![]() ![]() Japanese snipers remained active while small-arms and mortar fire continued throughout the day. The heaviest fighting took place on Red Beach, but by early afternoon, MacArthur’s men had secured the area. At 10 a.m., his troops stormed ashore on Leyte, an island in the central Philippines. Roosevelt, who ultimately sided with MacArthur.įinally, on October 20, 1944, MacArthur made his long-anticipated return. The dispute went all the way up to President Franklin D. MacArthur objected strenuously, both on strategic grounds and upon his belief that the United States had a moral duty to the people of the Philippines. Navy wanted American forces to bypass the Philippines and invade Formosa (now Taiwan) instead. By late 1944 he was poised to fulfill his promise-until an interservice battle threatened to derail his plans. From then on, the Philippines “constituted the main object of my planning,” MacArthur said. After reaching his destination, he vowed to liberate the Philippines, famously proclaiming, “I shall return.”īy April 1942, Japanese units advancing across the Philippines forced beleaguered Allied troops there to surrender. In March 1942, with Japanese forces tightening their grip around the Philippines, MacArthur was ordered out of the islands for Australia. Army Forces in the Far East, including all American and Filipino troops in the Philippines. In July 1941 he had been named commander of U.S. MacArthur’s return was the high point of his war. But what really happened is even stranger than these misguided rumors. Those who were present say neither of these oft-repeated stories is true. Stories persist that MacArthur, no stranger to controversy or drama, staged the photos by coming ashore several times until the cameraman got the perfect shot, or that the photos were posed days after the actual landings. Iconic photos often have their own stories-some real, some myth.įor more than 76 years, questions have swirled around the famous photos of General Douglas MacArthur’s beach landings-first on Leyte, then on Luzon-as American troops returned to liberate the Philippines. Shore Party: The Truth Behind the Famous MacArthur Photo Close
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