Peter J. Dean - MacArthurs Coalition: US and Australian Military Operations in the Southwest Pacific Area, 1942-1945

MODERN WAR STUDIES

Theodore A. Wilson
General Editor

Raymond A. Callahan
Jacob W. Kipp
Allan R. Millett
Carol Reardon
Dennis Showalter
David R. Stone
James H. Willbanks
Series Editors

US and Australian Operations in the
Southwest Pacific Area, 19421945

Peter J. Dean

University Press of Kansas

2018 by the University Press of Kansas
All rights reserved

Published by the University Press of Kansas (Lawrence, Kansas 66045), which was organized by the Kansas Board of Regents and is operated and funded by Emporia State University, Fort Hays State University, Kansas State University, Pittsburg State University, the University of Kansas, and Wichita State University.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Dean, Peter J. (Peter John), 1974 author.

Title: MacArthurs coalition : US and Australian operations in the Southwest Pacific area, 19421945 / Peter J. Dean.

Description: Lawrence : University Press of Kansas, 2018. | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2017054865 | ISBN 9780700626045 (hardback) | ISBN 9780700626052 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: Allied Forces. South West Pacific Area. | United StatesMilitary relationsAustralia. | AustraliaMilitary relationsUnited States. | MacArthur, Douglas, 18801964. | World War, 19391945Pacific Area. | World War, 19391945Australia. | World War, 19391945United States. | World War, 19391945CampaignsPhilippines. | World War, 19391945CampaignsPacific Area. | Theater of war. | BISAC: HISTORY / Military / World War II. | HISTORY / Australia & New Zealand. | HISTORY / United States / 20th Century.

Classification: LCC D767.95 .D43 2018 | DDC 940.54/265dc23.

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017054865.

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data is available.

Printed in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

The paper used in the print publication is recycled and contains 30 percent postconsumer waste. It is acid free and meets the minimum requirements of the American National Standard for Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials Z39.48-1992.

For Madeline
Forever our little sweetie pie

T HIS BOOK HAS HAD A RATHER LONG JOURNEY . Its genesis was in my biography of Lt. Gen. Sir Frank Horton Berryman. Berryman spent more time working with the US military in the Southwest Pacific Area (SWPA) than any other senior Australian officer. While completing his biography, I marveled at the wealth of material available on the US-Australian relationship in the SWPA and wondered why there was no specific book on this topic. From here I realized that I might as well combine this material with my long and ongoing interest in the US-Australian alliance and my passion for the Pacific War.

I started this project while working at the University of Notre Dame Australia. The university generously provided me with a research sabbatical in the second half of 2011 to travel to the archives in the United States. This trip was generously funded by a grant from the United States Studies Centre at Sydney University. While on this trip, I was offered a position at the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre (SDSC) at the Australian National University (ANU). I returned from my sabbatical early to move to Canberra, and with a much more generous research allocation in the new job, I planned to complete this project in twelve to twenty-four months. Alas, that was not to be. The journey to the completion of this book took a number of related but parallel paths. In between then and now, I have edited five books: three on Australia and the Pacific War, one on Australian defense policy, and another on the US-Australian alliance, among a number of other projects.

While each of these projects pulled me away from writing this book, they were enormously helpful in forming my ideas and developing my knowledge and skills. Most significant, they were instrumental in forming new research partnerships and friends. The utility of the Pacific War books is well demonstrated by their liberal use in the footnotes for this work, and I am grateful to all of the authors who were part of these projects and the great work that they did, in particular David Horner, Garth Pratten, Karl James, Ian Pfenningwerth, Mark Johnston, Horoyuki Shindo, and Kevin Holzimmer. In addition to other research tasks, in the intervening five and a half years I have also been a program convener, a director of studies, an associate dean (twice), and a head of department. During this time, my MacArthur book, as it was colloquially known, became a somewhat mystical beast, hovering over me. Im exceptionally pleased that I got there in the end.

Any good historical work must be grounded in deep archival research, and this book would not have been possible without the help of the staff at a number of Australian and overseas archives, libraries, and institutions. Sir Frank Berrymans son Richard and daughter Ann allowed me continued access to their fathers personal papers. The staff at the Australian War Memorial, the National Archives of Australia, the US National Archives, and the US Army and US Navy archives, as well as the Douglas MacArthur Memorial Archives in Norfolk, Virginia, were all exceptionally helpful. A special thanks goes to John Moremon.

A special note must be made of the support of Roger Lee and the Australian Army History Unit (AHU). Like the USSC, the AHU and the ANU provided financial assistance to support the research of the book, making an exceptionally valuable contribution to this project. Tristian Moss did a wonderful job searching archives and collection records on the operations in New Guinea in 1943, and Jay Vlazlovski did a great job of reviewing the manuscript and preparing it for the publisher. Kay Dancey, Jenny Sheehan, and Karina Pelling at the College of Asia and the Pacific Cartography unit once again did a fabulous job with the maps. I would also like to offer thanks to Joyce Harrison, Mike Kehoe, Kelly Chrisman Jacques, Don McKeon, and the team at the University Press of Kansas (UPK). UPK showed great enthusiasm, patience, and support for this work.

My thanks also extend to my colleagues at the SDSC. They have created a most collegial atmosphere built on a spirit of cooperation, mutual respect, hard work, and dedication. In particular I owe a great debt to Brendan Taylorboss, mentor, and most important a great friend. A special note goes to Rhys Crawley and Joan Beaumont, who were particularly supportive of my family and me over the last year and a half. David Horner, as always, was generous with his time, thoughts, and insights. Karl James was always keen to swap insights on the Papua and New Guinea campaigns and, along with the rest of the YMMHA, was always available for a beer. Thanks go to Richard Frank, Jonathan Fennel, Peter Williams, and an anonymous reviewer who read the manuscript and made important comments and corrections.

I would not have been able to complete this project without the encouragement, patience, guidance, and humor of my family, especially my wife, Sarah, and my three children, Flynn, Jessica, and Maddie. You continue to provide me with wonderful care, love, and comfort. My most special thanks go to my immediate family: my sister, Sharon, whose love and support I can always rely on; my parents, John and Ann; and Victoria and John and all the Warmsleys for their wonderful support. They have all provided me with unconditional love and support, and I am deeply grateful.