Let's Talk Bombs

[rgrokelley]

As to labeling Truman Roosevelt's "lackey", that's not only unfair but completely inaccurate.

Maybe I should have used another adjective. Truman was not a "lackey" in the traditional sense, but he did continue to push Roosevelt's socialist agenda, without question, to the detriment of the country. I am not a fan of those in the oval office who have ignored the Constitution and ran rampant with self imposed power. Truman is one of those, and he learned it from Roosevelt.

Yes, Truman used the Atomic bombs. This is a plus in his column, but it doesn't forgive his domestic power grab.

His big political mistake was trying to push all that agenda on an American public that was no longer in the Depression and no longer cared to put up with it.

[bhongtabaro]

The first thermonuclear bomb was exploded in 1952 at Enewetak by the United States. This kind of weapon is too dangerous for every possible things.

[KW Driver]

The first thermonuclear bomb was exploded in 1952 at Enewetak by the United States. This kind of weapon is too dangerous for every possible things.

your next post needs to be an introduction, in the introduction thread that applies to you.

[LRS Guy]

SPOT ON!

"The entire role of the US Army in the Pacific has been sidelined by Mac, who basically let popular history believe that the Pacific was a Marine war. It wasn't. Far more soldiers, far many more amphib landings were made by the Army, which fought over the worse terrain of the American slice of WW2, with the possible exception of the CBI. In my best professional historian's voice "fuck MacArthur" for his semi-incompetent vainglorious leadership and for stealing the valor of his soldiers and sailors."

MacArthur failed to make sure credit was given where it was due. No discredit to our Marine brothers, but the US Army did as much of the heavy lifting in the Pacific as the USMC with d@&& little credit. He also kept the OSS out of his AO due to his dislike of Gen "Wild Bill" Donovan.

[Lefty]

Pray tell, how does a colonel who was then promoted to brigadier general, who spent barely a year on the Western Front, who served as chief of staff and then as an infantry division CO, win 9 of this nation's highest medals for valor? I'll tell you how: he wrote up all the citations himself, then had his mother lobby every contact in Washington she could to promote his career. Then after turning machineguns on WWI vets in Washington, this self-promoting charlatan was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for perpetrating one of the most egregious acts of cowardice in US military history -running away from the Philippines while abandoning his command to Japanese POW camps. McArthur was a self-promoting blowhard, a coward, and a mediocre general at best. I remember perusing Battling Bastards and Corregidor web sites about 12 years ago, gleaning comments from the veterans regarding their take on McArthur. Most considered him a coward. Any other general in any other army at most points in history would have gotten a bullet for what McArthur did. Instead we gave him the medal that most other people have to jump on grenades to get.

One of my history mags did an article on ol' Duggy Mac that was....less than flattering. LOL!

Why? Because the author called it how he saw it based on his actions.

Prior to reading that article, I was not tracking how ol' Duggy made good his exfil from the Phillipines, and when I read that, I was like...

"Huh....WTF!?"

AND the CMH to top it off! Pretty disgraceful imo.

Our leadership strength has been lacking at the General O' level since....a long time imo, not to mention civilian elected leadership.

Guys on the line learn or die, and most opt to learn. ;)

Guys in the rear...not so much.

I will give McArthur the benefit of the doubt on the Phillippines. That was the time that he followed the Commander in Chief's orders. Since he was ordered to go, he could have stayed, but then he would have been used as a huge propaganda tool for the Japanese. Phillippines were going to fall no matter what, so Roosevelt realized that taking McArthur would be a huge public relations nightmare, and demoralizing to the friendlies.

The other part of the removal of Mac from the PI was the request from Australia. With the sudden advance of the Japs Australia was near desperation - all their active units were in North Africa where the situation with Rommel was still in flux. Churchill and Roosevelt, who were not about to withdraw Aussie troops from that front, decided to offer Mac to the Aussies instead. They accepted, Mac was dispatched with wife, son, and their oriental maid, and Australia gave him the welcome Mac felt was his due.

[mortar_guy78]

Mac was a self-aggrandizing douchecanoe.

Just sayin'.

[mortar_guy78]

Probably. But he was a self-aggrandizing douchecanoe as well. Such is life.

[rgrokelley]

What would have Patton done in the Pacific? Something pretty interesting I bet!

Above all, Patton was an armor guy. He might had done some interesting stuff in the Pacific, but it wasn't his expertise. He would have been the same as Chesty Puller against the Japanese. North Africa and Europe worked for him due to his armor/infantry knowledge.