The Fall of the Philippines in 1942-Episode 102

In this week's episode, Captain Bill Toti and Seth Paridon discuss how and why the American defense of the Philippines failed so badly and then go on to discuss the effect the devastating defeat had on American morale.
#wwii #wwiihistory #ww2 #usnavy #usa #usarmy #medalofhonor #enterprise #aircraft #aircraftcarrier #cv6 #midway #wwii #wwiihistory #ww2 #worldwar2 #usnavy #usnavyseals #usmc #usmarines #saipan #usa #usarmy #aircraft #aircraftcarrier #battleship #battleships #ussenterprise #aircraftcarriers #guadalcanal #naval battles #unitedstatesnavy #marine #marineraiders #admiral #midway

[@cheesenoodles8316]

Old soldiers never die, they just fade away. Macarthur sounded so humble when I was learning who he was. The more I learned, the worse it got,. There were some positive outcomes, but not much. I had a math teacher in the 70s that survived the Battan Death March.

[@notsomeanmark]

He was a good creative writer. Terrible human being..

[@billradley]

If he did the death march, he was probably really good with long division.

[@yyz4761]

I had a great uncle that survived the march and captivity. He hated MacArthur more than the Japanese. MacArther had really good press and people were looking for heroes

[@richardanderson2042]

Mac Arthur should have been beside, and probably even in front of, Kimmel and Short in the courts marshal and investigation.

[@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWar]

I would agree with that.

[@benjaminfrazier5419]

Hear, hear!!!

[@benjaminfrazier5419]

I second!!!

[@iratespartan13]

No. He was in an unwinnable battle that once war started was inevitable. The others were not.

[@richardanderson2042]

Not court marshal for losing the Philippines. For having the majority of his air force destroyed on the ground being "surprised" by the Japanese at least 12 hours after pearl harbor. Upon any attack they were supposed to immediately launch a strike on the Formosa air fields, but they sat on the ground and were surprised by a Japanese air strike. If Kimmel and Short were put on trial for being surprised during peace time, why wasn't McArthur for being surprised during wartime?

[@mattbalboa1349]

Don't forget that the 4th Marine Regt. was in the P.I. during that time, and were sent to north to oppose what turned out to be a diversionary landing at Aparri,, on the northern beaches of Luzon, before the main landings in the Lingayen Gulf. The 4th Marines were some of the last troops to surrender on Corregidor and they burned their Regimental Colors before doing do.

[@carlhull8276]

One of my Marine dad's favorite homilies With a great big army and a few Marines McAuther recaptures the Philippines

[@flparkermdpc]

Easy for me to say, but I'm betting many wished they'd disobeyed Wainwright's order to lay down their arms and surrender.

[@rossdawgsbrokenspirit9038]

Very telling that McArthur did not attend Wainwright's funeral

[@PacificFrontUntold]

MacArthur had a huuuuuuge ego!

[@flparkermdpc]

That may indicate that he felt unwanted in that company, of so many he had abandoned. It was the gathering of the WW1 Vets on the mall, chapter two. He didn't have much time for those whom he'd used and discarded. The feeling was mutual.

[@nickdanger3802]

1941 December 170 M3 light tanks in North Africa, 108 in the Philippines.

[@frankrshirer8851]

Seth put forth an interesting conundrum when he said that the entire B-17 force, 2 squadrons, should not have been at Clark field on 8 Dec, but he also says it was there preparing for an evening mission to bomb Formosa. The B-17s had to stage out of Clark because they did not have the range to hit Formosa from Del Monte Field on Mindanao, where he said MacA should have had part of the B-17 force stationed as it already was.

[@rohanwright7384]

excellent analysis and discussion - really enlightening

[@jamesthompson8133]

We forget it was well over five thousand miles from Honolulu. That’s a long way at twenty five knots. Great job guys! Just found your channel and all I can say is holy moly great!

[@dcardelhac]

Hi guys very impressive work, I try and watch at least one episode of this wonderful series once a week. It so great to see Australian's efforts appreciated and mentioned in the Pacific War. I have a question, I am trying to put together a similar though much smaller style of historical review, though concentrating on the the Malaya campaign and the Fall of Singapore and its ramifications. I have reviewed War Plan Orange and the plans (supposed) for the defence of the Philippines (good old dug out Doug). Though I am having a few problems in finding information in regards to the American reaction on the Japanese take over of Vichy Indochina. Though I do understand that this was but a small part of the reason of the Oil embargo on Japan. But what was the American official response if the Japanese attacked British or Dutch possessions in the Far East? Would they engaged War Plan Orange?

[@flparkermdpc]

Thanks! You men were on tiptoes here in this second episode and well you might have. Looking at the comments there were a lot of us who were still acolytes of some of our Most Hated Hall of Infamy. I had to just shut up and let you men do the instruction and persuasion. This is 3/15/24. The most appropriate Ides of March. The gloves are coming off as smiles begin to show teeth.

[@joekosanda6687]

Question - I recall that MaCarthur's wife was on the boat when he fled from Batan. Was the 16year girlfriend also on the boat ?

[@scotthix2926]

Did the attack on Pearl Harbor have any change in MacArthur's mind of forgoing war plan orange because with the destruction of pearl, war plan orange was not a conceivable option anymore?

[@flparkermdpc]

Once it changed to War Plan BROWN??

[@jamesmterrell]

'Critical Press' today? I don't think so. An example is the debacle of the escape from Afghanistan. I remember only little press. Hardly any coverage of all the equipment we left there.

[@xflyingtiger]

MacArthur received the MEDAL OF HONOR?

[@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWar]

Indeed

[@williampage622]

MacArthur so well benefited from his own BS and was so well thought of by the US government and population that FDR would have been a fool to remove him. It would have cost FDR the next election.

[@williampage622]

Why would we care about Japanese dead?

[@danbenson7587]

Assume Mac had defended Manila, he would have lost his Army and Manila and still the atrocities. By retreat to Bataan, he kept his Army intact. He was betting on Navy and Army coming to his rescue and was likely encouraged to do so by JCS.

[@majorronaldmandell7835]

Well said! “Everything MACARTHUR touched turned to instant crap!”

[@doughboyjr9418]

hahahahah “this would never happen today” hello zelensky

[@alexlupsor5484]

Good evening, This is hindsight. The inability to fight the Japanese was all over the east. Nothing was happening until people all over the free world repented of their gleeful sin. Why don’t you think more on the condition of the immorality of the free world? As long as you will not see the ruthless way the evil prospered, we will repeat the same mistakes. If you want to know what I’m saying, look around you. 2000 and there after, the sinful state of our nations is what I’m saying. Singapore was no different than the Philippines. It didn’t matter who was in charge of the Philippines. The US wasn’t ready to fight. That was one of the reasons for pearl harbour. 😊Forever in His service

[@mikelamberth9975]

Fully agree with your assessment of MacArthur. His bumbling in 1941 and 1942 should have gotten him removed. But politics saved him. He partially redeemed himself later in the war, and his oversight of post war Japan, and the landings at Inchon were brilliant. A deeply flawed career at best.

[@joeywheelerii9136]

Certainly an interesting character. Tbh it's still pretty pathetic that most people's knowledge of the U.S army ground forces in the Pacific is just Mac's "I will return speech". I don't fault them even most of my knowledge until the past few years about land operations was mostly Marine corps. I knew the army participated but I couldn't really name any specific units. Glad to have fixed that the past few years.

[@larrytestmi5976]

Emperor MacArthur was caught just as flat footed in Korea in 1950 TWICE.

[@jamesmterrell]

A critical press in 2022. I don't think so.

[@riftraft2015]

My great uncle Merle was U.S. Navy, on a destroyer off Corrigador trying to help support/ evacuate some of the men MacArthur abandoned. His destroyer was sunk, they swam ashore, and thus he was on the bataan death march and a pow. The ONLY time in 40+ years I EVER heard uncle Merle cuss was when my grandmother brought up MacArthur praises at a family picnic. Like early 1970s. His comment was something to the effect of "MacArthur is a dirty no good coward son of a b##ch. I was there, so dont tell me how great he was ". He was clearly instantly mad. Needless to say, my grandmother never brought up how wonderful MacArthur was after that.😂 As kids we were totally speechless like "HOLY SHIT !!!!😳 Uncle Merle just swore, while talking to religious righteous Gram no less !!!!!! WOWwwwwwwwww 😳😂 We actually didnt know about his service fully until they read his citation awards at his funeral. When we as kids ask why he had an anchor tattoo on his forearm, he simply replied " I was in the navy" . If ask what he did " I was on a ship". End of conversation. But he was a very kind man. Took us boys fishing. Our rural PA baseball field was right beside his house. He always came out to watch us practice, or watch our games. And ALWAYS took time to address us kids and talk to us. I guess we really picked up on that because Uncle Merle was generally pretty quiet. We thought the world of our Uncle Merle Woodring. He never spoke of ww2. He was skinny as a rail all his life that I remember. We had no clue until his funeral he was in WW2, at Bataan or a pow. When the Honor Guard read his records and citations the whole family was just floored. ❤Thanks Uncle Merle.❤ 🇺🇸 For EVERYTHING🇺🇸

[@captainbinghamton1319]

Another outstanding broadcast. Please continue your WWII Pacific war analysis. They're pure gold!

[@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWar]

On the way. We aren’t stopping. Just taking our time. It’s a lot of work to do this accurately and correctly.

[@flparkermdpc]

And ALL we have to do is pay attention?!

[@RY-TIOUSRY]

agreed! great stuff guys!

[@RY-TIOUSRY]

watching this many months later a second time, one notices the reasons of its uniqueness and overall success. Two friends, with different backgrounds, both sharing well thought profssional insight on one of the most significant five year monemts of this century. unique coloquial style comforts the listener, great chemistry! thank you Bill. thank you Seth. thank you guests. wonderful show

[@carterjackson8033]

I'm glad there are some historians who are not afraid to criticize MacArthur and tell it like it is (was). I have always thought he was a real Zero and not worthy to be placed in the same category of leader as Nimitz, Spruance or even Halsey. Although I think Halsey had his flaws, especially when he fell for the trick set by the Japanese at Leyte gulf.

[@joekosanda6687]

When I read books about mcarthur in the 1960's as a kid, I thought he was a great general. No longer - he should have been fired/relieved on Dec 9th. Absolutely no reason to retain him. He gets a lot of credit for the post war rehabilitation of Japan. A lot of others could have done that.

[@flparkermdpc]

​@@joekosanda6687I was thinking Gen Robert L Eichelberger would have been a superb choice. He was not only supremely competent, but was one of the officers who really cared for his men. He lived the Sermon on the Mount. And MacArthur's treatment of him was scurrilous. It would have been justice on a grand scale to give Eichelberger that posting over the self created fakir.

[@rtqii]

Good job guys. I had read all about the pacific war when I was in college. My best friend's father was the captain of a landing ship, LST, and he had a library of books that I completely devoured. Not one of them had anything bad to say about MacArthur, so these first two episodes were a real eye opener for me.

[@geneziemba9159]

An excellent book on the topic on the Far East Army Air Forces is titled “Doomed From the Start” which details the leadership, logistics and training shortcomings of the FEAAF. While this book details those issues the inexplicable factors of why aircraft were launched en masse only to land after an ineffective sortie overhead only to be destroyed on the ground have never been fully explored. Hopefully in any future conflict these sorts of errors will not be repeated. But awarding the MOH to the leader of a future military fiasco should be taken off the table.

[@flparkermdpc]

Added to that would be anyone guilty of bragging about keeping a minor as a concubine. What a scumbag. Some of those who helped this hero have to own much of that. FDR And his Chief of Staff Gen George C Marshall were chief conspirators and apologists for this creep. They would live to regret those choices. It took the unsophisticated Missouri fella who became President without corruption or "training"to finally take no more of MacArthur's abuse.

[@Pilot-hr1rp]

You guys are right about how hard fought and brave the Filipinos and Americans who were left to defend Bataan. This include the pilots who flew in the USAFFE. Just to share a story. I have a friend from our local flying club based on a grass strip near Clark Pampanga who is a legend in his own right having flown F-4 phantoms during Vietnam, got shot down and spent time in the Hanoi Hilton for 7 years. After the war he chose to retire in the Philippines. He told me a story of how one time he led an effort to locate the remains of a P-40B pilot who went missing during a dogfight over Mount Mariveles in Bataan. Years later, witnesses came forward who claimed they last saw the aircraft in a swirling dogfight with a Japanese Nate over one side of Mt Mariveles. Both airplanes dissappeared into a large cumulus cloud that usually forms on the leeward side of the mountain on a hot afternoon. With this lead, he led a team of locals who climbed into the jungle of the mountain. A few days later, they found the remains of the Japanese Nate along with the remains of the pilot, then days after that found also the remains of the P-40B not too far from the Japanese Nate in the jungle. It turns out the two were locked into a swirling dogfight the brought them into the cumulus cloud with both aircraft crashing onto the side of the mountain. Both the remains of the American and Japanese were recovered and reunited with their respective families. There are thousands of stories like these in this country and most of them will never be told. It brings me goose bumps sometimes to fly over these hallow grounds especially over the mountains of Mt Mariveles and Mt Natib in Bataan. Actually taking off from our club’s grass strip alone and seeing the majestic slopes of Mt Arayat near Clark brings awe considering the events that happened here You guys are doing good work. Looking forward to you guys getting into the Leyte Gulf campaign. Visiting the hallow grounds of the American Cemetery in Manila where they have the names of those who were burried at sea and missing in action makes me appreciate the herosim of those who fought in the Pacific. Names like Daniel Callaghan, Norman Scott, Ernest Evans and even all 5 of the Sullivan Brothers are etched on the walls of “Those whose final resting place are known only to God”.

[@flparkermdpc]

Hallowed: def: made holy, sacred.

[@yyz4761]

One of my great uncles was captured on Bataan and endured the famous march. The local paper did an amazing interview with him when he returned home after the war and one of my great aunts saved it. He said that they ran out of the means to fight before they ran out of the will to. He said that they were already sick or starving by the time that they started the march into captivity and that’s why so many of them died. He suffered from the effects of his maltreatment for the rest of his life (the portion of general Wainwright reminded me of him) He hated MacArthur more than the Japanese. Thanks for this episode and all the others, you do a really outstanding job for all those that love history

[@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWar]

What an incredible legacy.

[@yyz4761]

What I took away from my uncles story was that he suffered from a profound sense of abandonment by his leader and his nation. When they took MacArthur away and he promised to come back I think that the men left behind were holding out hope that the Calvary was coming. This episode really did a great job explaining how that just wasn’t possible for the United States in 1942. I got a strange sense of closure from it. I wonder if my uncle had been able to hear a podcast like this one if it would have helped him

[@yyz4761]

Oh yeah he was from Sicily Island Louisiana. I thought that might be interesting to you

[@flparkermdpc]

I would refer those who mourn the crash of the rescue B24 with their relative on it, which also killed 19 others plus crew who may have been rotating home after finishing their tours. I don't know about this particular B24, but there were a lot of tired out, badly maintained bombers whose last flights were to ferry home POW'S and casualties. This was terrible policy, and cost a lot of men their lives when they should have gotten home, but didn't. In his book "With the Old Breed at Peleliu and Okinawa" E.B Sledge states and makes the point with examples again and again that luck, good and bad, good and bad decisions, had more to do with survival than enemy action.

[@jeffreywilliams2240]

Your Great Uncle was one very tough man!!!!. My father fought in the pacific from sometime in 1943 thru occupation then went to Korea where he got his first wound. he retired in Aug 1974!

[@chrismcdonaghsignwriting1568]

Looks to me MacArthur arrived in Australia with his tail between his legs where he found a nation already years at war with Germany and most of its forces in England, Malaya or the Middle East. But some of the Australian generals at home had far more experience at warfare in WW1 and thus far in WW2 than MacArthur and they steadied him and knocked him into shape as a half decent soldier.

[@robertlemaster7525]

That might be, but NEVER in his career was able to successfully mount or execute any defensive plan in either WW2 or Korea. He is by far the most overrated General since the 1860's, maybe ever.

[@Rellana1]

I don't think so. I've read some of the orders he issued to the troops that were trying to defend Papua New Guinea from the Japanese,and they were basically impossible to follow,given that he issued orders from the best hotel in Brisbane with no understanding of the battlefield.

[@flparkermdpc]

​@@Rellana1you are in agreement then, with Robert Mcmaster who is ahead of us here and brought up MacArthur's Total failure at defense, and as a field commander generally. The successes of those under MacArthur were achieved when he let his Germans, Krueger and Eichelberger, alone to command from the front like so many Civil War, and WW1 Brigadiers,. And the Australians in this most miserable theater. Mac never got any New Guinea mud on his non regulation uniforms.

[@fishaddict2]

Fascinating. I have a very different impression of the fall of the Philippines and MacArthur than I had before watching this.

[@bobbyearl60]

You two are two of the most thought provoking historians I've ever run across. Keep up the good work!

[@KeithRanker]

I agree with Bill Toti. Not only did MacArthur have lots of advance warning, he had the machine to decrypt Japanese codes that probably should have gone to Pearl Harbor. I now feel that MacArthur is to blame for not monitoring the actions of subordinate commanders to disperse the aircraft and ensure prior to Dec 1941 that there was plenty of supplies prepositioned in Bataan.

[@gregcollins7602]

I love the idea of a pow episode. Another great episode would be about those that actually managed to escape from the Philippines. Epic Odyssey.

[@08silvercs]

If War Plan Orange was so well thought out over 20 years, why was the fortification not properly stockpiled with Ammunition, Food, Medical Supplies allowing months and months and months of sustained resistance. Seems to me War Plan Orange, command & preparedness all failed the brave souls caught in this tragedy. I have read many books & articles on the Pacific Campaign and this has always puzzled me. In the end I see it as a failed commander and a failed strategy.

[@dmbeaster]

Lack of funding. The military was largely starved for funds (less so the Navy).

[@flparkermdpc]

"You can say that again." That would be my Dad 's tuppence.

[@kidpagronprimsank05]

Funding was biggest issue, alongside Washington and London Naval treaties which not only limited the size and number of warship, but also what you can do and can't do to both existing and new fortifications, although as we know, Japanese didn't care about that much.

[@danbenson7587]

1. It is likely the USAAC did not know Japanese had planes, particularly fighters, that could fly from & return to Formosa. 2. Mac did not know the Japanese invasion strength or where they would hit. His defend-the-beach was same as Rommel’s, and Rommel’s generalship is esteemed. Hit ‘‘em where they ain’t similar to Japan’s Malay/Singapore strategy..encounter resistance..go around. 3. William Manchester claims Mac’s retreat into Bataan top notch. 4. The Philippines limp reaction mystery won’t be solved as the records are lost. Cheers

[@ts8538]

I am enjoying this series of podcasts. Thank you! Regardless of the competency or incompetency of American military leadership in both Hawaii and the Phillipines in 1941, it seems hard to avoid the conclusion that the remoteness of both locations from North America made it extremely difficult for the US to adequately respond to a surprise attack (Pearl Harbor) or prevent Japanese occupation (the Phillipines).

[@davidk7324]

The logistic and combined arms problems of the US in the Philippines mirror those of the British in Singapore. The Brits also had superior numbers. Commonwealth forces surrendered on February 15th only one week after being attacked.

[@davelange3853]

Actually, the final surrender of Corregidor happened almost simultaneously with the Japanese receiving their first significant strategic check at the Coral Sea. Corregidor surrendered on May 5, 1942. The Battle of the Coral Sea was May 4-8, 1942. I didn't realize that until I read Richard B. Frank's most recent work, Tower of Skulls.

[@majorronaldmandell7835]

Thanks for the date information on the Battle of the Coral as related to the surrender of Corregidor. I too did not realize that they were so close date wise.

[@majorronaldmandell7835]

Yes. One hears this very, very frequently, that the stand that the Bataan and Corregidor defenders made changed the course of the war. And, I cannot blame anyone for feeling that way, because they HAVE to feel that way, particularly the survivors themselves, and their families. To feel otherwise is to admit that it was all for nothing, all the unimaginable suffering, and the countless death. This is why when I hear so many say that their stand saved Austrialia, or prevented some other Japanese move,I always agree, because the alternative is unthinkable.

[@seanmac1793]

Yeah I am excited for the other 2 books in the trilogy Frank is doing. Certainly I believe the lens Frank is using is novel and I think quite enlightening especially from a social history perspective.

[@GaryWhipple-q6w]

MacArthur was well connected politically that's why he wasn't relieved

[@kensvay4561]

MacArthur did even worse stuff in Korea. He never visited the battlefield.

[@geoffoliver1239]

Having initially having seen a late episode I have started watching the episodes from episode 101. This is a very well researched and presented series, well done guys.

[@rodneymccoy8108]

While I agree with your overall assessment, do keep in mind the bigger picture of what was going on with the overall Pacific campaign. What the Japanese were really after was not defended by American forces, but Dutch, British and to a lesser degree, French forces. Hong Kong fell far quicker than did the Philippines. Singapore as well. My personal opinion is Singapore was a much greater loss to the Allies than the Philippines.

[@anthonybaldry9611]

To be fair the British high command also believed the Japanese were incompetent. I forget his name but the British commander of Singapore said he would send the police to arrest the Japanese

[@flparkermdpc]

SIR Arthur Percival, commander of the Largest surrender of British troops in history to a Japanese general whose forces he outnumbered 3:1. Disgraceful beyond belief, it sent Churchill into seclusion for at least two cases of champagne. Joking a bit, but the news from all fronts was devastating for the British in 1942 before Alamein. That Victory got Monty his pass for the rest of the war. Much to my chagrin even now.

[@vicmclaglen1631]

I suppose at the time it was a ready made spot to be occupied, i.e. "Our man MacArthur!". And the press would dutifully eat it up as it made things easy for them, sold copy, and the majority probably believed most of what they were printing. Always ready for a photo op, ready to feed them great lines to regurgitate as fast as possible in order to beat the other paper to it. And realistically, were we hit on a scale such as Pearl again, who's to say it wouldn't produce a similar effect. We do have a large percentage of the population that is all too eager to back an inept, hollow, self aggrandizing publicity hound and power monger wherever he or she can be found.

[@Pilot-hr1rp]

The occupation is as you said brutal but I think what McArthur was thinking of on declaring manila an open city was to save the infrastructure of the city. Manila was not destroyed till 1945 when the Japanese decided to fight to the death in bloody street battles that was meant to scorch the earth and torch the city. To this day, Some Filipino professors and historians are bitter with both the Japanese and the Americans for the the destruction of the city during the liberation.

[@flparkermdpc]

Ainll those critics would rather...WHAT? THAT the Japanese troops change their behavior pattern, even knowing what they had done in battle over the entire Central and South Pacific drives. Declaring an open city had no meaning. Surrender to the Japanese meant forfeiture of right to live. They have a history of multiple Rapes of NANKINGS and were absolute savages wherever they went. I expect we can expect that whenever we get in a conflict with any Asian nation or culture. They have a multi millennial history of neither getting nor giving quarter to the vanquished men, saving only the fittest to be worked to death. That was what the Japanese did with the chinese, and will be the vice versa case in any future war(s), God Forbid. The captured women in those cultures are property and are for men's pleasures , the younger the better.😮I have no doubt that some of our troops were affected by Japanese atrocities committed on personal friends and retaliation in kind was indulged. E.B. Sledge's book, "With the Old Breed" cites some examples from both sides, but examples of atrocities by US Troops stand out because of the rarity..

[@mariellouise1]

Hurrah for Admiral Hart! How was the rest of his career ? If it was anticipated that the Philippines would be invaded, who was in charge of training the Philippine troops?

[@flparkermdpc]

That's a rhetorical question, right?

[@ianrwatson5974]

First of all, thank you for doing this series, it has been extremely informative. I hope you take time to dive into the POWs of Bataan. My great Uncle, Pvt. William Watson, was assigned to a coastal A.A. battery in Manila, 90mm anti air guns. He was captured at Bataan. They were rationed 5 shells a day for shooting at aircraft. He would survive the Bataan death march and was interned as a POW near Manila for a couple years. Then he was transported by "Hellship" to Japan, and was almost torpedoed by a submarine. He was used as slave labor in a Zinc mine in Japan. Was liberated in 1945. His health was so bad that he was put on a B24 Liberator "Liquidator" with 19 other Allied POWs. Plane crashes into a mountain on Formosa on the way to the Philippines. Killed everyone on board. The US lead a Allied search team that took a year to find the plane and the remains of those on board. He is interned in a mass grave in Missouri. We didn't know what happened to him till a couple years ago and we were able to obtain official documents. Until we found that out all we knew was he was MIA. He was the grandson of a veteran of the Battle of the Little Bighorn Sgt. Michael Caddel. I really hope you do a thoughough podcast on POWs in the Pacific. That is something people need to hear about.

[@AndrewGivens]

That is a hell of a story - I'm stunned by how it all ended for them. It is hard for some people to hear the stories of captivity for those who were forced to surrender - and they were forced, that's how it works (my great uncle was forced to surrender at Arnhem) - but storie like this do need to be told. Thank you for sharing yours.

[@skylaneav8r902]

What an incredible, tragic story. Thank you for sharing. I wholly agree these stories need to be told. The suffering and pain many of our grandparents, uncles & aunts, fathers & mothers endured to enable us to enjoy the way of life we do today is sadly forgotten by most Americans. We all owe it to them to see their sacrifices were not in vain. There was a doctor in the neighboring town to me who was a Bataan death march survivor. He went to college after the war, then to medical school, and became an MD with his own practice. He was a wonderful man and doctor. He once told me his decision to become a doctor was influenced by what he saw there. The stories he told were indescribably stark and horrendous.

[@majorronaldmandell7835]

You uncle’s story is almost too tragic to comprehend. I can’t help but ask how a just God could let this happen?

[@marksimmons7972]

When Wainwright was nominated for a Medal of Honor, McArthur stopped it.

[@Archibald_von_Munch]

Mac was a d*ck.

[@lennyhendricks4628]

You mention the US Cavalry troops killing and eating their horses. I've heard it described as such: They converted their mounts to rations.

[@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWar]

You do what you gotta do to survive.

[@lennyhendricks4628]

@@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWar -- Of course. I just thought it was a very concise and official sounding way to describe what happened. At this point I have no idea where or when I heard it.

[@michaelcollum3540]

Is it true that President Truman stated that he wished President Roosevelt had left MacArthur and saved Wainwright?

[@johnthomas2485]

I could believe it. Truman was right to relieve MacArthur, but MacArthur was right in his evaluation of the threat China was, and would be.

[@joeywheelerii9136]

​@@johnthomas2485I think had someone else been in command of Korea they could've got Truman to commit to kicking out the Chinese from Korea. First and foremost MacCarthur was very disrespectful to Truman and 2nd his first choice was nukes. I think someone more even tempered could've gotta a much better compromise between the two stances. Instead of nukes why not send more troops? A few more Divisions seems alot more tenable than Nuclear holocaust.

[@flparkermdpc]

1:19 ​​@@johnthomas2485He raced past the 38th parallel right up to the Yalu River against orders saying the Chinese won't fight. Then they did. MacArthur was also going to lead the American invasion of the Homeland even when presented with the evidence of a massive Okinawa/Iwo Jima prep by the Japanese who had just made the Home Islands way Too politically expensive. OUR government would have collapsed had Mac been allowed to make another colossal error. I don't get why otherwise sensible men kept soliciting him, a commander with an unblemished record of abuse of subordinates who bailed his ass out of near catastrophe in the Southwest Pacific, the worst theater of war in all of WW2.ALL THE CREDIT should go to Eichelberger, Krueger, Kenney and the Australian/New Zealand contingent. Do you think the MacArthur press machine gave one line of praise to ANY of his field commanders. Just the opposite. When Eichelberger salvaged the Buna operation? And spoke to the press without going through the MacArthur press machine, he was threatened in a most disgraceful manner. I don't know how Eichelberger restrained himself. Actually, I do, but that's a book.

[@GaryWhipple-q6w]

Truman fired his butt in Korea

[@paladamashkin8981]

MaCarthur was too connected politically. He had been and was again to be a presidential candidate. It would have cost them too much. Also he did many good things later. Not excusing his shortcomings. Typical of politicians then and now. More ego and less practicality

[@Vito_Tuxedo]

21:49 - "...brutal is not even the word for it...their *_history_*_ (emphasis mine)..."_ Right, Seth. In fact, all of Japanese history, going back way before the imperial Showa period, was characterized by rigid societal stratification, wherein those in authority brutalized their own people. And their intense xenophobia made them even less kind to non-Japanese, whom they regarded as sub-human. It took a serious ayuss-whuppin' to break them of that vicious mindset.

[@thomasjamison2050]

I read once that a woman came up to Eisenhower once in Washington DC and said 'Oh, General Eisenhower, do you know General MacArthur? "No him, Madam? Why I studied acting under him for many years."

[@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWar]

Haha. Hope this is true

[@thomasjamison2050]

@@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWar I wish I could remember the source for you. I will sleep on it. Obviously no one wanted McArthur to fall into Japanese hands, but I do wonder if some didn't also worry what he might do if he was left to manage his own somewhat erratic solution that might end up with some strange and unfortunate result. He was, after all, a Philippine Field Marshall.

[@flparkermdpc]

You make some points that sorta explain some of the erratic behavior of some otherwise, wise and cagey men. Like FDR and G.C. Marshall.

[@keithdavis9897]

I'm trying to guage just how much Captain Toti HATES MacArthur....haha. I concur.

[@dave3156]

What a sad episode. Dugout Doug sure did a swell job with all the advance notice. I had read somewhere that the B-17s waited for orders from him for some 9 hours before getting the strike order. Think I would have done it on my own if I was the air commander. Very sad for all the troops who had to endure captivity. I wonder how many troops decided to head for the hills with the Filipino forces to fight as guerillas? Thanks Seth and Bill--another interesting one.

[@terryhigham1635]

SS Mactan evacuated wounded from Bataan and Corregidor. Designated a hospital ship, she successfully completed her mission.

[@SKILLED521]

This series is bliss. Thanks, gents.

[@michaelsnodgrass1808]

I think what have suggested is that they evacuated at dunkirk, why not the Philippines to Australia? The problem there of course is that dunkirk was only 21 miles away where as Australia was approximately 2800 miles away! Is was difficult enough bringing in occasional support by sub and evacuating a few by sub!

[@gagamba9198]

A good talk. I think it would have been improved by stage setting. In 1934 the US government enacted legislation (The Philippine Independence Act [Tydings-McDuffie Law]) to establish the Commonwealth of the Philippines in 1935, and in 10 years it would become independent. If you read the Commonwealth's first Constitution of 1935, national defence, such as establishing an army and navy, falls under Filipino control. However, Article XVII, Section I, para 12 has an interesting wrinkle: _'The Philippines recognizes the right of the United States to expropriate property for public uses, to maintain military and other reservations and armed forces in the Philippines, and, upon order of the President of the United States, to call into the service of such armed forces all military forces organized by the Government of the Commonwealth of the Philippines.'_ Many of the Scouts were moved to the new Filipino Army units. Several of its officers were Filipinos educated at West Point - the first was sent in 1910. In 1935 MacArthur became Military Advisor to the Commonwealth Government of the Philippines. He retired from the US Army in 1937 and continued being the chief military advisor to the Philippines. The Department of National Defense was established in '39. MacArthur envisioned building a defence patterned after Switzerland’s citizen-soldier system of conscription in which a core of 20,000 Filipino regulars would train 400,000 native troops over ten years to be mobilised at the outbreak of war. The US Army's War Plans Division declared this plan unfeasible and stated the Philippines would be better off by just building constabulary and not an army. In 1936 the Philippine Gov't allocated 36 per cent of the national budget to the military, constabulary, and police (hereafter defence). This was controversial because many political leaders preferred to spend on other programmes. In the following years defence received 20 per cent of the national budget. Let's keep in mind the Philippine Gov't didn't have a lot money. Also, there was a lot of corruption, especially by the Manila elite. There was the costly (and corrupt) construction of a new showcase capital in 1939, Quezon City (named for the then president). And President Quezon was trying to solidify his power amongst Filipinos, which was costly. Defence also recruited many poorly educated people speaking a variety of mutually unintelligible languages. There was no national language and the Institute of National Language wasn't established until 1935 to create one. Of course creating a new national language is one thing, having everyone learn and use it is another thing. And there were moderate to strong regional antipathies as well. Eisenhower, who was MacArthur's aide, initially had high expectations for the Philippine Army and found there were some capable men, 'they seem, with few exceptions, unaccustomed to the requirements of administrative and executive procedure.' He lamented 'the almost total lack of administrative ability in the higher officials of the Government and the Army.' But there were too few trainers working on hastily constructed and poorly supported bases. Military training for recruits was 5.5 months, but a lot of effort was consumed teaching rudimentary principles of hygiene, barracks living, and the military structure necessary for a modern army. Consequently, the actual military training imparted during the programme was shallow, and almost none of the graduates could perform even the basic tasks the programme was supposed to impart. MacArthur is to blame for this because he rubbished his own plan of a gradual build up and then didn't bother to check on the efficacy. The Philippines lacked the political willpower necessary for successful defence building, primarily because it lacked the institutional and economic capacity to support MacArthur’s plan. His staff suggested that an annual budget of fifty million pesos ($25 million) was the bare minimum acceptable to ensure the Commonwealth’s security. MacArthur knew the Philippines couldn't fund half that. He got about $8 million. Financing the military eventually caused tension between Quezon and MacArthur. The president had other priorities such as poverty reduction. What US material and financial aid was provided? MacArthur's request for equipment in 1937 went unfilled. In 1938 Eisenhower spent his entire vacation attempting to procure arms and munitions from the War Department. 'They were unsympathetic,' Eisenhower noted. 'As long as the Philippines insisted on being independent, the War Department’s attitude was that they could jolly well look out after their own defenses.' Remember, this is Eisenhower, the consummate diplomat who was highly regarded by almost everyone in the US Army, being shot down. Eisenhower finally convinced the War Department to consider the Philippine Army as part of the US Army Reserve, thereby allowing obsolete, surplus equipment to be transferred to it. Over time MacArthur become estranged from the US military advisors in the Philippines, the Philippine military, and Quezon. MacArthur’s daily schedule was 'more befitting a gentleman of leisure than a military adviser,' and by 1938, future general Lucius Clay recalled, 'General MacArthur never came to the office but about an hour a day. He would come down about one o’clock and stay until about two.' His leadership grew increasingly toxic, as he repeatedly cast blame on his subordinates whenever Quezon questioned decisions that were actually MacArthur’s.This finally led Eisenhower to quit and seek reassignment in the US in 1939, with his son John, recalling: 'MacArthur was in very bad shape in those days. . . . He was living in a dream world.' US defence policy shifted. The Philippines had been written off as indefensible. Then many become enchanted by the long-range bomber - 'the bomber always gets through' was a mantra chanted by its enthusiasts in many capitals. In Washington there were proposals to base fleets of the new bombers in the Philippines as a way to intimidate Japan's leaders and, if needed, launch attacks on Formosa, Truk, Okinawa, Indochina, and even the home islands if the USSR would allow US bombers landing rights. MacArthur opposed this. (Remember, he's no longer serving in the US Army and his duty is to the Philippines.) Quezon was quite shaken by how easily Japan was rolling over the Chinese, he saw how small the US force in the Philippines was, and he knew the Philippines own army didn't stand a chance. MacArthur told Quezon that he would avoid any action that would entangle the Philippines in an Asia-Pacific war. The focus would be defence. US War Department plans for the Philippines called for four heavy bomber groups with 272 operational airplanes and an additional 68 in reserve along with two pursuit (fighter) groups of 130 airplanes to be in place by April 1942. These would be based on Luzon, the northernmost island. On 26 July 1941, Roosevelt ordered Article XVII, Section I, para 12 be enacted and Philippine forces were absorbed into American, Army Forces Far East was created, and MacArthur was recalled to US service. Given the poor reputation he had with Americans who served under him, I'm astonished he was recalled. MacArthur was willing to employ the B-17s in the defence of the Philippines. He would not, however, support Washington's aggressive new strategy of using them to intimidate Tokyo by building a new aerodrome on the northernmost part of Luzon at Aparri because it conflicted with Philippine defence strategy and he was only being provided three dozen bombers. In the Filipinos' view, such a small force couldn't do much dissuading but it would likely hasten a Japanese attack before it grew larger. I'm not a MacArthur fan, but I think he was right in this regard. If you're going to wave the red cape in front of the bull, make sure you're a skilled and powerful matador and have a sword in your hand. Three dozen bombers is just the red cape. By late November '41 there were 35 B-17s in the Philippines. Seventeen of these were later moved to Del Monte field in Mindanao (the southernmost major island), leaving the others based at Clark Field. At Del Monte field there were no spare parts, engines, or propellers for the B-17s. Further, it had neither hangars nor maintenance facilities; planes had fly to Clark for repairs. Only tents were available for offices, storage and crew shelters, and they were in such short supply that some B-17 crewmen ended up sleeping in their planes. After the attacks on Clark and other aerodromes on Luzon, for a week these bombers played a game of hide-and-seek with the Japanese, which took a toll on aircrews and maintenance. Another problem was there were about 30,000 Japanese citizens living in Mindanao. Pre-War maps at the Japanese consulate in Davao listed Mindanao as 'domestic' Japanese territory, the equivalent of Formosa. The Del Monte B-17s were withdrawn to Australia on 15 Dec.

[@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWar]

Very good background. Thanks

[@joeywheelerii9136]

I wonder how different things would be if Eisenhower was the Supreme commander in the Pacific. I think American and Australian cooperation would be much improved for one.

[@petesheppard1709]

I'm a bit late to this episode, and not really deeply read on the Philippine defeat, but a couple of things I have heard and hope someone can comment on: 1) The Air Corps wanted to launch a strike on Formosan airfields at dawn on Dec 8, but was held back by MacArthur, since he says that he didn't have clearance from the Philippine government--and that the Japanese strike aircraft were grounded on Formosa. 2) General Huma threatened to fire into the Corregidor tunnels, massacring noncombatants and civilians, if ALL Americans in the Philippines (including the southern islands) didn't surrender, thereby stopping further resistance.

[@markbauer1096]

Seth, a couple of points. The preparation for the defense of the PI, was only started in earnest in June of '41 and the execution of Operation Plum. The Army Air Forces, became replace the Air Corps as an operational entity also in June of '41 (might have been May). The Air Corps became a personnel entity much like any other Corps in the Army (think Corps of Engineers or Medical Corps). Operation Plum supplied the most advanced weapons and radars and intelligence stations. That included M3 tanks, PT Boats, 29 submarines, M1 Garand rifles and T12 antitank weapons as well as 2 radar stations, B-17s and P-40E models. The real question is why the USAFFE Air Force was destroyed on the ground and what was MacArthur doing in the 8 hours he was incommunicado. Those weapons were for the US Army only though.

[@jeffreywilliams2240]

82 years are a long time for reflection on this. All of the Pacific war battles and the what the feelings of the American soldiers and civilian people back then were are now in the wind, and long gone to us. It is easy to tear the decisions down in hind site.... I prefer to be positive and take a more positive view of this time. I am sure the word FUBAR didn't happen back then because everything went smoothly. All I know is these were guys that if they heard you saying some of the things you said ( these were all career miliary guys I am speaking of) during this video they would not have been happy about it. They bitched about the war to each other, sure. None of them to a man would have ever said a bad word about a superior officer Publicly no matter if they were retired from the military or not. They only did that while they were serving and hanging out with each other. LOL!!!

[@stefanlaskowski6660]

I have a friend whose father was a Phillipine Scout who survived the Bataan Death March and Japanese prison camp. After the war he emigrated to the US. To his dying day he hated the Japanese, refusing to even buy anything made in Japan.

[@dawnaeickhoff2979]

MacArthur should have been court martialed along with Kimmel and Short not awarded with the MOH.

[@michaelholt8590]

My grandfather was in the Army during Korea, and he despised MacArthur.

[@carrabellefl]

A problem that Roosevelt committed with the withdrawal of MacArthur from the Philippines was to appoint Wainwright as commander of all US forces in the Philippines. Homma used this appoint as the means to gain a total surrender of all military throughout the the Philippines. This lead not only to all islands south to Mindanao but also Fort Drum, the unsinkable battleship in the entry of Manila Bay. This on battery of naval guns would have left Manila unusable as a secure port for months or more eating up time and assets.

[@thejohnbeck]

You're forgetting about the starvation of the US troops

[@JerrelBaker-vo8xv]

Plan orange was not MacArthur didn't make it.

[@JimPinch-te9vq]

I thinkBill does not like MacArthur

[@boychodurendes752]

Cie la vie, MacArthur remains the hero we know we have a long highway named after him and park in Leyte. I enjoy this video and listen well about truth of him.

[@flparkermdpc]

Thanks!i didn't see how to increase the amount on my earlier post today. Taking a peek at coments in the recent Air Battle of Formosa and comparing, You should be pleased at our progress as students. What a fantastic and new information packed episode 324 is with 27,020 in three workweek days!

[@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWar]

Thanks

[@ejt3708]

I was concerned that you would back MacArthur as some others have, but am so glad you that you didn't try to minimize his mistakes. How strange that history will not get unstuck from the propaganda even 75 years later.

[@flparkermdpc]

The BIG LIE school of propaganda had one of its first, and most practiced adherents right here in Grand (PHILLIPINE) Braided to the max, Gen & Marshal MacArthur. UGH! MOH is in the mail! What disgraceful behavior at all levels.

[@MammothPaige]

Another great video.

[@patttrick]

Superb

[@CdT-fb1pt]

Thanks!

[@MemorialRifleRange]

Thank-You

[@kevinfolk2260]

I don't get all the MacAurthur animus. I find your other documentaries to be very good and fair. Why do modern liberal historians hate him so bad?? The bonus march? His antics in Korea when he was trying to claim Mathew Ridgeway's successes? I agree Mac had a titanic ego, and should not have allowed Sutherland to be such a power hungry ass- but remember after a bad start in the Phillipines, his troops were the first in the east to give the Japanese any kind of fight. He directed very raw philipine troops fairly well against crack Japanese infantry.

[@The_Red_Off_Road]

He was also in cahoots with President Quezon and made himself a small fortune. It’s not just liberals that don’t love him.

[@Archibald_von_Munch]

He was NOT the military genius he advertised himself to be and he was an a$$hole. You can be one or the other, but not both.

[@flparkermdpc]

Great pickup. And these months in 1942-43, got Halsey his pass for some egregious errors he committed in 1944-45 by which time the great Blue Fleet had so much margin it couldn't be hurt significantly. Unless you were in a terminally unlucky spot in a typhoon or kamikaze attack.

[@PalleRasmussen]

McArthur competes with Patton as the most overrated US general of WW2. And with Clark, Stilwell and Fredendall for the title as the worst American general of WW2.

[@mikegoodwin5678]

Dugout Doug should be bashed he was a self promoting loudmouth. But he got away with it for a long time. I only wish he knew how he would be seen in retrospect. It would eat him up. My Great Uncle survived the fall and captivity. He didn't make it home until a year after the war. It took a while to nurse him back to health.

[@joebombero1]

The explanation I heard from two different old timers was the B17s and many fighters were scrambled immediately upon hearing the news of Pearl Harbor. They circled for a couple of hours and no attack came. MacArthur then received permission for the air raid on Formosa (Taiwan). The planes landed and the crews were being fed and briefed while the bombers were loaded and fueled - then the Japanese showed up. After the war an investigation revealed heavy fog on Formosa (Taiwan) delayed the Japanese for several hours. They were supposed to have raided Manila and Clark Air Base shortly after dawn on Dec 8- only a few hours after Pearl Harbor.

[@iratespartan13]

The Phillipines were untenable. It was too far away. Pearl Harbor was not. That's why Mac retained his job for better or worse and why Wainwright was in Tokyo bay.

[@jaymacpherson8167]

The comments on MacArthur at about 25:20 are why I will not view episode 103, dugout Doug. The support given MacArthur by those above him just baffles me.

[@johnthomas2485]

If the fleet had not been forward deployed to Pearl Harbor, is it likely Japan would have attacked anyway? It was a forward base and the infrastructure would have been a target anyway. If so, is it possible that Japan would have considered occupation instead of just bombing? Was Wainwright really afraid he was going to be court-martialed over the surrender? Was a US version of the Tokyo Express possible and could it have made the defense more effective?

[@gorgonzai]

Thanks for telling this difficult story. An unimaginable horror and tragedy for those who had to endure it.

[@joebombero1]

One sad legacy of the defeat at Bataan is the lack of interest the US has taken on the site. MacArthur had built a defense in depth based on World War I trenches in depth. In the final offensive the Japanese brought bulldozers and buried whole units in their trenches and bunkers. Hundreds of soldiers remains were never accounted for and are likely still buried there- but no interest in excavations or test trenches have been dug.

[@stuartzelman1456]

In an email from someone in the know I was told that the agency responsible for remains has already begun preliminaries to identify all of those who died at Cabantuan. In fact, a week ago I finally learned where my cousin is buried... after 80 years. He was in the 31st infantry and fought at Lingayen, Abucay, and Mt. Samat. He survived the Death March but died at Cabanatuan August 11, 1942. If I can get his part of then family to agree with it, we can have him sent to home to NJ.

[@kevinoviatt3958]

I saw two telegrams my uncle missing in action Corregidor 42 , the other located New Zealand 45 never heard the how's and whys ? He died in 67 . He was in Signal Corp . I wonder how he got away ? . He was no deserter or anything .

[@kevinoviatt3958]

He died in 67

[@patrickshanley4466]

Another awesome video presentation guys, keep it up 👍

[@joebombero1]

One interesting fact you missed, General King, who surrendered the troops on Bataan, had an ancestor who had been fighting for the Confederacy during the Civil war. His ancestor had been present with General Lee when he surrendered to General Grant - 77 years TO THE DAY before General King was forced to surrender his command at Bataan.

[@69Applekrate]

after much study over the decades, have wondered the same things about MacArthur as you discuss. Some told me it was because he was Roosevelt's buddy. I do not know

[@rtqii]

No, MacArthur hated Roosevelt and Truman. He almost ran against Roosevelt as an active duty officer during the war.

[@GrulaBola]

Wow great covo

[@steveroberts8090]

What MacArthur really needed was about a dozen marine divisions, and a good marine general

[@williamrobinson827]

What MacArthur REALLY needed was a court martial - or at least a dishonorable discharge.

[@aentreri00]

I think comments like this can be a bit misleading about the pacific. Most of the fighting was done by the army.

[@bobkohl6779]

Ahh Doug out Doug, history finally treats him the way he deserves it.

[@dennisswaim8210]

Navy hates MacArthur got it

[@Pilot-hr1rp]

Doing great guys. Thanks for your efforts in this podcast. Watching from the Philippines. Im an avid history buff and general aviation pilot here and have flown over many places discussed in ths podcast, the battlefields and airfields the americans formerly used in the war.

[@laytonalldredge3948]

Douglas MacArthur has long been a polarizing figure among historians. A more even discussion would have welcomed without all the MacArthur animus. One can hardly expect a dispassionate discussion of MacArthur from someone with a Navy logo on his shirt. Unfortunately, it makes me wonder about the remainder of your series.

[@Archibald_von_Munch]

Mac did this to himself; if he hadn’t made everything about himself, perhaps discussions could be more even handed.

[@iceworld6104]

where are the other episodes?

[@flparkermdpc]

This was the first episode. We are now into Volume three. Year 2.5. Pushing 100 episodes.

[@highdesertutah]

There’s a good chance historians will someday have a conversation about how unprepared the US and her allies were when the Chinese initiated their offensive campaign in the western pacific.

[@joshwhite3339]

A great episode, thank you for posting! One other missed opportunity was the submarine force, which, with proper tactics, dispositions, and torpedoes (a lot of ifs, I know), could have inflicted substantial attrition on the Japanese. Instead, they achieved virtually nothing :(

[@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWar]

I’ll let Bill grab this one…

[@pedenharley6266]

Torpedoes…. working torpedoes would be nice.

[@jsorbieus]

Still waiting for comments on this subjects, clearly the Navy’s disappearance after Cavite didn’t help the situation.

[@hwclor7094]

@@jsorbieus At the bombing of Cavite the Navy lost 200 + Mk X torpedoes, for his S Boats and oldest fleet subs. the surviving torpedoes ( MK XIV) on Corrigidor and on the Tender Canopus, were for Fleet Boats. The remainder of the fleet had moved South, where it fought on until after the fall of the Dutch East Indies. Also Mac Arthur, took USMC's search radar, from Cavite to a spot 100 km south.

[@flparkermdpc]

If you watched any of the submarine centered episodes, and there are several excellent ones, I hope you came away feeling VERY differently. The torpedo problem, which BUORD refused to believe was real, refused to even begin to investigate until a futile full year was wasted, along with several lost submarines. This single bureaucratic malpractice added an unknowable amount of months to the war delaying the crippling of the Japanese economy at least 18 months. When the torpedo problems were solved, the submarines made the oceans unusable for unescorted Japanese shipping in short order, the blockade becoming effective in mid 1943 even with torpedo problems not completely solved. Only the inland Sea of Japan was safe, and only for the time being. New electronics and mine detection even made penetration here routine,although still dangerous. In the meantime, The Japanese Navy had NO fuel to train or even use their big capital ships because of their exorbitant, for Japan, fuel requirements. For the USA, NOT a problem for a HUGE capital ship fleet, plus, plus, plus all the alligator Navy, and,and,and. If Yamamoto had lived he would have seen his worst prophecies come to pass. In some way it was counterproductive to kill him. He may have had enough hero power to counter some of the die hards in the ruling six member Central Committee. The use of nukes was probably going to be necessary in any case. Maybe a little sooner. Even a little would have meant hundreds of thousands more survivors...