Battle of Guadalcanal

[MAGNA]

Originally Posted by Jack

Hear Hear!

I guess my main point originally was that it was a TEAM effort that defeated the Jap(ane)s(e)

That is absolutely correct. Milne bay involved mainly Australian troops with two Kittyhawk squadrons in support. There was an American presence though in the form of a detachment of Anti-aircraft guns and personnel. So yes, a team effort.

General Sir William Slim in Burma hailed it as a great victory as it broke the spell of invincibility around the Japanese land forces. Slim attributed the success to the Australian forces only as he did not know about the US AA detachment which was also there.

Unfortunately Douglas MacArthur took it as a chance to take the credit and deride the troops involved. He said the victory was not a measure of the troops involved, rather that the decisive factor was complete surprise gained over the enemy by concentrating superior force at the right point. (In other words the credit was all his).

Publicly he stated " The move was anticipated and was prepared for with great care .... The enemy fell into the trap" (In other words the credit was all his).