Douglas MacArthur was born on 26 January 1880 in Little Rock, Arkansas, the third child of the renowned Civil War general Arthur MacArthur II. He had won renown in the Civil War as the 'boy colonel', winning the Medal of Honor. He then fought in the Philippines during Spanish–American War of 1898, staying on afterwards to put down an insurrection. In 1901 Arthur MacArthur II was made Commander-in-Chief in the Philippines and military governor, forging a family connection that was to remain strong throughout the years.
This was a family with a strong military tradition, Douglas's elder brother had graduated from the US Naval Academy in 1896 and was marked out for high rank. Douglas himself went to the US Military Academy, West Point, graduating first in 1903 out of a class of 94. He held a number of different appointments prior to World War I, including ADC to President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906, and held staff posts from 1913 to 1917, where he played an important role in bringing National Guard units into the AEF. Upon the outbreak of war he transferred to the infantry and became the Chief of Staff of 42nd Division with the rank of colonel.
MacArthur achieved great things in World War I, earning himself a reputation for bravery and becoming the youngest general in the AEF on 26 June 1918. He finished the war in commmand of the division that he had helped to raise, 42nd (Rainbow) Division.
On his return from Europe he became the youngest ever superintendent of West Point, a post obtained through his political connections. However, he fell out with his superiors, Pershing included, and was replaced in 1922. He served in a number of roles throughout the 1920s, including commander of all US troops in the Philippines, before being appointed as army chief of staff in 1930. After retiring as chief of staff, MacArthur served for three frustrating years as Field Marshal for the Army of the Philippine Commonwealth. During this time, he became close friends with the Philippine President, Manuel Quezon. In the summer of 1941, President Roosevelt called the Army of the Philippine Commonwealth into the service of the United States. To command the new organisation, 'US Army Forces, Far East', Roosevelt recalled MacArthur to active service.
MacArthur argued persuasively that the Philippines could be successfully defended against a Japanese attack, but in the event he was caught hopelessly unprepared with his air support destroyed on the ground. Although some Filipino units fought splendidly, the balance were untrained and poorly equipped. They proved no match for the Japanese veterans. Two days after the main Japanese landings on Luzon, MacArthur ordered a general retreat to Bataan. However, because of MacArthur's insistence upon a forward defence, nothing had been done to prepare for this move.
MacArthur's performance in the Philippines in 1941 was far from universally admired. His lack of visits to the front line earned him the nickname 'Dugout Doug'. However, he was winning the battle in the media. Just before the fall of Bataan he was evacuated, along with his family, to Australia and awarded the Medal of Honor for his conduct of the defence. It was at this point that he made the famous statement 'I came through and I shall return'.
Following the Philippines débâcle, MacArthur was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Southwest Pacific area. This area embraced Australia, the Philippines, the Solomons, New Guinea, the Bismarck Archipelago, Borneo, and all of the Dutch East Indies except Sumatra. This divided the entire of the Pacific campaign into areas controlled by Nimitz and those controlled by MacArthur, not the clearest strategic situation in which to prosecute the war.
MacArthur's first assignment was to secure Australia from Japanese invasion. He understood that Port Moresby, on the southern coast of Papua New Guinea, was a key forward position. Because he had been told that the ground was impassable, the Japanese advance over the Owen Stanley Mountains against Port Moresby shocked him greatly. MacArthur rallied to supervise the Australian and American counter-offensive in New Guinea, which drove the Japanese back to Buna and Gona, though at enormous cost. This campaign has been characterised by poor relations between the Australian and US troops and an over-reliance on frontal attacks, with heavy casualties on the Allied side.
MacArthur recognised some of the mistakes. In particular, he accepted General Kenney's assertion that air superiority was the necessary prerequisite to all other operations. MacArthur also adopted a 'leapfrog strategy', whereby his forces would bypass Japanese strongholds. During operations against Lae and Salamaua, MacArthur overcame a lack of naval resources and terrible terrain with brilliant innovation involving small-scale amphibious operations and the use of airborne forces. His strategy confused the Japanese and kept them off balance.
One of MacArthur's critical victories during the latter half of the war was over Admirals Ernest J. King and Chester D. Nimitz. They sought to bypass the Philipinnes in favour of an attack on the Japanese garrison at Formosa. MacArthur fought this tooth and nail, and the logistical arguments were on his side. He finally won over Roosevelt and on 20 October 1944, he waded ashore on Leyte Beach providing one of the most memorable images of the Pacific campaign. He remained in the Philippines for the remainder of the war, taking Manila on 3 March 1945, and was preparing his forces for an assault on the Japanese home islands when the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs made this irrelevant.
On 14 August 1945, MacArthur was named Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers, thus making him responsible for accepting the Japanese surrender in Tokyo. Thereafter, he was in charge of Japan's demilitarisation and economic rebuilding.
'Mars' last gift to an old warrior'
On Sunday 25 June 1950, powerful North Korean forces invaded South Korea, advancing towards the Southern capital, Seoul. Troops of the ROK and US garrison attempted to resist but were overwhelmed by superior Northern forces. On 7 July MacArthur was appointed to command all UN forces that were to be sent to the peninsula to attempt to prevent the annihilation of South Korea.
The North Korean forces pressed on southwards, pushing the ROK and US forces aside, though resistance gradually stiffened. With reinforcements pouring in the UN forces managed to establish a 200-mile defensive perimeter around the port of Pusan in the south-east corner of the peninsula.
The North Korean forces were unable to break through and UN air superiority caused havoc amongst their rear areas and supply chains, ensuring that the initiative swung towards the UN. In a daring and tactically brilliant manoeuvre, MacArthur launched an assault on Inchon using US forces from Japan on 15 September. This assault bypassed the majority of the North Korean army, whilst strong UN forces broke out of the Pusan perimeter, trapping large numbers of North Korean troops in a classic encirclement. Within two weeks Seoul had been retaken and organised North Korean resistance in the South had all but come to an end.
MacArthur now received a mandate from a wary UN to cross the 38th Parallel and invade the North. This he did with staggering success, capturing the Northern capital of P'yongyang on 19 October and pinning the remaining North Korean forces into enclaves around the Chinese border. However, MacArthur failed to see the warning signs coming out of China and, dazzled by his own self-belief, he pressed on with his attacks. On 25 November huge numbers of Chinese troops broke through the UN positions and the ensuing rout lasted until the middle of December when a defensive line was set up roughly along the line of the 38th Parallel.
On New Years Day 1951 the Chinese attacked again, pushing the UN forces further southwards and Seoul was again abandoned, however, this time the front stabilised more quickly and by 25 January UN forces were advancing again, pushing the Chinese back, retaking Seoul on 15 March and re-crossing the North Korean border. However, on 11 April MacArthur was relieved by President Truman and replaced by General Ridgway as UN commander. The reasons for this were manifold. MacArthur had never had any time for politicians and it had become clear to Truman that he was now operating beyond the control of the President and the US Chiefs of Staff. MacArthur was advocating an all out war on communism in Asia, even going as far as advocating the use of atom bombs against China itself, something Truman would not countenance. MacArthur returned to the US to a hero's welcome and, following his failure to get nominated as the Republican Presidential candidate, retired from public life.
Conclusion
MacArthur died on 5 April 1964 aged 84. His legacy is a mixed one. Until the mid-1930s his career had been excellent, if unexceptional. On his retirement from chief of staff in 1935 he had been an excellent administrator, a brave and skillful combat leader in World War I, and a confident chief of staff, struggling to maintain the army's position at a time when it was under considerable threat. Following his appointment to command in the Philippines his career becomes more controversial. The merits of his generalship in the Philippines and elsewhere have been debated over in numerous books and articles since the end of the war. Some have even called into question the point of the whole Southwest Pacific campaign. He was, it is argued, better at generating publicity than waging war. However, as demonstrated at Inchon and on numerous occasions in World War II, MacArthur was tactically ambitious, ready to take a chance on a bold decision whatever the odds.
by Marcus Cowper
Further reading
Boatner, Mark M., The Biographical Dictionary of World War II (Presidio Press, 1996)
Henry, Mark R., Men-at-Arms 342: The US Army in World War II (1) The Pacific (Osprey Publishing, 2000)
Horner, David, Essential Histories 18: The Second World War (1) The Pacific (Osprey Publishing, 2002)
Leary, William M. (ed.), MacArthur and the American Century, (University of Nebraska Press, 2001)
Malkasian, Carter, Essential Histories 8: The Korean War (Osprey Publishing , 2001)
Rottman, Gordon, Battle Orders 1: US Marine Corps Pacific Theater of Operations (1) 1941-43 (Osprey Publishing, 2004)
Rottman, Gordon, Battle Orders 7: US Marine Corps Pacific Theater of Operations 1943-44 (Osprey Publishing, 2004)
Rottman, Gordon, Battle Orders 8: US Marine Corps Pacific Theater of Operations 1944-45 (Osprey Publishing, 2004)
Thomas, Nigel, Men-at-Arms 174: The Korean War 1950–53 (Osprey Publishing , 1986)