The Aussie Morotai Mutiny of April 1945

[SaparotRob]

The landing at Incheon was a brilliant move. I wonder though how many senior officers might have come up with the same plan. This was five years after the greatest series of amphibious operations ever undertaken. The USN controlled the seas. UN air forces controlled the sky. I'm not well read on land actions. There's an American Civil War general who would say "Hit 'em on the ends" and "Be there the firstest with the mostest". (I somehow can't see Mac reading Sun Tsu.). These concepts weren't foreign to UN staff.
I think Mac also believed the campaign would end before winter clothing would be needed. Even I heard that one before.

 

[swampyankee]

The landing at Incheon was a brilliant move. I wonder though how many senior officers might have come up with the same plan. This was five years after the greatest series of amphibious operations ever undertaken. The USN controlled the seas. UN air forces controlled the sky. I'm not well read on land actions. There's an American Civil War general who would say "Hit 'em on the ends" and "Be there the firstest with the mostest". (I somehow can't see Mac reading Sun Tsu.). These concepts weren't foreign to UN staff.
I think Mac also believed the campaign would end before winter clothing would be needed. Even I heard that one before.

I know; amphibious landings were hardly a novel concept for the US. One may even notice that they had an entire service devoted to just that.

I don't think MacArthur was either stupid or cowardly; many of his failings are only in retrospect.

 

[nuuumannn]

There were significant flaws in NASA's Shuttle safety culture.

Slightly off topic, but the more I learn about the Space Shuttle, the more I learn that it was a death trap. Its crews were extremely brave for doing what they did because the safety features aboard were essentially non existent. If things turned pear shaped at any aspect of the mission, they were screwed. Even Mercury and Vostok had an escape plan on launch, the Shuttle didn't even have that.

 

[gjs238]

Slightly off topic, but the more I learn about the Space Shuttle, the more I learn that it was a death trap. Its crews were extremely brave for doing what they did because the safety features aboard were essentially non existent. If things turned pear shaped at any aspect of the mission, they were screwed. Even Mercury and Vostok had an escape plan on launch, the Shuttle didn't even have that.

Too many compromises in the original 1970's design.
This was always known but not publicized.
To mitigate the poor design great care needed to be taken.
They then had a great run of luck and became careless.
The luck ran out and without the great care being taken to mitigate the poor design fate intervened.
You reap what you sow.

 

[swampyankee]

Too many compromises in the original 1970's design.
This was always known but not publicized.
To mitigate the poor design great care needed to be taken.
They then had a great run of luck and became careless.
The luck ran out and without the great care being taken to mitigate the poor design fate intervened.
You reap what you sow.

MIT's OCW program had a series about this: Aircraft Systems Engineering | Aeronautics and Astronautics | MIT OpenCourseWare

 

[swampyankee]

MacArthur was definitely a complicated figure. I just agreed with opposing views.
The problem I have with the General is his firing on unarmed veterans and being a glory hog. IIRC he reprimanded a junior general for doing the right thing and allowing himself the credit. Can't remember that general's name. Way back when I worked in manufacturing. I always made sure a subordinate got the credit for a good idea. If it didn't work, well, my fault. I was in charge.

Hoover ordered the protesters cleared out; the Army sent troops to do so. When they returned, the DC Police shot and killed two of the members of the Bonus Army. Then Hoover ordered MacArthur to clear them out, with the typical paranoia that all protests must be inspired and controlled by bolsheviks*. After the Bonus Army was cleared from Anacostia, Hoover ordered MacArthur to stop, an order he disobeyed.

----
* This is, bluntly, the same sort of idiocy that prevailed in just about any case where people who perceive themselves to be oppressed or otherwise maltreated by the government takes. I'm sure the Spartans said the same thing about the troubles with the Helots. Bolsheviks may have been involved, but a) their involvement may have been opportunistic, b) individual bolsheviks may have been involved, or c) bolsheviks weren't involved, and the police and domestic intelligence agencies just decided it's a protest, so the bolsheviks must be the cause.

 

[gjs238]

Hoover ordered MacArthur to stop, an order he disobeyed.

Sounds like a foreshadowing.

 

[swampyankee]

Sure, but Guadalcanal was an American victory.

Guadalcanal was an American victory with high costs. The relief the Philippines would be a long, strongly contested action, probably proportionately more expensive than Guadalcanal.