeNsApostle]

@@leonardbleeker1310 Outrageous? Given the absence of doctrine in the use of atomic weaponry so early on and insufficient understanding of its effects, he was well within reason to consider the use of it to halt the further advance of the Communist hordes from pouring out of China.

[@ramal5708]

Macarthur is like one of those guys in a group project who leads, gives orders and he himself does less practically than the others, also takes credit of everyone's hard work, in the end he's also one of those guys who hasn't done much but still get an A+ and still could brag on everyone's face on how he led his group to a great success.

[@davecannabis]

yeah he was a dead set C U Next Tuesday

[@darrellhart4800]

General MacArthur was awarded every combat decoration the U.S. Military can bestow, plus over thirty-five foreign decorations, which includes the Medal of Honor, three Distinguished Service Crosses, seven Silver Stars, the Distinguished Flying Cross, three Bronze Star Medals, two Purple Hearts and the Air Medal. Killed dozens of men in stand up gunfights.

[@davecannabis]

@@darrellhart4800 lol you sound like a Trump supporter , the flat Earthers of poitics

[@stevek8829]

@@darrellhart4800 they sure gave him some medals. He got the Medal of Honor for fleeing his post in the Philippines.

[@luskvideoproductions869]

As my college professor used to say about Gen. MacArthur: "A mediocre commander with occasional moments of brilliance, but who also made serious strategic mistakes"...and not just in the Phillipines.

[@valrefugio8768]

What in the World would a college professor know about Generalship? General MacArthurs' Job as Commandant of West Point is equivalent to a college President.

[@ronaldfharring7326]

@@valrefugio8768 Generalship is not learned on the battlefield. Eisenhower never saw combat in his entire career.

[@valrefugio8768]

@@ronaldfharring7326 Sure there are Generals who never seen the front, but they have been through the right Schools. You must be British, Eisenhower was in Torch in Africa, Husky in Sicily, France, and Germany. The US did not hide him in the Box. What are u guys looking for? Ike in the front inside his own foxhole.

[@ronaldfharring7326]

@@valrefugio8768 I'm not criticizing Ike. He performed as expected. You ridiculed the opinion of a college professor who was critical of MacArthur. I was merely suggesting that one doesn't have to have combat experience to analyze the performance of military commanders. History is replete with failed military commanders who went to all the right schools. They are analyzed and judged by historians and college professors, many of whom teach at military colleges. (No, I'm not British and not a fan of Monty, either).

[@valrefugio8768]

@@ronaldfharring7326 I criticize the statement of a student whose statement is hearsay, Many who are critical to certain people specifically write books to prove a point, unlike this "cover all" criticism. The least he could have done was state an event in MacArthur's career, that is beyond a challenge. MacArthur did not make it to the top by being a screw ball. Many are disgruntled by his directives no doubt with a lifelong effect, he became a scapegoat for America's failure to prepare for war.

[@waynemathias8074]

My father was a sergeant in the Philippine Scouts and escaped Bataan just hours before the Death March. War Plan Orange's success depended not just on MacArthur following it, but on the U.S. sending the Pacific Fleet to the rescue. But the attack on Pearl Harbor made sending reinforcements in time virtually impossible. Given the Philippines' limited preparations, they might've been better off planning for asymmetrical guerilla warfare from the start. Of course that would've been too radical for the military establishment. (My dad later joined the Resistance and trained guerillas for the 1944-45 liberation campaign.)

[@normannabatar6260]

The global situation then prior to the attack on Pearl and the situation today are so similar. A global runaway population growth aggravated by climate change, NATO's creeping encroachment encircling Russia and the rise of Islamic extremisms have unsettled both the economies of the West and Russia. The resulting inflation and recession are fueled by the competition for resources that are getting scarce. Inevitably, conflict arises which will only stabilize as the root causes are addressed. Unfortunately, population must be controlled and as nations are helpless to address them, wars will.

[@finallyfriday.]

A large Allied force in Bataan with 6 months supplies may well have changed the nature of the rest of the Japanese early offensives. Guadalcanal may never have happened. And the US would not have abandoned its forces in the Philippines after 6 months. That would be around the time of Midway. No telling how things might have worked out.

[@waynemathias8074]

​ @finallyfriday It can be valuable to speculate on alternate scenarios that could've salvaged the situation. As it was, the Allies at Bataan were rendered less effective by the lack of food & medicine, which they needed even more than ammo & fuel. Had they been able to hold out till summer, and had the Battle of the Coral Sea not occurred (thus sparing USS Lexington), perhaps a task force of 4 carrier groups could've been sent: Lexington, Yorktown, Enterprise, & Hornet. However, as they would've been fighting the Kido Butai at full strength near Japan, plus land-based aircraft from Formosa & the Philippines, the battle could've been a Midway in reverse, with the US carriers getting routed if not actually sunk.

[@michaelverbakel7632]

Douglas MacArthur was a collosal giant of U.S. military and 20th century political history. I've also read that he was so self centered at times he thought he had a God complex. Other military men and some soldiers below him hated him and called him an arrogant prick. Apparently President Harry Truman did not like him very much. Truman had Douglas MacArthur fired as head of the U.S. forces during the Korean War causing quite an uproar.

[@stevewatson6839]

@@normannabatar6260 Balls.

[@sham421]

I had a cousin who toured and lectured on his experiences in the Philippines. He flew in a a crewmember on a B17, was captured and marched Bataan, and ended to the war in a POW camp/ coal mine. He had no affection for MacArthur and hated the Japanese with a white hot passion. He praised the heroism and tenacity of the people of the Philippines. Many risked and lost their lives trying to support US prisoners on the march.

[@suskagusip1036]

It's a Sin to call him names in the Philippines 🇵🇭. "I SHALL RETURN. "

[@sham421]

@@suskagusip1036 “I shall return with a PR crew when others have done the dying.”

[@valrefugio8768]

Most of the healthy-looking soldiers and people of high military ranks were put on a ship to Japan. Many worked in the mines. The rest of the POWs stayed in Tarlac, province. Many died due to disease, malnutrition and maltreatment.

[@suskagusip1036]

@@sham421 True I Have family members who fought hard and died with the Americans. Hope you all visit the tomb of the unknown in Manila and in Panay.

[@hypothalapotamus5293]

MacArthur bred organizational failures by placing sycophants in high places. During the drive to the Yalu River, they captured a Chinese prisoner who spoke Cantonese. The prisoner straight up told them that he was Chinese Army and not a Chinese resident of Korea. The report made it to General Willoughby, MacArthur's intelligence officer who immediately killed it. There were no Chinese in Korea, only Korean residents of China. After all, there are plenty of Mexicans in Texas.... The thing that really gets me is that, if you can interrogate a Cantonese prisoner, you almost certainly know that seeing a battalion or more of Cantonese soldiers in Korea is like walking through a neighborhood in Paris and everyone is talking to you in Russian. You know that something is up. Failure to acknowledge that killed tens of thousands of Americans.

[@annemariedimola1785]

My Dad and Uncles all were fought in WW2 thankfully not under Mc Arthur's command. None of them spoke kindly of him or how his ego got in the way of being a good Commander. What he did to General Wainwright ( a true Patriot) was unconscionable. The producers of this video should be applauded.

[@piosian4196]

He probably jealous Gen Wainwright got the MOH first.

[@valrefugio8768]

@@piosian4196 MacArthur was awarded the MOH in 1942, Wainright in 1945.

[@charleswest6372]

Mac should have been court martialed for desertion. Left Wainwright to fend for himself and went basically AWOL.

[@charleswest6372]

He screwed Wainwright over, plain and simple-!

[@alganhar1]

@@valrefugio8768 And that right there is a travesty in and of itself. Never has a Medal of Honour been so ill deserved as that awarded to MacArthur. It spits in the faces of all those who have won that medal through their own actions and heroism that Dugout Doug was awarded the medal essentially because of politics.

[@rsp7029]

He also essentially caused the disaster in Korea by making his two corps advance on axes that drove them farther and farther apart while moving up the peninsula, causing units to lose contact with those on their flanks and allowed infiltrating Chinese units to get in around and behind the Americans and ROKs. Didn't realize what was happening until units started being swallowed and evaporating as the Chinese counterattacked. Mac then panicked and requested 30 nuclear bombs to try to stem the tide. Inchon should have failed had there been any defense of the harbor. Macarthur failed upward about as high as one can in uniform.

[@tvgerbil1984]

He was commanding from the comfort in Tokyo, over thousand of Km from the front line when the Chinese lured his dispersed forces into a massive trap near the Yalu River. He was always behind events and the Chinese took full advantage of his style of command. He was thoroughly out-generalled.

[@eltonjohnson1724]

The Red Chinese tore up the 2nd US Infantry Division. The remains of soldiers from this division are still being returned to the US today!

[@rileyernst9086]

He also flat out denied reports of chinese troops being in Korea. Even after the first couple big ambushes. So the rest of the army continued to advance with orders to split up to provide more big reching arrows for Macarthur's map, i mean cover more ground. O.P Price knew what Macarthur was about and did not like his shit at all so the marines dragged their feet, built supply depots everywhere and readied to weather whatever was coming their way. That's why they did so well.

[@kalvin1123]

The MacArthur Memorial has a KZbin channel. You can watch a lecture about his thoughts about the bomb. The Memorial and other organizations have recently went through their archives and found no evidence that he wanted to use the bomb in Korea.

[@stan121midling5]

dam, you Chinese people never stop with this false propaganda stuff do ya, hehe

[@brokenbridge6316]

I have always believed that MacArthur's handling of the defense of the Philippines deserves much scrutiny. Then and now. My compliments to all those who made this video a reality.

[@alexaleks8093]

yes, the death march, all those massacres would not have happened, Nimitz opposed mc arthurs plan and he just to isolate the japanese. but machartur had selfish explosive motives to fire up his legends

[@jonirojonironin5353]

I'm also surprised that President Manuel Quezon actually believed that the Japanese wouldn't invade the Philippines. How deluded can you be in that situation>

[@brokenbridge6316]

@@jonirojonironin5353---I think Mac and Quezon both did that.

[@brokenbridge6316]

@@alexaleks8093---Well I actually respect MacArthur's desire to go back to the Philippines to avenge his loss. It's something I would've wanted to do. But I get what you mean though. Had he handled the defense better maybe Nimitz wouldn't' have opposed his plan to return. But then again Nimitz was Navy and Mac was Army. And both would've likely opposed each other anyway.

[@strykrpinoy]

@@alexaleks8093 Excuses me what? The Japanese were FAMOUS for their brutality against POW's. Your right the death march would of never happened, those troops would of been executed on the spot.

[@DSS-jj2cw]

My father served in WWII in the Phillipines and New Guinea..He saw MacArthur after the battle of Leyte Gulf. They should of left Nimitz in charge of the Pacific campaign. MacArthur was a first rate putz.

[@mikegray8776]

Putz is putting it too generously. Not a good man.

[@mikegray8776]

@@numbawan9527 Incompetence compounded by cowardice as the “great hero” fled to the comfort of Australia within days of the Japanese invasion leaving anything up to 100,000 poorly armed American and Filipino troops to fend for themselves with ZERO support from the Air (which he had ALLOWED to be devastated on the ground) and from the Navy which he agreed should slink furtively from Manila Bay without EVER engaging ANY invaders whatever. ALMOST HALF of those abandoned 100,000 men did not survive the Bataan Death March or the sub-human POW confinement, AFTER their inevitable surrender.

[@djquinn11]

I totally agree with you. A glory- seeking egomaniac puts.

[@BigLui2909]

@@djquinn11 officers usually seek glory in some way or another. However egomaniacs is what i have an issue with sometimes

[@djquinn11]

@@BigLui2909 : Yes, I totally agree.

[@k.3004]

Filipinos during the time were already were already concerned with Japanese presence and actions in the country. When Quezon reformed immigration policies for foreigners which limited the amount of Japanese that may work in the country. The Japanese embassy were quick to protest this. Although the policy was equal for other nationalities not just the Japanese. The development of Abaca plantations in Davao, that abaca being the source of marine cordage for the Japanese Navy. Filipinos were aware what Japan did to Manchuria and that may possibly happen to them.

[@jimshepard8822]

I recall a story about Mac , when he left phillipines, he could have taken 15 , 20 more troops but he chose to take large amount of bamboo furniture instead

[@suskagusip1036]

My late dad said there were many Japanese merchants that came to the islands. War broke they were all Generals. They've been mapping our islands since then.

[@valrefugio8768]

@@jimshepard8822 I guess you have never gotten a close enough look at a B17, 15 -20 more troops?

[@lardyify]

My basic instinct is to always blame the aggressor for disaster in war, in this case, the Japanese. Were it not for Japanese imperialism there would be no need for defence. However, McArthur’s inability to follow orders certainly seemed to have the overall result of increasing Phillipine suffering.

[@valrefugio8768]

I wonder which order he did not follow? the order was simple enough defend the country using the personnel and materiel under your command.

[@novymacahilig6258]

This was the result of American sanctions and embargo with Japan before, like oil and gas, etc… that’s why they go to war

[@helloxyz]

er, or maybe the USA was the aggressor for conquering the Philippines in the first place.

[@exccw]

USN Admirals Nimitz and King, and Australian Generals Blamey and Vasey bitterly resented MacArthur, whom they considered as someone who made more political rather than strategic decisions that needlessly threw away lives. The Australians were especially furious at him for seemingly abandoning the Allied strategy of bypassing certain cutoff Japanese islands that were not strategically vital, instead taking them for personal glory. He developed a habit of landing US Army troops for the headlines, winning a few battles, and then replacing them with Australian units to finish the fight while the American units moved on to new operations. In most cases, the IJA combat strength was still extremely potent, and the Australians had to continue fighting on each island for many more months with limited supplies and attention. This was repeated from the South Pacific all the way up through the Philippines. The Australian troops even had a long lampoon that ended with: "So bet your shoes that all the news, That last great Judgment Day, Will go to press in nothing less, Than Doug's Communique." This was in reference to the premature communiques he often issued declaring victory on each island. He was also angry at Nimitz when he withdrew his carriers from the South Pacific for the Battle of Midway, as he insisted that the next Japanese offensive would be against Australia and that the Central Pacific was a pointless target for the IJN. In mid-1943 when he discovered that the new USS Essex had arrived in Hawaii to form the new TF50, he was pressing General Marshall to put the new task force under his command in the South Pacific. These among many other incidents.

[@blank557]

MacArthur did treat the Aussies condescendingly, and forgot that the Aussies were the first Allied unit to stop the Japanese cold on New Guinea. But MacArthur criticized them for being so slow to advance, not appreciating nor ever visiting firsthand the absolute green hell that New Guinea was, especially trying to advance on a single track trail over the Stanley Owen mountains that favored the defender. MacArthur was always a prima donna in WW2 who forgot what it was like to be in the field under harsh environment conditions. He made the same mistakes in Korea, pushing mechanized Allied forces to the Yahu in the most bitter winter that would make Stalingrad look tame.

[@hanzzimmer1132]

I'm in the US Army and I HATE MACARTHUR. He was such a toxic leader

[@budahbaba7856]

Boohoohoo! Those commanders were entitled aristocrats who did not deserve the leadership of a great like MaCarthur.

[@blank557]

@@budahbaba7856 Oh man, You are in love with a first rate narcissist, who made sure his staff was full of yes men, who told photographers how and when to take the best shot of him. He treated Marines like dirt, shunting them in the worse island hellholes between campaign, but sure liked them to do the dirty work.

[@kirkp7470]

@@blank557 Not like Dougy ever marched the entire Kokoda Track! Grrr!!!

[@patd4u2]

My dad was a 19-year-old US Marine stationed in the Philippines with the fourth Marine division that got transferred there from China in June 1941. He was put on MacArthur's bodyguard on Corregidor after the Japanese attacked, he was captured on corregidor and sent to Japan on the hell ships. He was a POW at Kawasaki camp 2B working in the Mitsubishi factory. He survived that ordeal. I wasn't born until 1956, he told me some stories about it when I was old enough to understand.

[@valdorhightower]

It was the Fourth Marine Regiment. The Marines didn't form the $th Marine Division until later in the war.

[@Native_Creation]

Did he ever mention POWs sabotaging the equipment at the factories? My grandfather was part of the main Army liberation force.

[@stevek8829]

A bow of tribute to your heroic father.

[@tomkratman4415]

It is impossible to overstate MacArthur's sheer incompetence.

[@valrefugio8768]

From the beginning at West Point MacArthur was ahead of his peers, not because of his Father. he created his own path to glory in every duties he was assigned, the youngest General Officer in the history of his country. nominated for valor and awarded 8 or 9 Silver Stars. His CMOH was declined because he was too ambitious in the performance of his duties. MacArthur always have troubles with his superiors by arriving late or the last to come in meetings with the President of the US. They respected him but they hate his guts. In the last days of WW2, he suggested to attack Communist China. He told President Truman that all our equipment and military personnel are all gathered in Asia and it would not take much to subdue China. Nobody wants to continue the War. This was the reason he was fighting with Truman, the communist was able to regroup to fight the US in 1950, Incompetence? I don't think so- MacArthur was a true warrior to the end of his life.

[@tomkratman4415]

@@valrefugio8768 Which, sadly, doesn't save him from the charges of criminal negligence and corruption* in the Philippines, nor from being caught unaware - arrogantly unaware - of the large Chinese presence around Chosin. His only real talents appeared to be hogging glory for himself, screwing underaged Filipinas, and pretending to be a god. And it's that delusion of godhood that made him such a military imbecile, such an amazing incompetent. To imagine that less than half trained, wretchedly equipped, ill led Commonwealth divisions were going to stop the Japanese on the beaches of Lingayen Gulf was delusional. But he, the god, MacArthur, decreed it would be so. And that delusion led directly to the failure to stockpile adequate food on Bataan, which food, once captured by the Japanese, was all that kept _them_ from starving. No, I could care less about his trivial and meaningless performance as a cadet at West Point. It's his singular idiocy and lunacy as a general on which his reputation rests, and there he was even less than worthless. He never deserved the Medal of Honor given him, either. And he should have stayed and died with the men condemned to death or imprisonment by his incompetence. *Corruption? While our men were fighting for their lives he spent an afternoon nagging the Philippine government to pay him a promised bonus and then invest it in things that made him quite rich after the war. MacArthur was swine.

[@g.t.richardson6311]

@@valrefugio8768 china was not communist at end of ww2 That happened later He had many brilliant moments He had many idiot moments

[@TechLeafRanger]

​@@valrefugio8768The man had hours worth of warning that the Japanese were likely to attack and did nothing, ensuring his airpower was shot up on the airfield instead of ready to take off. He fled from the Philippines leaving hundreds of men behind to suffer as POWS. The only reason he didn't get court-martialed like the commanding officer at Pearl Harbor did was because his spin doctors saved his ass despite his failure being as bad or worse. And his ego meant we had to divert to retake the Philippines, wasting time, manpower, and damn near causing a catastrophe if not for the actions of Taffy 3 in stopping the Center Force at Samar. And then in Korea he had us nearly dropping nukes on China, which would have definitely triggered WW3. The man was a glory seeking incompetent buoyed by propaganda convincing the world he was the greatest thing since sliced bread. About the only good I can say about him is his insistence to retake the Philippines rescued a lot of captured civilians from Japanese occupation.

[@nimblehuman]

My dad worked in the Philippines when I was a kid, and I grew up in Los Baños, Laguna, where General Yamashita Tomoyuki was executed after the notorious events there. I only ever heard of General MacArthur spoken of in glowing, semi-mythological terms. This video is most enlightening the light of that rose-tinted view; this guy wrote the manual for all subsequent Philippine politicians.

[@nicolasbroaddus8819]

Glad to see more openly critical coverage of MacArthur's actual "talents" as a leader from historical channels. I think certain people who learn history through memes, movies, or hoi4 mods have become way too fond of a really terrible person to idolize.

[@mikegray8776]

Well said, sir. MacArthur was an arrogant, pompous, self-aggrandising coward of the first order. Not only did he fail to implement the agreed plan - but he subsequently fled to the safety of Australia (for almost 3 fucking years) with a chosen circle of senior ranking officers, leaving 40,000 US Troops and up to 80,000 Filipino troops behind with almost NO means of defending themselves. As a result almost half the US personnel and three quarters of the Filipinos would die AFTER the surrender either on the Death March to Bataan or subsequently due to Japanese mistreatment or brutality in POW camps. Had he given the correct order to despatch the bombers and their escorts immediately, they would not have been destroyed on the ground like fish in a barrel, and the entire outcome could have been wholly different.

[@crep4114]

@@bluejar5614 That's what you got out of all that? Really?

[@donaldgoodinson7550]

@@bluejar5614 A lot of people ( mostly Americans)did idolise him.Thankfully the Aussies hated him and with good reason

[@iggyharl5780]

@@bluejar5614 if you don't idolize anyone during your life, then you're going to have a short, painful life.

[@bencohen5478]

Yes, all historical figures are human and therefore flawed. But some are substantially more flawed than others-like Douglas MacArthur.

[@WilliamWallaceRoss]

My Uncle died after making it through the Baatan Death March. Placed on the Arisan Maru which was sunk 24 Oct 1944. Never got to meet him, but, another veteran of that campaign found his canteen on another island which still had his Rank and Name on it. I'm sure he left it where he found it, as is the custom for WWII artifacts. His grave is empty here in Iowa and he was awarded The Silver Star. 1LT Keith E George.

[@horatiodreamt]

MacArthur was also the general in charge of violently removing the WW1 "Bonus Veterans" who were encamped in DC with their families during the last year of Herbert Hoover's presidency. MacArthur's eager assistant George Patton was also there. Retired Marine general Smedley Butler was with the Bonus Veterans.

[@commonsense7833]

The only American to be awarded The Medal of Honor for bravely fleeing the battlefield leaving his second in command to surrender his men and face the brutality of the enemy prison camps

[@thomaspick4123]

My friend told me, MacArthur had a Filipina girlfriend he screwed and had a baby with her. This information has been expunged from all websites. So, another award you can give the general is adulterer, irresponsible parent, non-provider of his second family. What a jerk!

[@matismf]

After he was ORDERED to do so by Frankie!

[@garyspence2128]

That's FDR or President Roosevelt to you, youngster.

[@robsan52]

@@matismf Uh, read a little more WW2 history. MacCarther was a mama's boy and very neurotic. Mac escaped because his powerful Republican connections pushed Roosevelt to save their boy. Roosevelt realized how powerful McCarther's mommy and his ad agency had been in creating the 'American Cesar' fantasy. It would have risked creating a 'legend' if he let MacCarther go to the pow camp as should have happened to Dugout-Doug. Roosevelt always tried to unite the country to fight the Axis and he realized that though it was distasteful to rescue Mac he had to do it for the sake of American unity...certainly not because MacCarther was anything other than a C grade general.

[@lawv804]

He was ordered to leave, so can't hold that against him. He sure as hell did not deserve a medal of honor though. Him getting it is a permanent stain on the dignity of the medal.

[@coraltown1]

The battle for and destruction of Manila late in the war was also extremely dubious in nature, as it had no immediate, necessary strategic advantage and merely caused great loss of civilian life. But MacArthur needed his PR win.

[@piosian4196]

NOT COUNTING 1 MILLION FILIPINO CIVILIANS.

[@k-studio8112]

Manila would probably look like Madrid or other Spanish cities because of its Spanish buildings if it wasn't destroyed during that battle.

[@OperationEndGame]

And they blamed the Japanese for the 100,000 filipinos killed in Manila…. There was no way a small brigade of Japanese Naval Infantry, with their short supply of ammo, had the capability to kill that much people in a short period of time… the slaughter was the direct result of indiscriminate shelling of an open city….

[@valrefugio8768]

I could not remember the Japanese commanders name who was in Manila, he instructed his soldiers to leave the city to avoid its destruction. Meantime a Japanese Navy Commander landed Navy personnel in the city and their removal when the US soldiers arrive cause the destruction which cannot be avoided as the Japanese Navy are killing the civilian population. Saving the lives of the city dwellers was the humane thing to do-the buildings can always get built.

[@piosian4196]

@@k-studio8112 Second most destroyed allied city next to Warsaw. EDSA ( was Highway54) carved by Mac's engineers to line up 146 big guns around INTRAMUROS (Old Hispanic City) with 14 foot ramparts.

[@somewhere6]

MacArthur was a serious net drag on Allied operations in WW2. It would have been better if he was not there at all. He was not a pragmatist and had counter-productive obsessions.

[@johnboxler8989]

You forget about Solomons campaign and the new Britain campaign which him and Halsey did splendidly. They cut off the ball from supplies I know the Peleliu invasion was very dumb because it had no strategic significance yet there are other bottles that because of him and Halsey we were able to climb up the Solomons

[@alexanderthegreatzabaras7492]

@@johnboxler8989 Halsley contributed much more to those battles tactically than MacArthur, we look at the majority of MacArthurs actions and yes, they were counter productive etc etc, even if he was successful in 1-2 campaigns, does that wipe out the other 5 he failed at? I don’t think so, but we’re all arm chair historians.

[@alexanderthegreatzabaras7492]

I agree with you my man, 100%.

[@johnboxler8989]

@@alexanderthegreatzabaras7492 no it’s doesn’t. If we don’t take the Solomon and cut off Rabul. The Japanese would have had a huge base of operations Halsey was the Navy commander then you had the fifth Air Force and MacArthur came up with the leapfrog airborne strategy

[@johnboxler8989]

@@alexanderthegreatzabaras7492 I agree his lost the The Philippines in the first years of the war we were not ready for the Japanese to attack so many places so fast

[@antonleimbach648]

MacArthur was nicknamed “Dugout Doug” because he never visited the front lines and barely even left the bunker until he was “recalled” by FDR. He was arrogant but at times he also showed brilliance as a General. My dad fought in WWII and he didn’t have much to say about MacArthur.

[@bigwoody4704]

I remember watching a great Docu on Nimitz - there was a leader.Anyway When DugOut Doug returned Guess What - he rehersed that landing bit over a Dozen times - a DOZEN. In his abscence GOD knows how many GIs/Phillipinos suffered horrifically and that arrogant ass is having a film reel made about himself. My Uncle was in the Pacific and most weren't infatuated or in awe of him. And you know what the ass did at the surrender in Tokyo Bay? AS yacht was sent to pick him up by Nimitz and he sent it back and demanded a Battle Ship.The guy was Monty on roids. The shit should have stayed with his men - it was his crap decisions that got them stuck there.He had a whole day to prepare after PH was bombed.He can't get MFed enough,Monty was prolly just as bad

[@autophyte]

He was also known as "the chocolate soldier" by the Aussies, because he melted under the heat (of war).

[@valrefugio8768]

His last HQ. was in a large underground tunnel in Corregidor Island. I visited that Island, the whole place was utterly destroyed except the interior part of the tunnel. Gen George Patton was a Colonel during WW1 talks about the General(MacArthur) walking in the battlefield ahead of Patton with bombs blasting all over while he tried to get a cover from one of his tanks.

[@user-xi7sb6un4d]

What was your dad unit name?

[@murderofcrows2179]

@@valrefugio8768 I am sure Patton got a good promotion for that lie. Doug was never in harms way, that is how he could always blame his colonels for any losses.

[@mcjitsu]

I was always surprised how much my father and the rest of his Marine Corps unit, Carlson's 2nd Raider Battalion, hated MacArthur. The resisted just about any job that he was trying to influence or direct that required their action. Yes MacArthur was Army, but the Marine Raider Battalion was loaned to special assignments in those days.

[@philipmanlapaz4438]

Gen Mcarthur is a great general of the army. During those years, war wasstill run by politician sitting comportablly in the aircon room in theUS . Decision of the front line commanders still needsapproval from the politician. In short, do no blame commanders because they are all controlled by this white collar warriors in the congress who donot understand the art of war and military leadership.

[@Native_Creation]

Must be a big part of why Army and Marines had a huge grunge against one another. My grandfather who was part of the liberation campaign, disowned my uncle who joined the marines during Vietnam.

[@TexRenner]

My dad was a Marine aircraft mechanic on Guam and Efate during the second world war. I never heard him say a single good word about Douglas MacArthur. Dad was strictly an Eisenhower man.

[@BifMcAwesome]

Did he pass on this ditty: "With the Grace of God And a few Marines MacArthur returned To the Philippines."

[@TexRenner]

@@BifMcAwesome he did not. Wish he was still around, I'd sing it to him.

[@stan121midling5]

well, sounds like you trust the false CCP propaganda or are just a Chinese person talking BS about America again hehe

[@thx500]

McArthur is still seen as a hero here in the Philippines. Even my grandma (who was 13 yo during the invasion) still speaks heaps of praises to him. It's just how effective his cult of personality was. Even our history textbooks still holds him in very high regard. Only after doing additional reading outside of the school textbooks did I find out how much of a LARPer he was.

[@kirkp7470]

See what his Cult of Personality did for him in History??? The guy probably never field stripped a rifle or pistol!

[@thefockn3831]

@@kirkp7470 in would war one he did. He won multiple medals and was nominated for the Congressional medal of Honor for a particular action. I'm not saying that eraces anything else presented in this video but facts are facts. he fought bravely when he was put on the battlefield in his youth

[@valrefugio8768]

@@thefockn3831 Eisenhower's good comment on MacArthur, He could dictate a memo. or a speech without repetition and would know its content later, repeat everything word for word, very sharp intellect. Other comments MacArthur spoke of himself in the third person. MacArthur's comment on Eisenhower, best clerk I ever had. In the next War, Best man to have and command and Army.

[@heijimikata7181]

@@valrefugio8768 MacArthur should have been a governor instead. He would have been more successful.

[@bobbyquisenberry9090]

When MacArthur said "I will return" to the Philippines, in his famous speech, he rightly said so because his family owned a large plantation there as well as the main brewery. Of course he was going to return, to save his family plantation and his San Migiuel brewery whether tactical or not, using the US Army to do it!

[@Joe--]

In a way MacArthur was corrupt.

[@g24thinf]

That's completely bullshit

[@jamesbugbee6812]

The old, fart-generating San Miguel was very good beer.💜

[@murderofcrows2179]

@@Joe-- like how water is wet.

[@76reliant]

@@Joe-- Narcissism has always been a thing with leaders...The fact that he believed his plan was better was not necessarily wrong, but very common....No different than most workers believe their supervisors are idiots, and they could do a better job....

[@danalden1112]

In "Empires in the Balance" the British historian H.P Willmott ends his chapter on the Philippines campaign by noting that many militaries would've had MacArthur shot for his conduct then, and he's still not sure why the Americans gave him the Medal of Honor instead.

[@valrefugio8768]

As far as putting Generals on the firing squad, HP Wilmott aught to recommend Montgomery first. How did the British do In Singapore? Didn't you guys lost a couple of Battleships over there. How about Burma?

[@jamesbriers696]

@@valrefugio8768 What an ill-informed rant. Obviously you've never read any serious books on WW2. To start with I would recommend Field Marshal Bill Slim's memoir "Defeat into Victory" which is a warts and all account of the Burma campaign and his British and Indian Army's, with superb American air transport assistance, victory over the Japanese Army. Slim was beloved by his troops be they British, Indian, or African, he was "Uncle Bill".

[@doverbeachcomber]

Willmott gives credit for the way the American commanders under MacArthur conducted the tactical element of the withdrawal, but fiercely criticizes the administrative side of things that failed to move adequate food and supplies into Bataan, leaving huge amounts of these things to be taken by the Japanese when they could easily have been moved into Bataan. This put the troops on short rations from the very start. He also notes that after Bataan fell, MacArthur suggested that his commanders were at fault for not coping better with the supply shortages that his own action and inaction had caused.

[@lucasfragoso7634]

​@@valrefugio8768 so wait you yap about Monty and then bring up Singapore.... when Monty was in the western theater.

[@cyncus1]

Overblown ego which caused many mistakes and the deaths of many. His drive, ego and ambition were a fault and props to Truman for firing him.

[@rosiehawtrey]

You mean KKK member Truman yes?

[@jakey14344]

@Polji it would be a nuclear apocalypse because the Soviets had nuclear bombs too.

[@dariuszgaat5771]

@@jakey14344 Lol, the Soviets in 1950 had ony 5 nuclear bombs. USA had over 300.

[@jakey14344]

@@dariuszgaat5771 sure the Soviets had 5 nuclear bombs, but those were enough to turn East Asia into a nuclear wasteland.

[@dariuszgaat5771]

@@jakey14344 Lol, no. Stalin was not a suicide.

[@sudoren7572]

It is high time that the Philippines took a more sober, nuanced, and critical, yet ultimately fair look at this vaunted hero.

[@mikegray8776]

But of course, it won’t happen. Roosevelt, Truman, Eisenhower, Nimitz and Marshall ALL recognised MacA for the posturing fake that he was - but for reasons of public morale allowed his self-penned heroic propaganda to circulate in the wartime media. ......... And now it’s too late. The man DESPITE whom the war in the Pacific was won, is now remembered as the conquering hero. What irony.

[@MusMasi]

good luck with that

[@jonirojonironin5353]

Don't forget the naivety of Manuel Quezon too. Can't believe he fell for Japanese propaganda. Total failure of him. Really disappointed.

[@genghiskhan5701]

Considering recent events, convincing Filipinos that one of their hero is a sham is difficult even with evidence -Source I am a Filipino, help me.

[@khust2993]

@@genghiskhan5701 heh? Aguinaldo?

[@lordsiomai]

One of the things taught here to kids in the Philippines is that Gen. MacArthur was a good guy, and he is also _generally_ well-praised by a lot of Filipinos. His "I shall return" even became so iconic that we still quote him to this day. Thank you for shedding light on how he was a fuck up as he was a regarded as a "hero". Another topic wrongly taught in our schools

[@evenbet9603]

He was hardly a f/up. As the video made clear the U.S. plan would not have saved the Philippines. Interviews with Japanese officers make plain they were awed at his island hopping strategy. Honest historians today speculate how much better Operation Torch would have gone had Macarthur been in charge. He had an ego no doubt and the Joint Chief's were as much in awe of him as the Japanese. His biggest failure was not dismantling the old power structure in the Phillipines as he did in Japan. As a man of peace he wrote the Japanese Constitution and Japan's prosperity is owed largely to him.

[@lordsiomai]

@@evenbet9603 hmmm good point sir! atleast now i have a more balanced outlook on things

[@evenbet9603]

@@lordsiomai Thanks for having an open mind. History rarely gives the world a flawless hero, even in mythology heros fall victim to their hubris. He loved the Phillipines but was too chummy with the old power structure and was too forgiving of their inadequacies. He was not a good judge of character.

[@lordsiomai]

@@evenbet9603 indeed. sometimes i just wish our heroes are flawless you know?

[@valrefugio8768]

@@evenbet9603 I have to disagree with the Historians assessment. #1 reason was MacArthur was "Old schooled" what ever knowledge he pick up from the War College were practically obsolete in WW2. #2 His age affects his performance Physically and mentally, daily stress in conducting the War is enormous and he was susceptible to battle fatigue. He was perfect in the Pacific since he knows more than anyone the character of his enemy and knows Asia/Pacific Geopolitics like the back of his hand.

[@joshuaslawson9125]

My father hates MacArthur, he would tell me stories of how his Uncle Served under MacArthur, this included the fact that while all Generals of WW2 were drama queens with the (exception of Patton), MacArthur was the worst. He changed the plans for the defense of the Phillipines before the attack and then in the middle of the attack changed them back to the original plans.

[@Native_Creation]

My dad would mention how my grandfather rode on the bus with the solder that Patton had slapped. Of course they didn't know PTSD was a thing (shell shock) but it was a very big deal back then against his public image.

[@valrefugio8768]

Drama Queens, that word sir used as an adjective to describe General Officers during WW2 says plenty with regard to your knowledge of the subjects being discuss.

[@dragonmartijn]

@@Native_Creation Wasn't that slap part of Patton's desire to man up the soldier, in stead of denegrating him?

[@charleswest6372]

What a dope.

[@alganhar1]

@@Native_Creation They absolutely knew about shell shock, and while they did not know so much about PTSD as a thing they most certainly recognised Combat Fatigue. In fact both the British and American Army recognised Combat Fatigue at around the same time, the early 1920's. In other words by the time of the slap incident both US and British Military Doctors and Leaders were *absolutely* aware of Combat Fatigue, and had actually worked out pretty much how long it took until a soldiers tanks ran dry, approximately nine months of combat.... Its why they tried, if they could, to rotate men out once they reached that threshold. Not always possible of course but they did try.

[@virtualdrudgery]

Commonwealth Philippines was the last country to fall to Imperial Japan in Southeast Asia. If MacArthur had stick to Warplan Orange, the fight would've lasted 3 or 4 more months. And given the accounts of Japanese officers at that time, they wouldn't have lasted another month or two if Bataan still holds. MacArthur is incredibly incompetent. Everything that he does, was designed for a political ambition.

[@theawesomeman9821]

the commonwealth was a colony not a country. The Philippines didn't become a country until 1946.

[@e.j.rances3336]

Technically Philippines was already a country. They've had independence from the Spanish since June 12, 1898.. but it was formally recognized as an independent country by the USA on July 4, 1946.

[@armandotalampas4800]

@@theawesomeman9821 you should've written "state", instead of country. The Philippines only became a state on July 4, 1946. A state is defined as having the four key elements: territory, people, government and sovereignty. The Philippines became a state briefly when it declared independence from Spain on June 12, 1898. It lost its status as a free state when the Americans have taken over the whole archipelago. The Americans took our sovereignty

[@theawesomeman9821]

@@armandotalampas4800 first, of all, your defination of a "state" is the same as a "country" so I wasn't wrong using the word country. Second, the Americans never took the Philippines sovereignty. They recieved jurisdiction over the archipelago as spoils from Spain. You can't take take sovereignty from people if they never had before.

[@armandotalampas4800]

@@theawesomeman9821 you just made a grave error racist Americans say about this period in Philippine and American history. Before the Philippine-American War, the Philippines is already a functioning state but with very limited diplomatic recognition. Filipinos gained sovereignty once the Spanish ended its colonial administration. The Philippine-American War is a war between two sovereign states. It is NOT AN INSURRECTION. Racist American historians and politicians call this the so-called "Philippine Insurrection". Prior to the war, we were never under the power of the United States. Thus, you can never call this an insurrection

[@Fotosynthesis858]

My Filipino great-grandfather fought alongside American troops in the Philippines during WW2. That’s how he earned his American citizenship & he moved to Hawaii. My grandfather also fought for America in Korea & my father fought in Vietnam. And now my cousins & my nieces/nephews serve in the US military & they are serving in the Middle East & all over the world. That’s five generations of service. The ultimate sacrifice✌🏾👍🏾🇺🇸 PS- McArthur didn’t “save” the Philippines. He isn’t a hero to Filipinos. He’s only a hero in westerners eyes.

[@MusMasi]

how's the tap water over in Honolulu?

[@Fotosynthesis858]

@@MusMasi I have no idea. We live in California. What’s it like being a civilian?

[@PoorMan972]

All respect to your family and its long tradition of service (in shooting wars) to our country. Hand salute!

[@sabersroommate8293]

Unfortunately he is always depicted as a hero in history books here.

[@strykrpinoy]

LOL you just outed yourself , pilipino ka ba talaga?

[@amberfuchscia709]

My father in law served in the Philippines during WW2. He became a reluctant participant in the Bataan Death March. He came out of the POW camp weighing 80 lbs. He was 6' tall. He hated MacArthur. He thought he suffered from a grandiose opinion of himself and he was a coward. He never forgave MacArthur.

[@Gaius__]

I guess most "participants" in the Bataan Death March could be described as _reluctant._ I have never heard of anyone feeling enthusiastic about it.

[@barbaramarrs5113]

MacAuthur's "I have returned" photo was stagged. He had the photographer take several shots to make sure to get one that looked 'natural'.

[@robinharwood5044]

When MacA arrived in Australia he discovered that there were junior officers in the Australian Army who had more modern battle experience (from fighting in North Africa) than he had. This probably was one of the reasons he treated Australian troops so poorly.

[@kirkp7470]

I hope, somewhere along the line of his career, that someone urinated in his coffee...

[@valrefugio8768]

As a General Officer during WW1, MacArthur went out on Reconnaissance and skirmishes with foot soldiers, he was awarded 7or 8 Silver Stars and nominated for the Congressional medal of Honor.

[@robinharwood5044]

@@valrefugio8768 So that was no later than 1918. The Australians had been fighting major battles against the Germans and Italians since 1940.

[@rinofrancisco8752]

@@robinharwood5044 ok so the 1940-41 Aussies got kicked out of Greece then Crete and were besieged by the Afrika Korps in Tobruk. The Australian 8th Division was part of the garrison that surrendered Singapore in February 1942 to a Japanese force it outnumbered.

[@meningate.]

@@rinofrancisco8752 Rino if you know the places then you most likely know the facts, so to put the Australians down as you are puts you on a par with MacArther himself, Greece was already a lost cause, no blame to the Aussies on that, Crete was a major leadership fail, can't blame that one on the Aussies, Tobruk Besieged, well lets have a little think on those two words, Tobruk besieged, isn't this how it was done down through history, host would besiege a castle/fort, city/town, if castle/town fell, then host won, if besiegers fail to take said castle/town then who do you think won. And given that the Afrika corp at the time were the best in the business i,d say the Aussies and all those with them won, And finally Singapore, another major leadership fail, almost to the point of treasonous, Admiral Byng was executed for less back in 1757, so yes while they were on the losing side, they can in no way be held accountable for this defeat, infact from what i have read i'd say they were likely the most tenacious of the troops available, At this point i'd best point out that i'm not Australian, i'm English, but i am proud of what they did and what they gave for there country and for the world, so to sum up, if your going to trivialise or put down a Nation, an army, a corp, brigade, ect ect. Please back up your opinion with FACTS...Just saying, now you have a nice day.....

[@ronchristiantenala4056]

Didn't expect Kings and Generals would dig further into the blunders that have happened in the Philippines. The episode presented me with a good overview of the issue pertaining to how MacArthurs Air Force got caught. I have read numerous books about their failure to react immediately but this presentation gave me a clear picture. Indeed it was still MacArthur's responsibility for what happened in the Philippines. Another thing indeed is his deep connections with the Filipinos which gave him the moral feeling and responsibility to return and keep his promise (affecting the Pacific military campaign strategy). Their conversation with Roosevelt on insisting to return in the Philippines instead following Nimitz strategy of bypassing the island was shown in the movie "MacArthur".

[@nooneatall8072]

Was it his connection to the Filipinos or his narcissism being unable to process/handle his Big Defeat and wanting payback for the same? Could be a bit of both in reality.

[@andrewhart6377]

@@nooneatall8072 Yes, bear this in mind when another reader claimed that he preferred to feed the Locals rather than his Army. Does not add up.

[@johnemerson1363]

His Chief of Staff, Southerland, told bomber command that the US would not commit the first act. Pearl Harbor was not the first act? He should have been court marshaled.

[@suskagusip1036]

@@andrewhart6377 Since you haven't been to the Philippines. You don't the feelings of Gen.Douglas McArthur. He grew up there. His dad was the governor when USA occupied the Philippines in the early 1900's. Ask those Xpats majority have served in the US bases there why they chose to go back and live there. No locals expect to be fed by your government. While your economy was down in the early 1900's the Philippine economy was booming. The legacy still there. The mansions/ancestral homes of many business men and from the account of my own late parents. They used to sing both USA and Philippines national anthem before the start of the school. Watch Silay Sugarlandia and Iloilo City mansions, schools, hospitals. I myself graduated from a university built during the American time.

[@andrewhart6377]

@@suskagusip1036 Wrong I have been there you self righteous clown.

[@robertbutler8004]

It sounds like MacArthur could have just as easily been court-martialed for his incompetence!!

[@pfyearwood1]

The one order Dugout Doug gave that I feel showed his megalomania was to mount a cavalry charge with drawn sabers at the encampments of the Veteran Bonus Army in Washington, DC. He ran down WW I vets who wanted the promised benefits from Congress and the War Department. The Hero of the Philippines ran down American vets, their wives and their children. He took great pride in his actions.

[@charleskolthoff785]

Assisted by Dwight Eisenhower and George Patton. Unsubstantiated claims by Edgar J. Hoover that the bonus army was infiltrated by communists were part of the motivation for the display of force against the WWI US veterans making up the bonus army.

[@jeffmcdonald4225]

It's remarkable how much his story sounds like Montgomery's.

[@Oskarelu]

*Fun fact:* MacArthur's campaigns during the Second World War and the Korean Conflict were brillantly adapted in the 1977 movie "MacArthur", in which the General is played by none other than Gregory Peck. It's an extremely underrated film, so you should definitely check it out!

[@ronchristiantenala4056]

Yep one of my favorite classic movies. Wish they could have made a movie of the Philippine campaign with same cinematography as the of MacArthur movie. Like the scene of the Malinta tunnel in Corregidor.

[@songkok7hitam]

tq for insight . will find it

[@mikegray8776]

Dear God !! upwards of 20,000 Americans and 40,000 Filipinos and others died as a DIRECT result of one man’s arrogance and cowardice - and the thing you remember most is a Gregory Peck movie. What would your “Fun Facts” about the holocaust be, I wonder ??

[@Oskarelu]

@@mikegray8776 What the hell are you talking about? I never said the movie was much more important than the actual events. I just wanted to recommend something

[@ismaelnehme379]

@@mikegray8776 dude. First of all, you need to relax, the man is just recommending a movie. Second of all, history shows that absolutely nothing is ever the fault of one man alone. There were several factors at play here, like the American generals severely under-equipping the artillery, and half of the divisions not being fully trained in time. Yeah Macarthur messed up, but just saying the defeat was nothing but the blunder of a single man oversimplifies it to oblivion

[@James-zg2nl]

MacArther was greatly overrated. If it was not for his political connections & his effective PR department, he should have been sacked after completing crapping the bed with the defence of the Philippians. The British went on to greatly mistrust US Generals in 42 & 43, largely due to the US government tolerating such substandard Generals. It was not until 44 that the US had finally weeded out weaker Generals, especially those without connections, & not until US Generals proved to the British which Generals could be relied on. Thankfully for everyone, the US offered the world Eisenhower, the perfect man to be Supreme Allied Commander.

[@RR-cl2vf]

I think you're being too harsh. Everyone in this era apart from Germany and japan had TERRIBLE generals(japan as they started their war in China). France with literally one of the strongest European armies collapsed in 6 weeks due to their terrible old generals stuck in WW1 human wave tactics, their officers were unprepared for the attack and in the middle of massive changes, they collapsed. The USSR conducted its purges, it had to create its officer core from next to nothing( getting some training like the Japanese in China). The British generals were known as ' middle management men', and ' true gentlemen', some of those f00ls had only led foot infantry in Somalia and were given tank divisions or armies to command, many broke down (I am british BTW). I could go on, most allied and axis power at the start of the war, pre-1942/stalingrad were horrible. America was no different at the start it had quite frankly terrible generals, but by the end like every other country, they had improved. Germany was one of the only countries to start of with good officers and end up with duds in their final hours.

[@LysandraJA]

and in the korean war macarthur wanted to carpet bomb korea to stop the Chinese. dude was unhinged.

[@James-zg2nl]

@@RR-cl2vf The British had a few bad Generals but unlike the US they sacked bad Generals from field command. As for the French having bad Generals & the BEF not preforming well in 1940: your bases is routed in the contemporary pop culture understanding of how the Battle of France went down in 1940. I recommend you do a much deeper dive into how that campaign failed to protect France & why the British had no real chance to repeat their previous successes from 1914. BTW the British did win in North Africa (& Malta), I’m not sure what you were talking about there. Additionally, the Burma campaign is often overlooked by pop culture history buffs when in reality the British Army had one of its greatest victories in its history there & tied up so much of Japan’s military resources it enabled the US island hopping campaign to be so successful with a smaller force.

[@esmenhamaire6398]

@@RR-cl2vf Nonsense. James said that he thought that MacArthur was overrated - he did not say that no other armies had overrated generals. IMO, MacArthur should have been sacked after his apalling mishandling of the defence of Luzon. As fr us Brits, General Montgomery was also overrated.IMO. A good leader of men, apparently, he was tactically competent, but I'm dubious about his strategic skills, and like MacArthur, got where he did mainly due to personal connections, and also had an unhealthy interest in self-publicity.

[@bs2202]

@@esmenhamaire6398 severely underrated general imo include O'Connor and Slim who fly under the radar way too often due to the focus on the late African campaign and Montgomery

[@vvvci]

Thanks to Kings & Generals for posting this important video. The abject collapse of US army in Philippines should serve as a lesson to anyone on how quickly your world can be violently turned upside down. The one excellent move MacArthur made was to fire his air force commander Gen Brererton and replace him with Gen George C Kenney. Kenney's autobiography is an absolute must read for all students of the Pacific War. Kenney had a genius for both small details and big picture strategy... but he selected excellent commanders and did not micromanage them. One of the "details" most important to Kenney was the health and moral of "his kids" and he bucked the official supply chain to get his flyers and ground crews fresh foods (flown in from local farmers in Australia) to keep them going in arduous jungle combat conditions. In Brerton's defense, the newly arrived Keney had to march in to MacArthur's Chief of Staff Gen. Sutherland's office, and demand freedom to run his (5th) air force free of micromanaging from Sutherlands complex staff assembled battle orders.... of precisely the type that got American planes blasted in Philippines by a Japanese attack at 12:30 p.m. when the Americans were set to take off for a Sutherland orderedc 2 pm strike. Divided command is a nightmare in any war.

[@polimascara1467]

The fact is, the U.S. did not send relief forces to help the U.S. and Filipino forces and he was ordered to leave. He is recognized in the Philippines as the liberator, but it was the common soldier, Filipino guerillas, and civilians that fought and worked against the Japanese.

[@valrefugio8768]

They would not have been able to do their job without help from outside the country.

[@mechascoobydoo8330]

@@valrefugio8768 bootlicker

[@MoonMoney97]

Japan invaded/occupied a US Commonwealth and we still don’t recognize that. All troops US FORCES FAR-EAST.

[@mjbull5156]

The US could not send relief forces, especially after Pearl Harbor. It would have been a suicide mission. MacArthur made a number of blunders, but the outcome was never in doubt. US warplans wrote the Philippines off as being indefensible until US forces could be built up enough for a counter offensive.

[@ReadmanJ]

I Think it tells you all you need to know about MacArthur is he personally intervened to oppose Wainright getting a Medal of Honor after telling him to fight to the death.

[@blank557]

Yep. He could not bear the fact that Wainright would get one before himself. MacArthur was uber narcissistic jerk.

[@piosian4196]

@@blank557 The Samwich threatened to Court Martial Jonathan for surrendering.

[@blank557]

@@piosian4196 How stupid. Wainwright was in a impossible situation,and had female nurses to consider, which MacArthur did not try to make room for to escape with him.

[@murderofcrows2179]

@@blank557 it would mess up the image he wanted to portray for the photo op. can you imagine if some crazy general attempted to make abandoning his own troops look like some major personal accomplishment?

[@blank557]

@@murderofcrows2179 Even though MacArthur was ordered to leave, the soldiers he left behind still called him "Dugout Doug" anyway. What bothers me is he was jealous of poor Wainwright getting the MOH before he did, and didn't try to take some of the nurses on Corregidor with him. Maybe he couldn't, but he could have tried to make some arrangements.

[@AI-hx3fx]

One thing I learnt in class about MacArthur: we Filipinos loved him as some sort of saviour; Americans here and in the U.S. hated him for being a pompous windbag.

[@dantecaputo2629]

He’s considered a national hero in the US to, it’s just he has a bad reputation among some history buffs, but not all

[@Pure_Havoc]

sort of mix review here. I think mainly cuz he wanted to nuke the Soviets and China during the Korean War and start WW3 against our Presidents order.

[@JOESMITH-qs8ue]

@@dantecaputo2629 Democratic party propagandist "history" buffs.

[@Edax_Royeaux]

@@JOESMITH-qs8ue MacArthur wanted to nuke China and was exposed in Congress for either lying or being totally ignorant of the capabilities of the US military when it came to executing a war with China. That's not a Democrat/Republican issue and an apolitical military was an American tradition. When asked by the President about the odds of Soviet or Chinese intervention in Korea, MacArthur replied: "Very little. Had they interfered in the first or second months it would have been decisive. We are no longer fearful of their intervention. We no longer stand hat in hand. The Chinese have 300,000 men in Manchuria. Of these probably not more than 100-115,000 are distributed along the Yalu River. Only 50-60,000 could be gotten across the Yalu River. They have no Air Force. Now that we have bases for our Air Force in Korea if the Chinese tried to get down to Pyongyang there would be the greatest slaughter." MacArthur then proceeded to lose this engagement he predicted would be the "greatest slaughter".

[@Cloud-dq1mr]

@@JOESMITH-qs8ue You're trying to turn even history into a democrats vs. republicans argument? Please just stop.

[@junacebedo888]

City of Manila was INTACT when Japanese occupied it. But when Gen MacArthur returned, Manila became a wasteland; all major bridges destroyed. His troops bombed the whole city even there are only small pockets of Japanese left there. Majority of enemy troops escaped to the provinces with thick jungles and forests. In fact, Hiroo Onada- a Japanese lieutenant was found in the jungles of Lubang island southwest of Manila in 1974

[@markjoseph196]

They were asked to surrender, but the Japanese troops burned the city down to ashes while retreating.

[@robertlewis1965]

Manila was declared an " open city " by MacA . The Japanese wanted the city destroyed if they didn't control it . That's why it was intact when the Japanese took over . And yeah Dugout Doug had his faults .....

[@junacebedo888]

@@robertlewis1965 Warsaw was declared 'destroyed' open city. Berlin was declared 'destroyed' open city. Manila?!? yes of course

[@badwolf7367]

MacArthur must be the first and only man to receive the Medal of Honor for running away.

[@bf61marc35]

It was Dec 8 when Macarthur first was informed of Pearl Harbor and the initiation of hostilities. The main Japanese invasion on Lingayen was on Dec 22. Macarthur invoked WPO-3 on 24 Dec and only then was a frantic effort put in to send and stockpile supplies on Bataan and Corregidor. Had Macarthur chosen to do so, just those 2 weeks of stockpiling supplies between Dec 8 and Dec 22 on Bataan could have made a huge difference on how long they could hold out. The Central Luzon bread(rice?)basket was literally next door along with the major supply hub of Manila. What could have been.....

[@georgebenta3435]

Are you under the impression that they just partied and had fun for 2 weeks? I believe the decisions that they made during that time were based on what the thought was right. It's very easy for us to criticize what they did, while we can never comprehend what they went through.

[@stevek8829]

Don't forget the international date line. The Japanese attacked Philippines some hours after Pearl, when daylight came further west. The planes were also parked closely. Mac deserved blame even more than Gen. Short, he had extra hours notice.

[@georgebenta3435]

@@stevek8829 Being informed and being bombed some hours after the Pearl harbor attack is not enough. Pearl harbor is small compared to the defense of an entire country with 7,640 islands. The communications technology is very primitive back then specially in a very remote US territory where the US has nothing but WW1 weapons. Some said that the defense of the Philippines is like the last WW1 battle of the US.

[@georgebenta3435]

@@nicholasconder4703 The US does not have the funds back then. If you researched about the US military before the war, they were under funded and poorly armed. The US of 1941 is different from the US of 1944-45. At this point they still want to avoid any war. For the US, Philippines is so remote and expendable that FDR removed any mention of the country in his day of infamy speech.

[@grayscale888]

Bruh, the 2 weeks corridor was literally impossible to stockpile shit. You're saying that an island Luzon with a low yield can produce many?

[@Jelperman]

Marines in WW2 referred to Douglas MacArthur as "Dugout Doug". It was NOT meant as a compliment. One thing MacArthur DID do well was his administration of post-war Japan. But that's more of a civil service topic than a Kings and Generals one.

[@mikegray8776]

Strange that a man from a not hugely moneyed background was able to see out his days for 12+ years in a SUITE at the Waldorf Astoria? Ok, we know the Philippine President paid him personally almost a million dollars to devise an army/defence plan (which subsequently proved 100% useless), but what we don’t know - and never will - is the precise financial arrangement that led to NOT ONE of the extended Japanese Royal family being indicted for war crimes following the most vile, inhumane treatment of vanquished soldiers and citizenry since the heyday of Genghis Khan.

[@MrGksarathy]

Nah, he fucked that one up too, at least from a leftist perspective, and he purposely sabotaged the war crimes trials.

[@Jelperman]

@@mikegray8776 MacArthur's mom came from money and so did his first and second wives.

[@delta5-126]

Question i have is why he given the nickname?

[@redaug4212]

"Marines". Marines will claim credit for anything lol. It was Soldiers on Bataan who first coined the term.

[@Archie2c]

The destruction and death MacArthur brought to the war made him one of Japan's Best Generals.

[@Archie2c]

@Janix ask the Australian's every time the forces in New Guinea won it was alway the Brave Americans but if there was loses it was Those poor Australian's his PR machine was totally one sided. Btw they didn't mention he was incharge of the Cavalry Charge at Lafayette Park on American ex servicemen who were protesting and there were deaths

[@stan121midling5]

man, you China CCP controlled false propaganda people are everywhere hehe

[@richardsweat9315]

Back in the 1950's I talked with several veterans who had served in the Philippines and ended up as POW's. To a man they always brought out that after the attack on Pearl Harbor, they knew they would be next, and there seemed to be confusion as to what defense would be put up. They all agreed that the biggest blunder was leaving tons of food and medical supplies in the warehouse around Manila. Had they not had the cavalry horses to eat, the holdout would have been limited to under three months. In reflection, they felt that knowing the history of guerilla warfare the Philippines had fought against the Spanish and the Americans, they would have been better off to fight as such, and many would have survived the war and inflicted many casualties on the Japanese. The rumor was that no one had been tasked to insure those supplies were picked up and moved with the army. MacArthur was noted for having a staff of "Yes" men surrounding him in later campaigns. In Korea, they accepted his opinion that China would never enter the war, and ignored sightings and reports that it was about to happen. The rest is history. After I read 'Plain Speaking" on Harry Truman, I was convinced that Truman was justified in firing him.

[@valrefugio8768]

MacArthur did not get any "Yes men" in his staff. He inherited the staff of Gen Wainright after he was reinstated to active duty at the end of July 1941. There was only ONE highway from Manila to Bataan, The Highway was being used at the time by a retreating US Army and Filipino soldiers from Lingayen, at the same time they are being outflank left and Right by the Japanese Army. the end up in Corregidor and Bataan according to their plan with their weapons but shot on food and munitions to continue the war.

[@jamfucked]

I remember seeing heavy propaganda for MacArthur on early history books, safe to say that when I got myself access to history from outside the Philippine Education, it wasn't so nice to him. He had such a part in Philippine Pop History, but its revealed as a facade as soon as you even look him up.

[@jonirojonironin5353]

I'm also baffled and terribly disappointed that Manuel Quezon actually thought the Japanese could spare the Philippines and not invade. How deluded can you be? Never thought he was that naive.

[@khust2993]

Philippine education, especially when it comes to history is just so lacklustre. It leaves out many figures, details and important stuff. Hence we have this conception that MacArthur is good, when in reality he looked down on Filipinos except the Westernized elite like Manuel Roxas.

[@nicolasbroaddus8819]

@@khust2993 He saw himself as a colonial governor just like his father.

[@rockyblacksmith]

17:08 If anyone is curious on HOW bad those torpedos were malfunctioning, I highly recommend the video "The Mark 14 Torpedo - Failure is Like Onions" by Drachinifel. The level of incompetence behind that thing is mindboggling.

[@jonathanbrown7250]

I saw that. Good video. The bureau of Ordinance got the bright idea to add a bunch of new tech onto the torpedo, never properly tested it, sent it into war, and when repeated failures were reported, the Bureau of Ordinance just assumed all the submarine commanders were using them incorrectly. Surprised there weren't some investigations / sacking about that.

[@baronzeppeli4225]

Thanks you for this episode on MacArhur genral and their decision on Philippine invasion . That great documentary

[@mikenorton632]

My uncle was a Marine in South Pacific during WW2 and hated dugout dug!

[@micheldesjardins8813]

Despite these errors, the japanese had serious trouble taking Bataan, they had to send reinforcements.

[@UnNuclear]

MacArthur does deserve criticism for how he handled the defense of the Philippines, but he still held out longer than any other allied commander in the Pacific theater.

[@caboosehelpsu2840]

Is it impressive to last long in the face of defeat, or a bad thing to (repeatedly) put yourself and your forces in that situation in the first place? Had he not been forced to leave his men on Corregidor, he would not have lasted at all. Constant excuses, lack of responsibility for mistakes and pride, leaving his Air Force (substantial in size) despite him knowing that PH was just attacked. He cannot truly be given credit for success in the pacific, and it only gets worse during the Korean conflict.

[@ae3464]

All with the useless counterattacks in battle of corregidor no he wasnt thats propaganda for u

[@iangodfrey4518]

@@MaskofAgamemnon Actually... Australia saved his arse, until the US was able get him reinforcements of his own. Truth is, he should have been removed from command and demoted when he left the Philippines as he was a defeated general.

[@valrefugio8768]

@@caboosehelpsu2840 Someone would have been itching to fire him if he was truly a failure but he lasted 10 years running things in the Pacific.

[@caboosehelpsu2840]

@@valrefugio8768 By piggy backing on the Navy’s successes. When they finally island hopped from Guadalcanal (MacArthur was not involved in those successes) he demanded they alter plans and go straight for the Philippines, which had no strategic value whatsoever. The Philippines were the personal playground of his family ever since we took it from Spain, and he took it personally.

[@glenmartin2437]

Thank you for this enlightening video. We need to learn from past mistakes! We need to learn from past successes too.

[@masterkoi29]

Mac Arthur leave the Philippines on march 11,1942. He left the Philippines together with his family,staff and forces. He went to Australia and saved his family,staff and forces for being captive by the japanese imperial army. He only return to the Philippines in 1945 when the war was already ending.

[@jaredcarian6277]

I've read from a biography of Gen. Patton that he would like to transfer to the Pacific theatre after the war in Europe but didn't happen due to his untimely death. I can only imagine how much headache it will cause to Eisenhower if these two prima donnas,Patton and MacArthur, would work together during the Pacific theatre.Lol

[@notascientist709]

Imagine patton during the Korean War

[@Nathan-yw3rg]

maybe you mean Gen. George C. Marshall . . . ? since by late 1942, Gen. Eisenhower is the over all command of US European theater only while over all command of the Pacific was given to Gen. McArthur, Gen. Marshall on the overhand is the Chief of Staff US Army working with Adm. William Leahy the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs and directly under the President. but indeed it would be a problem since Patton and McArthur might surely clash . . .

[@jaredcarian6277]

@@Nathan-yw3rg yeah my bad..Gen. Eisenhower is commander for European theatre and he is reporting to Gen. George Marshall.. thanks for your correction.

[@TomG1555]

No worries about them "working together" - neither Patton or MacArthur's egos allowed them to work with anyone for long without their need for personal glory getting in the way (like Custer).

[@nooneatall8072]

@@Nathan-yw3rg _might_? 😆

[@tonic9832]

Brilliant. You only get Dougies heroics thrown at you .. .. his heroics = getting Many Intelligent Young Men March their way to certain Death. That alone makes him a Wonder in my book.

[@williamchin7248]

It would have been more amazing if he could convince all those men to march to their deaths but not actually have them march to their deaths (Bataan) because of inaction or failure to execute well thought out defensive war plans in a timely manner. Instead of a fully measured response, his response was less than half measure at best (delaying the war plans in the hopes that his own grandiose overconfident plan would succeed) and allowed the Japanese to take the initiative.

[@TRUECRISTIANJESUS]

Faxist

[@williamchin7248]

Fax

[@letswatchapotato]

Always fun watching your pro docus. I really enjoyed the Cearsar ones, lots of tactical stuff!

[@trevorelliott6221]

Never understood why Mac Arthur wasn't courtmarshalled for his abject failure on the Philippines, the loss of his airforce was unbelievable

[@supernautacus]

I have wondered, how long he could have held out, IF, he had followed the plan. With Coral Sea and Midway happening when they did, could he have gotten reinforcements?

[@omarbradley6807]

That would never had happen in the first place as the Japanese would be struck with Philipines,

[@supernautacus]

@@omarbradley6807 ...Never....? In the fact that, here in the prime it did NOT happen. True! But just as if Hitler had left Japan out to dry...that mirrored reality branch off is quite a twist/ From our Point Of View.

[@alexaleks8093]

yes, homma had to delay the final push, waiting for reinforcements,

[@Belowbluewaterdiver]

Yamashita was up against much larger and more overwhelming forces and he still had active forces still fighting in august 1945, almost 8 months after the first landings in Luzon with no support from the locals. I would imagine just as long if not longer considering the Japanese never deployed enough troops to pacify the country

[@supernautacus]

@@Kaiserboo1871 ...If not for Korea, I would agree without doubt. Still, I just asked a question. ^_^

[@hikarihikari4501]

US Army and Navy officially did some research during late 20s and early 30s and came with the close conclusion that it was impossible to defend the Philippines under the Japanese invasion scenario. Army said they might be able to defeat the initial invasion but couldn't hold it for long without reinforcement. Navy pointed out that Hawaii was too far away, sending the fleet for reinforcement would be too late, and very likely gonna be a walking into Imperial Navy's trap. Also the Philippines did not have the facility Navy need for permanent stationing. MacArthur used his personal connections in the army to strengthen the defence but as Navy predicted it wouldn't help much. I think MacArthur was way overrated, due to his performance during WWII and Korean war. He‘d be a good actor, but a crappy commander.

[@lillith3159]

one could think that since they invaded the Philipines once they would know how easy it was to take them

[@rdalybread]

US has been given reins in the Philippines for control after takeover from the Spanish and still didn’t manage back then to create that said “naval facility for permanent stationing”; how strange is that given that right now we have ports in Manila and nearby by in Central Luzon, the potential to create those ports back then in those parts, besides Manila, is not and shouldn’t have been a farfetch idea.

[@burstingwizard975]

@@rdalybread Maybe the US government didn't want to spend the resources on a colony that they planned to ultimately give independence? That would be my guess

[@rdalybread]

@@burstingwizard975 so the government and military heads back then don’t actually care if they lose such a colony… but what if it can be said about Puerto Rico (although farfetch scenario) that it gets invaded by an outside foreign entity, then should the US just let them go as well, leave them into their own devices, to fend of for themselves? It speaks highly that the Philippines back then is nothing more than just a sort of “plaything” landscape. Relevant (somewhat) but [truly] irrelevant at the same time.

[@talesoftheamericanempire]

The strategy should have been to put a good fight, then fade into the jungles and mountains where months of supplies were stockpiled. This would have tied up a million Japanese troops for years.

[@trekker3468]

MacArthur who had full warning of attack and commited gross negligence and disobeyed orders was given the MOH and promoted. The Commanders at Pearl Harbor who were attacked without warning were sacked and publicly humiliated.

[@tomjustis7237]

George C. Marshall much later admitted MacArthur was given the MOH for purely political and civilian morale reasons. With so many defeats early in the war, the American people were questioning if we had any competent officers in the military. A "hero" was needed, even if he was a false hero, and MacArthur, due to his name recognition, was selected.

[@valrefugio8768]

@@tomjustis7237 I sure would like to see this script in written form, Gen George C Marshall is not one who contradicts his decision at or in any point in his illustrious military Career. Two defeats (not so many) early in the war,

[@dinomiguelvillarica2332]

He later convinced Truman to “Liberate” Manila despite objections that it did not have any strategic bearing. He argued it was a needed political win. Leaving Manila razed to the ground.

[@joaquinmisajr.1215]

US intel had enough info about the inward gold shipments … Pearl Harbor was the bait. ‘‘Twas no surprise attack.

[@valrefugio8768]

Filipinos were getting killed, they need to bomb and subdue the Japanese soldiers who were in the city. It would have been a ghost town as the Japanese soldiers will not surrender.

[@elmascapo6588]

Sire, manilla was a big port and a main supply point that connected indonesia with the hone islands

[@seanskre1717]

The Philippines campaign saw that mcarthur was good in offensive campaigns while lacking in defensive ones

[@loke6664]

He did try to fight offensively and the Japanese troop strength were not that impressive either. The Japanese however concentrated their forces while MacArthur spread his out over the entire Philippines. Just like Montgomery he did some things well and screwed other things up. It is of course easy to criticize his plan in hindsight but the whole plan was a huge blunder. The original plan was far from perfect either since the Japanese would take over all the smaller islands quickly with little resistance but taking Luzon would have taken them far longer and they would have had to send more troops which would have hurt them elsewhere. People generally assume that the Japanese zerged the pacific in the early part of the war but that is not really the case. They often actually had less troops then the British, Americans and Chinese but they did have good planning. The Americans were generally a lot better at improvising then the Japanese but the westerners in charge in 1941 and 1942 underestimated them and did a pretty bad job. MacArthur himself was a pretty odd guy. He was certainly brave and excellent at keeping his soldiers morale at top but some of his plans were not so brilliant, like when he wanted to nuke Korea. He was certainly not perfect but he wasn't incompetent either. Here he screwed up. I am not sure what he expected the Japanese to do, attack everywhere in small numbers? His plan could have worked better if he had prepared the defensive positions with bunkers, pillboxes and trenches which he possibly could have built if he reacted faster but even then they would face bombardment from the Japanese Navy which wouldn't be excellent. When you read about all the western commanders in the orient in 1941 and early '42 it is pretty crinchworthy. Hong Kong was just as badly handled and Singapore was a total mess. Of course the Japanese also screwed up badly by taking so much land without the soldiers and resources to actually defend it. Once US and Britain stopped underestimate them they faced the exact same problem MacArthur had. Too few soldiers over a way too large area. When they lost their Naval domination at Midway it was just a matter of attrition before they lost the war. Particularly binding up so many soldiers and resources in China meant they were totally screwed in the long run. And those torpedoes were a joke. Some moron at the US Navy's weapons department decided that it was too expensive to actually test them for real so only 10% of them worked as intended. That was certainly not MacArthur's fault but some pencil pusher who didn't understand warfare but even if they had worked it wouldn't have been enough.

[@ReaperCH90]

He is unable to follow orders, he is good for nothing. He'd be a social media hero like Ramsan Kadyrow in our time.

[@armandotalampas4800]

@@ReaperCH90 you're comparing a great American military commander to a Chechen a___hole? Ridiculous! Ramzan can't even lead a regiment!

[@loke6664]

@@ReaperCH90 To be fair is leaders who refuse to follow orders but succeeds often portrait-ed as heroes. Heck, Patton also choose to ignore more then a few orders but the difference is that Patton had an ability to win and it is hard to critique people when they win. MacArthur's problem here was that he ignored an acceptable plan for his own own bad plan. If he had made a good plan that would have stopped the Japanese he would be celebrated as one of the greatest American generals in history today. The lesson is to either follow order or win.

[@mikegray8776]

@@loke6664 Patton was in it for the Winning! MacArthur was in it for the Glory.

[@STM1066]

MacArthur has the reputation and hero status that should have gone to Wendell Fertig, the REAL Hero of the Philippine campaign

[@hcir5341]

Agreed.

[@frankohrt3347]

MacArthur made a career out of taking credit for what his subordinates did, and dodging all blame for his own mistakes.

[@eelchiong6709]

@@frankohrt3347 Then he really was a great general! To turn his allies' victories into his own, & his defeats into his allies' defeat! This man will never lose.

[@rickphoenix5638]

Great video have my thumbs up, have enjoyed all of your I have seen.

[@JohnDoe-rk6on]

Love the details.

[@michaelsinger4638]

MacArthur was capable of moments of brilliance (Inchon for example). But he made some clumsy mistakes as well. And his ego got in the way as well.

[@ElBandito]

A broken clock is twice correct in a day.

[@avet4521]

Inchon was not a moment of brilliance, that arrogant buffoon almost got the 1st Marine Division destroyed. That racist clown underestimated Mao, and the frozen Chosen paid the price.

[@lodd7461]

I've brought up his mishandling of forces for 40 years, this should have been put under a microscope long ago. I also have a problem with his hand in the settlement of WW2 in the Pacific.

[@mattiatenaglia9457]

Thank you very much for the video

[@kmlammto]

From all of the survivors of the Bataan Death March, I have heard nothing but negative feelings towards Bug-out Doug. My own father was one of those survivors, so I got to meet many of them through the years at the annual meetings. Even though they learned that he was ordered to leave the Philippines by FDR, they still felt abandoned by him and the Government. That he ignored all of the warning signs before the invasion did not help their opinion. Further, they all, to a man, hated the order to surrender (none of the survivors felt conditions were bad enough to justify the surrender and they feared being Japanese PWs). If they had ammo, many would have gladly continued the fight, food or lack thereof be damned.

[@theflaver]

MacArthur , like Halsey, created such a persona that he was virtually untouchable during the war. And at this moment America needed heroes so he was safe from the tragedy that he created. AND gets a MOH for his blunder!

[@wtgardner6914]

Another brilliant episode in the best documentary ever produced on the Pacific War! I have always felt that it was Admiral Nimitz's leadership that overcame the Japanese and not MacArthur. Nimitz fought for everything he attained. It seems MacArthur rode the coat-tails of his father. (To be transparent in my thinking, I was in the US Navy, so that may slightly alter my perception.)

[@rockyblacksmith]

It's pretty fair to argue that the Navy did the heavy lifting in the Pacific.

[@himoffthequakeroatbox4320]

My son mentioned this recently. I told him to look at a map of Europe, and asked if it would make sense to put an admiral in charge of taking Berlin.

[@jonhenson5450]

Yes sir, Nimitz was an actual Military Officer, even if he was a squid, he was a leader.

[@jonhenson5450]

@@rockyblacksmith Yea, they lifted anchors and deserted Marine units many times. No really, Chiefs and sailors made a super effort, but army and navy senior officers are selfish and childish in lead roles, like politician s.

[@robertsettle2590]

@@rockyblacksmith only on the water, and there only partially MATE!!!

[@timothyhines7845]

My Grandfather served under him in the Philippines. He had no good words for Dugout Doug. He fought with the Filipino resistance thru to the American invasion of the Philippines and was repatriated to the States for a 30 day leave upon completion He was EXCEEDINGLY disappointed to not be assigned to fight the Japanese, but to a transportation unit history now remembers as the "Nitro Express" for the remainder of the war.

[@josephnova7864]

Thank you this great content. The whole time i watch this content. I can't help to myself to remember those soldier (Pilipino and American) who died in the hands of the japanese inside the Intramuros dungeon.

[@williamromine5715]

Finally: Someone had the nerve to tell the truth about MacArthur's complete bungling of the Philippine defense. The only thing you left out was the amount of money he was paid by the Filipino Government. It was a huge amount, although I don't remember the exact amount. Why he wasn't Court Marshalled, I don't know.

[@khust2993]

Yeah, I remember this. I think it was Quezon who paid him.

[@valrefugio8768]

Maybe, because he was not on active duty when the Philippines was attacked. He was recalled on Active duty when the US declared War with Japan.

[@williamromine5715]

@@valrefugio8768 Actually, he was recalled to active duty before Japan bomb Pearl Harbor. He was given orders to not defend the beaches if Japan invaded the Philippines, and instead was to move his troops and supplies (including food, medical supplies etc) to the Bataan (sp) Peninsula. MacArthur disobedience that order resulting in the troops not having enough weapons, food and supplies and had to surrender.

[@valdorhightower]

$550,000.

[@minoru5760]

Thanks from Japan. In our common knowledge, MacArthur is recognized as 5star general or dictator because of his title SCAP after the war. Pacific theatre (devided from Chinese theatre) spent 4 years, shorter than allied occupation continued 7 years. So I really appreciate to the movie informed these his actual work in the Pacific war.

[@TokuTaisho]

MacArthur earned a lot of credits for his time as SCAP and I think It is fair to say that he was probably, if not a good choice, the best choice for SCAP because he was familiar with Asian culture and wanted a strong Japan as an ally against the communist threat. Of course, he still was de facto dictator of occupied Japan and behaved as such but strangely enough (or not honestly), he gained a good reputation in Japan, as far as I know, and even for the rest of the world his role in the Korean War overshadowed all his shortcomings which were painfully obvious during the war, and not only before and during the 1942 Philippines campaign. He was a political general, and peace suited him well, but as far as strategy and active military matters are concern, he was really inept. Furthermore, he had a twisted personality, very narcissistic and could have been, if he hadn’t been stopped, the origin of some others major American military disasters.

[@minoru5760]

@@TokuTaisho Yeah youre right, MacArthur was well received in Japan, some people are still considering him as an starter of Japan's democratization. I used the word dictator because SCAP had might powers than our government, military or Emperor during the occupation and used their powers a lot. And I finally learned from this video what you mean bout MacArthur's overshadowed shortcomings.

[@justacommonman5935]

​@@minoru5760 Next, don't ever scream "BANZAI!!!" again near southeast asia or china again or a *SUN* might fall on your head again..... just Sarcasm To be honest 😬

[@johnkeviljr9625]

Excellent video! Thank You.

[@pgandy1]

Thank you so much for this video. It supplied much information that I’ve searched for but could only find incomplete bits and pieces. I feel your assessment of GEN McAuthor’s personality is very close to being correct, certainly not the man for defensive combat, and most definitely not one of my heroes.

[@TomG1555]

13:26 The destruction of the FEAF on the ground was an aerial Pearl Harbor; what's even more remarkable is that there was no full investigation or punishment for such a massive failure. I think the need to pump MacArthur up as a war hero at a time when there were precious few victories or even valiant last stands (like Bataan or Wake) to help maintain morale was a big part of that.

[@Jerry-ky2nt]

Bad luck for the Americans that day. There were severe fog over southern Taiwan that morning which delayed the Japanese air strike and ended up catching the FEAF on the ground with their pants down. MacArthur would go on to repeat similar mistake in the Korean War.

[@sjonnieplayfull5859]

If I remember correct, both the admiral and the general got fired at Pearl Harbor, and neither offered much resistance to that. This being the aerial equivalent of Pearl, at least one head should have rolled...

[@tvgerbil1984]

@@nicholasconder4703 The Japanese had no radar at all (unlike MacArthur who had two active working radar stations) in 1941 and they would have great difficulty spotting MacArthur's B-17s approaching Formosa. In any case, the diaster of losing half of his airforce on the first day was that MacArthur actually ordered air strike against Formosa but he dithered for too long. If he had taken time to listen to his airforce commander Lewis Brereton who understood aerial warfares much better than he did, his planes would not be caught on the ground like sitting ducks.

[@tvgerbil1984]

@@nicholasconder4703 An 194-man Signal Corps air warning company of the US Army arrived at the Philippines on August 1 1941. By December 8 1941, two SCR-270 radar units had already been operating, one at Iba Field, and the other one at Nusugbu in Batangas Province of the Philippines.

[@gage2383]

I love your vids

[@Mrgunsngear]

Thanks

[@jessehamm3573]

One of the bitter ironies about the delayed B-17 attack on Formosa is the fact that the Japanese airstrike on 8 December had been delayed until late morning on account of an unexpected fog that had descended upon their airfields. Had the originally planned US strike occurred on schedule, the B-17s could have very well caught the Japanese aircraft on the ground, and possibly even destroyed a good quantity. Also, for the sake of accuracy, while this video is largely correct in asserting the US fighter strength as being primarily composed of P-40s, a portion of this force also comprised the slightly older Seversky P-35, which was integrated into the 34th Pursuit Squadron.

[@valrefugio8768]

Problem was the B17 does not know where the Bases were in Taiwan, they could run out of gas looking for them. Another problem is they have plenty of fighters on hand to intercept those b17s.

[@justinheron1114]

Hey K&G, I think we’re on #31…missing a digit on the title. Obviously amazing channel. Keep up the great work!

[@williamerwin7094]

I thought I was missing something when I saw that

[@justinheron1114]

@@williamerwin7094 same!

[@charles1964]

MacArthur had a good PR machine and took credit from the successful plans of his subordinates, such as he did at Inchon. He had an overblown view of himself and was overrated as a Field Commander, the Disaster at Chosin Reservoir being a prime example. How UN troops eschewed sound Military Doctrine and raced up to the Yalu was criminally negligent. They should have secured their supply lines by digging in around Hungnam (with Winter and Chinese intervention eminent) and shelter under Naval Gunfire off shore. MacArthur's only interest was publicity, and he didn't care how many allied troops had to bleed for him to get it, but when Truman finally relieved him, the egomaniac presented himself as a Martyr before the country, and Faded Away....

[@stanleydomalewski8497]

Great Video !

[@bryansalazar7545]

Thanks!

[@pykemagno7125]

The good thing with McArthur was when he promised to return as it gave a moral booster to Filipino guerillas. I understand from some documentary films that he opposed against the general war plan to bypass the Philippines in the liberation campaign. The delay would have caused more sufferings and death.

[@louisavondart9178]

Tell that to the tens of thousands of Filipino civilians massacred by the rampaging Japanese troops in Manila.

[@leogazebo5290]

Macarthur is also the reason why the Philippines Capital, Manila was 2nd only to Warsaw in the most destroyed cities in WW2. His insistence on retaking the Philippines cause more harm and missed the more pragmatic target of Formosa.

[@luigidisanpietro3720]

Taiwan's (Formasa)geography is difficult to traverse for a beach landing. Heavily fortified by the Japanese during the 40s, an invasion of Formosa would be more costly for Americans, and so they opted for Luzon instead.... (That is also why China could not invade Taiwan so easily.)

[@theawesomeman9821]

Formosa wasn't necessary after the capture of Okinawa.

[@alexaleks8093]

the destruction was totally unnecessary, not to mention the quarter of a million civilians killed.

[@genghiskhan5701]

Invading Taiwan is hell even today with the modern Chinese military has difficulty. THe Philippines was far easier to retakewith the pro US guerrillas and gave the US a loyal ally for a century. Also, Manila was entirely on the IJN trying to seek glory and one up the IJA

[@muic4880]

While it is true that taking Philippines makes no sense in terms of an overall invasion of Japan since it can be blockaded, not to mention Japanese maritime transport was effectively destroyed by US submarine force despite bad torpedoes. It also important to note that Taiwanese at the time would be more motivated to fight US forces than the Filipinos, and the island was way more difficult to land anyway. Just look up operation causeway. Lastly, Okinawa actually makes the best sense in terms of proximity to Japan and its size.

[@ThePyramidone]

Saburo Sakai, a Japanese naval aviator based on Formosa, in his book written with Martin Caidin, describes that their attack on the Philippines, which was to co-occur with the Pearl Harbor attack, was delayed by cloud cover. Their delay enabled them to catch Bereton's aircraft on the ground refueling.

[@eriztonoqarzwoss]

Yup. I read that book too..if my memory serves me right... the title is "Samurai!"

[@craigrs61]

There is an old saying, "the victor can re-write history" and this appears to be the case with MacAurthur. Was there a legitimate reason to retake the Philippines in 1944? Could the USN have cut off the IJA forces in the Philippines and SE Asia by just advancing through the Central Pacific and letting them wither on the tree? Or was the invasion of the Philippines just done to satisfy the ego of MacAurthur at the expense of many thousands (14,000) of died US service men and women. What was the strategic advantage for the invasion of the Philippines?

[@stevek8829]

It wasn't maybe the best strategic plan. But, there are other factors, as part of winning is saving. Mac insisted on freeing the Filipinos from the vicious savagery of the Japanese, without further delay. At least in this, he shows devotion to the people of the Philippines.

[@craigrs61]

@@stevek8829 That was very noble of MacAurthur to save the Philippines but what about the rest of SE Asia who suffered under the Japanese yoke until the final surrender.

[@jimtan8472]

The truth is his Father committed genocide crimes on Filipinos during Filipino-American War (Filipino insurrection according to US history) and he's doing that to cover up his Father's wrongdoing . MacArthur Jr. And Elwell Stephen Otis were the leading commanders in which they command every one and each officers to punish and kill native Filipinos for being *Savage Race* resulting in killing more than a half million Filipinos in process (some historical sources says around 1 to 2.5 Million Filipinos killed during the conquest).. there's still a lot of unmarked mass graves in Philippines that aren't discovered yet

[@dannyv2468va2]

@@craigrs61 MacArthur's strategy of taking the Philippines was the correct one. The original plan was to bypass and take Formosa but that is a very hard Island to take. It was more heavily depended by the Japanese. The Philippines strategy kept thousands of Filipinos from being massacred by the Japanese as well as the tens of thousands of American prisoners of War along with all the civilian internees. MacArthur Was A pompous egotist and vain glorious to a Fault. However his strategy and conduct of the war after the Philippines were lost was correct. His leadership was exactly what America needed. He did win the land war in the Pacific.

[@eltonjohnson1724]

What about Peleliu? That island was invaded supposedly to avoid the Japanese stationed there from interfering with MacArthur’s invasion of the Philippines. It was later argued that this invasion was unnecessary. That fight costs the 1st MarDiv dearly.

[@napoleonibonaparte7198]

17:08 The single deadliest Japanese weapon. Malfunctioning American torpedoes.

[@cjclark2002]

The Navy had its moments during the war that’s forsure.

[@mikegray8776]

Nope - The single biggest Japanese asset was a malfunctioning US General !! Had Patton or Bradley or even Nimitz had been in command in Manila, the outcome would have been entirely different - and potentially 10’s of thousands of US and Filipino lives might have been saved.

[@grantgerleman220]

The Philippines as a whole likely would not have been saved. If WPO had been followed, then the best outcome given the tactical situation and the developments in the other areas of the Pacific would have been for the forces on Bataan and Corregidor to hold out for several additional months. K&G also said as much within the video. Remember that the IJN was still at full strength at the time of the initial invasion and outmatched the strength of the combined allied fleets in the Pacific. That naval power restricted the ability of the Allies to reinforce and conduct operations in the Philippines. It wasn’t until Midway that the IJN was degraded enough to halt further offensive operations and until the naval battles of Guadalcanal to degrade the IJN to a point of parity (and then rapidly to inferiority as US industrial shipbuilding cranked out more carriers, cruisers, and destroyers). It is interesting to speculate how the plans of the US in the Pacific May have changed if the Philippines garrison held out longer. The planning may have been altered to emphasize saving the garrison or using Bataan as a beachhead to retake Luzon. It is possible that successful efforts may have made operations in the Gilbert, Marshall, and Mariana Islands unnecessary, but it’s also possible that the it could have been an albatross due to the logistical difficulties in supporting the Philippines garrison without those areas neutralized first. Having a supply rout that long could have also caused greater Japanese emphasis upon disrupting shipping and supply which they thankfully otherwise neglected. It is also possible that it may have only led to an organized evacuation following the victory at Midway.

[@Edax_Royeaux]

@@grantgerleman220 Since the US conducted unrestricted submarine warfare on Japan immediately after Pearl Harbor, having Corregidor in US hands might have been very useful. Could have pinned down a significant portion of the Japanese fleet.

[@andrewhart6377]

@@mikegray8776 And the kamikaze, the U.S. sailors biggest scare.

[@jonathanbrown7250]

In light of this, and other times MacArthur put personal political goals ahead of strategic goals, the real question is why he was allowed to continue to hold the high position he did. Sounds like Nimitz should have been placed in overall command. And the other question isn't why Truman fired him, but why he was running the show in Korea in the first place.

[@chrisk7118]

One of the best channels on KZbin.