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  • The Question of MacArthur's Reputation: Côte de Châtillon, October 14-16, 1918
  • John F. Votaw Sr.
The Question of MacArthur's Reputation: Côte de Châtillon, October 14-16, 1918. By Robert H. Ferrell. Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 2008. ISBN 978-0-8262-1830-8. Maps. Illustrations. Notes. Appendix. Sources. Index. Pp. xiv, 111. $19.95.

Professor Robert Ferrell has been hard at work resurrecting and stimulating World War I scholarship, perhaps partly in response to Mac Coffman's advisory fifteen years ago to take a greater interest in America's experience in World War I. The American Expeditionary Forces in France were populated with many colorful characters such as George Patton and Dan Daly. But in terms of hubris few were the equal of Douglas MacArthur. This splendid short case study is a careful examination of combat leadership.

Ferrell's purpose in this slim book is to explain "what happened at Châtillon, and what did MacArthur have to do with it?" Did MacArthur, commander of the 84th Infantry Brigade of the Forty-Second "Rainbow" Division in that action, confirm his reputation as a combat leader as he once boasted? Or was it largely an exaggeration? In view of the general's later military foibles, this early combat leadership experience is revealing. But as the author explains, the usual sources do not reveal much detail about the sharp fight at the hill northwest of Romagne in the Meuse-Argonne area during the great offensive in the fall of 1918 (pp. vii-viii).

In ninety-one pages of text, which includes maps and photos, Dr. Ferrell lays out his case that there is precious little evidence of what Brigadier General MacArthur did to warrant such acclaim after the war. "How did MacArthur end up with a reputation as a leader of men in battle, without actually leading his men in [End Page 978] battle?" (p. 1). There is little to dispute that the 84th Brigade acquitted itself well on 14-16 October 1918, despite an overly complex division attack plan and insufficient time to prepare for it (p. 14). The author skillfully explains the scheme of maneuver of both brigades—the 83rd on the left and the 84th on the right—with each of their regiments on line. MacArthur's doughboys were to attack the hill at Châtillon to prevent the 83rd being subject to enfilade fire from those heights. The concept was fairly simple, but the boundaries and control measures were complicated, the terrain was difficult, and the Forty-second's appreciation of the enemy situation was flawed. The objective was not secured until the afternoon of October 16th. The maps provided by the author help somewhat, but a brief chart showing the organization of the division with the names of the principal commanders mentioned in the text would have been useful for following the action.

The real value in this slender book is Professor Ferrell's insights into the nature of combat command in World War I. Through his careful and rigorous research in the best original sources he put his finger on the braggart's boast. Despite MacArthur's assertions after the war that he was of the group of general officers that "led the troops by example" and not the "mere administrators," it appears that in the case of this battle, it just was not true (p. 82). The author faults MacArthur for not challenging the plan's flaws and for not placing himself where he could influence the action during the battle (pp. 83-8). MacArthur's leadership style was not at variance with that of most of the good brigade commanders in the World War. Good subordinates often made up for the shortcomings of their superiors. There is plenty of evidence that MacArthur was personally brave under fire, so his unwillingness to acknowledge that his subordinates carried the battle to a successful outcome without his conspicuous intervention speaks to his character, not his courage. Several men of the 84th Brigade received the Medal of Honor and the brigade commander was recommended for that highest decoration; instead, a second Distinguished Service Cross was awarded.

The notes, sources...

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