A 1942 thread inspired by a book I read at Borders...

OK, this idea would probly be ASB, but I just read in a book about 1942 today at Borders, re the allied sitn in the Pacific, that in hindsight it'd have been more prudent for the colonial powers & the US to have withdrawn ALL their troops from attempting to hopelessly defend the colonial possessions in SE Asia, instead removing them to Australia where they'd have been of greater effect instead of being compelled to fight in hopeless conditions under poor leadership- ie, all the 85,000-odd British, Indian & AIF troops from Malaya-Singapore, the 12,000 ABDA defenders of the NEI, & the 32,000 US defenders of the Philippines. Of course, such a mass withdrawal would've been unthinkable politically, givent he allied govt's imperative to fight for their respective territory. But, any ASB issues aside, what would've been the effect of such a massive allied troop withdrawal from SE Asia to Australia ?
 

Art

Monthly Donor
Colonial War retreat

Well, remember we are talking about really mixed forces here, about 4 seperate groups in the Malasian army alone. Plus, I don't think there was enough transports to move them, even if they'd prepared before the war. If you could've withdrawn the American Division and Phillipine Scouts, and then ordered the rest of the Philippine Army to conduct guerilla warfare...
 
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