Defense of the Philippines to the Battle of Buna: A Critical Analysis of General Douglas MacArthur

Abstract

This paper analyzes General MacArthur's contributions to the allied effort in the first 13 months of World War II, looking at only two campaigns: the first campaign in the Philippines, and the initial fighting in New Guinea culminating with the battle of Buna. In numerous biographies MacArthur has been hailed as the 'Hero of Bataan' and the 'Fighting General', leading his troops through the jungles of New Guinea. In simple fact he was neither. Instead he was a slave to his own ego and self promotion, and was seldom concerned with his men who carried the brunt of the battle in some of the worst combat conditions of World War II.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 01, 1989
Accession Number
ADA217758

Entities

People

  • Laurence M. Jones

Organizations

  • Air War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Active Duty
  • Air Force
  • Air Force Facilities
  • Artillery Ammunition
  • Employment
  • Medical Personnel
  • Military History
  • Military Operations
  • Navy
  • New Guinea
  • New York
  • Second World War
  • Students
  • United States
  • United States Military Academy
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.