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Douglas MacArthur

Douglas MacArthur was an American army general during World War 2. His military career spanned from 1903 to 1951.

507 Questions

General MacArthur and Admiral Nimitz adopted a strategy known as?

Both MacArthur and Nimitz knew the major islands held by the Japanese in the Pacific Ocean had to be taken by the US. They developed an Island Hopping strategy. They would skip every other island they came to (there were too many small islands to deal with). This would cut off supply lines to the islands they skip, lessen casualties, and save a lot of time.

Japan had made the error of not devoting enough of its army to the Pacific Islands. They also failed to have enough aircraft carriers. This gave the US an advantage.

Douglas MacArthur when was A Father's Prayer written?

Written in the early days of World War II,

as a spiritual legacy to his son Arthur.

Made public after the general died in 1964.

A Father's Prayer

by General Douglas MacArthur

Build me a son, O Lord, who will be strong enough to know when he is weak, and brave enough to face himself when he is afraid; one who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat, and humble and gentle in victory.

Build me a son whose wishbone will not be where his backbone should be; a son who will know Thee and that to know himself is the foundation stone of knowledge.

Lead him I pray, not in the path of ease and comfort, but under the stress and spur of difficulties and challenge. Here let him learn to stand up in the storm; here let him learn compassion for those who fail.

Build me a son whose heart will be clear, whose goal will be high; a son who will master himself before he seeks to master other men; one who will learn to laugh, yet never forget how to weep; one who will reach into the future, yet never forget the past.

And after all these things are his, add, I pray, enough of a sense of humor, so that he may always be serious, yet never take himself too seriously. Give him humility, so that he may always remember the simplicity of true greatness, the open mind of true wisdom, the meekness of true strength.

Then, I, his father, will dare to whisper, "I have not lived in vain"

Is Douglas MacArthur related to Charles MacArther?

There is a belief among many MacArthurs that they are all related in some way -- it's a small clan.

That being said, there is no current evidence showing a relationship between General Douglas MacArthur, and the playwright Charles Gordon MacArthur. You can get back to Scotland independently with both families.

What happen to MacArthur?

General Douglas MacArthur died of biliary cirrhosis in 1964. He was 84 years old and received a state funeral that had been arranged ahead of time by President Kennedy, before he was assassinated.

What was the meaning of the sign on president Harry Trumans desk that read the buck stops here?

Rightly or wrongly, the nation ultimately holds the president responsible for the good and bad of government.
The phrase "the buck stops here" was a famous motto used by U.S. president Harry Truman. It means that responsibilities should not be passed beyond a point.

General MacArthur promised he would return and free?

General MacArthur had promised that he would return and free the Philippines.

What caused MacArthur to get fired by Truman?

General MacArthur was defiant of President Truman's philosophy of containment in the Korean conflict so President Truman relieved him of his command in Korea on April 10th, 1951.

Why did MacArthur want to nuke Korea?

He wanted to invade china because he wanted to hurry and defeat the communists before the united states would be conquered by communists and then overcame by communists

What if General MacArthur had been successful in his invasion of North Korea?

In some ways you might sya he was sccesfull, he pushed the north Korean forces very close to the Chinese borders and he ignored Chinese threats so Mao decided that china should enter the war, when the Chinese entered the war they pushed back the Americans and that was the longest retreat in u.s military history, and the u.s suffered high casualties the first few days after china joined the war.

Why were patriots consider rebels?

Because the US Patriots were Rebelling against the rule of the English Monarchy. Rebels to the Brits were Patriots to those who supported the American Independance.

What were the similarities and differences between General Patton MacArthur and Eisenhower?

This is just my opinion and it is based only on reported info about the character and personalities of the generals in question. I have no personal experience with any of the individuals. Similarities: MacArthur and Eisenhower were accomplished administrators with substantial Army Staff experience and so understood the stratigic military/political picture and the logistic requirements of an army in the field. They were not 'combat' generals and had not seen any combat since they were junior officers in WWI. Differences: Eisenhower was a politician and was given the post CnC Europe because of his skills as a diplomat. He managed to keep the Allies fighting the Germans and not each other although the ongoing competition between Patton and British FM Montgomery gave him no end of grief. MacArthur was a bit of an egomaniac and did not play well with others. He did not get along with his peers including Adm. Nimitz. He was constaintly feeling shortchanged because the Southwestern Pacific was low on the priority list for resources. However, his staff was fiercely loyal to him. Patton was a loose cannon with all the tact and charm of a rabid Tasmanian Devil. This quality made him hated by his troops, disliked by his peers and superiors, loved by the media(who always love a colorful story), and feared and respected by his enemies. Such was the German's respect for Patton that they held most of their reserves out of Normandy waiting for the expected 'main' attack led by Patton believing that the Allies could not keep their best field general out of the invasion theater. Patton was relentless in his pursuit of his perception of personal destiny. I hope that this is helpful. Eisenhower - More of a politician than a fighting general. A fine mind for grand strategy. He did a fine job of holding the Western allies together. A wonderful administer and a people person. From a reasonably poor background. He needed his army pay. MacArthur - A general with both flashes of genius and of folly with a huge ego. A great administrator. A poor people person. From a reasonably well off background (if my memory serves me correctly). He wanted to nuke red-china during the Korean war (and said it publicly) and strung his troops out near the Chinese border because he believed they would never dare attack. The US army suffered one of its worst defeats in its history. A self publicist. Patton - A man who though he was the reincarnation of, I think it was, Scipio Africanus. A good fighting general. A low regard for the life's of his soldiers. A high regard for personal glory. Probably the richest officer in the US army. A self publicist. I'm not sure Patton can get all of the credit for the Germans holding their main reserves at Calais. It was the obvious invasion route and the allies did run an extensive miss-information campaign to make them believe so - including a dead British officer (who had died of natural causes) who was dumped into the sea near Spain to make it look as if he had crashed into the sea. He had complete plans of the invasion area handcuffed onto his wrist (false ones of course for the Calais area). The Spanish passed this onto this onto the Germans. The British and the Americans put a lot of effort into making the illusion that their was a real army in the Dover area ready to invade - the Germans were fooled into believing that there were at least twice as many divisions in the UK as there really were. I have read a lot of people saying that the Germans considered Patton to be the allies best general but I have never come across anyone who gives any German quotes or any sources to back this up. In June 1944 Patton didn't have a particularly long or impressive record. Nor was he terribly experienced. In Sicily, which the Germans considered a fighting retreat, both he and Montgomery allowed the German army to escape unmolested with all of their heavy weapons across the straits to Italy. Later in the war Bradley consistently out performed him but he did it in a quiet manner and was not a self publicist in the manner of Montgomery or Patton. I think it is fair to say that the Germans probably thought Patton was the Western allies most aggressive general. The Germans in June 1944 did know that the Americans held him in very high regard as they do so to this day.

With what regiment did MacArthur land on Leyte when he returned?

mac landed on oct 20th 1944 on red beach 2 in the 24th infantry division sector. the beach was still hot when mac came ashore. the u.s. army infantry motto "follow me" was coined that day when col. red newman came ashore and saw his 34th infantry regiment stuck on the beach under heavy jap fire. col newman stood up in the face of the jap defenders and said get up men, get your asses moving,"FOLLOW ME" and lead his men forward to victory. col newman was badly wounded about ten days later in the leyte valley.the famous photo of mac wading ashore thru the surf was the result of a navy beach commander telling the sw pacific commander he did not have room for mac's boat to land on his beach and to wait his turn, so mac walked ashore.

Re: the 34th Infantry Regiment and Macarthur's landing at Red Beach, Leyte. My daughter and I are the biographers of an officer who landed there just before Macartur came ashore. One note of interest might be that a Pvt. landed that day who would become a great war hero, eventually being given the Medal of Honor. The reason this might be of interest is that his name was: Pvt. Harold Moon! Perhaps this inquiry is from a relative or name sake. I can provide some information if desired.

Ron Lee

What is Arthur MacArthur name now that he has changed it he was the son of General MacArthur?

According to various internet sources, Arthur MaCarthur changed his name (new name not identified), became a concert pianist and lives in New York. Having been born in 1938, he would be 69 years old today if he is still living. He is also supposed to have graduated from Columbia University in 1961. If so, their Alumni Office would probably have a record of his new name and last known address. Whether thy would be willing to share it with researchers is another question.

What happened to General Zeitzler?

i think that general zeitzler was the most important general in 2 war 2 i made a research on his action during the war and I'm sure that he was the double agent or the spy working with nkvd who gave the secret of the kursk battle and other information to soviet union it was him the famous soviet spy infiltrated in Hitler' staff code named wehrter by the soviet intelligence

What was General MacArthur willing to expand in an effort to bring an end to communism in Asia?

Since there would be no war against China or with the USSR, which also supplied war materials to North Korea, MacArthur's actions were meant to end communism only in North Korea or, force North Korea into a speedy surrender. It's quite probable, that North Korea would remain under communist control. Truman feared an extended war that might involve the entire Chinese. It was doubtful that the USSR would enter the war which was a United Nations war.

Why did President Roosevelt have General MacArthur withdraw from the Philippines in WW 2?

At the time the Japanese were overrunning the Pacific area, President Roosevelt did not want Gen MacArthur to be captured by the Japanese so he order him out. He escaped via a motor torpedo boat to Australia..

Should General MacArthur have been fired?

I believe he should have been. I am uncertain whether you mean during the Korean War or WWII, since this question is posted in both categories, but I think he deserved to be removed in both wars. In Korea MacArthur kept questioning the decisions and policies of his Commander in Chief in public, making sure his statements appeared in the press. This is unacceptable in a nation which is supposed to have civilian control of the military. MacArthur had been in the service around fifty years at that point and certainly knew better. He always had a lofty opinion of himself and a low opinion of others, so I feel his actions were really a reaction to the great MacArthur having to take orders from a failed Kansas City haberdasher and ward heeler. Truman had been a captain in WWI; MacArthur had been a brigadier general.

MacArthur was always a difficult man for his superiors to deal with. He did have an exalted opinion of himself. On learning that Eisenhower had been appointed to command the D-Day invasion of Europe MacArthur said of him "The best clerk I ever had". I am certain MacArthur thought he should have been brought to Europe to be commander. Upon learning of Franklin Roosevelt's death MacArthur said "The end of a man who never told the truth when a lie would suffice". MacArthur was personally very brave - he had a well-earned Distinguished Service Cross from WWI - and he had a brilliant mind. He would see a man not having spoken to him in thirty years and recall the exact conversation they had had on the previous occasion, and pick up where they left off. These gifts perhaps fueled his outsized ego.

On the eve of WWII MacArthur was in command in the Philippine Islands. He had code breaking equipment not allowed to commanders in Hawaii, and access to information from intelligence branches in Washington not shared with the army and navy commanders in Hawaii. He had radio warnings from Hawaii while the bombs were still falling there, almost as soon as the attack began. It was many hours before the Japanese also struck in the Philippines, and despite the warnings MacArthur was unprepared. His aircraft were parked, lined up down the middle of the runway to prevent sabotage, and were destroyed on the first pass. MacArthur did fairly well trying to contend with the Japanese troops when they landed, but their force was far greater than his. He ordered a retreat into the Bataan peninsula, but neglected to order food depots moved there as well, so as soon as his men arrived they immediately had to go on half-rations, which only got smaller over the next four months as the men tried to fight a jungle war while starving. Because of his prestige (MacArthur had been the highly visible highest ranking army officer, the Chief of Staff of the US Army, for four years in the thirties) MacArthur was ordered out of the Philippines and escaped. He was given (and I say given, not earned) a Medal of Honor and rewarded by having an anomalous Theater Command, the Southwest Pacific Theater of Operations, carved out just for him, in deference to his prestige. Meanwhile, the army and navy commanders in Hawaii, who had much less information than MacArthur and much less reason to be alert, were crucified and had their careers ruined.

What did MacArthur do after he was replaced as general during the Korean War?

He retired after delivering a speech to Congress. He hoped to run for President on the Republican ticket, but Eisenhower got the nomination.