Hey...been wondering about having MacArthur and his posse getting their PT boats sunk while en route away from the Philippines.
Who does the US send to organize their efforts in the SW Pacific? Would Eisenhower be a possibility given his prior service under MacArthur? Or is he destined for Europe at this point?
As for long term ramifications, please try to limit your prognostications to the immediate aftermath in the South-west Pacific Area, as the fact that there would be fewer resources given to the SW Pacific and more allocated to Nimitz in such a scenario is a given. Surely operations would continue in the SWPA, the question is though, to what extent...
Without MacArthur, do the Allies expend as many resources on pacifying Papua New Guinea? IMO these operations seemed rather pointless, especially after Rabaul was neutralized...How much of OTL's campaigns in PNG and the SWPA are undertaken without MacArthur's influence?