World War II
- July 26, 1941: Recalled to active service in the United States Army as a Major General.
- July 27, 1941: Appointed Lieutenant General in the Army of the United States and becomes Commanding General of USAFFE (United States Army Forces in the Far East).
- December 1941: Japanese invade the Philippines.
- December 18, 1941: promoted to General in the Army of the United States.
- December 1941–May 1942; Allied forces retreat to Bataan and Corregidor
- February–March 1942: Roosevelt orders MacArthur to leave the Philippines and base in himself in Australia; on March 20, in Terowie, South Australia, MacArthur promises, "I came out of Bataan and I shall return."
- 1942: MacArthur is appointed Supreme Allied Commander, South West Pacific Area. Australian Prime Minister John Curtin gives MacArthur control of the Australian military, which commences the New Guinea campaign.
- 1943: MacArthur implements Operation Cartwheel, the Joint Chiefs of Staff plan to isolate the major Japanese base at Rabaul.
- 1943 – 1944: argues with the Joint Chiefs of Staff regarding reconquest of the Philippine Islands. Chiefs propose bypass; MacArthur appeals to President Roosevelt.
- October 1944: U.S forces land at Leyte and begins reconquest of Philippines.
- December 1944: Promoted to the newly created rank of five star General of the Army becoming second highest ranking active duty officer of the U.S. Army, second only to George Marshall.
- 1944 – 1945: Due to logistics issues the Joint Chiefs decided to invade the Philippine Islands. MacArthur again must fight to convince his superiors to invade the entire Philippine Islands, whereas initial plans call for only an invasion of the south. The Joint Chiefs at last agreed that MacArthur is to invade the Philippine Islands at Leyte Gulf and strike toward Manila.
- February 5, 1945: MacArthur fulfills his promise to return and liberates Manila.
- Summer 1945: in Manila to plan invasions of Japan in October, 1945. Is stunned when the atomic bomb ends the war abruptly, quoted that "this apparatus will make men like me obsolete".
- September, 1945: Presides over the Japanese surrender ceremony and is appointed military governor of Japanese home islands. Threatens the Soviet Union with armed conflict should Red Army soldiers attempt to occupy any part of Japan.
Read more about this topic: Service Summary Of Douglas Mac Arthur, Summary of Service
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