In life, we often encounter a kind of person, who does not look at the achievements and hardships of others, but criticizes the faulty stubble, and even tries every means to embarrass people, which is what we often call "committing villains". Among the famous generals of World War II, there were also such people, and MacArthur, out of revenge for Pershing and others, did everything possible to make it difficult for Marshall's promotion.
In 1933, Marshall was transferred to the National Guard in Chicago by a simple order, and President Roosevelt's intervention in the matter was fruitless. That is to say, Marshall's military career was declared over, and this result made him extremely depressed, not laughing once in 3 months, but a strong sense of responsibility drove him not to see the "villain" in general.
"It is gold that will shine", after 3 years the peak loop turns.
To Marshall's slight relief, after this incident, many friends and superiors were complaining about him, and even President Roosevelt and the Secretary of War personally intervened. The arrogant MacArthur was unmoved, and even threatened: "He is doing a good job, but he will have to wait 3 years for promotion." At the end of the day, he was in the army chief of staff position, and promotion was impossible.
This blatant retaliation made all those who cared about Marshall realize that MacArthur was a complete "villain". Such a result made Marshall feel much better in his heart. Explain his efforts, everyone is recognized and satisfied, he should not work with resentment, the better the work, the more the "villain" is scolded.
He went to the 33rd Division of the National Guard as a senior instructor. Although it is an irregular force, it is also a quasi-disciplined force, and the maintenance of social order is its main task. Marshall first toured the units with the division commander, and the situation was shocking: the officers and men were getting by, the attendance rate was low, the training subjects were disorganized, and the division commander entrusted Marshall with rectification.
How to lead the troops is a "piece of cake" for Marshall. On the one hand, he straightened out the ranks of officers, and whoever tried his best to do so would be given another opportunity if there was a mistake, and those who did not make an effort were immediately transferred; on the other hand, he adopted various incentives for the soldiers and strictly disciplined them. And, of course, there's Marshall's personal demonstration.
Soon, the 33rd Division of the Guard became an excellent local security force. At the same time, the social unrest caused by the economic crisis, Marshall had to face unemployed workers, tense labor relations, etc., he used superb mediation skills, resolved many problems, and was highly praised by the local media.
After three years, Marshall's desire to return to the army remained strong, and finally waited until the expiration of MacArthur's term. Because of his arrogance and lack of attention, even the president does not pay attention to it. Immediately after his expiry, he was sent to the Philippines with the rank of major general as a military adviser, while Marshall was promoted to brigadier general and returned to the army.
"Bitter endeavor", Marshall moved to the top leadership position of the Army.
In September 1936, Brigadier General Marshall's family came to Washington happily, and he went to the post of brigade commander, grasping training and conducting exercises. Because he has been keenly aware that tensions in Europe will inevitably spill over to the United States, and although there is still a singing and dancing atmosphere at home, soldiers must always be vigilant against war.
Roosevelt is worthy of being a far-sighted politician, and after solving the domestic economic crisis, he is also very worried about the deteriorating international situation, although there is a "Chinese legislation" that restricts his "hands and feet", but for the interests of the United States, strengthening armament is a top priority, and he needs senior military officials who also have this vision, Marshall is.
In 1938, Marshall was transferred to the Army Staff as Deputy Chief of Staff and Concurrently Chief of The Battle Planning Division. This position made him suddenly become an important person in the official field, and there were more things to be sent to, but he always focused on army building. You know, the U.S. Army at that time was only 150,000 people, and the funding was seriously insufficient.
He proposed a plan to expand the army, but in the United States at the time, it was difficult to pass in Congress. Marshall only wanted to be a "pure soldier" and didn't want to deal with politicians. But the reality is that without their support, he doesn't even have a place to display his talents. Fortunately, with the help of Pershing and others, a year later, Marshall became the chief of staff of the army.
In 1939, when World War II broke out, Roosevelt's "Fireside Statement" on the third day reiterated the neutrality of the United States and prohibited the supply of weapons to the belligerents. Marshall naturally understood the president's "helpless move", and although he preached the importance of expanding armaments, politicians are politicians, "rather than lose the war than lose their votes".
With the surrender of France, more than 300,000 British and French troops were driven back to the other side of the English Channel. This incident, for politicians in the United States, is undoubtedly a "blow to the head" and sobered up. In their view, the fall of Europe would necessitate the United States to protect the Atlantic and Pacific fronts with a naval fleet, and at that time the United States would not be able to stand alone.
As a result, American society took a 180-degree turn and supported the government's reinvigorated armaments.
The expansion plan that had been opposed in the past, even before Roosevelt agreed, Congress passed it by a large margin, and the senators also passed the Army Supplement Bill to legalize aid to British weapons. Marshall could ship 500,000 rifles, 80,000 machine guns, and 900 artillery to Britain within 48 hours, which can be described as "sending charcoal in the snow".
With the help of the United States, Britain survived the most difficult times. Germany was less likely to invade Britain and instead launched an invasion of the Soviet Union, and roosevelt decided to aid the Soviet Union under the Lend-Lease Act. Marshall was busier, not only to hasten the expansion of his own army, but also to take into account the military assistance of his allies.
On December 7, 1941, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor and the United States officially declared war. What made everyone angry was that they did not realize that Japan would attack Pearl Harbor, but what was not wrong was that Japan launched an attack on the Philippines and other Southeast Asian countries almost at the same time, and captured the Philippines at the cost of only a few thousand casualties.
At this time, MacArthur became the focus of discussion, some people hoped that he could "swear to die and die with the troops", even Roosevelt had this idea, MacArthur, with his status as a "second generation official", often caused him some trouble, especially the opposition, often used him to interfere with Roosevelt's policies, which was a headache.
Of course, Marshall also knew that MacArthur, who had been so happy, blew the cowhide into the sky and took him out, and public opinion would surely praise the "hero who resisted to the end" and even threaten his position. But he believed that MacArthur was still a good soldier, and he persuaded Roosevelt to promote him to four-star general and go to Australia.
Disappointingly, MacArthur not only did not have a word of thanks, but went around claiming that he insisted on resisting in the Philippines, did not receive timely reinforcements, and must have been behind someone behind the scenes. In other words, the failure of the Philippines is not his fault, and it should be blamed on Marshall, the army chief of staff responsible for the deployment of military supplies.
"The little man is the little man", their mode of thinking is that everything I do is right, and the mistakes are someone else's. They cannot understand the virtue of others to complain, and always think that others should do this, but whenever something offends him, he will hate him for a lifetime, and it is an inevitable move of such people to suppress people with power and revenge.
If Marshall hadn't picked MacArthur out, what would have happened to him?
Discussions and comments are welcome.
bibliography:
World War II, Marshall
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