2 qns in this thread re developemnts in early 1942 in SWPA:
1st- much of the US manpower & materiel to arrive in Australia was originally bound for the Philippines to assist MacArthur, but was then diverted to Australia. These included elements of the 41st Inf Div- esp the 148th &
149th Field Arty Regts (respectively of the Idaho & SD NG- I saw plaques to these outfits at the Darwin Esplanade War Memorial), 52 USAAF A24 divebombers, & the 33rd Pursuit Group with their P-40 Kittyhawks (who helped defend Darwin). There was also the case of the 2nd Bn, 131st Fd Arty Regt (Texas NG) who were sent to Java & became POWs- who were likewise initially to be sent to the Philippines. Now WI these US reinforcements had actually been sent to the Philippines as initially planned, how would they have assisted the US position at Bataan & Corregidor, or would they just have increased the no. of POWs taken by the Japs (just as the 18th East Anglian Div did on Singapore on 15th Feb 1942) ?
2nd- at the same time, the Australian govt had made some very questionable decisions to send small pennypacket task forces from the 8th Div to assist NEI forces in the futile defence of different islands deemed as important to Australian security- Gull Force to Ambon, Sparrow Force to Timor, & also Lark Force in New Britain & New Ireland (again, at Darwin Esplanade, there are plaques to these courageous but ultimately doomed units for their respective stands against overwhelming odds). Of course, all of these taskforces were just over-run when the Japanese steamroller smashed thru south after the fall of Singapore & Java, with these hapless 8th Div soldiers either ending up dead (incl many as victims of Jap atrocities such as Laha airfield on Ambon) or POWs, a large proportion of whom also perished in captivity. Now, WI the remnants of the 8th Div hadn't been split up on such an ineffectual basis, & instead retained for the defence of Australia or sent to New Guinea ?
1st- much of the US manpower & materiel to arrive in Australia was originally bound for the Philippines to assist MacArthur, but was then diverted to Australia. These included elements of the 41st Inf Div- esp the 148th &
149th Field Arty Regts (respectively of the Idaho & SD NG- I saw plaques to these outfits at the Darwin Esplanade War Memorial), 52 USAAF A24 divebombers, & the 33rd Pursuit Group with their P-40 Kittyhawks (who helped defend Darwin). There was also the case of the 2nd Bn, 131st Fd Arty Regt (Texas NG) who were sent to Java & became POWs- who were likewise initially to be sent to the Philippines. Now WI these US reinforcements had actually been sent to the Philippines as initially planned, how would they have assisted the US position at Bataan & Corregidor, or would they just have increased the no. of POWs taken by the Japs (just as the 18th East Anglian Div did on Singapore on 15th Feb 1942) ?
2nd- at the same time, the Australian govt had made some very questionable decisions to send small pennypacket task forces from the 8th Div to assist NEI forces in the futile defence of different islands deemed as important to Australian security- Gull Force to Ambon, Sparrow Force to Timor, & also Lark Force in New Britain & New Ireland (again, at Darwin Esplanade, there are plaques to these courageous but ultimately doomed units for their respective stands against overwhelming odds). Of course, all of these taskforces were just over-run when the Japanese steamroller smashed thru south after the fall of Singapore & Java, with these hapless 8th Div soldiers either ending up dead (incl many as victims of Jap atrocities such as Laha airfield on Ambon) or POWs, a large proportion of whom also perished in captivity. Now, WI the remnants of the 8th Div hadn't been split up on such an ineffectual basis, & instead retained for the defence of Australia or sent to New Guinea ?