Re: MacArthur [Was: Slow period for list]

[Love Shack <Home@DanSources.com>]

The Dutch had British supplied Brewsters plus several directly from the US.
....just read a whole bunch on this.  They were everntually all shot down
remaining
captured by the Japanese.  They were competitve and gave a good accounting.

The reason why the Finns were more successful was because the climate was much
cooler(colder)
and they reversed the Last Piston ring in on the Pistons to reduce crankcase
pressure.
The numberone problem of the CW 1920 was at full output blew hot oil from the
seals.

AGAIN... the Dutch did more with less then Mac did in the Phillipines..
The more I learn about MacArthur the more it just amazes me how he survived
to manage the Korean War.

DF


Marc James Small wrote:

> At 02:25 PM 12/20/02 -0500, Love Shack wrote:
> >I get the feeling the books on MacArthur are gentle on his decisions.
> >
> >The Dutch during WW2 were in the Pacific area as well.
> >They seemed better prepared to fight the Japanese then the Americans.
> >The air combat records show this and that the Dutch fought with Distinction
> >Reading about their Air Combat leads me to believe that the Americans
> >ignored provacations by the Japanese.
> >
> >We were caught on the Ground in the Phillipines.
> >There was no LOGICAL rotation of aircraft or preparation for an attack.
> >The one time we were in the air against the Japanese wiped us out
> >on one large air battle. That is just BAD planning for a Professional
>
> Hmm.  Actually, the Dutch were much more understrength than was the US
> military in the Philippines:  it had, after all, been stripped to defend
> Holland in the spring of 1940, before the German invasion of the home
> country.  Thus, other than a single submarine attack and the flaming
> failure of the Battle of the Java Sea, the Dutch accomplished almost
> nothing at the outset.  By 1943, however, they had developed a fine thuogh
> quite small military force which contributed greatly in that year and the
> next to the reconquest of New Guinea.
>
> The Dutch have almost no air cover in the NEI.  Such air cover as was
> present consisted of the air cover promised to USAFFE but diverted due to
> the Navy's refusal to supply the Philippine garrison.  (Remember, the first
> US CV, Langley, was sunk carrying P-40's to Java, as the Dutch had almost
> no aircraft of their own.)
>
> And it was the Finns who did well with the Brewster Buffalo.  The Dutch did
> not have any.
>
> Marc
>
> msmall@infi.net  FAX:  +276/343-7315
> Cha robh bąs fir gun ghrąs fir!