Question

Douglas MacArthur was the commander of the Allied forces in

Answer 1

...the Pacific.

Answer 2

The Pacific is right . Do you need a year or anything ?

Answer 3

MacArthur was not in command of all Allied forces in the Pacific during the Second World War. Supreme command was divided between the Army and the Navy. General Douglas MacArthur was commander of the Southwest Pacific Area, and Admiral Chester Nimitz of the Navy was commander of the Pacific Ocean Area. There was a certain dividing line between the two areas.

MacArthur was in supreme command of all Allied forces during the occupation of Japan, after hostilities ended, and supreme commander of all Allied forces during the first part of the Korean War, until he was relieved by President Truman in 1951.

Answer 4

MacArthur was in command of the ground forces, while Nimitz commanded those on the sea - what is the "specific dividing line" to which you refer?

Answer 5

That is not the case, alwaysautumn. MacArthur was in supreme command of both land and naval forces within his sphere, and the same was true of Nimitz. It's sort of like the fact that today there is always a supreme commader in any theater, but he may come from any branch of the military.

For example, the commander of Central Command, which included the main theater of operations in the Iraq War, was General Tommy Franks of the Army when the Iraq War began. But a little later the post was held by Admiral William Fallon of the Navy, and is presently held by General James Mattis of the Marine Corps. The supreme commander of a theater commands ALL forces, of any service branch, when they are in theater, and reports directly to the Joint Chiefs in Washington.

MacArthur was made supreme commander in the Southwest Pacific, a region that generally included Australia, the Phillipines, New Guinea, Borneo, et cetera. It naturally did include most of the land forces involved at least in the early stages of the war in the Pacific. Nimitz was given supreme command in the remainder of the Pacific, which included Hawaii, Midway, and of course a great deal of ocean. A specific geographical dividing line was established between the two theaters, but I couldn't tell you where it was. No doubt Google can help.

Answer 6

Carl, no doubt you know what you're talking about, but what I've learned personally and reliable sources, such as this excerpt from history.com, seem to contradict you: "On January 3, 1945, in preparation for planned assaults against Iwo Jima, Okinawa, and mainland Japan, Gen. Douglas MacArthur was placed in command of all U.S. ground forces and Adm. Chester Nimitz was placed in command of all U.S. naval forces. This effectively ended the concept of unified commands, in which one man oversaw more than one service from more than one country in a distinct region."

What am I missing here? Thanks in advance for any clarification.