They forgot to mention how he was cracking heads against the Bonus Army when they were protesting for their pensions from WW1 during the Great Depression in D.C. MacArthur was a dick.
yes. the entire reason the south pacific campaign occurred was to appease MacArthur. he actively worked to take resources away from other theaters for his campaign and his ego.
Great review. I'll be honest, I've never put much thought into the personal growth and learning a lesson from WWII affecting his actions in Korea. Considering this has made me think of the WWII policy for submarine commanders. That being they were only allowed to serve a max of 4 war patrols; any more than that, they would either become too passive or too reckless. Perhaps the same thing happens to generals? If so, MacArthur was definitely too reckless.
Hi Nick, nice to see you here. Hey I have been wondering if you are going to make a video on Lauri Torni, the Finnish soldier who hated commies so much he was willing to join three different armies to do so
This McArthur hate is crazy. Not just you, other people in comments as well. In terms of the Philippines, not only did he beg for more men, but the navy made false promises, then he was told time to go. Not a very good look for the japs to capture him, I’m sure that would have been a big boost to morale back home. Now Korea to blame him for Chinese involvement is insane. I guess the commander of the N Korean army, at the beginning of the war it was his fault America got involved, because he was doing a good job lol.
Fun fact: at the end of WW2, Admiral King wanted the signing of the Japanese surrender to only include the US as a signatory. this was because of his personal animosity with the British. when this would have meant that only MacArthur would be signing, king relented and let the British sign to fuck over MacArthur. King hated MacArthur more than he hated the British.
Given that, well, MacArthur was such a hated character within the US military outside of his cadre of yes-men that he would have been fragged by anyone sensible...
Considering you know the admiral of our entire Navy hated the British, is it really that much of a stretch to think our generals didn't like them either@@johnnotrealname8168
@@Mustapha1963 I swear Admiral Ernest Joseph King was rather nice to Five-Star General Douglas MacArthur. Well at least he definitely batted for MacArthur.
My great uncle, a Korean Army Vet, once told me. "If it wasn't for MacArthur, more of my buddies would have come home. But if it wasn't for General Puller, none of us would have come home from that reservoir."
Douglas MacArthur “Eisenhower is the best clerk I ever had” Eisenhower response . “I studied dramatics for seven years working for MacArthur". Douglas MacArthur, Franklin D Roosevelt and Winston Churchill were distant cousins.
He was stationed in Australia, he wasn't very well liked by us, he called the young inexperienced Australian troops cowards, they were fighting against a much larger experienced force in New Guinea under horrific conditions, they prevailed in the end after being pushed back but not all the way to Port Moresbey which was their main objective to protect I found this article which I think describes him fairly well. MacArthur possessed other character flaws that should have excluded him from senior command. He was a cold man who distanced himself from his troops and he showed an indifference to their welfare that at times was callous. He was a conceited man, with a passion for self-glorification, and incapable of admitting serious military errors or learning from them. His dread of removal from command verged on paranoia. These character failings caused him to blame his commanding officers in the field and his troops for his own errors of judgment.
like nic said “ all the flaws of patton but none of the upside “ patton was largely the same way but patton did feel bad for the sick and wounded even if in their face he spoke to them as if they were meaningless but beyond that he was also a good battlefield tactician. macaurther wasn’t good at battlefield tactics. he was average at best.
@@austins9950 To be fair to McArthur he was one of the best offensive Generals in American history. Its just he was also the worst defensive General in American history as well, plus his political judgement, Vanity and tendency to surround himself with yes men rather than experienced combat troops were also problems.
@@redaug4212 I mean at least I can respect him for following the books unlike MacArthur who wanted glory because his ego was too big. But that’s just my opinion and I respect yours.
McArthur is definitely overrated. Also was hated by many under his command and in the other branches. After WWII he was nuke happy and was always on a power trip at the cost of those under him. (edited due to some mistaken information I had said in regards to possible action against the Marines by MacArthur)
@@adarkwind4712 Actually I double checked and I was mistaken so ill be amending my post. There where some Marines present, I don't really know where I heard that they where banned, or got that idea from. Apparently MacArthur was a fan of the Marines it was Truman and Eisenhower who tried to get the Corps disbanded, it may have been one of them that may have tried to have the Marines excluded from the signing that I got confused about but I can't say for certain.
@@trentenswett6306 In WWII if you were selected to be in the marine corps. You could be fresh out of boot camp, literally just putting your boots on the ground. The stigma to it was they (As in marines) thought they was above everyone else. If you look back at old photo's there's always a marine right next to higher ups getting orders. You gotta think about the technology back then. Not everyone has a radio and once you do hear it on the radio. You're the one screaming commands at everyone else. With that being said the marine's are their own deal. To adapt, improvise, and overcome. One of the famous general's of WWII if not MacAuthur, once went to a marine camp. Saw nothing but spick span boots and comb overs. Then found the group that was smoking and missing teeth. Where the general then said "So this is where the REAL marine's are at." Recognizing the stigma while also reversing it in real time. If they really wanted to disband it they would've restructed it. The only way to get in the Marine's would be after so long of active service AND whatever branch you was in, that's the division of the marine's you're now in. We don't put airforce people working boats, or sea captian's in the air. Then after so long of dealing with the same problems, anyone will know how to slove it. So the same guy used to carrying 150lbs of gear, will still carry that gear but with greater stride and confidence. You'd want your boss to have started years before you not AFTER.
@@HankHill-pr4rx The Army have been trying to get the Marines disbanded since it's founding and it wasn't until the flag raising of Iwo Jima did such efforts really come to a stop due to the amount of press and public opinion in favor of the Marines made it impossible to do so. Truman and Eisenhower personally tried to have the Marines dissolved and for the Army to take over such duties. During D-Day Eisenhower did all he could to keep the Marines out of it, he couldn't there where still Marines present however he made sure they where on a very short leash, and basically covered up the fact that there where indeed Marines present during the landing, such as those on the USS Texas who may have been getting ready to join the Rangers during their assault but where ordered to stand down and to stay on ship for PR reasons I do believe, or those on the beaches bringing in landing craft and doing other support roles, to this day majority of people are not aware of these Marines and think D-Day and Europe was Army only, even with Marines although limited still operating within the theatre including in the OSS with active combative roles see Col. Peter Ortiz, USMC, OSS former FFL. The Marines are a different breed to be sure and that has rubbed many the wrong way for different reasons. I am well aware about the Marines, Esprit de Corps, I am a grandson of a WII and Korea combat Marine and was a Marine recruit until I blew out my knee and my career was cut short due to it.
@@trentenswett6306 Those Marines wouldn't have been much use to the Rangers anyways. They weren't exactly "infantry" Marines. They were shipboard Marines who had only been in the Marine Corps for a few months, and certainly didn't have the kind of training required to assist the Rangers in what was fundamentally a commando operation. One of the enlisted Marines was heard saying "This is going to be the biggest slaughter since Custer got his at the Little Big Horn".
2:15 American planning was that the US and Phiilipine forces would bunker down for a siege using their supplies in the islands let the Japanese exhaust themselves and then American fleet would be able to come in ressuply after a few weeks or months. Of course Pearl harbour put a stop to that plan. But the US had a well defended base and the main weeknesses of the Japanese forces were that they were adapted for combat in china with poor roads so they fought light and had an atrocious resupply train, if they were stopped for more than a few weeks their army starved. Something the British found later in the war and exploited at Kohima and Imphal. McArthur decided he wasnt using so half-hearted a plan. His US troops (who had been on base duty, not training) and Phillipinos( who werent trained becasue McArrthur had neglected raising troops till the last minute) would go to the coast, taking their supply dumps with them, and defeat the Japanese as they landed. The Japanese promptly landed, their rapid infiltration tactics broke the US defence who then had to rereat without their supplies back to Corregidor and other bases. The Japanese were short on supplies, the only reason they had food to continue the siege is becasue they captured McArthurs abandonned supply bases. McArthur gift wrapped the enemy the supplies they needed to defeat him. Worse, when US forces surrendered it was becasue of lack of food, there wasnt enough to supply the new Japanese garrison and the captured Americans. The Japanese had to march their prisoners north to where their own supply bases were to get their own food. McArthur was literally responsible for the Phiilipines garrison being half trained, the Island falling and the Bataan death march. Not a bad achievement for one campaign. Then again yo should hear what the Australians haveto say about him, if you ever want to have a face/palm moment, Hypohystericalhistory does an excellent (though very long) breakdown of the New Guinea campaign, after that you'll really hate McArthur.
Let's shred MacArthur. War Plan Orange, the pre-war coordinated plan for the western Pacific. MacArthur failed to execute his part of that plan on many levels. Failures in equipping and training Filipino forces under his command were a start. Failure to employ, or even protect, his more numerous air units at the outset. He ignored Filipino intelligence reports. His insistence on having a staff of yes men led to inflexibility and stagnation of tactical ideas for defense. He was notorious for his jealousy of his subordinates getting praise from others. IMO, the sacking of Husband Kimmel and Walter Short for their failures in Oahu are unforgivable, if MacArthur who was in a more exposed position,with a more prepared defense plan, that he ignored, and receiving better direct warnings of risks of being attacked, not only got a pass, but, garnered accolades for his failures. There is one incident of an undeserved Medal of Honor in US history, IMO, and that is the one that MacArthur bullied himself into. Not to mention the amorality of the man keeping a 16yo mistress, openly. Mac Arthur was somehow, beloved by the civilian public, but, despised by those who served under him, including a former Chief of Staff, Dwight D. Eisenhower, who once said of MacArthur: "MacArthur is as big a baby as ever. But, we've got to keep him fighting."
WW1 as leader of the 42nd Division he did well at Meuse-Argonne when others failed. I had family who fought in the Pacific and both of them HATED MacArthur, no respect or anything for him.
I can see the argument that MacArthur saw what following orders does. It gets him out of a country that fell to the enemy and witnessing the horrors of being a POW. This changes him from following orders to the letter to being somewhat of a maverick. His action in Korea were intelligent if the goal was ending the Korean war but in retrospect it was obvious that China was going to intervene bevause they helped start the war.
McArthur did not handle adverse situations well. He had been in charge of the defense of the Philippines, and did not have the resources to do so conventionally. Organizing guerilla forces beforehand might have worked to make Japanese occupation very expensive. Letting occupation forces in Japan get as soft as they did was irresponsible, and not cooperating to properly arm the South Koreans was another failure.
Completely agree. The reason the Japanese were able to capture the Philippines so easily was simply a matter of poor planning. The retreat onto the Bataan Peninsula was not a spur of the moment decision. They anticipated war with Japan, so they planned to hole up in the most easily defensible place. They stockpiled huge amounts of ammunition and placed artillery everywhere they could, with the hope they could hold out until a relief force could be sent out. But they forgot two important things: food and medicine. For some reason they chose not to confiscate any rice from the large stockpiles held by Japanese companies that were operating in the Philippines, and they didn't think to stockpile anti-malarial medicine in a place covered in tropical rain forest. The main reason for the surrender was lack of food, and extremely high rates of malaria.
not to mention that AFTER the Pearl Harbor... AFTER the invasion of Singapore... he still did little to prepare for what should have been seen as inevitable invasion by Japan... the US planes in the Philippines were lined up in the wide open like it was an airshow when Japanese planes first flew over the Islands he was charged with protecting from them. a huge reason why they were forced out so fast ...
@@RichFrye It was a trifle more complex. The fighter squadrons did do a morning patrol, but were all refueling when the Japanese struck. MacArthur had also denied permission to bomb Taiwan that day.
My problem wirh this whole thing is nick saying he is the most overrated general of all time when all i have ever heard is people complaining about him and saying he is overrated the only person i have met that said otherwise was my grandfather who served under him
Is anyone going to mention that MacArthur was retired from the military, in his 60's, and had his wife and son (4 years old) with him? Marshall offered to evaculate them by sub, but MacArthurs' wife refused to leave with their son. When MacArthur got the orders to leave he called his staff together and was going to refuse them until his staff convinced him to accept because who else could possibly run the pacific theatre when 85% of resources were going somewhere else? Good lord MacArthur was vain. He absolutely believed he was the only person who could win the war in the pacific so he believed he was needed to organize and lead it. Having your family under threat of capture and death is also a hell of a reason all on its own. Just happen stance this video came out as I'm listening to American Caesar Douglas MacArthur. I've never really known much of his life till now. I had no idea his family was with him when he ordered to leave the Philippines.
Buddy just listen to that "fact" "His wife refused to leave with just his son"... buddy he's a general he could easily force his wife and kid on a sub or any other option with the power he had. That is simply his excuse... If he wanted to stay he would've stayed
@xFatalGG I think that he wouldn't force his wife and son to leave says a lot about his character. When she refused at Carregidor many witnesss reported seeing him going to her, raised voices and what not. MacArthur ttriedto convince her that their son needed her etc, her saying that their son was a soldiers son and that whatever fate they faced would be faced together. I scanned my first comment for the word "facts" that you quoted in your response and didn't find it. Like I said I'm listening to a biography about him now and with how frequently the author throws out something can or can't be confimred with sources makes me inclined to think he doing his best.
@jdotoz he was chief military advisor to the Philippines prior to the war breaking out. Philippines made him a Field Marshal. The way the book described it, military advisor was not actually under direct military control tho they worked closely together. When war started, they recalled MacArthur to duty and put him in charge. Prior to the war, he was coming up with plans, requesting supplies, troops, planes, building fortifications most or all of which was not implemented due to politics, neutrality, or funding
All of these plans were what he advised the Philippines to do, Philippines was a US territory and it ultimately has to be approved by US. So he worked for the Philippines but Philippines was controlled by US so he had to go thru them also
MacArthur should have been shot for insubordination for what he pulled in Korea. Also the Philippines. Just. There was no holding the Philippines but the failures on his part are unforgivable.
Personally I think a lot of history is overrated by modern perspective; in large part due to media distorting the truth, failing to actually capture the reality of the moment, or instilling an unhealthy hero worship in key figures. The objective truth is that none of us can actually know what was happening in that moment or what was known but would never be reported. MacArthur, like anyone, had pros and cons. Some think he was way ahead of his time and others didn't. Ultimately, we'll only have our opinions and the opinions of survivors.
The guy in the far left seat is "King Trout." I believe that is the name of his RUclips channel. Also, when he first sat down, Elle was commenting about the glasses he was wearing and he mentioned "Jeffrey Dahmer" and was also why KT mentioned later as a joke the Elle would be in his freezer.
I do like the idea that MacArthur saw how effective the nukes were in Japan and decided to repeat it in Korea. This and the regular testing proves that the whole zeitgeist of nuclear weapons had not set in.
he said that he'd get a Medal of Honor even if it cost him a C-bag (very large duffle bag) full of dog tags (each dog tag means somebody died). Also note that we were cornered in the peninsula until the USMC arrived.
MacArther was given command by the Australian govt. of the Australian forces after they had been withdrawn from North Africa to defend against a Japanese invasion.. He didnt make any friends here when he pushed for the Australian field commanders to be replaced in New Guinea because in his opinion they were giving territory to the Japanese and not rushing them in suicidal frontal attacks like they probably would have done in WW1, He failed to understand the Australian tactics of fighting,, falling back and fighting again in order to draw the Japanese supply lines ever thinner. Once they had been over extended the Australian forces turned and pushed them all the way back to the sea before destroying them. MaCarther was a general who had had zero front line experience compared to the Australian commanders he had been criticising they were hardened and extremely experienced field commanders having learnt their trade on the battlefields of WW1 and North Africa. After the Japanese were defeated in New Guinea MaCarther refused to use the Australians spearhead any action that might take the spotlight away from him and his well publicised boast of returning to the Philipines. To MacArthers credit he insisted on having an Australian signatory at the Japanese surrender in Tokyo Harbour, The Australians made up the majority of the British Commonwealth Occupational Forces in Japan and were assigned command by MacArther which no doubt would have pii..sed off the British. . The British, Indian and NZ forcess were withdrawn and by 1948 only the Australian and US forces were left as occupiers. In 1951 the BCOF was wound up in Japan and control of the Commonwealth forces moved to Korea for the war effort happening there. When MacArther retreated ti=o Australia and took command of the allied forces it was made up of 100,000 regulars of the 2nd AIF, 265,000 Australian Malitia and 38,000 Americans. Contrary to popular belief It wasnt MacArther who saved Australia from invasion it was the US led naval force in the battle of the Coral Sea that stopped the Japanese navy from reaching Port Moresby and cutting Australia off. He failed to include experienced Australian commanders on his advisory staff and as a result operations involving the Australian forces were often ill conceived and poorly planned..Badly misjudging the fighting qualities of the Australian troops and being critical of them (which eventually proved to be 100% wrong) says a lot about his character and his ability to understand or command men on the front line. Greatest respect and heartfelt gratitude goes to all those brave US servicemen who sacrificed so much in the Pacific theatre but General Douglas MacArther really wasnt one of the US highlights of that war at least not as far as Aussies are concerned.
Three things show ponies McArthur and Patton had in common were 1)The need to look successful and popular, regardless of cost to others, or the truth. 2)The backing of their command because they portrayed the war as more palitble to a shocked nation at home. All news of the Americans in the war had to be positive to keep the nations morale up. Thus many of their failures were wrongfully attributed to other nations fighting forces. 3) They acted on what they felt would be good for them ( glory, popularity, publicity) rather than strategic planning.
Remember in the Philippines there were other generals there beside MacArthur. Lt General Wainwright, unlike MacArthur, wasn't given the privilege to evacuate and was inevitably captured alongside the men who underwent the Bataan death march. While im sure Wainwright, if ordered to evacuate, would have followed orders the same, it speaks volumes of the man that he indeed stayed and didnt attempt to disobey orders and leave his troops when faced with the prospect of being a *POW of the Japanese*
I think he misunderstands the difference between the captain of a ship and a general in regards to their 'position'. MacArthur was like Admirals Nimitz and Halsey for the Navy. They aren't commanding individual units. They are there for strategy and overall command.
It would have been interesting if this war kicked off 2 years later, because the incoming President would have been Eisenhower, MacArthur's counterpart in WWII. Idk if he would have been as insubordinate to him as he was to Truman. Also, Mac's nuclear strategy would probably have worked in Korea, BUT I really don't know how the 1950's plays out with nukes used as battlefield tools being established as doctrine, rather than a theory that no one ever tested. Also by 1952 we would have the hydrogen bomb, which escalates that even further
As a marine corps vet I agree with the electrician. Enough records have been written and stories told to be able to tell McArthur was megalomaniac who fell in love with his own legend. Anyone who does shit like McArthur did gets absolutely zero respect from the troops and had he been on the battlefield would likely have had a Grenade incident befall him.
My Grandpa joined the Army after his Cousin around the same age got killed in Korea. He became a member of the 82nd airborne, and the war ended before he deployed. Apparently, the closest he ever got to actual deployment was being prepped for some potential operation in Latin America (given the timeline, we think that it was probably the Guatemala Coup in 1954, just in case it had really gone south, which it ultimately didn’t)
One of my dad's friends that he used to drink with was a veteran of the Korean War. So this guy tells me that they would just bug out if things got too hot. He was supringly jovial about it...until he he wasn't
So this guy was there at the start of the war and he told me they used to bug out a lot. These old guys would just sit together and drink so you would have to sit there and listen to these people talk. Then my dad would talk about his war experience. so he would have a few beers and tell how he got hit in the head and chest with grenades...so i fell like that this is a story worth noting.
As a 21 year infantry vet with extensive deployment time (12 years) and combat experience (57 months), I can agree that he was overrated. Tactically, MacArthur wasn't bad but the guy was also kind of an idiot and arrogant. Especially when it came to strategic thinking and balancing political/PR issues against tactical ones. Now, granted he was also a victim of his time. So things like his incessant demands to ALWAYS use nukes against anyone he was talking about fighting may have changed as humanity as a whole became more aware of the dangers, but it also highlights the issues the man had. He was addicted to the glory, spotlight, and the 'tough guy' routine. Which is a double edged sword. There's a time and place for that behavior and ego. The picture he took with the Japanese Emperor after the surrender is one. Showing the greater Japanese public that the Emperor wasn't a 'god' and in fact MacArthur towered above him in physical and mental presence was a huge PR win. But then you also had MacArthur asking for really stupid stuff or pulling some really dumb stunts in chasing that spotlight. Bypassing Mindanao in favor of Leyte, thus obviating the need for the Peleliu runway that the Marines were already in the process of taking negated the lives sacrificed. MacArthur ordering his forces to unleash a hellish bombardment of Seoul in the 50's and then deciding himself to try and push past the 38th Parallel in some insane desire to capture the whole peninsula ultimately proved to be a major downfall. At the end of the day, I think it's important to represent the man as he was, not the hero of legend he apparently thought he was. He was an intelligent and capable warrior, but suffered from massive ego and hubris. In the incidents where that bravado was needed he excelled, but outside of those occurrences, he failed in epic fashion. Still, he is an important contributor to his time period and had his rightful place in those accomplishments.
Peleliu was Nimitz's folly. He was warned by Halsey a few days ahead of the operation that it would be better to reroute III Amphibious Corps to Leyte, but Nimitz insisted it was necessary to help secure Ulithi.
Exactly and plus if I'm not mistaken higher ups in 2:04 Washington had this sort of Europe first strategy because they were afraid what would happen if England was knocked out of the war
My great Aunt and Uncle were among those MacAurher left behind and were forced into the Bataan Death March. The story of him not wanting to leave is complete bullshit. Once they got separated she never saw her husband again. MacAurher was a glory hound who does not deserve the credit for winning the pacific he gets.
Love you Mr Terry and I love this video in particular as my area of focus is East Asia so I’m well acquainted with the Korean War, and MacArthur but I can’t stop thinking about that RSL jersey. Are you a Utah man?!
I wouldn't say that china showed particularly great military prowess anymore than the soviet forces showed during WWII. Mainly China showed a severe lack of logistical power for waging a war less than a hundred miles from its own land border and an extreme disregard for human life.
In terms of Generals who might have disregarded the order to leave, I would say Patton, Nimitz (I know he’s an Admiral, Naval equivalent), Terry Allen, or Ridgeway to name a few.
MacArthur didn't follow orders in the Phillippines. There was a defence plan drawn up in the case of the Japanese attacking, which assume they would have superior forces to the garrison and US forces stationed there, so the plan was to stage a fighting withdrawal and defend primarily Manilla and areas covered by the fortified islands, with troops to be evacuate through the available airports and seaports. MacArthur basically said "screw that, I have a better plan" and decided to try and fight a conventional operation against Japanese forces that were well-supplied, well-armed, and already had two years experience fighting in mainland China. It went very, very poorly and resulted in US and Filipino forces getting stuck where they weren't supposed to be unable to be supported by the fortified islands, unable to be supplied properly, and for the most part unable to evacuate in good order.
Maybe the Phillipines changed something in him and after he thought he needed to atone for abandoning his men. Twas what I thought when I watched the original podcast. Great vid! Thanks!
the Korean war is called the forgotten war very intentionally, as the sheer death toll and destruction of the Korean people isn't a good look + the continuation of unit 731
Nope. Franklin Delano Roosevelt ordered MacArthur to leave. My uncle was killed in the Philippines at that time my entire family blamed Roosevelt. And when another stupid president got in the way MacArthur disobeyed.
I was under the impression that MacArthur waited as long as possible before being evacuated. Also his thinking was he was moving his flag not being relieved. It was Wainwright that surrendered effective troops to the Japanese. I’ll admit I don’t know enough about Korea to speak on that but was he undermined by his subordinates? I think there’s letters to that effect.
MacArthur wasn't just overrated but a real jerk too. As Army Chief of Staff in the early 30's, He ordered the military to get rid of the World War I veterans who were starving and marched on Washington asking for their promised pensions early so that they could live during the Great Depression. He burned their camp and chased 6them out of Washington. But he always had a topnotch PR crew around to keep him in the limelight as a hero.
@@johnnotrealname8168 So sicking tanks on a tent city of ww1 veterans and their families who just wanted the promised payment for their service during the Great Depression is kind of a dick move.
@@kyriss12 Not if they are camped which is not legal I am pretty sure and had previously attacked Police resulting in the death of two of these strikers and then when he does get them out literally no-one dies but sure yeah he is at fault! Edit: Also it was not promised to them in 1932.
I have no idea about his military record, so I can't judge him on that. However, all the details about his personality and character, inside and outside of command, are revolting to me. That makes it hard for me to even begin learning about what he may be rightly credited, since it will always have to be filtered or warped through the distinctly nasty impression I have of him as a person. However, there is a freeway named for him in the East SF Bay, so I'll always remember his name.
Two things: 1: The Korean war is still ongoing. It has not ended. No peace treaty has been signed and both nations on that peninsula are still at war with each other. Are involvement in that war has not ceased either. We still man parts of the DMZ and the 7th Fleet is stationed there in order to deter China from reengaging. 2: Patton said it best, we ended WWII(I call it World War part 2 since WWI ended in an armistice and not a peace treaty) too soon because the Soviets were still a threat and an enemy to the American Republic. Yes, we allied with them but only AFTER the Nazi’s attacked the USSR and the Soviets wanted revenge and retaliation. They were still publicly attacking the United States in the media within the borders of the USSR. We should have taken out the communist threat when we had the upper hand. We had the same size standing armies plus the world’s largest navy plus a monopoly on nuclear weapons. We could have made the world do our bidding and instead we did the bidding of the world.
To answer your question, it wasn't his experience in WWII that changed him. MacArthur had presidential ambitions and was hoping to build a war record that would lead to the white house, not unlike Roman generals in the last 60 years of the Roam Reupublic whom all used military glory to with the office of praetor (Pompey, Crassus, Julius Caesar)
I remember in middle school I would read the social studies book for fun sometimes (not too abnormal given I read history books a lot from the school library). Anyway I remember reading about Macarthur during the Korean War and I always had a negative opinion of him since. Mainly that he wanted to transform it into an invasion of China and had zero qualms in nuking it. Given those extreme positions, I've never cared for him personally.
The total number of American losses in the Pacific during WWII was 41,592 for all U.S. Army ground troops in the Pacific and Southeast Asia. MacArthur lost fewer people 41,592 during the entire war in the Pacific and Eisenhower did in just the Battle of the Bulge and Normandy the combination of those two battles alone was 53,413. For that reason alone MacArthur was one of the best if not the best commander in WWII. Yes, MacArthur left the Philippines but only under the orders of the president. He wanted to resign his commission and fight on as a private but his staff convinced him he was ordered to Austria to command a massive force ready to retake the Philippines. If he didn’t believe that he wouldn’t have left he would have died with his men. When retaking the Philippines MacArthur was in a forward unsecured area and a lieutenant ran up to him and told him, “Sir you can’t be here we just killed a sniper just ten yards from here” To which MacArthur replied, “That’s the best thing to do to them son, keep up the good work.” As MacArthur ambled toward the front. That’s not a guy out to save his own ass. In Korea Inchon was brilliant and yes troops fought within miles of the border of China the Yalu River. MacArthur planned to cross the Yalu and destroy Chinese strongholds and supplies at the source which militarily was the prudent thing to do, it would have also sparked WWIII. I see both sides of this MacArthur was absolutely right to destroy China’s ability to engage in the conflict and Truman was absolutely right to Fire MacArthur for ignoring the mandate of the US government and safeguarding the world from another major war. MacArthur’s stance had always been the only purpose of war is to win. After Corregidor, his stance was to win at any cost.
He was also somehow the first person awarded the purple heart when the US government brought it back. If he were even a decent person, he would have passed the honor of being the first to a private or other enlisted man. Good leaders pass praises down to thier troops.
I think MacArthur's problem wasn't the Phillipines. It was Japan. When he was made Military Governor of Japan and he took a photo with the emperor he felt himself as an equal. Meaning he thought he was above the president since he got an emperor to comply to his will. The issue was not supporting china harder during WW2 and the Soviets give northern China to the communists in 1946. Although Chang Kai-Shek wasn't much better to support either. Japan only had a defensive army at the time due to WW2 aggression. Also with McCarthyism in the US and the "red scare" of communism (1950s) the Korean War was a proxy war between the West and Communism. It was seen as communism trying to expand into Korea (which was split.... after WW2). MacArthur wanted to march in and destroy communism and push through. Kind of like Patton wanting to start a war with Russia and make it look like they started it. It was ideological and when that happens rationality is put on the side
I've read many a post that is dismissive about the "red scare". The truth is that there actually were quite a few diehard Communists in very high levels of the United States government, the military and, especially, in academia. FDR was, for whatever reason, far to conciliatory to "Uncle Joe" Stalin (and so, too, was Eisenhower when serving as SACEUR). Due to the presence of Soviet agents in Alamogordo, Stalin knew of the success of the atomic bomb test not very long after Roosevelt did- and his scientists were given information stolen by Klaus Fuchs which enable the USSR to detonate their own bomb just four years after we did rather than the ten years estimated by our military. I concede that, in the end, McCarthy went too far. However, along the way, his "fishing expedition" did land several Red fish.
so i did a quick skim of the comments and no one answers your question on who the go on the left was. His name is Connor but is known as King Trout originally from the same state as me Indiana but moved to Texas and works with the UnSub guys and makes some history related content that is different to the content made by Nick
I was surprised by Patton. Apparently, he believed in reincarnation and was against the death penalty. It's definitely not a typical perspective in his time, especially from an American.
MacArthur did suck, but they're too focused on the Philippines and Korea. For the amount of hype the man received and continues to receive in some circles, he was one of our LEAST effective military leaders of the day. For pretty much the entirety of WW2, the man accomplished functionally nothing but a series of botched, bungled operations of secondary or tertiary importance in the Pacific. Then, after others did all the heavy lifting, he staged his "triumphant" return to the Philippines, making very sure to turn it into the best photo op he could. He was so hilariously transparent about it that saying "I will return" or "I have returned" in a pompous, self-important tone is still a running joke among Filipinos to this day. The man was a narcissist and a glory-hound, who achieved basically nothing, but was so good at manipulating his image and PR that he somehow ended up viewed as a war hero by civilians back home, and parleyed that into important jobs, like being put in charge of the occupation of Japan (where his narcissistic tendencies actually made him quite popular amongst the local upper crust, since he acted aloof and above everyone else in the same way the Emperor and Japanese nobility did) or being put in command of American efforts in Korea.
I also feel the battle of pelaluh (spelling may be off) should be a perfect example of mcaurthur absolute disreguard for men under his command as long as there was chance to provide glory to himself.
He was a great divisional commander. That was the absolute peak of his ability. He was nothing but a liability the moment he got that second star. He should have been treated as a scape goat for the Philippines (except that he really was responsible) and removed from command on Dec 8th. I would say, I don't think he did a terrible job with Japan after the war. I have almost no respect for the man at all. I would argue, his dereliction or duty was worse than what we saw at Pearl Harbor by Admiral Kimmel and General Short. He also tried to hide the casualty predictions from Truman because he wanted a land invasion of Japan.
@@johnnotrealname8168 MacArthur's staff produced casualty estimates. From what I've read about them, they were far too low. Even then, MacArthur did not want to provide them to the staff planning the invasion of Japan. Other estimates were brought up and discussed having taken into account the rate of casualties from the Okinawa Campaign. Even when presented with estimates of up to one million Allied casualties (including up to about 400,000 deaths)- not to mention potential Japanese deaths of up to five MILLION- MacArthur was still all for invasion.
Remember, order do not have to be followed. Any member of the military can reject and order if they feel it is "illegal, immoral, or unethical". I don't know how long this has been the case. Now the individual might have to stand in front of a court marshall and defend themselves. So MacArthur could've said abandoning his men was unethical.
Read or listen to Generals in the Making by Benjamin Runkle. He analyzes America's top generals of WW2 and he does not pull any punches when it comes to MacArthur.
Australian bled themselves white on the Kokoda trail and Mccarther said they were gutless. yet we were the first to stop the Japanese on land. then Buna and Gona
It's really telling that the overwhealming majority of people who served under him absolutely HATE McArthur. Compare him to Patton who had plenty of veterans swear by him. Patton wasn't perfect and he gets way too much creddit courtesy of being the American version of Romel- highly public officer that's presented as this ideal of an American General by the contemporary media and followed around by cameras 24/7 to set him up as one of the focal points of the propaganda machine- but there were lots of soldiers who loved him. McArthur had none of that love. He was nearly universally hated by everyone who was under his command. Never heard a single good thing about McArthur coming from one of his soldiers...
MacArthur is probably overrated in popular American lore, but I would also say the same about Patton - both of them seemed to have the vices of the virtues in terms of over aggression, a degree of glory hogging, or recklessness being definitely among them. Perhaps MacArthur, like Patton, bought into his own legend? The Unsubscribed guys say themselves that popularly, American military heroes are often seen as being the ones who ignored orders, going with their own plan, often… quite arrogantly, it might be said. But historical armchair quarterbacking can get awkward when making such judgements, after all, if the popular viewpoint seems to us to have been one way, why shouldn’t a General believe it, and that he’s as smart, brave and whatever else as the last one to buck the chain of command and win… until he loses! I also think his experience in the Philippines must have changed MacArthur, so, overrated? Sure, compared to how they were lionised post war, very probably.
And easy General Lee. Before General Lee surrendered to Ulysses s Grant at Appomattox Jefferson Davis gave him orders to fight. General Lee disobeyed those orders and surrendered to ultimately save lives. If you're going to go down you go down with your men
I think i read or listened to a preston steeart podcast that marines hated him for pelilu because MacArthur needed that island and it was not that important in the end.
Was MacArthur overrated?
Ya I can get over for the whole Philippines issue. But what he did in Korea was just plain stupid.
Yes, absolutely
They forgot to mention how he was cracking heads against the Bonus Army when they were protesting for their pensions from WW1 during the Great Depression in D.C. MacArthur was a dick.
yes. the entire reason the south pacific campaign occurred was to appease MacArthur. he actively worked to take resources away from other theaters for his campaign and his ego.
Yes Patton was far better
Great review. I'll be honest, I've never put much thought into the personal growth and learning a lesson from WWII affecting his actions in Korea. Considering this has made me think of the WWII policy for submarine commanders. That being they were only allowed to serve a max of 4 war patrols; any more than that, they would either become too passive or too reckless. Perhaps the same thing happens to generals? If so, MacArthur was definitely too reckless.
Hi Nick, nice to see you here. Hey I have been wondering if you are going to make a video on Lauri Torni, the Finnish soldier who hated commies so much he was willing to join three different armies to do so
Please try not to get him fired if he shows up on the podcast. Also I recommend super intellect for his super power.
gotta get Mr Terry on the pod bro.
This McArthur hate is crazy. Not just you, other people in comments as well. In terms of the Philippines, not only did he beg for more men, but the navy made false promises, then he was told time to go. Not a very good look for the japs to capture him, I’m sure that would have been a big boost to morale back home. Now Korea to blame him for Chinese involvement is insane. I guess the commander of the N Korean army, at the beginning of the war it was his fault America got involved, because he was doing a good job lol.
Get him on Unsubscribe it would be a blast.
Fun fact: at the end of WW2, Admiral King wanted the signing of the Japanese surrender to only include the US as a signatory. this was because of his personal animosity with the British. when this would have meant that only MacArthur would be signing, king relented and let the British sign to fuck over MacArthur. King hated MacArthur more than he hated the British.
Given that, well, MacArthur was such a hated character within the US military outside of his cadre of yes-men that he would have been fragged by anyone sensible...
I highly doubt this although Five-Star General Douglas MacArthur hated Europeans.
Considering you know the admiral of our entire Navy hated the British, is it really that much of a stretch to think our generals didn't like them either@@johnnotrealname8168
Well, to be fair, Admiral King hated pretty much everybody.
@@Mustapha1963 I swear Admiral Ernest Joseph King was rather nice to Five-Star General Douglas MacArthur. Well at least he definitely batted for MacArthur.
The only thing I remember about MacArthur my JROTC instructor who served under him told us “He simply an asshole there was nothing special about him”
No fking way, just an asshole?
LMFAO
My great uncle, a Korean Army Vet, once told me. "If it wasn't for MacArthur, more of my buddies would have come home. But if it wasn't for General Puller, none of us would have come home from that reservoir."
Douglas MacArthur “Eisenhower is the best clerk I ever had”
Eisenhower response . “I studied dramatics for seven years working for MacArthur".
Douglas MacArthur, Franklin D Roosevelt and Winston Churchill were distant cousins.
MacArthur was also a distant relative of Patton.
He was stationed in Australia, he wasn't very well liked by us, he called the young inexperienced Australian troops cowards, they were fighting against a much larger experienced force in New Guinea under horrific conditions, they prevailed in the end after being pushed back but not all the way to Port Moresbey which was their main objective to protect
I found this article which I think describes him fairly well.
MacArthur possessed other character flaws that should have excluded him from senior command. He was a cold man who distanced himself from his troops and he showed an indifference to their welfare that at times was callous. He was a conceited man, with a passion for self-glorification, and incapable of admitting serious military errors or learning from them. His dread of removal from command verged on paranoia. These character failings caused him to blame his commanding officers in the field and his troops for his own errors of judgment.
like nic said “ all the flaws of patton but none of the upside “ patton was largely the same way but patton did feel bad for the sick and wounded even if in their face he spoke to them as if they were meaningless but beyond that he was also a good battlefield tactician. macaurther wasn’t good at battlefield tactics. he was average at best.
@@austins9950 To be fair to McArthur he was one of the best offensive Generals in American history.
Its just he was also the worst defensive General in American history as well, plus his political judgement, Vanity and tendency to surround himself with yes men rather than experienced combat troops were also problems.
Gen. Omar Bradley was an underrated Chad
Op smith as ell
Bradley was subpar. Too "by the books" for his own good.
@@redaug4212 I mean at least I can respect him for following the books unlike MacArthur who wanted glory because his ego was too big. But that’s just my opinion and I respect yours.
@@redaug4212 True, but he he was a good counter balance to Patten. He did help make sure he didn't go too buck wild.
The “not a” tank named after him absolutely slaps.
McArthur is definitely overrated. Also was hated by many under his command and in the other branches. After WWII he was nuke happy and was always on a power trip at the cost of those under him. (edited due to some mistaken information I had said in regards to possible action against the Marines by MacArthur)
Wait seriously the Marines owned the pacific and he banned them from attending?
@@adarkwind4712 Actually I double checked and I was mistaken so ill be amending my post. There where some Marines present, I don't really know where I heard that they where banned, or got that idea from. Apparently MacArthur was a fan of the Marines it was Truman and Eisenhower who tried to get the Corps disbanded, it may have been one of them that may have tried to have the Marines excluded from the signing that I got confused about but I can't say for certain.
@@trentenswett6306 In WWII if you were selected to be in the marine corps. You could be fresh out of boot camp, literally just putting your boots on the ground. The stigma to it was they (As in marines) thought they was above everyone else. If you look back at old photo's there's always a marine right next to higher ups getting orders. You gotta think about the technology back then. Not everyone has a radio and once you do hear it on the radio. You're the one screaming commands at everyone else. With that being said the marine's are their own deal. To adapt, improvise, and overcome. One of the famous general's of WWII if not MacAuthur, once went to a marine camp. Saw nothing but spick span boots and comb overs. Then found the group that was smoking and missing teeth. Where the general then said "So this is where the REAL marine's are at." Recognizing the stigma while also reversing it in real time. If they really wanted to disband it they would've restructed it. The only way to get in the Marine's would be after so long of active service AND whatever branch you was in, that's the division of the marine's you're now in. We don't put airforce people working boats, or sea captian's in the air. Then after so long of dealing with the same problems, anyone will know how to slove it. So the same guy used to carrying 150lbs of gear, will still carry that gear but with greater stride and confidence. You'd want your boss to have started years before you not AFTER.
@@HankHill-pr4rx The Army have been trying to get the Marines disbanded since it's founding and it wasn't until the flag raising of Iwo Jima did such efforts really come to a stop due to the amount of press and public opinion in favor of the Marines made it impossible to do so. Truman and Eisenhower personally tried to have the Marines dissolved and for the Army to take over such duties. During D-Day Eisenhower did all he could to keep the Marines out of it, he couldn't there where still Marines present however he made sure they where on a very short leash, and basically covered up the fact that there where indeed Marines present during the landing, such as those on the USS Texas who may have been getting ready to join the Rangers during their assault but where ordered to stand down and to stay on ship for PR reasons I do believe, or those on the beaches bringing in landing craft and doing other support roles, to this day majority of people are not aware of these Marines and think D-Day and Europe was Army only, even with Marines although limited still operating within the theatre including in the OSS with active combative roles see Col. Peter Ortiz, USMC, OSS former FFL. The Marines are a different breed to be sure and that has rubbed many the wrong way for different reasons. I am well aware about the Marines, Esprit de Corps, I am a grandson of a WII and Korea combat Marine and was a Marine recruit until I blew out my knee and my career was cut short due to it.
@@trentenswett6306 Those Marines wouldn't have been much use to the Rangers anyways. They weren't exactly "infantry" Marines. They were shipboard Marines who had only been in the Marine Corps for a few months, and certainly didn't have the kind of training required to assist the Rangers in what was fundamentally a commando operation. One of the enlisted Marines was heard saying "This is going to be the biggest slaughter since Custer got his at the Little Big Horn".
2:15 American planning was that the US and Phiilipine forces would bunker down for a siege using their supplies in the islands let the Japanese exhaust themselves and then American fleet would be able to come in ressuply after a few weeks or months.
Of course Pearl harbour put a stop to that plan.
But the US had a well defended base and the main weeknesses of the Japanese forces were that they were adapted for combat in china with poor roads so they fought light and had an atrocious resupply train, if they were stopped for more than a few weeks their army starved. Something the British found later in the war and exploited at Kohima and Imphal.
McArthur decided he wasnt using so half-hearted a plan. His US troops (who had been on base duty, not training) and Phillipinos( who werent trained becasue McArrthur had neglected raising troops till the last minute) would go to the coast, taking their supply dumps with them, and defeat the Japanese as they landed.
The Japanese promptly landed, their rapid infiltration tactics broke the US defence who then had to rereat without their supplies back to Corregidor and other bases.
The Japanese were short on supplies, the only reason they had food to continue the siege is becasue they captured McArthurs abandonned supply bases. McArthur gift wrapped the enemy the supplies they needed to defeat him.
Worse, when US forces surrendered it was becasue of lack of food, there wasnt enough to supply the new Japanese garrison and the captured Americans. The Japanese had to march their prisoners north to where their own supply bases were to get their own food.
McArthur was literally responsible for the Phiilipines garrison being half trained, the Island falling and the Bataan death march.
Not a bad achievement for one campaign.
Then again yo should hear what the Australians haveto say about him, if you ever want to have a face/palm moment, Hypohystericalhistory does an excellent (though very long) breakdown of the New Guinea campaign, after that you'll really hate McArthur.
Let's shred MacArthur. War Plan Orange, the pre-war coordinated plan for the western Pacific. MacArthur failed to execute his part of that plan on many levels. Failures in equipping and training Filipino forces under his command were a start. Failure to employ, or even protect, his more numerous air units at the outset. He ignored Filipino intelligence reports. His insistence on having a staff of yes men led to inflexibility and stagnation of tactical ideas for defense. He was notorious for his jealousy of his subordinates getting praise from others. IMO, the sacking of Husband Kimmel and Walter Short for their failures in Oahu are unforgivable, if MacArthur who was in a more exposed position,with a more prepared defense plan, that he ignored, and receiving better direct warnings of risks of being attacked, not only got a pass, but, garnered accolades for his failures. There is one incident of an undeserved Medal of Honor in US history, IMO, and that is the one that MacArthur bullied himself into. Not to mention the amorality of the man keeping a 16yo mistress, openly. Mac Arthur was somehow, beloved by the civilian public, but, despised by those who served under him, including a former Chief of Staff, Dwight D. Eisenhower, who once said of MacArthur: "MacArthur is as big a baby as ever. But, we've got to keep him fighting."
Check out my Fat Electrician reaction playlist: ruclips.net/p/PLzKpRgRsZk7OYwAv9p4hgqYGJuTJDEyZr
WW1 as leader of the 42nd Division he did well at Meuse-Argonne when others failed.
I had family who fought in the Pacific and both of them HATED MacArthur, no respect or anything for him.
I can see the argument that MacArthur saw what following orders does. It gets him out of a country that fell to the enemy and witnessing the horrors of being a POW. This changes him from following orders to the letter to being somewhat of a maverick. His action in Korea were intelligent if the goal was ending the Korean war but in retrospect it was obvious that China was going to intervene bevause they helped start the war.
It was obvious so he wanted to attack Chinese assets but was not allowed to.
Probably why he has a 'media personality' modifier in HOI4 lol
McArthur did not handle adverse situations well. He had been in charge of the defense of the Philippines, and did not have the resources to do so conventionally. Organizing guerilla forces beforehand might have worked to make Japanese occupation very expensive. Letting occupation forces in Japan get as soft as they did was irresponsible, and not cooperating to properly arm the South Koreans was another failure.
Completely agree. The reason the Japanese were able to capture the Philippines so easily was simply a matter of poor planning. The retreat onto the Bataan Peninsula was not a spur of the moment decision. They anticipated war with Japan, so they planned to hole up in the most easily defensible place. They stockpiled huge amounts of ammunition and placed artillery everywhere they could, with the hope they could hold out until a relief force could be sent out. But they forgot two important things: food and medicine. For some reason they chose not to confiscate any rice from the large stockpiles held by Japanese companies that were operating in the Philippines, and they didn't think to stockpile anti-malarial medicine in a place covered in tropical rain forest. The main reason for the surrender was lack of food, and extremely high rates of malaria.
not to mention that AFTER the Pearl Harbor... AFTER the invasion of Singapore... he still did little to prepare for what should have been seen as inevitable invasion by Japan... the US planes in the Philippines were lined up in the wide open like it was an airshow when Japanese planes first flew over the Islands he was charged with protecting from them. a huge reason why they were forced out so fast ...
@@RichFrye It was a trifle more complex. The fighter squadrons did do a morning patrol, but were all refueling when the Japanese struck. MacArthur had also denied permission to bomb Taiwan that day.
@@tomhalla426 When? Before or after the attack on Pearl Harbour (1941)?
@@johnnotrealname8168 It was the same day, shortly after Pearl Harbor.
The only reason I disagree with his argument is because I've never really heard people rate Macarthur highly.
My problem wirh this whole thing is nick saying he is the most overrated general of all time when all i have ever heard is people complaining about him and saying he is overrated the only person i have met that said otherwise was my grandfather who served under him
Didn’t even touch on what MacArthur did to the Bonus Army.
Is anyone going to mention that MacArthur was retired from the military, in his 60's, and had his wife and son (4 years old) with him? Marshall offered to evaculate them by sub, but MacArthurs' wife refused to leave with their son. When MacArthur got the orders to leave he called his staff together and was going to refuse them until his staff convinced him to accept because who else could possibly run the pacific theatre when 85% of resources were going somewhere else? Good lord MacArthur was vain. He absolutely believed he was the only person who could win the war in the pacific so he believed he was needed to organize and lead it. Having your family under threat of capture and death is also a hell of a reason all on its own.
Just happen stance this video came out as I'm listening to American Caesar Douglas MacArthur. I've never really known much of his life till now. I had no idea his family was with him when he ordered to leave the Philippines.
Buddy just listen to that "fact" "His wife refused to leave with just his son"... buddy he's a general he could easily force his wife and kid on a sub or any other option with the power he had. That is simply his excuse... If he wanted to stay he would've stayed
@xFatalGG I think that he wouldn't force his wife and son to leave says a lot about his character. When she refused at Carregidor many witnesss reported seeing him going to her, raised voices and what not. MacArthur ttriedto convince her that their son needed her etc, her saying that their son was a soldiers son and that whatever fate they faced would be faced together.
I scanned my first comment for the word "facts" that you quoted in your response and didn't find it. Like I said I'm listening to a biography about him now and with how frequently the author throws out something can or can't be confimred with sources makes me inclined to think he doing his best.
How was he getting orders while retired?
@jdotoz he was chief military advisor to the Philippines prior to the war breaking out. Philippines made him a Field Marshal. The way the book described it, military advisor was not actually under direct military control tho they worked closely together. When war started, they recalled MacArthur to duty and put him in charge. Prior to the war, he was coming up with plans, requesting supplies, troops, planes, building fortifications most or all of which was not implemented due to politics, neutrality, or funding
All of these plans were what he advised the Philippines to do, Philippines was a US territory and it ultimately has to be approved by US. So he worked for the Philippines but Philippines was controlled by US so he had to go thru them also
MacArthur should have been shot for insubordination for what he pulled in Korea. Also the Philippines. Just. There was no holding the Philippines but the failures on his part are unforgivable.
He abandoned the original plan for defense of the country. He only followed orders if he wanted to
Yeah holding the philippines was not possible but what he did just made it worse💀
That is too nice. They should have let him get captured at Bataan. F that guy.
What? He just stated his opinions.
@@jeffslote9671 They were not orders though and in the long-term there was no way of winning.
Drachinifel in his admiral king video talked about admiral king had his work cut out to keep mcarthur in check
Personally I think a lot of history is overrated by modern perspective; in large part due to media distorting the truth, failing to actually capture the reality of the moment, or instilling an unhealthy hero worship in key figures.
The objective truth is that none of us can actually know what was happening in that moment or what was known but would never be reported.
MacArthur, like anyone, had pros and cons. Some think he was way ahead of his time and others didn't. Ultimately, we'll only have our opinions and the opinions of survivors.
The guy in the far left seat is "King Trout." I believe that is the name of his RUclips channel.
Also, when he first sat down, Elle was commenting about the glasses he was wearing and he mentioned "Jeffrey Dahmer" and was also why KT mentioned later as a joke the Elle would be in his freezer.
I do like the idea that MacArthur saw how effective the nukes were in Japan and decided to repeat it in Korea. This and the regular testing proves that the whole zeitgeist of nuclear weapons had not set in.
he said that he'd get a Medal of Honor even if it cost him a C-bag (very large duffle bag) full of dog tags (each dog tag means somebody died). Also note that we were cornered in the peninsula until the USMC arrived.
MacArther was given command by the Australian govt. of the Australian forces after they had been withdrawn from North Africa to defend against a Japanese invasion.. He didnt make any friends here when he pushed for the Australian field commanders to be replaced in New Guinea because in his opinion they were giving territory to the Japanese and not rushing them in suicidal frontal attacks like they probably would have done in WW1, He failed to understand the Australian tactics of fighting,, falling back and fighting again in order to draw the Japanese supply lines ever thinner. Once they had been over extended the Australian forces turned and pushed them all the way back to the sea before destroying them. MaCarther was a general who had had zero front line experience compared to the Australian commanders he had been criticising they were hardened and extremely experienced field commanders having learnt their trade on the battlefields of WW1 and North Africa. After the Japanese were defeated in New Guinea MaCarther refused to use the Australians spearhead any action that might take the spotlight away from him and his well publicised boast of returning to the Philipines. To MacArthers credit he insisted on having an Australian signatory at the Japanese surrender in Tokyo Harbour, The Australians made up the majority of the British Commonwealth Occupational Forces in Japan and were assigned command by MacArther which no doubt would have pii..sed off the British. . The British, Indian and NZ forcess were withdrawn and by 1948 only the Australian and US forces were left as occupiers. In 1951 the BCOF was wound up in Japan and control of the Commonwealth forces moved to Korea for the war effort happening there. When MacArther retreated ti=o Australia and took command of the allied forces it was made up of 100,000 regulars of the 2nd AIF, 265,000 Australian Malitia and 38,000 Americans. Contrary to popular belief It wasnt MacArther who saved Australia from invasion it was the US led naval force in the battle of the Coral Sea that stopped the Japanese navy from reaching Port Moresby and cutting Australia off. He failed to include experienced Australian commanders on his advisory staff and as a result operations involving the Australian forces were often ill conceived and poorly planned..Badly misjudging the fighting qualities of the Australian troops and being critical of them (which eventually proved to be 100% wrong) says a lot about his character and his ability to understand or command men on the front line. Greatest respect and heartfelt gratitude goes to all those brave US servicemen who sacrificed so much in the Pacific theatre but General Douglas MacArther really wasnt one of the US highlights of that war at least not as far as Aussies are concerned.
Three things show ponies McArthur and Patton had in common were
1)The need to look successful and popular, regardless of cost to others, or the truth.
2)The backing of their command because they portrayed the war as more palitble to a shocked nation at home. All news of the Americans in the war had to be positive to keep the nations morale up. Thus many of their failures were wrongfully attributed to other nations fighting forces.
3) They acted on what they felt would be good for them ( glory, popularity, publicity) rather than strategic planning.
Remember in the Philippines there were other generals there beside MacArthur. Lt General Wainwright, unlike MacArthur, wasn't given the privilege to evacuate and was inevitably captured alongside the men who underwent the Bataan death march.
While im sure Wainwright, if ordered to evacuate, would have followed orders the same, it speaks volumes of the man that he indeed stayed and didnt attempt to disobey orders and leave his troops when faced with the prospect of being a *POW of the Japanese*
Actually read up why he did ordered those in the South of the Philippines to surrender.
As an 🇦🇺 Australian I would say this…MacArthur is the price we paid for US help … it was a high price
Whose idea was the Inchon landing? That was a brilliant move.
I think he misunderstands the difference between the captain of a ship and a general in regards to their 'position'. MacArthur was like Admirals Nimitz and Halsey for the Navy. They aren't commanding individual units. They are there for strategy and overall command.
Which makes it ironic that Five-Star General Douglas MacArthur was known for his bravery.
From what I remember, didn't he also get warning and still let all his air assets get caught on the ground? No warning them or anything?
Exactly what happened. Kimmel and Short got the axe but MacArthur got a pass when he had fair warning that the Japanese were coming.
It would have been interesting if this war kicked off 2 years later, because the incoming President would have been Eisenhower, MacArthur's counterpart in WWII. Idk if he would have been as insubordinate to him as he was to Truman. Also, Mac's nuclear strategy would probably have worked in Korea, BUT I really don't know how the 1950's plays out with nukes used as battlefield tools being established as doctrine, rather than a theory that no one ever tested. Also by 1952 we would have the hydrogen bomb, which escalates that even further
Same. I think it would have worked.
As a marine corps vet I agree with the electrician. Enough records have been written and stories told to be able to tell McArthur was megalomaniac who fell in love with his own legend. Anyone who does shit like McArthur did gets absolutely zero respect from the troops and had he been on the battlefield would likely have had a Grenade incident befall him.
I feel like Old Hickory would have disobeyed that order.
15:29, the one on the left is king trout, he's a more recent creator and his vids are mostly centered around american conspiracies. really funny guy.
My Grandpa joined the Army after his Cousin around the same age got killed in Korea. He became a member of the 82nd airborne, and the war ended before he deployed.
Apparently, the closest he ever got to actual deployment was being prepped for some potential operation in Latin America (given the timeline, we think that it was probably the Guatemala Coup in 1954, just in case it had really gone south, which it ultimately didn’t)
One of my dad's friends that he used to drink with was a veteran of the Korean War. So this guy tells me that they would just bug out if things got too hot. He was supringly jovial about it...until he he wasn't
So this guy was there at the start of the war and he told me they used to bug out a lot. These old guys would just sit together and drink so you would have to sit there and listen to these people talk. Then my dad would talk about his war experience. so he would have a few beers and tell how he got hit in the head and chest with grenades...so i fell like that this is a story worth noting.
As a 21 year infantry vet with extensive deployment time (12 years) and combat experience (57 months), I can agree that he was overrated. Tactically, MacArthur wasn't bad but the guy was also kind of an idiot and arrogant. Especially when it came to strategic thinking and balancing political/PR issues against tactical ones.
Now, granted he was also a victim of his time. So things like his incessant demands to ALWAYS use nukes against anyone he was talking about fighting may have changed as humanity as a whole became more aware of the dangers, but it also highlights the issues the man had. He was addicted to the glory, spotlight, and the 'tough guy' routine. Which is a double edged sword.
There's a time and place for that behavior and ego. The picture he took with the Japanese Emperor after the surrender is one. Showing the greater Japanese public that the Emperor wasn't a 'god' and in fact MacArthur towered above him in physical and mental presence was a huge PR win. But then you also had MacArthur asking for really stupid stuff or pulling some really dumb stunts in chasing that spotlight.
Bypassing Mindanao in favor of Leyte, thus obviating the need for the Peleliu runway that the Marines were already in the process of taking negated the lives sacrificed. MacArthur ordering his forces to unleash a hellish bombardment of Seoul in the 50's and then deciding himself to try and push past the 38th Parallel in some insane desire to capture the whole peninsula ultimately proved to be a major downfall.
At the end of the day, I think it's important to represent the man as he was, not the hero of legend he apparently thought he was. He was an intelligent and capable warrior, but suffered from massive ego and hubris. In the incidents where that bravado was needed he excelled, but outside of those occurrences, he failed in epic fashion. Still, he is an important contributor to his time period and had his rightful place in those accomplishments.
Peleliu was Nimitz's folly. He was warned by Halsey a few days ahead of the operation that it would be better to reroute III Amphibious Corps to Leyte, but Nimitz insisted it was necessary to help secure Ulithi.
Why exactly is nuking what borderland bad?
I commented on the original about the Shiro Ishii and unit 731 debacle and MacArthur's involvement in that.
Exactly and plus if I'm not mistaken higher ups in 2:04 Washington had this sort of Europe first strategy because they were afraid what would happen if England was knocked out of the war
My great Aunt and Uncle were among those MacAurher left behind and were forced into the Bataan Death March. The story of him not wanting to leave is complete bullshit. Once they got separated she never saw her husband again. MacAurher was a glory hound who does not deserve the credit for winning the pacific he gets.
Love you Mr Terry and I love this video in particular as my area of focus is East Asia so I’m well acquainted with the Korean War, and MacArthur but I can’t stop thinking about that RSL jersey. Are you a Utah man?!
MacArthur may be overrated but as someone from the Philippines he still cool
I wouldn't say that china showed particularly great military prowess anymore than the soviet forces showed during WWII. Mainly China showed a severe lack of logistical power for waging a war less than a hundred miles from its own land border and an extreme disregard for human life.
In terms of Generals who might have disregarded the order to leave, I would say Patton, Nimitz (I know he’s an Admiral, Naval equivalent), Terry Allen, or Ridgeway to name a few.
I do think he is over hyped but will give him some credit for the rebuild of Japan and no axing the emperor.
MacArthur didn't follow orders in the Phillippines.
There was a defence plan drawn up in the case of the Japanese attacking, which assume they would have superior forces to the garrison and US forces stationed there, so the plan was to stage a fighting withdrawal and defend primarily Manilla and areas covered by the fortified islands, with troops to be evacuate through the available airports and seaports.
MacArthur basically said "screw that, I have a better plan" and decided to try and fight a conventional operation against Japanese forces that were well-supplied, well-armed, and already had two years experience fighting in mainland China. It went very, very poorly and resulted in US and Filipino forces getting stuck where they weren't supposed to be unable to be supported by the fortified islands, unable to be supplied properly, and for the most part unable to evacuate in good order.
When it comes to Korea my grandpa was an army engineer helped built bridges for all the supplies can get through
Yoooo Mr Terry is an RSL fan!!!! I live in SLC, maybe I'll catch you at a match sometime!!!!!
Maybe the Phillipines changed something in him and after he thought he needed to atone for abandoning his men. Twas what I thought when I watched the original podcast.
Great vid! Thanks!
Even in WWII he always had to have a camera. He was a glory seeker and it was obvious. Terrible person to have in charge of anything.
3:23 Hal Moore was one of those guys he repeatedly refused an order to be pulled out of LZ X Ray while the Battle of Ia Drang was raging.
the Korean war is called the forgotten war very intentionally, as the sheer death toll and destruction of the Korean people isn't a good look + the continuation of unit 731
Nope. Franklin Delano Roosevelt ordered MacArthur to leave. My uncle was killed in the Philippines at that time my entire family blamed Roosevelt. And when another stupid president got in the way MacArthur disobeyed.
My understanding is the skinny "guy on the left" is King Trout, Brandon's campaign manager.
The glasses schtick was the guy looking like Dahmer, which is what the part about his saying Eli being in his freezer was about.
I was under the impression that MacArthur waited as long as possible before being evacuated. Also his thinking was he was moving his flag not being relieved. It was Wainwright that surrendered effective troops to the Japanese. I’ll admit I don’t know enough about Korea to speak on that but was he undermined by his subordinates? I think there’s letters to that effect.
MacArthur wasn't just overrated but a real jerk too. As Army Chief of Staff in the early 30's, He ordered the military to get rid of the World War I veterans who were starving and marched on Washington asking for their promised pensions early so that they could live during the Great Depression. He burned their camp and chased 6them out of Washington. But he always had a topnotch PR crew around to keep him in the limelight as a hero.
The Chinese red line was the Yalu River. MacArthur was supposed to stop there...but didn't.
MacArthur was the one that crush the veteran bonus camp in Washington dc un the 30's.
So?
@@johnnotrealname8168
So sicking tanks on a tent city of ww1 veterans and their families who just wanted the promised payment for their service during the Great Depression is kind of a dick move.
@@kyriss12 Not if they are camped which is not legal I am pretty sure and had previously attacked Police resulting in the death of two of these strikers and then when he does get them out literally no-one dies but sure yeah he is at fault! Edit: Also it was not promised to them in 1932.
I have no idea about his military record, so I can't judge him on that. However, all the details about his personality and character, inside and outside of command, are revolting to me. That makes it hard for me to even begin learning about what he may be rightly credited, since it will always have to be filtered or warped through the distinctly nasty impression I have of him as a person.
However, there is a freeway named for him in the East SF Bay, so I'll always remember his name.
RSL?! Really??? haha Great video!
If Mac was so bad, why is there a monument of him in Leyte, Philippines?
I think another thing was after WWII alot of people saying how great MacArthur was got into his head and he started to believe his own hype
Two things:
1: The Korean war is still ongoing. It has not ended. No peace treaty has been signed and both nations on that peninsula are still at war with each other. Are involvement in that war has not ceased either. We still man parts of the DMZ and the 7th Fleet is stationed there in order to deter China from reengaging.
2: Patton said it best, we ended WWII(I call it World War part 2 since WWI ended in an armistice and not a peace treaty) too soon because the Soviets were still a threat and an enemy to the American Republic. Yes, we allied with them but only AFTER the Nazi’s attacked the USSR and the Soviets wanted revenge and retaliation. They were still publicly attacking the United States in the media within the borders of the USSR. We should have taken out the communist threat when we had the upper hand. We had the same size standing armies plus the world’s largest navy plus a monopoly on nuclear weapons. We could have made the world do our bidding and instead we did the bidding of the world.
Kinda surprised nick didn’t bring up MacArthur rolling tanks through the bonus army demonstration.
I hope one day Mr. Terry can get some time off to visit the tistic boys in Texas
Chesty Puller would have ignored that order
To answer your question, it wasn't his experience in WWII that changed him. MacArthur had presidential ambitions and was hoping to build a war record that would lead to the white house, not unlike Roman generals in the last 60 years of the Roam Reupublic whom all used military glory to with the office of praetor (Pompey, Crassus, Julius Caesar)
I remember in middle school I would read the social studies book for fun sometimes (not too abnormal given I read history books a lot from the school library). Anyway I remember reading about Macarthur during the Korean War and I always had a negative opinion of him since. Mainly that he wanted to transform it into an invasion of China and had zero qualms in nuking it. Given those extreme positions, I've never cared for him personally.
None of the latter two are bad though.
The guy you didn't recognize is King Trout. He does conspiracy theory videos mainly. They were joking that his glasses looked like Dahmer's.
But then you look at postwar Japan and the hood her did there. It’s strange.
The total number of American losses in the Pacific during WWII was 41,592 for all U.S. Army ground troops in the Pacific and Southeast Asia.
MacArthur lost fewer people 41,592 during the entire war in the Pacific and Eisenhower did in just the Battle of the Bulge and Normandy the combination of those two battles alone was 53,413. For that reason alone MacArthur was one of the best if not the best commander in WWII.
Yes, MacArthur left the Philippines but only under the orders of the president. He wanted to resign his commission and fight on as a private but his staff convinced him he was ordered to Austria to command a massive force ready to retake the Philippines. If he didn’t believe that he wouldn’t have left he would have died with his men.
When retaking the Philippines MacArthur was in a forward unsecured area and a lieutenant ran up to him and told him, “Sir you can’t be here we just killed a sniper just ten yards from here” To which MacArthur replied, “That’s the best thing to do to them son, keep up the good work.” As MacArthur ambled toward the front. That’s not a guy out to save his own ass.
In Korea Inchon was brilliant and yes troops fought within miles of the border of China the Yalu River. MacArthur planned to cross the Yalu and destroy Chinese strongholds and supplies at the source which militarily was the prudent thing to do, it would have also sparked WWIII. I see both sides of this MacArthur was absolutely right to destroy China’s ability to engage in the conflict and Truman was absolutely right to Fire MacArthur for ignoring the mandate of the US government and safeguarding the world from another major war.
MacArthur’s stance had always been the only purpose of war is to win. After Corregidor, his stance was to win at any cost.
How many people did he have under his command, not near what there was in
Europe, give me all the numbers.
He was also somehow the first person awarded the purple heart when the US government brought it back. If he were even a decent person, he would have passed the honor of being the first to a private or other enlisted man. Good leaders pass praises down to thier troops.
I think MacArthur's problem wasn't the Phillipines. It was Japan. When he was made Military Governor of Japan and he took a photo with the emperor he felt himself as an equal. Meaning he thought he was above the president since he got an emperor to comply to his will.
The issue was not supporting china harder during WW2 and the Soviets give northern China to the communists in 1946. Although Chang Kai-Shek wasn't much better to support either. Japan only had a defensive army at the time due to WW2 aggression.
Also with McCarthyism in the US and the "red scare" of communism (1950s) the Korean War was a proxy war between the West and Communism. It was seen as communism trying to expand into Korea (which was split.... after WW2).
MacArthur wanted to march in and destroy communism and push through. Kind of like Patton wanting to start a war with Russia and make it look like they started it. It was ideological and when that happens rationality is put on the side
I've read many a post that is dismissive about the "red scare". The truth is that there actually were quite a few diehard Communists in very high levels of the United States government, the military and, especially, in academia. FDR was, for whatever reason, far to conciliatory to "Uncle Joe" Stalin (and so, too, was Eisenhower when serving as SACEUR). Due to the presence of Soviet agents in Alamogordo, Stalin knew of the success of the atomic bomb test not very long after Roosevelt did- and his scientists were given information stolen by Klaus Fuchs which enable the USSR to detonate their own bomb just four years after we did rather than the ten years estimated by our military. I concede that, in the end, McCarthy went too far. However, along the way, his "fishing expedition" did land several Red fish.
so i did a quick skim of the comments and no one answers your question on who the go on the left was. His name is Connor but is known as King Trout originally from the same state as me Indiana but moved to Texas and works with the UnSub guys and makes some history related content that is different to the content made by Nick
Valid points on MacArthur I think....my biggest question is, why are these dudes drinking White Claws?
I was surprised by Patton. Apparently, he believed in reincarnation and was against the death penalty. It's definitely not a typical perspective in his time, especially from an American.
MacArthur did suck, but they're too focused on the Philippines and Korea. For the amount of hype the man received and continues to receive in some circles, he was one of our LEAST effective military leaders of the day. For pretty much the entirety of WW2, the man accomplished functionally nothing but a series of botched, bungled operations of secondary or tertiary importance in the Pacific. Then, after others did all the heavy lifting, he staged his "triumphant" return to the Philippines, making very sure to turn it into the best photo op he could. He was so hilariously transparent about it that saying "I will return" or "I have returned" in a pompous, self-important tone is still a running joke among Filipinos to this day.
The man was a narcissist and a glory-hound, who achieved basically nothing, but was so good at manipulating his image and PR that he somehow ended up viewed as a war hero by civilians back home, and parleyed that into important jobs, like being put in charge of the occupation of Japan (where his narcissistic tendencies actually made him quite popular amongst the local upper crust, since he acted aloof and above everyone else in the same way the Emperor and Japanese nobility did) or being put in command of American efforts in Korea.
What? Why did the navy go past the Marianas then?
I also feel the battle of pelaluh (spelling may be off) should be a perfect example of mcaurthur absolute disreguard for men under his command as long as there was chance to provide glory to himself.
Funny because the Battle of Peleliu (1944) was not under his command.
@@johnnotrealname8168 the entire pacific campaign and island hopping strategy was his.
Hi Mr Terry, I think the person that you didn’t know who it was, is known as, king_trout, but I could be wrong.
He was a great divisional commander. That was the absolute peak of his ability. He was nothing but a liability the moment he got that second star. He should have been treated as a scape goat for the Philippines (except that he really was responsible) and removed from command on Dec 8th. I would say, I don't think he did a terrible job with Japan after the war. I have almost no respect for the man at all. I would argue, his dereliction or duty was worse than what we saw at Pearl Harbor by Admiral Kimmel and General Short. He also tried to hide the casualty predictions from Truman because he wanted a land invasion of Japan.
How can he hide casualty predictions when he was not in the mainland United States?
@@johnnotrealname8168 Because he was asked to provide a plan along with the estimated casualties.
@@david-1775 So he gave his own casualty estimates? You just debunked your own argument well done.
@@johnnotrealname8168 MacArthur's staff produced casualty estimates. From what I've read about them, they were far too low. Even then, MacArthur did not want to provide them to the staff planning the invasion of Japan. Other estimates were brought up and discussed having taken into account the rate of casualties from the Okinawa Campaign. Even when presented with estimates of up to one million Allied casualties (including up to about 400,000 deaths)- not to mention potential Japanese deaths of up to five MILLION- MacArthur was still all for invasion.
@@Mustapha1963 Okay? Also from what I have heard he sayed it was a million casualties.
look at the kokoda campaign, australian soldiers also hated mccarthur
Canada, Australia and Britain was in Korea. they all played a pretty big part.
as soon as i seen the clip i hoped for this Vid because im british and my family who served in ww2 could even agree hes was a prick
On the topic of the Korean War you should do the Fat Electrician video about operation Paul Bunyan
Remember, order do not have to be followed. Any member of the military can reject and order if they feel it is "illegal, immoral, or unethical". I don't know how long this has been the case. Now the individual might have to stand in front of a court marshall and defend themselves. So MacArthur could've said abandoning his men was unethical.
Meanwhile achieving nothing. This is an academic discussion and ultimately not going to stand up. It is not unethical to move Generals.
Yes, he was a legend of his own mind and refused to allow anyone reconition expect himself
Read or listen to Generals in the Making by Benjamin Runkle. He analyzes America's top generals of WW2 and he does not pull any punches when it comes to MacArthur.
You need to read up on what both MacArthur and Patton did to the veterans of WWI a.k.a. The Bonus Army in 1932.
Also people also forget that those tank battles
MacArthur also attacked the bonus army vets and killed American WWI vets
Australian bled themselves white on the Kokoda trail and Mccarther said they were gutless. yet we were the first to stop the Japanese on land. then Buna and Gona
It's really telling that the overwhealming majority of people who served under him absolutely HATE McArthur. Compare him to Patton who had plenty of veterans swear by him.
Patton wasn't perfect and he gets way too much creddit courtesy of being the American version of Romel- highly public officer that's presented as this ideal of an American General by the contemporary media and followed around by cameras 24/7 to set him up as one of the focal points of the propaganda machine- but there were lots of soldiers who loved him.
McArthur had none of that love. He was nearly universally hated by everyone who was under his command. Never heard a single good thing about McArthur coming from one of his soldiers...
MacArthur is probably overrated in popular American lore, but I would also say the same about Patton - both of them seemed to have the vices of the virtues in terms of over aggression, a degree of glory hogging, or recklessness being definitely among them.
Perhaps MacArthur, like Patton, bought into his own legend? The Unsubscribed guys say themselves that popularly, American military heroes are often seen as being the ones who ignored orders, going with their own plan, often… quite arrogantly, it might be said.
But historical armchair quarterbacking can get awkward when making such judgements, after all, if the popular viewpoint seems to us to have been one way, why shouldn’t a General believe it, and that he’s as smart, brave and whatever else as the last one to buck the chain of command and win… until he loses!
I also think his experience in the Philippines must have changed MacArthur, so, overrated? Sure, compared to how they were lionised post war, very probably.
The germans respected Patton. The Japanese prayed for macarthurs good health.
Patton, Bradley, Marshal, Puller I don't know at least several.
And easy General Lee. Before General Lee surrendered to Ulysses s Grant at Appomattox Jefferson Davis gave him orders to fight. General Lee disobeyed those orders and surrendered to ultimately save lives. If you're going to go down you go down with your men
Yeah. I don't care that he's a Confederate, he's *awesome.*
Lee was camped outside of Washington DC, he did not raze it because he still loved all of America, he just loved Virginia and the south more.
It's beyond question that Lee was a skilled general. If he had stayed with the Union, the Civil War would have been over before it started.
Patton wood not have abandoned his men.
I believe that whole heartedly
I think i read or listened to a preston steeart podcast that marines hated him for pelilu because MacArthur needed that island and it was not that important in the end.
Nimitz was smart and allowed people to assume Peleliu was all MacArthur's decision.