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MacArthur Reconsidered
General Douglas MacArthur as a Wartime Commander
Part of Wartime Commanders
By James Ellman
Published by Stackpole Books
Distributed by Simon & Schuster
Table of Contents
About The Book
James Ellman digs deep, connects the dots, and concludes that General Douglas MacArthur was decidedly not a military genius.
One of America's most controversial generals, Douglas MacArthur’s rise through the U.S. Army’s ranks was meteoric. However, he did not lead large formations of men in combat until he assumed command of forces in the Philippines in 1941. When war commenced with the bombing of Pearl Harbor, MacArthur’s performance on the battlefield was a failure: he underestimated the Japanese, and his poorly trained forces were outmaneuvered and outfought by a much smaller invading force. However, in what became a repeating hallmark of his career, he successfully portrayed his actions to much of the American people as brilliant and heroic regardless of victory or defeat. After fleeing to Australia, MacArthur famously announced, “I will return,” and followed through on a quest to retake Manila regardless of its impact on Allied global strategy or its cost in American, Australian, and Filipino blood.
In his subsequent role as America’s shogun in Tokyo, MacArthur was again surprised by an enemy he underestimated. The Korean War yielded his greatest victory, at Inchon, but also his greatest defeat, along the Yalu River. Unwilling to accept anything but complete victory, he openly defied President Truman: MacArthur fatally undermined chances for an early peace, planned to seed a great swath of enemy territory with radioactive cobalt, and attempted to widen a conflict which threatened to become a third world war. Raging against his subsequent firing, he only truly faded away after he was publicly criticized by a panoply of America’s greatest WWII generals.
Today, MacArthur still polarizes. Many biographies agree he was a great and patriotic leader marred by a few failures. Ellman argues the opposite: MacArthur was a lackluster battlefield commander who suffered stunning defeats while undermining the command structure of our military.
One of America's most controversial generals, Douglas MacArthur’s rise through the U.S. Army’s ranks was meteoric. However, he did not lead large formations of men in combat until he assumed command of forces in the Philippines in 1941. When war commenced with the bombing of Pearl Harbor, MacArthur’s performance on the battlefield was a failure: he underestimated the Japanese, and his poorly trained forces were outmaneuvered and outfought by a much smaller invading force. However, in what became a repeating hallmark of his career, he successfully portrayed his actions to much of the American people as brilliant and heroic regardless of victory or defeat. After fleeing to Australia, MacArthur famously announced, “I will return,” and followed through on a quest to retake Manila regardless of its impact on Allied global strategy or its cost in American, Australian, and Filipino blood.
In his subsequent role as America’s shogun in Tokyo, MacArthur was again surprised by an enemy he underestimated. The Korean War yielded his greatest victory, at Inchon, but also his greatest defeat, along the Yalu River. Unwilling to accept anything but complete victory, he openly defied President Truman: MacArthur fatally undermined chances for an early peace, planned to seed a great swath of enemy territory with radioactive cobalt, and attempted to widen a conflict which threatened to become a third world war. Raging against his subsequent firing, he only truly faded away after he was publicly criticized by a panoply of America’s greatest WWII generals.
Today, MacArthur still polarizes. Many biographies agree he was a great and patriotic leader marred by a few failures. Ellman argues the opposite: MacArthur was a lackluster battlefield commander who suffered stunning defeats while undermining the command structure of our military.
Product Details
- Publisher: Stackpole Books (July 1, 2023)
- Length: 288 pages
- ISBN13: 9780811771597
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Raves and Reviews
“Reviewing MacArthur’s performances in World War II and the Korean War, [Ellman] concludes that the general was a mediocre commander who lacked interest in details, packed his staff with incompetent bootlickers and often lied in trying to justify his actions. And, of course, he was quite insubordinate, with an alarming tendency to ignore orders and contradict stated policies.”
– The New York Times
"This well-researched, well-written military-history title will draw general readers, especially ones interested in the history of World War II and the Korean War. It will also benefit historians looking for a different interpretation of MacArthur’s role in those conflicts.”
– Library Journal
“In his new book MacArthur Reconsidered, Ellman pronounces MacArthur a poor wartime commander whose “insubordination” was a threat to the Republic.”
– New York Journal of Books
"MacArthur Reconsidered, a well-written, informed, lucidly argued critique of MacArthur’s career as a battlefield commander."
– World War II Magazine
In this lively, well-researched book, James Ellman deflates the MacArthur myth and persuasively shows how MacArthur’s political connections, tireless self-promotion, and habitual lying enabled him to escape the consequences of his numerous failures and acquire an undeserved reputation for military genius.
– Marc Gallicchio, Villanova University, coauthor of Implacable Foes: War in the Pacific, 1944–1945
History often elevates certain figures higher than the merit of their achievements deserve. As James Ellman reveals in a steady, forceful, and engaging manner, Douglas MacArthur is a case in point. With the skills that an experienced trial lawyer would envy, Ellman carefully examines MacArthur’s record from a number of vantage points and makes it clear that the five-star general’s heightened reputation as a military strategist and commander is far from warranted.
– Edward F. Aldrich, author of The Partnership: George Marshall, Henry Stimson, and the Extraordinary Collaboration that Won World War II
"MacArthur Reconsidered is an excellent addition to a military history library."
– Robert Young, Associate Professor, Deparment of History and Military History, American Military University, Military History Chronicles
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