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MacArthur, Douglas. Gen. Douglas MacArthur biography
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MacArthur, Douglas (1880-1964), was the general in command of the Allied forces in the Pacific during World War II (1939-45). One of America's greatest generals, MacArthur fought the Japanese in New Guinea and the Philippines. On September 2, 1945, MacArthur officially accepted Japan's surrender to the Allies.
Douglas MacArthur was born in Little Rock, Arkansas. He was the son of a famous soldier General Arthur MacArthur. In 1903, Douglas MacArthur graduated first in his class from the Military Academy at West Point. In 1917, when the United States joined the Allies in World War I, MacArthur served as chief of staff of the 42nd (Rainbow) division in France.
The war over, MacArthur returned to West Point, as superintendent of the Military Academy from 1919-1922. In 1930, he was made a general and became the youngest chief of staff that the United States army had ever had. In 1935, Mac-Arthur was appointed military adviser to the Philippines, to prepare them against possible military attacks from Japan.
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Gen. Douglas MacArthur was one of
America's leading generals during and after World War II. In September
1945, on board the United States battleship Missouri, he is seen signing the
Japanese surrender document that officially ended World War ll. |
When the United States joined the Allies in World War II in 1941, MacArthur
was made commander of all American forces in the Far East. In December 1941, the
Japanese invaded the Philippines. MacArthur's forces had to retreat to the
Bataan peninsula. In 1942, President Franklin Roosevelt ordered MacArthur to
leave his troops and go to Australia. By 1944, MacArthur's armies had beaten the
Japanese in New Guinea. He then returned to the Philippines with his forces and
defeated the Japanese there.
After accepting the Japanese surrender, MacArthur commanded the military
occupation of Japan. In 1950, when the Korean War started, MacArthur became
commander of the United Nations force in Korea A year later, he suggested that
his forces should attack mainland China. President Harry Truman did not agree
and MacArthur was relieved of his command.
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