Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-01-31
MacAr+hur's
Resistance
Is Uncanny
Heroic Stand Becomes
a Bit Mysterious
BY HUGH =. JOHNSON

THERE is getting to be some
L thing mysterious almost
uncanny - about MacArthur's
resistance in Bataan. The
exact number of his troops is
not publicly known.
II is frequently said that he
is opposed by hundreds Of thou
sands OF laps as high as 10 10
-2000O0 10 100000
Doubtless there are that
many Japanese soldiers in the
Philippines. But no such force
could be used 70 advantage 10
attack that narrow defensive
front especially when the
mountainous terrain is so nearly
impossible that only a small
fraction Of that force could be
deployed and Unanswered
a large proportion of those
japanese troops must he ON
ploycd in occupying at least the
key points IN LuzOn, Mlndanao
and elsewhere
This docs not dcraCt from
NaCArthurS remarkable per-
formancc because. while tho
force he ConfrontS is not As
great as the figure most
frequently used. the fact re-
mains that the Japanese have
available all the assault troops
they can use tn such a battle
FURTHERMORE. they have
L almost unhampered access
10 supplies, and, if they DO not
have the very necessary element
Of air supremacy, II Is because
they choose 10 use II else
where n
Thus on ordinary military
standards Macarthur : sustained
resistance remains a mystery
and breaks many Of the rules IN
the book Of strategy
Another question. the answer
10 which must hc known 10 tho
war department hut Is A secret
from the general public. Is
where does Macarthur get his
supplies -
There is apparently no open
water 10 Suhlc Bay But he >ull
retains CnrrcGldnr the anchor
10 his left flank. That fortress
has long been stocked with Suf-
hClcnt materials ammunition
food and clothing TO resist a
siege Of months.
Presumably. as long as he can
maintain com m Hn-f-c IONS.
through MarlycleS and across
/ Manila Bay with Corrcgidor. he
/ will not collapse from want Of
| material
a third astonishing thing is
I that troops which have never
been exposed 10 this kind Of fire
and fighting should give such
Superlauve account Of them
selves
While there are a few notable
exceptions y Is almost a general
rule that raw troops coming
for the first time under the
WI'hcrlnC effects Of fire IN
major engagement behave badly
WHEN there have been eN-
w ccpt.onS II is usually be-
r cause Of outstanding profess
Slonal leadership. or because
they are SandWiChcd IN between
veteran formations.
MaCArthur'S performance and
that Of the marines az Wake
Island should not give us cNac-
gcraicd ideas about what 10
expect from these now divisions
We arc so rapidly forming out of
the hundreds of thousands Of
boys We are selecting from civil
life
Those Wake Island marines
were regulars A large part Of
MacArthurs men are Philippine
sCOu : the Islands regular
army over which Douglas has
labored for years.
properly trained and led the
little brown brother makes as
good a soldier As any man IN
uniform. Most Of MacArthur's
other troops are seasoned Amer
/ lean veterans.
But these now formations Of
ours that VIC are getting ready
10 send anywhere on earth.
on the average do not have
much more than 10 per cent of
officers who were IN the service
three years ago.
There simply have not been
sufficient time and equipment
10 bring these troops up tC mod
crn standard.
There IS little 10 say about
the defense of Rataan- eNetpt-tu
marvel Al IT, But there IS 20
be drawn from II this lesson
don't expect another such mar
vol every time our troops go
under fire
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