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World War II Chronicle: 13 December 1941
Unto the Breach ^ | 13 December 2019 | Chris Carter

Posted on 12/13/2019 7:34:34 AM PST by fugazi

The United States' air and naval assets in the Philippines were mostly neutralized in the first 48 hours of the war, so smaller Japanese landings and bombing raids across Luzon Island are met with little resistance. American commanders correctly suspect that these small-scale landings merely diversions for the upcoming main assault.

Meanwhile, Lt. Gen. Masaharu Homma's 43,000-man 14th Army stages at Formosa, Palau, and the Ryukyu Islands, gearing up for their main landing. Left without air or naval support, American and Filipino ground forces are now trapped with no supply lines or means of escape.

Headlines from today's edition, which can be read below:


(Excerpt) Read more at victoryinstitute.net ...


TOPICS: History; Military/Veterans
KEYWORDS: militaryhistory

1 posted on 12/13/2019 7:34:34 AM PST by fugazi
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To: fugazi

MacArthur really booted that one.


2 posted on 12/13/2019 7:41:51 AM PST by Seruzawa (TANSTAAFL!)
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To: Seruzawa

I find it interesting how great of a soldier MacArthur could be, but he also made some really poor decisions. I wonder if he was somewhere else during the war how differently things would have gone.


3 posted on 12/13/2019 8:11:15 AM PST by fugazi
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To: fugazi

I think partly it’s ‘being in the right job at the right time’. Imagine if Patton hadn’t been relieved of command of the 7th Army? Would he have commanded at Salerno? Anzio? Would the US Army have permitted it’s best tank commander to lead an invasion (Italy) where tanks were merely a supporting arm? We’ve done stupider things!


4 posted on 12/13/2019 9:14:28 AM PST by Tallguy (Facts be d@mned! The narrative must be protected at all costs!)
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To: Tallguy

Would the US Army have permitted it’s best tank commander to lead an invasion (Italy) where tanks were merely a supporting arm? We’ve done stupider things!

><

Great point. They knew Patton would not have been best utilized in Italy. And Patton hated Clark.


5 posted on 12/14/2019 10:26:08 AM PST by laplata (He's an evil bastard.minds.)
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