navysim -> RE: Did the Dutch resupply Java in 1942? (7/9/2015 7:56:02 PM)
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ORIGINAL: Leandros quote:
LOL...Well...until I can find a CREDIBLE source declaring otherwise...I might picture just that...a beer in one hand...swagger stick in the other, (for pointing)... Ya' gotta know...THIS forum in particular has hundreds of credible historian types so we might all expect our "notes" to be checked and double checked.. Some of us have even been around to create some military history of our own.. Welcome to this fantastic group of friends..we look forward to your continued contributions.....[;)] Thank you, appreciate it. That said, apart from the fact that I have never seen any proof (but many opinions) on what happened in MacArthur's HQ that morning, other than generals Sutherland and Brereton's disagreement on what happened, I would be interested in your opinion on what difference it made for the proceedings on Luzon whether the Luzon-based B-17's were dispatched to bomb Formosa or not (apart from them being in the air and not on the ground - which they were, anyway). And exactly what MacArthur did wrong regarding the utilization of his Air Force as a whole, apart from parking his B-17's wingtip to wingtip? Which I should think was more like General Breretons' responsibility. There must be something more than he considering just sending them out in the blue wasn't very wise? Fred I don't think striking out at Formosa as a shot-in-the-dark or sending them out into the blue. Had he done so and caught the Japs on the ground he could have very well caused many losses to the valuable planes. Those very planes, so crucial to the first weeks of the war, could not be replaced overnight by the Japs. His planes would have at least drawn some blood before their fate befell them. Sounds like Mac was in denial upon hearing the news of the attack on Pearl and was changing his underwear as many other Officers in Manila were doing. Some even went to play a game of golf after hearing of the attack at Pearl. It seems to me that Mac was displaying the same behavior that Hitler had in the weeks before the fall of Berlin, shock and indecisiveness. You stated “I would be interested in your opinion on what difference it made for the proceedings on Luzon whether the Luzon-based B-17's were dispatched to bomb Formosa or not (apart from them being in the air and not on the ground - which they were, anyway). And exactly what MacArthur did wrong regarding the utilization of his Air Force as a whole, apart from parking his B-17's wingtip to wingtip?” What exactly did MacArthur do wrong with his Air Force apart from parking them? Exactly nothing, he did nothing at all with a weapon he had at his disposal to strike back at the Japs before they could launch their invasion. In reality he would just have stalled it for a short time. Yet MacArthur made sure he got off the island and to Australia to have a beer and change his shorts. MacArthur found it fitting to criticize Gen. Wainwright for his decision to surrender after putting up a futile defense with no hope of a relief expedition insight. Gen. Wainwright’s surrender was to ensure that his men’s lives were not lost in a vain attempt. The only lives that MacArthur can be credited with saving during his Philippine "debacle" would be the very lives of the PT boat crews that whisked him to safety. To me it seems that some here share a common trait that afflicted MacArthur, that of arrogance. It seems that this same arrogance brought about Mac’s early retirement. “Following the relocation of MacArthur to Australia in March, Wainwright inherited the unenviable position of Allied commander in the Philippines. On April 9, the 70,000 troops on Bataan surrendered. On May 5, the Japanese attacked Corregidor and on May 6, in the interest of minimizing casualties, Wainwright surrendered. By June 9, Allied forces had completely surrendered. Wainwright was then held in prison camps until his liberation by the Red Army in August 1945. He was the highest-ranking American POW, and despite his rank, his treatment at the hands of the Japanese was not pleasant. When he met General MacArthur in August 1945 shortly after his liberation, he had become thin and malnourished from three years of mistreatment during captivity. After witnessing the Japanese surrender aboard the USS Missouri on September 2, together with Lieutenant-General Arthur Percival, he returned to the Philippines to receive the surrender of the local Japanese commander. Dubbed by his men a "fighting" general who was willing to get down in the foxholes, Wainwright won the respect of all who were imprisoned with him. He agonized over his decision to surrender Corregidor throughout his captivity, feeling that he had let his country down. Upon release, the first question he asked was how people back in the U.S. thought of him, and he was amazed when told he was considered a hero. He later received the Medal of Honor, an honor which had first been proposed early in his captivity, in 1942, but was rejected due to the vehement opposition of General MacArthur, who felt that Corregidor should not have been surrendered. MacArthur did not oppose the renewed proposal in 1945. General Jonathan M. Wainwright’s Medal of Honor reads: Citation: Distinguished himself by intrepid and determined leadership against greatly superior enemy forces. At the repeated risk of life above and beyond the call of duty in his position, he frequented the firing line of his troops where his presence provided the example and incentive that helped make the gallant efforts of these men possible. The final stand on beleaguered Corregidor, for which he was in an important measure personally responsible, commanded the admiration of the Nation's allies. It reflected the high morale of American arms in the face of overwhelming odds. His courage and resolution were a vitally needed inspiration to the then sorely pressed freedom-loving peoples of the world. I am new to posting on this forum but have been here, on and off, for a couple of years reading all your posts. I learn something new from everyone whether I agree or not. The “tech help” is priceless to me and to all of those that have kept with this game and made it all the better through you efforts and mods, THANK YOU.
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