Just mulling over that I don't recall this theme being addressed by any parties up here. Was trying to recall a few alternate ideas I'd heard mentioned such as some type of difference in activity and accomplishments by Japanese in the early days at Mindanao, Jolo Island, and perhaps such things as greater U.S. emphasis on troop rescues from the islands using submarines and available aircraft. If this were given some higher level of priority than OTL, without jeopardizing the mission of slowing Japanese imperial expansion, what could have been available to do so?
Would this involve such things as a temporary seizure or increased occupation temporarily of places such as Davao or Jolo, or perhaps of MacArthur placing an emphasis on jumping to Jolo Island and temporarily bypassing Hollandia, not for strategic reasons but for tactical purposes of retrieving more military personnel.
Alternatively, could this have been turned into some exercise in which MacArthur is assuaged somewhat from trying to fully recapture the Phils in return for a capture of Jolo Island early on and an allocation of rescue craft (of various types) and communications equipment (earlier on) for personnel still trapped in the Phils. This would allow him to still save his reputation as a general by an earlier capture of the extreme southernmost Philippine island, while possibly freeing up some equipment/personnel from the campaign to recapture the entire archipelago (of OTL) in favor of a more limited recapture in the short run.
It may have been impossible to retain Jolo more than a short while, would be one possible complication. But how much would MacArthur have been swayed by the chance to save more of his military people in the shorter run, combined with this more limited--but earlier-- success, to postpone a larger campaign to recapture Luzon for a later stage?
Would this involve such things as a temporary seizure or increased occupation temporarily of places such as Davao or Jolo, or perhaps of MacArthur placing an emphasis on jumping to Jolo Island and temporarily bypassing Hollandia, not for strategic reasons but for tactical purposes of retrieving more military personnel.
Alternatively, could this have been turned into some exercise in which MacArthur is assuaged somewhat from trying to fully recapture the Phils in return for a capture of Jolo Island early on and an allocation of rescue craft (of various types) and communications equipment (earlier on) for personnel still trapped in the Phils. This would allow him to still save his reputation as a general by an earlier capture of the extreme southernmost Philippine island, while possibly freeing up some equipment/personnel from the campaign to recapture the entire archipelago (of OTL) in favor of a more limited recapture in the short run.
It may have been impossible to retain Jolo more than a short while, would be one possible complication. But how much would MacArthur have been swayed by the chance to save more of his military people in the shorter run, combined with this more limited--but earlier-- success, to postpone a larger campaign to recapture Luzon for a later stage?
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