Redemption: MacArthur and the Campaign for the Philippines

Redemption is a sweeping new history of the largest and costliest campaign waged by US armed forces during the Pacific War. Peter Mansoor surveys the course of the Philippines campaign, from the Japanese invasion and the Filipino guerrilla operations which contested occupation to the US Army's return to Leyte and the subsequent battles of liberation. Central to the book is a re-evaluation of the leadership of General Douglas MacArthur, one of the most controversial military commanders in US history. At times brilliant, courageous, and politically astute, MacArthur was also egotistical, publicity hungry, often ignorant of conditions at the front, and self-certain to a fault. In their return to the Philippines, MacArthur and his forces liberated millions of Filipinos and severed a critical Japanese resource lifeline. But he also achieved something much rarer – redemption on the same ground and against the same enemy that defeated him earlier in the war.

Table of Contents:
Preface; Note on the Text; 1. Catastrophe; 2. The Long Road Back; 3. The Resistance; 4. The Decision; 5. Leyte Gulf; 6. The Battle for Leyte; 7. The Invasion of Luzon; 8. The Battle of Manila; 9. Clearing Luzon; 10. The Central and Southern Philippines; 11. Rebirth; Acknowledgements; List of Figures; List of Maps; List of Abbreviations; US Division Nicknames; A Note on Sources; Endnotes; Index.

About the Author :
Peter R. Mansoor is a retired US Army colonel and the General Raymond E. Mason Jr. Chair of Military History at The Ohio State University. His previous books include The GI Offensive in Europe: The Triumph of American Infantry Divisions, 1941-1945 (1999) recipient of the Society for Military History and Army Historical Society distinguished book awards.

Review :
'An exceptional study of the leadership and command exercised by General Douglas MacArthur in the largest military campaign in the Pacific War - the triumphal return of U.S. forces to the Philippines. Written by Professor Peter Mansoor, one of the foremost soldier-scholars of our time (and my Executive Officer during the Surge in Iraq), Redemption is a compelling, fascinating, and enthralling examination of MacArthur's exercise of strategic command – one that includes a particularly superb account of the often overlooked and important contribution of the Filipino guerrilla movement to the overall campaign. Redemption is a must read for all readers interested in leadership, history, and warfare!' David Petraeus, US Army (Ret.); former Commander of the Surge in Iraq, US Central Command, and Coalition Forces in Afghanistan; former Director of the CIA; and author of the New York Times' bestseller, Conflict: The Evolution of Warfare from Ukraine to Gaza 'Peter Mansoor's Redemption is a brilliantly written and meticulously researched account of the savage battles to liberate the Philippines. His moving narrative brings to life the heroism of American naval and ground forces, the grit of Filipino resistance forces, and the under-appreciated skill and cunning of the controversial General Douglas MacArthur. A tour de force of military history and a much needed reappraisal of the entire battle for the Philippines.' Victor Davis Hanson, the Hoover Institution, Stanford University and author of The Second World Wars 'Dozens of archives inform this comprehensive operational history of the US side of the two-part Philippine Campaign. Mansoor highlights MacArthur's redemption, after suffering the greatest US defeat in World War II in the first part, by returning to lead the second part, producing the costliest US victory in the Pacific.' Sarah C. M. Paine, author of The Japanese Empire 'This is a well written, enormous advance in our grasp of the role of the Philippines in the Asia Pacific War. The sturdy foundations rest on comprehensive research and a wide-angle view of not only the air, land and sea battles, but also the multifaceted civilian experience of resistance, collaboration, and everything in between. It is judicious about the ever-controversial Douglas MacArthur and path breaking in emphasis on the agency of the Filipinos in mastering their own fate.' Richard B. Frank, author of Tower of Skulls: A History of the Asia Pacific War 'Peter Mansoor applies his talents as a historian and professional soldier (two tours in Iraq) to bear on Douglas MacArthur's World War II generalship. Unsparing in criticism, Mansoor's account acknowledges MacArthur's genuine talent and demanding leadership in fighting and winning the 'I Shall Return' campaign under the war's most trying conditions.' Allan R. Millet, Director, Eisenhower Center for American Studies, University of New Orleans