MacArthur

Ballantine's Illustrated History of World War II / the Violent Century: War Leader #2

by Sydney L. Mayer

A pictorial biography of one of the most famous generals in American history.

Genres: Biography, Military History, History, Photography, World War II

160 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1971

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have never really gone into an in-depth study on MacArthur so I appreciated this work and what aspects of his character it brough to light. I think I would have appreciated a bit more of analysis of his character like the Patton book had as I think I grasped a fair understanding of the man here but I didn't get enough of an idea of his motivations but more just his actions. He obviously had a heart for the Pacific Theater, especially that of the Philippines, and didn't support the Germany first idea which was definitely hammered in your head in this one but I think there was just an element missing. However, these books are great at encapsulating the person, weapon or idea of what they are talking about in such a short work so I appreciate that. I really felt his frustration for his requests but he was a general that preserved his troops whether that was out of necessity due to his limitations of material or who he was as a general I don't think was ever really explored here. However, in the end I do like the book and it gave great coverage of his side of the campaign in the Pacific Theatre.

[Matthew De]

I really enjoyed reading about General MacArthur. I found the book gave enough information about General MacArthur to leave the reader wanting to read a more in-depth biography of General MacArthur.

[James Crabtree · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the Ballantine illustrated paperbacks of WWII, this volumes packs a lot of information, photos and maps good information about General MacArthur's prior to WWII, such as his role in the Philippines following the Spanish-American War, the fighting he did during WWI with the AEF, his role in the Billy Mitchell court martial and in suppressing the Bonus March... a lot of material. In fact, this book does an admirable job in telling the story of a man whose life touched so many episodes of the American saga. It does not include a discussion of his role in reconstructing Japan or as Supreme Commander in Korea, but as I understand it, this is covered in a second book in this series.