Review (PDF) MacArthur: A Biography (Great Generals)
Douglas MacArthur is best remembered for his ability to adapt, a quality that catalyzed his greatest accomplishments. Adaptability has become an indispensable trait for military leadership in an era of technological leaps that guarantee the nature of war will radically change during the span of an ordinary career. One of the first proponents of a new dimension in warfare--the Air Force--MacArthur was also unmatched historically for his management of peace during the U.S. occupation of Japan. For generations to come, MacArthur's legacy will yield profitable--and entertaining--examples to Americans in and out of uniform.
File Size: 1449 KB
Print Length: 225 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Press (July 10, 2007)
Publication Date: July 10, 2007
Sold by: Macmillan
Language: English
ASIN: B001AW2PGO
Text-to-Speech: Enabled
X-Ray: Not Enabled
Word Wise: Enabled
Lending: Not Enabled
Enhanced Typesetting: Enabled
Best Sellers Rank: #814,615 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store) #117 in Books > History > Military > Korean War > Campaigns #134 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > History > Military > Korean War #758 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Biographies & Memoirs > Historical > Military & Wars > World War II
Richard Frank is one of the ablest historians writing on the Pacific War. His "Guadalcanal" is a classic military narrative that will serve as a kind of official history for decades. His book "Downfall" about the end of the Pacific War is another splendid effort that cannot be ignored if one wishes to understand the horrible events between Okinawa and war's end. I believe he is presently working on a larger scale work on WII in Asia (including China) and I'll be one of the first to read it. The one thing that has marked Frank's major works is extremely thorough and extensive research.The MacArthur book is a real let down. It's part of the "Great Generals" series edited by Wesley Clark. This was not intended to be a definitive military biography of MacArthur. The sources show it too - a lot of secondary stuff and I would guess nothing original. (I apologize in advance if that's wrong.) Frank says that it's "OK to hate MacArthur, you just have to know why." It is not easy to tell what there is to hate by reading Frank's book. Frank is critical of the defense of the PI in 1941-42. I'd be careful there. There were a lot of cooks ruining that broth including Marshall and FDR who decided in a heartbeat (after the oil embargo was declared) that they had been wrong in refusing to arm the soon to be independent PI, and couldn't face the consequences of simply abandoning the American garrison there as was implicit in the last of the Orange Plans. I don't know why MacArthur or Marshall believed war was not likely before April 42, but the American defense plans were based on the assumptions. So when the war came, Mac had to do with what he had which was grossly inadequate.
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