July 11th, 2009, 06:57 PM
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Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Holly, Michigan
Posts: 366
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Saluted 22 Times in 13 Posts
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Re: What if MacArthur goes on the offensive in the PI?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Devilsadvocate
I've read all of the Hyperwar stuff on the reinforcement of the Philippines and none of it adds up to the four US divisions, 44 submarines, and 1,000 planes you previously claimed.
Your conclusion that 400 aircraft were "scheduled" to arrive in March, 1942, is in error. The quotation says that "By March, 1942, the War Department planned to have 165 bombers and 240 fighters based in the Philippines." That includes units already there in 1941, and doesn't mean all those planes would be delivered in one month, nor does it mean that deliveries would continue at 400 planes a month.
Nice try, but there is no way the Philippines would be garrisoned with 1,000 modern combat aircraft by the fall of 1942. And Mac's pipe dream of 200,000 well-trained Filipino troops can be discounted. In actual fact, he barely was able to mobilize 80,000 poorly equipped and untrained Filipino troops, which despite their undoubted courage, were more or less worthless against the Japanese troops.
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I finally found the numbers I was looking for. Hap Arnold placed the re-armament of the Philippines on their number one priority list. It was decided that 165 B-17's and B-24's and 230 modern fighters be assigned to the Philippines by the end of 1942. This does not include all of the light, medium and dive bombers, torpedo planes, PBY Catalina flying boats, training, liason and transport aircraft that would naturally have to be sent to make up a well rounded air force. There were no appreciable numbers of aircraft sent to Europe during the last six months of 1941. Everything that could fly was sent either by boat or flown directly to the PI.
Last edited by John Dudek; July 11th, 2009 at 07:04 PM.
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