Which military commander famously declared 'I shall return' upon being ordered by President Roosevelt to evacuate the Philippines to Australia in March 1942, fulfilling his promise at Leyte in October 1944?
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: D. Douglas MacArthur
- Step 1: As Japanese forces overran the Bataan Peninsula, General Douglas MacArthur was ordered by President Roosevelt to break through Japanese naval blockades via PT boat to Australia.
- Step 2: Upon arriving in Adelaide on 20 March 1942, he publicly pledged 'I shall return'; he triumphantly waded ashore at Leyte Island in the central Philippines on 20 October 1944.
Answer
Douglas MacArthur
Why not the others: 'Chester W. Nimitz' Admiral Nimitz was Commander in Chief of the US Pacific Fleet, directing naval carrier operations across the Central Pacific; 'Dwight D. Eisenhower' Eisenhower was Supreme Commander Allied Expeditionary Force in Europe, directing operations Overlord and Torch; 'George S. Patton' Patton commanded the US Third Army in Europe, renowned for rapid armored breakouts across France and Germany.
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