Certainly little introduction is necessary for MacArthur. As Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in the South Pacific, he was the architect of the campaign to drive the enemy from his newly gained strongholds in the Southwest Pacific. He had begun the war as a retired Lieutenant General of the United States Army and, simultaneously, as Field Marshal of the Philippines. He was the recipient, as was his father before him, of the Congressional Medal of Honor. Few Americans in history have garnered more honors during a lifetime of service to their country.
MacArthur's evacuation from "The Rock" is an oft-told story. But until quite recently, when his reminiscences were published, it was never narrated by the controversial MacArthur himself. The "Buck" to whom he refers is of course the ubiquitous torpedo boat officer Bulkeley, who evacuated the General's entourage.
--S.E. Smith
The United States Navy in World War II
Preface to Part I: Chapter 10: Retreat
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Jonathan Mayhew Wainwright IV | |
|---|---|
Wainwright after World War II and promotion to full General
| |
| Nickname | "Skinny" "Jim" |
| Born | August 23, 1883 Walla Walla, Washington |
| Died | September 2, 1953 (aged 70) San Antonio, Texas |
| Place of burial | Arlington National Cemetery |
| Allegiance |  United States of America |
| Service/branch |  United States Army |
| Years of service | 1906–47 |
| Rank |  General |
| Commands held | 1st Cavalry Brigade 1938–40 Philippine Division 1940–42 Prisoner of War 1942-45 Second Service Command 1945–46 Eastern Defense Command 1945-46 Fourth Army 1946–47 |
| Battles/wars | Moro Rebellion World War I *Battle of Saint-Mihiel *Meuse-Argonne Offensive World War II *Battle of the Philippines (1941-42) **Battle of Bataan **Battle of Corregidor |
| Awards | Medal of Honor Distinguished Service Cross Army Distinguished Service Medal Bronze Star |
| Relations | Jonathan Mayhew Wainwright I – great-grandfather Jonathan Mayhew Wainwright II – grandfather Jonathan Wainwright, Jr. – uncle Robert Powell Page Wainwright – father |
Jonathan Mayhew "Skinny" Wainwright IV (August 23, 1883 – September 2, 1953) was a career American army officer and the commander of Allied forces in the Philippines at the time of their surrender to the Empire of Japanduring World War II. Wainwright is a recipient of the Medal of Honor.
In September 1940, Wainwright was promoted to Major General (temporary) and returned to the Philippines, in December, as commander of the Philippine Department. As the senior field commander of Filipino and US forces—under General Douglas MacArthur—Wainwright was responsible for resisting the Japanese invasion of the Philippines, which began in December 1941. Retreating from the Japanese beachhead of Lingayen Gulf, Allied forces had withdrawn onto the Bataan Peninsula and Corregidor by January 1942, where they defended the entrance to Manila Bay.
Following the relocation of MacArthur to Australia in March, to serve as Allied Supreme Commander, South West Pacific Area, Wainwright inherited the unenviable position of Allied commander in the Philippines. Also that March, Wainwright was promoted to Lieutenant General (temporary). On April 9, the 70,000 troops on Bataan surrendered under the command of Major General Edward P. King. On May 5, the Japanese attacked Corregidorand on May 6, in the interest of minimizing casualties, Wainwright surrendered. By June 9, Allied forces had completely surrendered.
| Francis Warren Rockwell | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 2, 1886 South Woodstock, Connecticut |
| Died | January 2, 1979 (aged 92) Saint Simons Island, Glynn County,Georgia |
| Allegiance |  United States of America |
| Service/branch |  United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1908–1948 |
| Rank |  Vice Admiral |
| Commands held | USS Winslow (DD-53) USS Thatcher (DD-162) USS Robert Smith (DD-324) USS Dorsey (DD-117) USS Nevada (BB-36) 16th Naval District Atlantic Fleet, Amphibious Training Command |
| Battles/wars | World War I World War II |
| Awards | Navy Cross Navy Distinguished Service Medal Silver Star |
Francis Warren Rockwell (July 2, 1886 – January 2, 1979) was a Vice Admiral in the United States Navy who served from 1908 to 1948.
On November 5, 1941, Rockwell assumed command of the 16th Naval District, consisting of the Philippine Islands. He was present inCavite Navy Yard when it was bombed on December 10, 1941. Most of Cavite's facilities were destroyed and the submarineSealion (SS-195) was sunk. Rockwell estimated that 500 men were killed. The next day, with fires still burning, he recommended Cavite be stripped of usable fuel and equipment and abandoned.[2] He organized the withdrawal of remaining Allied naval forces and civilian ships from the Philippines and left in March 1942. Then, he planned the naval transport of the invasion force for the Battle of Attu of May 1943. He returned to the Navy Department in 1943 and commanded the Atlantic Fleet's Amphibious Training Command until the end of the war.
U.S. Naval Station Sangley Point | |
|---|---|
| Cavite, Philippines | |
| Type | Military base |
| Site information | |
| Controlled by | United States Navy |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1898 |
| In use | 1898 - 1971 (U.S. Naval Facility) |
| Airfield information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| IATA: | |||
| Summary | |||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| ft | m | ||
| 07/25 | 7,769 | 2,367 | Asphalt |
Naval Station Sangley Point (IATA: NSP, ICAO: RPLS) was a communication and hospital facility of the United States Navy which occupied the northern portion of the Cavite City peninsula and is surrounded by Manila Bay, approximately eight miles southwest of Manila, the Philippines. The station was a part of the Cavite Naval Shipyard across the peninsula. The naval station had a runway that was built after World War II, which was used by U.S. Navy P-2 Neptune and P-3 Orion patrol planes. An adjacent seaplane runway, ramp area and seaplane tender berths also supported P5M Marlinpatrol planes until that type's retirement from active naval service in the mid-1960s. NAS Sangley Point/NAVSTA Sangley Point was also used extensively during the Vietnam War, primarily for U.S. Navy patrol squadrons forward deployed from the United States on six month rotations. The naval station was turned over to the Philippine government in 1971. It is now operated by the Philippine Air Force and Philippine Navy.
The first bombing by the Japanese on December 10, 1941, heavily damaged the Cavite Navy Yard. Japanese forces occupied Cavite in January 1942. the Japanese continued to use Sangley and Cavite for basically the same purpose. They rehabilitated and expanded the facilities and used them for repair of their own craft and construction of small wooden vessels for coastal shipping of supplies. American carrier-based planes first bombed the repair facility in September 1944. The Cavite Navy Yard was again badly damaged, as were most of the hospital buildings at Cañacao.
On March 20, 1945, units of the Seventh Fleet landed on Sangley Point, ridding the area of the remaining Japanese. Within a month, ACORN-45 arrived and set up an advance base maintenance organization under Commander Donald W. Darby. They immediately began construction of an airstrip in preparation for the attack on the Japanese mainland.
General of the Army Douglas MacArthur (26 January 1880 – 5 April 1964) was an American general and field marshal of the Philippine Army who was Chief of Staff of the United States Army during the 1930s and played a prominent role in the Pacific theater during World War II. He received the Medal of Honor for his service in thePhilippines Campaign, which made him and his father Arthur MacArthur, Jr., the first father and son to be awarded the medal. He was one of only five men ever to rise to the rank of General of the Army in the U.S. Army, and the only man ever to become a field marshal in the Philippine Army.
On 26 July 1941, Roosevelt federalized the Philippine Army, recalled MacArthur to active duty in the U.S. Army as a major general, and named him commander of U.S. Army Forces in the Far East (USAFFE). MacArthur was promoted to lieutenant general the following day,[113] and then to general on 20 December. At the same time, Sutherland was promoted to major general, while Marshall, Spencer B. Akin, and Hugh J. Casey were all promoted to brigadier general.[114] On 31 July 1941, the Philippine Department had 22,000 troops assigned, 12,000 of whom were Philippine Scouts. The main component was the Philippine Division, under the command of Major GeneralJonathan M. Wainwright.[115]
Between July and December 1941, the garrison received 8,500 reinforcements.[116] After years of parsimony, much equipment was shipped. By November, a backlog of 1,100,000 shipping tons of equipment intended for the Philippines had accumulated in U.S. ports and depots awaiting vessels.[117] In addition, the Navy intercept station in the islands, known as Station CAST, had an ultra secret Purple cipher machine, which decrypted Japanese diplomatic messages, and partial codebooks for the latest JN-25 naval code. Cast sent MacArthur its entire output, via Sutherland, the only officer on his staff authorized to see it.[118]
At 03:30 local time on 8 December 1941 (about 09:00 on 7 December in Hawaii),[119] Sutherland learned of the attack on Pearl Harborand informed MacArthur. At 05:30, the Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army, General George Marshall, ordered MacArthur to execute the existing war plan, Rainbow Five. MacArthur did nothing. On three occasions, the commander of the Far East Air Force, Major GeneralLewis H. Brereton, requested permission to attack Japanese bases in Formosa, in accordance with prewar intentions, but was denied by Sutherland. Not until 11:00 did Brereton speak with MacArthur about it, and obtained permission.[120] MacArthur later denied having the conversation.[121] At 12:30, aircraft of Japan's 11th Air Fleet achieved complete tactical surprise when they attacked Clark Fieldand the nearby fighter base at Iba Field, and destroyed or disabled 18 of Far East Air Force's 35 B-17s, 53 of its 107 P-40s, three P-35s, and more than 25 other aircraft. Most were destroyed on the ground. Substantial damage was done to the bases, and casualties totaled 80 killed and 150 wounded.[122] What was left of the Far East Air Force was all but destroyed over the next few days.[123]
Prewar defense plans assumed the Japanese could not be prevented from landing on Luzon and called for U.S. and Filipino forces to abandon Manila and retreat with their supplies to the Bataan peninsula. MacArthur attempted to slow the Japanese advance with an initial defense against the Japanese landings. However, he reconsidered his confidence in the ability of his Filipino troops after the Japanese landing force made a rapid advance after landing atLingayen Gulf on 21 December,[124] and ordered a retreat to Bataan.[125]Manila was declared an open city at midnight on 24 December, without any consultation with Admiral Thomas C. Hart, commanding the Asiatic Fleet, forcing the Navy to destroy considerable amounts of valuable material.[126]
On the evening of 24 December, MacArthur moved his headquarters to the island fortress of Corregidor in Manila Bay, boarding the Army transport Don Esteban after 19:00 arriving Corregidor at 21:30, with his headquarters reporting to Washington as being open on the 25th.[127][128] A series of air raids by the Japanese destroyed all the exposed structures on the island and USAFFE headquarters was moved into the Malinta Tunnel. Later, most of the headquarters moved to Bataan, leaving only the nucleus with MacArthur.[129]The troops on Bataan knew that they had been written off but continued to fight. Some blamed Roosevelt and MacArthur for their predicament. A ballad sung to the tune of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" called him "Dugout Doug".[130] However, most clung to the belief that somehow MacArthur "would reach down and pull something out of his hat."[131]
On 1 January 1942, MacArthur accepted $500,000 from President Quezon of the Philippines as payment for his pre-war service. MacArthur's staff members also received payments: $75,000 for Sutherland, $45,000 for Richard Marshall, and $20,000 for Huff.[132][133] Eisenhower—after being appointed Supreme Commander Allied Expeditionary Force (AEF)—was also offered money by Quezon, but declined.[134] These payments were known only to a few in Manila and Washington, including President Roosevelt and Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson, until they were made public by historian Carol Petillo in 1979. The revelation tarnished MacArthur's reputation.[135]
Escape to Australia and Medal of Honor
Main article: Douglas MacArthur's escape from the Philippines
In February 1942, as Japanese forces tightened their grip on the Philippines, MacArthur was ordered by President Roosevelt to relocate to Australia.[136]On the night of 12 March 1942, MacArthur and a select group that included his wife Jean, son Arthur, and Arthur's Cantonese amah, Ah Cheu, as well as Sutherland, Akin, Casey, Richard Marshall, Charles A. Willoughby, LeGrande A. Diller, and Harold H. George, left Corregidor in four PT boats. MacArthur, his family and Sutherland traveled aboard PT 41, commanded by LieutenantJohn D. Bulkeley. The others followed aboard PT 34, PT 35 and PT 32. MacArthur and his party reached Del Monte Airfield on Mindanao, where B-17s picked them up, and flew them to Australia.[137][138] His famous speech, in which he said, "I came through and I shall return", was first made atTerowie, a small town in South Australia, on 20 March.[139] Washington asked MacArthur to amend his promise to "We shall return". He ignored the request.[140]
Bataan surrendered on 9 April,[141] and Corregidor on 6 May.[142] George Marshall decided that MacArthur would be awarded the Medal of Honor, a decoration for which he had twice previously been nominated, "to offset any propaganda by the enemy directed at his leaving his command".[143]Eisenhower pointed out that MacArthur had not actually performed any acts of valor as required by law, but Marshall cited the 1927 award of the medal toCharles Lindbergh as a precedent. Special legislation had been passed to authorize Lindbergh's medal, but while similar legislation was introduced authorizing the medal for MacArthur by Congressmen J. Parnell Thomas andJames E. Van Zandt, Marshall felt strongly that a serving general should receive the medal from the President and the War Department.[144] MacArthur chose to accept it on the basis that "this award was intended not so much for me personally as it is a recognition of the indomitable courage of the gallant army which it was my honor to command."[145] Arthur and Douglas MacArthur thus became the first father and son to be awarded the Medal of Honor. They remained the only pair until 2001, when Theodore Roosevelt was awarded posthumously for his service during the Spanish–American War, Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. having received one posthumously for his service during World War II.[146][147] His citation, written by George Marshall,[148] read:
For conspicuous leadership in preparing the Philippine Islands to resist conquest, for gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action against invading Japanese forces, and for the heroic conduct of defensive and offensive operations on the Bataan Peninsula. He mobilized, trained, and led an army which has received world acclaim for its gallant defense against a tremendous superiority of enemy forces in men and arms. His utter disregard of personal danger under heavy fire and aerial bombardment, his calm judgment in each crisis, inspired his troops, galvanized the spirit of resistance of the Filipino people, and confirmed the faith of the American people in their Armed Forces.[149]
As the symbol of the forces resisting the Japanese, MacArthur received many other accolades. The Native American tribes of the Southwest chose him as a "Chief of Chiefs", which he acknowledged as from "my oldest friends, the companions of my boyhood days on the Western frontier".[150] He was touched when he was named Father of the Year for 1942, and wrote to the National Father's Day Committee that:
By profession I am a soldier and take pride in that fact, but I am prouder, infinitely prouder to be a father. A soldier destroys in order to build; the father only builds, never destroys. The one has the potentialities of death; the other embodies creation and life. And while the hordes of death are mighty, the battalions of life are mightier still. It is my hope that my son when I am gone will remember me, not from battle, but in the home, repeating with him our simple daily prayer, "Our father, Who art in Heaven."
| Masaharu Homma 本間雅晴 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Japanese Military Administrator Japanese Military Commander of the Philippines | |
| In office January 2, 1942 – January 23, 1942 | |
| Preceded by | Newly Established |
| Succeeded by | Jorge B. Vargas |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 27, 1888 Sado, Niigata Prefecture, Japan |
| Died | April 3, 1946 (aged 58) Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines |
| Religion | Shinto[citation needed] |
| Military service | |
| Nickname(s) | "The Poet General"[citation needed] |
| Allegiance |  Empire of Japan |
| Service/branch |  Imperial Japanese Army |
| Years of service | 1907 - 1943 |
| Rank | Lieutenant General |
| Commands | 27th Infantry Division Taiwan Army of Japan 14th Area Army |
Masaharu Homma (本間 é›…æ™´ Homma Masaharu, 27 November 1887 – 3 April 1946) was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army. He is noteworthy for his role in the invasion and occupation of the Philippines during World War II.
With the 43,110 men of the 14th Army, Homma led the most intense battle in the invasion of the Philippines, the Battle of Bataan commencing in December, 1941. He was in charge of the troops who were responsible in carrying out Bataan Death March in the Philippines during 1942. As a consequence, Homma was executed by firing squad after being convicted by the U.S. military tribunal for war crimes in the Philippines.
With the start of the Pacific War, Homma was named commander of the 43,110-man IJA 14th Army and tasked with the invasion of the Philippines. He ordered his troops to treat the Filipinos not as enemies but as friends, and respect their customs and religion. In one instance, on his approach to Manila, Homma stopped his columns and ordered the men to clean up and tighten formations, knowing that unkempt soldiers are more likely to loot and rape.[5]
This liberal approach towards Filipino civilians earned him the enmity of his superior, General Count Hisaichi Terauchi, commander of the Southern Army, who sent adverse reports about Homma to Tokyo from his headquarters in Saigon. There was also a growing subversion within Homma's command by a small group of insubordinates, under the influence of Colonel Tsuji Masanobu. In Homma's name, they sent out secret orders against his policies, including ordering the execution of Filipino Chief Justice José Abad Santos and attempted execution of former Speaker of the House of Representatives Manuel Roxas, which Homma found out about in time to stop.[6]
Homma failed to give credence to the possibility that a retreat into Bataan Peninsula by Filipino-American forces might succeed in upsetting the Japanese timetable. By the time he recognized his mistake, his best infantry division had been replaced by a poorly trained reserve brigade, greatly weakening his assault force. Rather than waste his men in furious frontal assaults, he tried to outmaneuver the American forces. This brought criticism from superiors who believed he had been "contaminated" by Western ideas about conserving the lives of his men.
Worried about the stalled offensive in Luzon, Hirohito pressed Army Chief of Staff Hajime Sugiyama twice on January 1942 to increase troop strength and launch a quick knockout on Bataan.[7] Following these orders, Sugiyama put pressure on Homma to renew his attacks. The resulting Battle of Bataan commencing in January 1942 was one of the most intense in the campaign. However, the deteriorating relationship between Homma and Sugiyama led to the removal of Homma from command shortly after the fall of Corregidor, and he was thereafter commander of the 14th Army in name only. The New York Times erroneously reported prior to the fall of Bataan that Homma was replaced by General Yamishita, and that Homma had committed suicide.[8]
The Imperial General Headquarters regarded Homma as not aggressive enough in war (resulting in the high cost and long delay in securing the American and Filipino forces' surrender), and too lenient with the Filipino people in peace, and he was subsequently forced into retirement in August 1943. Homma retired from the military and lived in semi-seclusion in Japan until the end of the war.
| John D. Bulkeley | |
|---|---|
 
Vice Admiral John D. Bulkeley
| |
| Nickname | "Sea Wolf"[1] |
| Born | August 19, 1911 New York City, New York |
| Died | April 6, 1996 (aged 84) Silver Spring, Maryland |
| Place of burial | Arlington National Cemetery |
| Allegiance |  United States of America |
| Service/branch | United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1933–1988 |
| Rank | Vice Admiral |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | Medal of Honor Navy Cross Distinguished Service Cross (2) Navy Distinguished Service Medal Silver Star (2) Legion of Merit (2) Purple Heart (2) Combat Action Ribbon (3) Croix de Guerre (France) Distinguished Conduct Star (Phil.) |
John Duncan Bulkeley (August 19, 1911 – April 6, 1996) was a Vice Admiralin United States Navy and was one of the most decorated naval officers. Bulkeley received the Medal of Honor for actions in the Pacific Theater duringWorld War II. He was also the PT boat skipper who evacuated GeneralDouglas MacArthur from Corregidor in the Philippines and commanded at theBattle of La Ciotat. The Navy named an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer after him: USS Bulkeley (DDG-84), commissioned in 2001.
At the dawn of World War II, Bulkeley was a lieutenant in command of Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron Three, a Philippine-based detachment of six motor torpedo boats. He hit his stride as a daring, resourceful and courageous leader. He picked up General Douglas MacArthur, his family, and his immediate staff, who had been ordered to flee the Philippines, and took them aboard PT 41 and other 77-foot (23 m) motor torpedo boats through over 600 nautical miles (1,000 km) of open ocean. On arriving at Mindanao, MacArthur said, "You have taken me out of the jaws of death. I shall never forget it." Bulkeley earned many of his array of decorations while in command of that squadron and a subsequent one.
In 1944, he took part in the Normandy invasion. Bulkeley led torpedo boats and minesweepers in clearing the lanes to Utah Beach,[4] keeping German E-boats from attacking the landing ships along the Mason Line, and picking up wounded sailors from the sinking minesweeperUSS Tide (AM-125), destroyer escort USS Rich (DE-695), and destroyer USS Corry (DD-463). As invasion operations wound down, he received command of his first large ship, the destroyerUSS Endicott (DD-495). One month after D-Day, he came to the aid of two British gunboats under attack by two German corvettes. Charging in with only one gun working, he engaged both enemy vessels at point-blank range, sinking both. When asked, he explained, "What else could I do? You engage, you fight, you win. That is the reputation of our Navy, then and in the future."
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