Strategy or honor
January 2nd, 2009 From
>Date: Tue, 20 May 1997 13:29:21 -0700
>From: Mike Potter
>Reply-To: mike.potter@artecon.com
>Organization: Artecon, Inc.
>X-Mailer: Mozilla 3.01Gold (WinNT; I)
>To: mahan@microworks.net
>Subject: Strategy or honor
>Precendence: bulk
>Sender: mahan-owner@microworks.net
>
>MacArthur was fully aware from his service as US Army Chief of Staff in
>the early 1930s that any real defense of the Philippines was
>unaffordable. US strategy was to mobilize if and when war broke out, and
>then to drive across the central Pacific to defeat Japan by siege.
>Victory would liberate all Japanese-occupied areas.
>
>FDR thought MacArthur might lead a fascist movement in the US and wanted
>to keep him inside the tent. He had been retired for years before FDR
>recalled him. I don’t know about Marshall’s regard for MacArthur.
>
>Simply fighting per se didn’t help either the US or the Philippines, as
>US actions in 1941-42 at Bataan and Corregidor proved. Strategists must
>choose where to fight so as to attain strategic objectives and to avoid
>futile actions. Honor is nice and you need “some” for motivation. But
>fighting is costly, so that eventually fighting for the sake of honor
>becomes dangerously costly.
>
>MacArthur’s southwest Pacific front was almost irrelevant because action
>there contributed to US strategic objectives only to the degree that it
>diverted Japanese forces from the central Pacific front. MacArthur had
>more resources than his front required for defense, its only strategic
>mission. It would be interesting to analyze whether diverting Army
>resources from MacArthur’s front to Europe would have helped there.
>
>
> > >IMHO: MacArthur’s appointment was pure politics by FDR to keep the GOP’s
> > >right wing behind the war effort. His strategic contribution was minor,
> > >which was inevitable since his theater was almost irrelevant. He was
> > >there to keep him on the team in a position where he could not damage
> > >things too badly.
> >
> > Well, the theatre was only irrelevant if one feels that American national
> > honour isn’t worth preserving. The ONLY inhabited major American
> > possession occupied for a significant period of time during the War was the
> > Philippines. MacArthur argued that the recovery of these islands should be
> > our primary war aim, and argued this well. He had inadequate resources and
> > poor support from all but Marshall (who was terrified of MacArthur) and
> > Leahy.
> >
> > Still, he DID liberate the Philippines. And, for this, he is owed the
> > thanks of two nations.