The VINAYAK.RAM & SITA in real splendour.
The life line & FAITH of India, the GANGA flows at HAR KI PAURI.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
GATEWAY TO SHIVA & VISHNU
The VINAYAK.The life line & FAITH of India, the GANGA flows at HAR KI PAURI.
AT THE CONFLUANCE OF GORI GANGA & KALI GANGA
Returning from JAULJIBI Fair. You can see the confluence of KALI & GORI at JAULJIBI in the background.This annual fair is a great attraction in Pithoragarh District of Uttarakhand.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Thursday, October 8, 2009
MY FRIEND BUSY BEE & CENTENARY CELEBRATIONS
Centenary of the Garhwal Rifles
(A tribute to late Behram Contractor popularly known as Busybee.
By
Lt Gen Mohan Bhandari, PVSM, AVSM & Bar, D Litt, FIMA
As we walked up the steep climb from Commandant’s bungalow after a sumptuous lunch towards the Garhwali Mess, Behram & his wife Farzana kept on asking me about the Regiment, Lansdowne & Garhwal. In between, he stopped a couple of times to scribble a few notes in neatly folded sheets of paper that he invariably kept in his jean’s pocket. He made short notes throughout our long sittings. I took them all over our Regimental Centre. Brigadier Grover of Ritz Hotel Mumbai fame had been instrumental in Behram’s visit to Lansdowne to cover in print the preparations of Centenary Celebrations.
Busybee was a lean & thin man with a white crop of hair who wore thick spectacles. Always smiling, he had a leisurely pace but was very sharp & observant. I vividly recall his sharp intellect & uncanny ability to grasp facts & figures. He had an elephant’s memory. He spoke little & reminded me of one of my University Professors. He always saw better things of life & enjoyed whatever he did. He was a great listener. Simplicity was his forte. We spent many hours in the Mess sitting in Gazebo drinking Rosy Pelican beer from Murthal, Sonipat.I took him around the Mess showing him the flooring made entirely of tiny pieces of broken crockery-some of them having regimental crests on them. There I told him about the number of beer bottles I had won as a young subaltern betting with my bachelor friends as to who will locate maximum crests in five minutes flat!
We also sat sipping beer at the dining table manufactured by C. Lazarus & Coy, Calcutta. Then I took him to Billiards Room & showed him the German flag taken out by our Bhulas at Nunquissart, Germany in 1915. In three days, I took them all over the place & did my best to tell him all that I knew of the Regiment & the remote places our Bhulas came from.
We drove together to Delhi in the same car Behram & Farzana had brought. Throughout we continued talking of the Regiment & related things. He was extremely fond of good food. I recall with nostalgia our lunch at a way side Dhaba where he told me that the ‘karhi’ & ‘begun bhurta’ were made extremely well & the ‘tandoori paranthas’ were just super. He declined to have ‘gulab jamuns’ saying that he wanted to retain the taste & not mix it. We reached Delhi at Dorab Ji’s house where Farzana made excellent coffee & served fresh baked biscuits. It was about 6 PM when I parted to arrange for the Press Meet at the Red Fort –location of 5 GARH RIF.While I & my wife met Behram & Farzana a couple of times at the office of Afternoon Despatch & Courier at Fort, Bombay & over lunch at Ritz Hotel in later years- with Brigadier Grover’s hospitality at his very best, I never met Behram again. Behram sent me a few copies of his paper dated 5 May 1987 .Excerpts of his preview of the Centenary celebrations with minor editing are given out in preceding paragraphs
This is a testimony of his love for the Regiment, I am sanguine that the spirit of regimentation, valour, group dynamics, chivalry & camaraderie as witnessed by him will continue to motivate & inspire All Ranks of our illustrious Regiment with a prayer to our Presiding Deity Lord Badri Vishal Lal that we celebrate 200 years of dedicated service to our mother land in 2087 in a befitting manner.
“We were guests of the Garhwal Rifles in their mountain eerie in Lansdowne, 6000 ft in the pine forested hills. We were given the Pauri Suite, a small cottage at the edge of the ridge, with its own private ledge, a not-too-strong railing to stop us from falling into the ravine below.
An officer explained: “This is Dev Bhoomi, the Ganga starts from here. There directly across, as the mountain eagle flies, is Lord Badrinath. It is the Presiding Deity of the Regiment.” The Garhwali battalions have always launched their attacks with the battle cry Badri Vishal Lal Ki –CHARGE!!!!. It is from these hills and mountains that the regiment has recruited its men for 100 years. Men who have won 31 Battle Honours, three Victoria Crosses , one Ashoka Chakra, five Maha Vir Chakras, nine Kriti Chakras, 35 Vir Chakras . The Regiment also has the highest number of gallantry awards won by any single infantry battalion in a single operation; 18 Vir Chakras and one Maha Vir Chakra in 1948 in the Tithwal Sector of Jammu and Kashmir.
There were others officers, some of them had taken leave from their battalion stations and come to Lansdowne to help out with the centenary preparations. You could see the pride for the regiment in all of them. One of them was Lieutenant Colonel Mohan Bhandari, commissioned into the 7th Garhwal Rifles in 1967. A cousin, Lt Bipin Bhatt was in the 8 GARHWAL killed in a mountaineering accident in 1962; an uncle, a major in the RAJPUT Regiment, was killed in battle in the same year. So there was nothing left for Colonel Bhandari but to join the Garhwal Rifles. He was an M.A. in Military Science and Business Management.
ACTUALLY, Lansdowne is a very unique hill-station. Almost the entire town is a military station, with a very small area for the local population. There are no hotels, no restaurants, and no facilities for ordinary tourists. If you want to visit Lansdowne, you have to go as a guest of the Regiment.
We traveled by car from New Delhi in a private taxi kindly hired by the Regiment , leaving the Red Fort, where it has a battalion stationed through Meerut and Bijnore and Moradabad, straight North to Kotdwara, which is the market of the District. The mountains stand directly behind Kotdwara, giving the town a craggy look. The sun was sinking as we began the climb through eucalyptus forests, deodars, pines shedding their needles, the fragrance of crushed jasmines (through there were no jasmine trees around).
You have to go over the final ridge to have a view of the central Himalayas, homes of perennial snow. But it was too dark to see them, too dark to see anything. The road meanders through a maze of bungalows built by British officers at their departure, given to the Regiment. The army never forgets its past, so they are still known by the names of their original owners. Lyell’s, Orton’s, Roberts – a story goes that the last mentioned was building his bungalow across a track that moved to Badrinath; so he was told in a dream not to ignore the dream and went ahead and was struck blind. There is another story of the Regimental Ghost, who continued to visit the Quarter Guard on lonely wintery nights, riding a white charger ordering ‘Grand Rounds’.
The night was eerie and full of jungle sound by the time the car was passing through the main gates with two artillery pieces captured by the Second Battalion in 1917 at the battle of Ramadi from the Turks dominating the driveway. Brigadier Bhullor received us, and then personally conducted us at a brisk trot through the night to the top tier of the ridge housing the famous Garhwali Mess. At an altitude of 6000 feet, up an incline and and having just arrived from the plains, it was not the easiest walk I have had in my life.
Next day, Colonel Bhandari began educating me in the 100 years of history of the Garhwal Rifles.
PRIOR to 1887 , Garhwal did not have a separate Regiment of their own and for many years past Garhwalis were enlisted in the five Regiments of the Gurkhas belonging to the Bengal Infantry and the Punjab Frontier Force.
The proposal to raise a separate Regiment of the Garhwalis was mooted in January 1886 personally by Field Marshal the Hon’ble Sir FS Roberts. VC, KG, GCB, GCSI, GCIE, the then Commander –in-Chief in India, who acknowledged the martial qualities and the distinct entity of the inhabitants of Garhwal. Consequently in April 1887 raising of the 2 Battalion The 3rd Gurkha Rifles was ordered having the class composition of six companies of the Garhwalis and two companies of the Gurkhas.
On May 5 1887, Lt. Col. EP. Mainwaring raised the Regiment at Almora in Kumaon. The Battalion moved on November 4, 1887, to Kalundanda in Garhwal .Kalundanda was subsequently renamed as Lansdowne after the then Viceroy of India. In 1891 the two Gurkha companies moved away to form the nucleus of 2/3 Queen Alexandria’s own Gurkha Rifles and the remaining Battalion was redesignated as the 39th Garhwali Regiment of the Bengal Infantry.
The regiment saw action in the NITI pass area, Chin Hills in Burma, North West Frontier and Chitral between 1889 to 1898 and was awarded Battle Honour “Punjab Frontier”.
The 2nd Battalion the 39th Garhwal Rifles was raised in 1901 and both the battalions were selected to represent the Indian army at the Coronation of King Edward VII. In 1911 again both the battalions of the Regiment represented the Indian army at King George V’s Durbar at Delhi.
During World War I, both the battalions saw action in France as part of the famous Garhwal Brigade and two Victoria Crosses were won, by Naik Darwan Singh Negi and Rifleman Gobar Singh Negi (posthumous). Naik Darwan Singh Negi was the first Indian who received the Victoria Cross from the hands of King Emperor at Locon (France) on March 10, 1915. Battle Honours LA Basse, Armentieres, Festubert, Neuve Chapelle and Aubers, were awarded to the Regiment.
After leaving the Western Front in 1915, the Regiment saw action in Egypt, Mesopotamia and Turkey. The actions of the Regiment were recognized by the award of Egypt, Macedonia, Mesopotamia, Khan Baghdadi and Sharqat as Battle Honours.
The Third and the Fourth Battalion were raised in 1916 and 1918 respectively and saw active service in the Third Afghan War. In recognition of their services, the Regiment was awarded the Battle Honour Afghanistan.
In 1919 the Fourth Battalion took part in operations in Kohat, Tank, Jandoola and Kotkai. At Kotkai the Regiment won its third Victoria Cross when Lieutenant W.D. Kenny was posthumously awarded this highest decoration for gallantry.
On February 2, 1921, on the historic occasion of laying of the foundation stone of the All India War Memorial at New Delhi, (India Gate), the Duke of Connaught announced that, in recognition of the distinguished services and outstanding gallantry during World War I, the King Emperor had confirmed the title Royal on the Garhwal Rifles. The Regiment was thus privileged to wear the Scarlet Lanyard on the right shoulder. This rare honour placed the Regiment among the very few cavalry and infantry regiments which had been thus honoured.
The Shrine of the Regimental Deity, Lord Badrinath, the Regimental War Memorial and Scarlet Lanyard are the three emotionally rallying points for the Regiment and are sources of motivation and fortitude to all ranks of the Regiment, said Colonel Bhandari.
During World War II, five more battalions, 4th (Reraised), 5th, 6th, 7th and Garrison Battalion were added to the Regiment. The entire Regiment was on active service in the Eastern and Western Theatres. Battle Honours Yenangyaung, Monywa, North Arakan, Nagakyedauk Pass, Ramree, Tanugup, Kuantan, Citta-di-Castello, Gallabat, Barentu, Keren, Massawa and Amba Alagi and numerous gallantry awards were bestowed upon the Regiment during this period.
On the parade ground, standing in the shade of a large deodar tree, the Regimental Brass Band was playing Gangotri composed by Subedar Major G.S. Negi. The command guard sweated it out the tarmac in the sun, rifle butts clicking, the tar melting under their stamping boots.
Military Bands and Parades have always affected me. And here it was more than ever- the War Memorial of the Garhwal Rifles, a rifleman standing on the marble pedestal, the Maltese falcon crest of the Regiment, the Regimental Flag, the buglers sounding the fanfare, the sound of a single bugle echoing and re-echoing through the mountains, the rhododendrons in scarlet bloom, the hillside covered in pansies. The Brass Band had all veterans: Naik Subedar Bikram Singh Shah, 19 years with the band. Havaldar Madan Singh Rawat, 24 years playing the French Horn, though he could also play the Trumpet, Clarinet & Saxophone. For our pleasure, Subedar Major G.S. Negi took the band through Colonel Boogey, Over The Waves, Colonel of the Regiment March. A Pipes and Drums Band, at the opposite end of the parade ground then came up and stood at attention, looking for a request. The request was given –La Paloma with the rest of the repertoire.
Next to the parade ground is the Regimental Museum, a repository of Garhwali Battle Honours. Plates taken from Turkish guns, the Victoria Cross, the highest gallantry awards in the British Indian Army, a letter written by Rudyard Kipling, a photo graph of Jaswant Singh Rawat, who halted a complete division of Chinese , Italian SMGs, captured during the Mesopatamia campaign, a scarf of a Japanese Officer. A letter from Field – Marshal Slim: “I have commanded battalions of every regiments of the Indian army, but I never had better one than yours and Snob Taylor’s 3rd Garhwalis, and that is something for such a dyed-in-wool Gurkha as me to say. But it is true, they were splendid.”
But the heart of the Regiment, both living and past is in the Garhwali Mess. It is said that there is nothing like it anywhere in the world. The walls are entirely packed with game trophies -a white lion shot by Caption Tucker in Tanganyika in 1932, a tiger by Mr. Garola, District Forest Officer of Lansdowne, a tiger by Colonel D.H. Loundes in Nepal in 1926. There are snow leopards, black leopards, bisons, thars, barking deers, mountain goats with curling horns, etc. The biggest trophy and one every visitor to the Mess has to see and admire is a Thian Shan Wapiti, a stag with antlers spanning 49 inches; the antlers are in 13 segments, the normal maximum being 12 segments. It was shot in Thian Shan province of China and is said to live for five centuries.
Colonel Bhandari explained: “British officers would walk down the Mess Hill, shoot a few pheasants, and then come back for dinner. There is still a lot of game in the Valley; a panther was seen the day before.”
I spent some time in the library also, the most complete library of its size I have ever come across, reflecting the tastes of the officers of an erudite and liberal Regiment. There were books on dogs and horsemanship, poultry , a handbook on tropical trees, the complete Indian angler, journals of the Bombay Natural History Society , Mammals of India, 20 years in the Himalayas , Fowler, History of British Army in 15 volumes, Polo in India , Indian Insect Life, the assassination of John F. Kennedy.
The Regiment not only read books, but also wrote them. Across the Roof of the World is a masterpiece. There was one by Lieutenant Colonel K. Henderson, written in 1923 after 25 years in Lansdowne, under the guidance of Mrs. Bateman-Champion and verbal assistance of P.C. Kanjilal. It was a guide to gardening in Lansdowne and went into such details as the advantages of having one chisti and one bullock instead of two chistis to fetch water of the gardens. “The local hills bullock is procured from any adjacent village and can be trained in within a fortnight. Care should be taken of the back of the bullock: a well-folded blanket and over it a substantial padding of cotton wool stuffed into sacking and surmounted by two rolls lying on each side of the spine.” There are also instructions on the care of the massaks used for carrying the water. “Grease the massaks at least weekly with melted charbi (mutton suet)”.
The flowing season was just starting in Lansdowne when we left. April and May are the months for flowers sown last years by hundreds of recruits on fatigue duty, both the June-sown perennials and the autumn-sown annuals were in a blaze; sweet peas, pansies in flower-beds along the extremes of the Kalundanda ridge, the first flowering of the roses, the yellow banksias and the white single rose.
Shortly before leaving, we sat in the gazebo with large glass panels shuttering out the cold wind, and had a final look at the mountains, the Mess with its red-tiled roof, gables pointing to the skies, one of them with a TV antennae.
We also said farewell to Rifleman Dan Singh detailed to look after us.He had been a great help, though he continuously folded our things into dark cupboards, neatly packing them away, making us search for them when we needed them. We had also learnt how to hold on to our plates, because food was removed from the tables as fast as it was put there. After the ‘satapbadi ‘he would be joining one of the battalions in the forward areas, he said.
The taxi-driver who had brought us to Lansdowne from New Delhi was a Garhwali. His village was near Lansdowne, so we had let him visit it, spend a night there, while we were in Lansdowne. On the morning of our coming back to Delhi, he returned with a nephew. He had a request, if the Sahib would kindly speak to the Commandant, he would like his nephew to be recruited into the Garhwal Rifles. I did that. And I hope he passes all his tests and recruited.It would be my contribution to the Garhwal Rifles in its centenary year.”
Dear readers I took it upon myself to ensure that the Bhula got recruited in our Regiment & he was! He should be a Subedar by now, hopefully!
Thursday, September 24, 2009
PEACEKEEPING OPERATIONS-UN
For those who wanted something on peacekeeping operations,here is a brief on Cambodia !
Introduction
1. The French converted Cambodia into their protectorate , however , retaining her monarchy. On the verge of defeat in World War II , Japan removed their French collaborators and installed a nominally indepenent Khmer Government under young Norodom Sinhanuk . Although France reestablished contol after World war II , it was only in 1953 that Cambodia gained full independence .
2. Sinhanuk was courted by USA , USSR and China seeking respective influence in the region . Sinhanuk did walk on a neutralist tight rope upto 1968 , but thereafter , the country got involved in one of the worst wars world has ever known with untold and unprecedented miseries to mankind . Consequently , Pol Pot’s dreaded regime was replaced by Heng Samrins’s with Hun Sen as the Prime Minister .
3. Vietnamese troops were pulled out by September 1989 leaving Hun Sen’s regime in a precarious condition . In October 1991 , the warring parties signed the historic Paris Agreement . Sinhanuk returned to Cambodia and was named President .
United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC )
4. Background and Political Angle. Paris agreements were culmination of more than a decade of negotiations . UN was closely involved in these . Vide Resolution No 718 of 31 October 1991 , Supreme National Council (SNC ) was recognised as the unique legitimate authority . Sovereignty , independence and unity of Cambodia was enshrined therein under the Chairmanship of Prince Norodom Sihanuk . FUNCINPEK , KPNLF , PDK and SOC were the principal signatories . SNC delegated all powers to UN to ensure implementation of agreements .
5. UNTAC . With its Headquarters at Phnom Penh , the UNTAC had an authorised strength of 22,000 military and civil personnel . Duration was from March 1992 to 24 Septembner 1993 . The Head of Mission was Yasushi Akashi of Japan . LTG John M. Sanderson of Australia was nomonated as the Force Commander . A record of 47 countries participated and the total fatalities were 78 .
6. MANDATE. UNTAC had the following mandate :-
(a) Human Rights .
(b) Free and fair elections .
(c) Military Arrangements.
(d) Civil Administration
(e) Law and Order.
(f) Repatriation / Resettlement of Cambodian Refugees / displaced personnel .
(g) Rehabilitation of Essential Cambodian Infrastructure .
7. The multidimensional mandate was to have been completed within a period of 18 months , ie , within the transitional period prior to establishment of UNTAC . Security Council decided to establish United Nations Advance Mission in Cambodia ( UNAMIC ) with it’s Headquarters at Phnom Penh . It lasted from November 1991 upto March 1992 .It comprised of a total of 1504 military and civil personnel . The primary aims of UNAMIC were to assist four Cambodian Parties in maintaining cease fire prior to deployment of UNTAC , initiate mine awareness training and educate Cambodian people in mine detection and mine clearance techniques .In March 1992 , UNAMIC was absorbed by UNTAC.
8. Components. UNTAC had seven distinct components , viz , Human Rights , Electoral , Military , Civil Administration , Civil Police , Repatriation and Rehabilitation . To successfully achieve these , the Security Elements had designed to establish check points with Cambodian Borders with Thailand , Vietnam and Laos in Phase I from 15 march 1992 to 12 June 1992 . This was to follow by Phase 2 from 13 June 1992 upto September 1992 affecting cantonment , disarming and demobilising the armies and factions . Closely then was to follow in Phase 3 thereafter the most important action of conducting free and fair elections . Rehabilitation and reconstruction of Cambodia was a concurrent action.
9 Mission Accomplishments. Right from the very start PDK stopped cooperating so much so that they finally abstained from the elections . This grave situation was , however , dealt with very astutely by the UN leadership and PDK was given ample opportunities to return to negotiating table but to no avail . There were a number of cease fire violations resulting in fatalities to UN Peacekeepers and civil population . This notwithstanding , the election process continued . Cantonment , demobilisation and disarming of PDK was suspended . On the whole 55,000 troops were cantoned but later this phase was suspended totally . All components described above did an excellent job within a short period of 18 months . It was an extremely ambitious goal set .The Electoral Component was able to register 4.7 million voters . 4.2 million voters excercised their free franchise in the presence of international community with an over all 90 % turnout . Another highlight was the successful return of 365,000 refugees / displaced personnel . The total expenditure of UNAMIC and UNTAC was a whopping $ 1524 Million . The Rule of Engagement were practical and feasible . Emphasis was on use of total force for crimes against humanity . To retain flexibility , use of force was delegated at appropriate levels . In so far as applicability of Urquhart Critaria is cocerned , UNTAC fits it in all respects except the fact that the mandate was too ambitious .
Critical appraisal
10. UNTAC was a total success because Paris accords were built upon foundations of post cold war international harmony . Also stage was set for UN for political transition to a new Cambodian Government .Cambodia saw a true prospect of hope and return to normalcy after years of struggle. Also the interim authority of Sihanouk was generally agreed to by the parties . The UNTAC’s leadership always kept in mind their vision to succeed focussing on their aim and need for momemtum uppermost . This notwithstanding PDK’s absence from the election scene was a negative aspect of UNTAC . Also in some cases , UNTAC failed to establish effective control over defence , public security , finance , information and foreign affairs - possibly they had too much to chew in 18 months !
11 . Lessons . Some important lessons that come out are :-
(a) Mandate must be practical , pragmatic and feasible .
(b) Tardy deployment may undermine the aims of mission right from the start
(c) Establishment of a neutral political environment is a must .
(d) Civil and Military senior staff must be designated immediately .
(e) UN and member states must provide best professional / technical staff.
(f) For success of a mission there is a need for maintenance of aim , dynamic leadership , patient diplomacy and momemtum always and every time .
(g) Appropriate levels of external support must always exist .
Conclusion
12 . UNTAC was a high point in second generation and multi dimensional peace keeping . Large size and diverse functions were true reflections of a negotiated peace settlement seeking to deal with the conflict in military , social and political dimensions .The electoral work , information , repatriation and educational programmes were well conducted and well received by the people .UNTAC being ambitious notwithstanding was a RESOUNDING SUCCESS .
Gen DOUGLAS Mac ARTHUR-MY VISIT TO WEST POINT
Someone asked me the other day about Gen Douglas Mac Arthur. I have nostalgic memories of my stay at the Theyer's on Hudson River.West Point Academy was next door.A majestic sight & an alma mater of US Army Officers.'Doughy' as his mother called him, remains as my icon & role model. A great captain of war! This is a tribute to him-the Immortal Mortal.
GENERAL DOUGLAS Mac ARTHUR
“A PROFILE IN STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP”
“Supreme amongst the Generals.His combination of strong personality
strategic grasp,tactical skill,operative mobility and vision,put him in
a class above allied commanders in any theatre”
-Sir Basil Liddel Hart
“Unquestionably.....the most gifted man-at arms this nation has produced”
-William Manchester
Introduction.
1. A legend in his life time,General MacArthur brought for over five decades,unmatched credentials of courage , dynamic personality,superior leadership and an extraordinary sense of strategic vision. Since the turn of the century, repeated criticisms of his scholastic and strategic leadership and vision have been withstood by his excellent miltary records and outstanding achievements.From his West Point days until he finally left the shores of Japan , MacArthur`s name had become synonymous as the architect of American victory in the Pacific,ruler of the Land of the Rising Sun and as an epic tactician of the Korean War.
Aim
2. Aim of this paper is to briefly highlight the personality traits of Douglas MacArthur from the military aspect with special reference to his insights of strategic vision and leadership.
Lay Out
3. At the outset it is brought out that this paper is focussed primarily on MacArthur`s military leadership profile when viewed from a strategic aspect .Therefore, it does not, include any controversy that may have surrounded him from time to time.This paper is laid out as follows:-
(a) Early Life.
(b) West Point to World Wars.
(c) Tenure as Chief of Staff.
(d) Return to Phillipines..
(e). Surrender of Japan , Korea and thereafter.
(f) Critical Appraisal.
PART-1 EARLY LIFE
4. MacArthur was born on 26 January 1880 in perfect Army surroundings in Little Rock, Arkansas in a family well steeped in military traditions.A son of an ideal father- -a General and a over possessive mother , MacArthur showed signs of exceptional brilliance and streaks of strategic vision even at a young age.At a young age of four he was baptised under fire by marauding Indians and this early beginning saw him carving his illustrious destiny to bridge the eternity of arms ranging from a primitive arrow to the conflagration of a nuclear bomb.
PART-II WEST POINT TO WORLD WARS
West Point
5. Young MacArthur created records at the West Point and during his entire stay of four years,his mother stayed in a hotel on the campus-another record ! He graduated first in his class and was the first West Point ballplayer to have scored a run against Navy.He was commissioned in Army Corps of Engineers and was posted to Phillipines in 1903.
Early Successes
6. Second Lieutenant MacArthur tasted blood when he volunteered to go on a patrol to mop up a band of brigands called ‘pulajanes’ and it was here when he more or less got enamoured with the queen of the battlefield-the Infantry . In the Yalu River Battle in 1905,young MacArthur saw the Japanese from very close quarters and carried on to witness the height of the massive battle of Mukden.
7. During World War I ,MacArthur was decorated 13 times for extreme bravery under fire . He was wounded twice and gassed . As a Brigadier General at the age of 38 , he was the youngest general of the American Expeditionary Force .As a military leader,he ensured that he would not ask a man to take a chance that he himself was not ready and willing to accept . During both World Wars he served both as a Brigade and Divisional Commander and established a strong reputation for indomitable courage and astute leadership . Between the World wars he was chosen to rejuvinate West Point in 1919 as it’s Superintendent . He did a remarkable job there and his innovative and enlightened approach in re-erecting the edifice from shambles was indeed laudable.
8. A second tenure in Philippines, followed by a tenure as President of the US Olympics Team saw MacArthur in his best skills in leadership and motivation coupled with strategic organizational capabilities.
PART III MacARTHUR AS CHIEF OF STAFF
9. At age 50 , MacArthur was the youngest Chief of Staff in the US Army`s history.His tenure coincided with the Depression period and was marked by conflict over appropriations for the Army.His strategic vision and intuition had told him that there was going to be another major war , that America would be involved in a big way and that the war would be fought by maneouvre and in the sky . MacArthur `s tenure was marked by some of the sorriest scenes of his life when he was tasked to clear out Bonus Army out of Washington.He retired on 15 December 1935.
PART IV RETURN TO PHILLIPINES
10. A strong appeal from President Manuel Quizon , of the Phillipines Commonwealth , to President Roosevelt brought MacArthur back to his playing ground in Phillipines on active duty . Another glimpse of his strategic vision was amply clear when he spoke at West Point prior to his departure,”Let us be prepared,lest we too perish”.
11. MacArthur`s strategic leadership and vision led to making the Phillipines a militarily strong bastion and he was able to make three distinct services .He proposed to train 40,000 Filipino youths every year and also set up a miniature West Point for officers training . MacArthur ,lack of funds from Quezon notwithstanding,was able to put together a proper fighting force as the planet whirled towards World War II.
12. On 26 July,1941,MacArthur was reverted back to active duty with the US Army as a Lieutenent General in command of all American Forces in the Far East ; the Phillipines Army also came under his command .Now began moving the magic wand of MacArthur in uncovering his master strategic strokes , one after another . In his revised plans for the defence of the Archipelago , Macarthur displayed extraordinary strategic thought .It was accepted by Washington straightway.
13. Attack on Pearl Harbour and the delayed commencement of battle for Phillipines led MacArthur`s overall plans awry . However, he was able to withdraw most brilliantly . It was indeed a low point of war . His return to Australia in 1942 made him only more determined to come back to the centre stage of battlefield in the Pacific and his words became famous overnight “ I shall return”.
14. The fall of Buna and Sanananda , towards the end of January 1943 saw the end of the Papuan Campaign and the end of Japanese offensive towards Moresby . MacArthur exploited the Air Force fully and began a strategic concept`s translation in to reality when long term and short term interdiction and air support to ground troops was given in its right earnest . Also , he used Air Force very effectively over Naval Forces in the defeat of Japanese Navy at Coral Sea and Midway . A rapid airlift of an infantry battalion thwarted Japanese attempts to control the famous Bulolo Valley.
15. The “Triphibious and Bypass Strategies” propagated by MacArthur did come for much criticism . However, these became the basic stragegies for MacArthur`s drive from Papua to the Phillipines . He was able to achieve tremendous strategic surprise . He saw opportunities when others saw difficulties and problems . He took calculated risks and virtually gambled on the element of strategic surprise.The Japanese committed their resources piecemeal and he hastened the victory while reducing the number of dead and wounded . MacArthur was able to sweep the enemy and redeem the promises of his countrymen . August 1945 saw the dropping of the atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the end of war with Japan.
PART V SURRENDER OF JAPAN AND THEREAFTER
16. MacArthur , as part of his strategic vision , had proposed to the `powers that be` that Russia should declare war on Japan so that adequate pressure could be exerted from the North.Within hours of dropping of the atomic bomb at Hiroshima,Russia jumped in the fray ! Japan`s unconditional surrender was announced on 15 Aug 1945 and MacArthur was named as the Supreme commander of the Allied Powers . In the final tally , MacArthur`s troops had suffered only 60,000 while the enemy casualties were estimated to approximately 300,000 plus . How characteristically,MacArthur remarked ”From Melbourne to Tokyo was a long road.It was a long,hard road,but this looks like the payoff”.
17. In his Herculian bid to democratise Japan he set his course full steam and started the economic reconstruction of the country . He broke up the trusts , smashed secret police services , freed political prisioners , jailed war criminals , emancipated women , protected and helped develop labour unions and established free speech and a free press.
18. The Republic of Korea was attacked by North Koreans across the 38th parallel on 25 June 1950 and MacArthur was directed by the President of United States to resist the aggression with US Forces in behalf of the United Nations.In the most outstanding of the strategic maneouvres the world has known , MacArthur staggered the North Koreans with the UN landings at Inchon on 15 september 1950 , followed by capture of Seoul - the capital city.This was a masterpiece of his strategic strokes and it broke the back of the North Koreans,the war was decisively won!
19. MacArthur returned to the United States after a gap of almost 14 years to fade away -so he said.He was ordered to handover the commands to Lt Gen Ridgeway . MacArthur had finally turned a civilian on 17 April 1951.
PART VI CRITICAL APPRAISAL
20. MacArthur was indeed a General of exceptional military brilliance and a man of great intellectual ability.No doubt his concepts on warfare and stategies were well ahead of his time.He was a geat proponent of mechanised warfare and a great advocate of extensive use of Air Power in support of the Land forces.His handling of command in the Pacific was beyond description .It displayed his great vision,strategic handling of war and above all the master implementaion of strategic surprise .He indeed was a military genius .
Korea was to be the Pyrrhic victory of his great military career with Inchon Landings as a master stroke out of this world!
Conclusion
21. The long military career of Douglas MacArthur and his dynamic strategic leadership qualities are stamped indelibly on the history of the Pacific for some centuries to come.His inherited qualities of leadership and strategic vision . He grew up to be a great innovator and having powers of tremendous vision and an extra-ordinary sense of intuition . MacArthur was a legend and shall remain so in the centuries to come.
At the start of World War II , in a sea of uncertainty , he became a symbol of victory and remained so till the end of his military career . His articulations of strategic concepts that would guide future conflicts were much ahead of times thus placing him as a man of great intellectual ability.This coupled with his theories on war and his conceptual views on art of modern warfare and strategic surprise made him a great captain of war. Unquestionably,therefore,MacArthur was the most gifted man-at-arms United States had ever produced.
..
“The shadows are lengthening for me.The twilight is here.My days of old
have vanished -tone and tints.....I listen then,with thirsty ears for the witching
melody of faint bugles blowing e reveille,of far drums beating the long roll.
“In my dreams I hear again the crash of guns,the rattle of musketry,the strange
mournful mutter of the battlefield.But in the evening of my memory I come back
to West Point.Always there echoes and reechoes:duty,honor,country.............”
, -General MacArthur speaking at the US Military Academy,1962
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Saturday, August 8, 2009
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