A Critical Analysis of the Generalship of General Douglas Macarthur as Theatre Commander in the Pacific during World War II

Abstract

Many critics have commented on the performance of General Douglas MacArthur during his tenure as Commander of the South West Pacific Theatre in World War II. Criticism is divided between those who praise MacArthur and those who attack him. This paper focuses on the reasons for the lapses in MacArthur's performance, specifically his hopeless plan for the defense of the Philippines, his questionable motives for insisting on the retaking of the Philippines, and his inconsistency in applying his principle of bypassing and envelopment in operations to recapture the Philippines and the Dutch East Indies. Rather than being the simple old soldier driven by strict ideals of Duty, Honor, Country, MacArthur was seduced by hubris and questionable personal motives. When he allowed these factors to take over, his generalship plummeted because he was serving MAcArthur and not the nation.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Feb 01, 1990
Accession Number
ADA240943

Entities

People

  • Jeffrey E. Furbank

Organizations

  • Air War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Defense
  • Air Force
  • Aircrafts
  • Artillery
  • Civil War
  • Far East
  • Governments
  • Instructors
  • Islands
  • Military History
  • Second World War
  • Students
  • United States
  • United States Military Academy
  • War
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

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  • European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP).
  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.
  • Political Violence and Terrorism Studies.