The Battle of the Generals: MacArthur, Blamey and the defence of Australia in World War II

by Roland Perry

With the fate of Australia at stake, the two great Allied generals of the Pacific War face off against the Imperial Japanese Army - and each other.

12 March 1942: The Japanese have swarmed the Philippines, forcing US general Douglas MacArthur to flee with his family, escaping by the skin of their teeth to the nearest safe country - Australia.

Meanwhile, Australia's foremost general, Tom Blamey, is ordered home from the Middle East by Prime Minister Curtin to tackle the military emergency suddenly facing our nation, with invasion appearing imminent.

These two generals, both with colourful pasts and intensely clashing personalities, are now tasked with defending Australia against the Japanese war machine. One will lead us to victory, the other will claim the glory.

In The Battle of the Generals, Roland Perry, bestselling author of Monash and The Changi Brownlow, does full justice to the dramatic story of MacArthur, Blamey and the desperate defence of Australia in World War II.

Praise for Roland

'Stirring stuff ... generations to come should salute their memory.' Weekend Australian on Monash & Chauvel


'Roland writes well and engagingly.' The Age on Anzac Sniper

'I can unashamedly recommend this very readable book, particularly as it fills in a major gap in Australia's history.' Major General Jim Barry (retired) on Pacific 360°

'Given our reputation in war, which is strong, and our reputation in sport, which is also strong, The Changi Brownlow is a fascinating combination.' Ron Barassi on The Changi Brownlow

'The first great read about the victories of the Australian cavalry in Arabia.' The Australian on The Australian Light Horse

'Highly readable ... inspiring.' Herald Sun on Monash

405 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 1, 2024

About the author

Professor Roland Perry (born 11 October 1946) is a Melbourne-based author best known for his books on history, especially Australia in the two world wars. His Monash: The Outsider Who Won The War, won the Fellowship of Australian Writers' 'Melbourne University Publishing Award' in 2004. The judges described it as 'a model of the biographer's art. In the Queen's Birthday Honours of June 2011, Perry was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia 'for services to literature as an author.In October 2011, Monash University awarded Perry a Fellowship for 'high achievement as a writer, author, film producer and journalist.His sports books include biographies of Sir Donald Bradman, Steve Waugh, Keith Miller and Shane Warne. Perry has written on espionage, specialising in the British Cambridge Ring of Russian agents. He has also published three works of fiction and produced more than 20 documentary films. Perry has been a member of the National Archives of Australia Advisory Council since 2006.

In late 2012 Perry accepted an adjunct appointment at Monash University as a Professor, with the title ‘Writer-in-Residence’ in the University’s Arts Faculty.

Reviews

[Steve's Book Stuff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Roland Perry’s 2024 book The Battle of the Generals takes a look at the relations between the American General, MacArthur, and the Australian General Blamey during World War II. It also spends a significant percentage of its pages covering the battles between Australian and Japanese troops in Papua New Guinea, which was then a protectorate of Australia within the British Empire.

As a reader, you’d be forgiven, based on the title of the book, for expecting some detail about sour relations between MacArthur and Blamey, maybe even some direct confrontations. There’s very little of that. Perry does lay out some of the ways that the two men worked around (and against) each other in attempting to maintain the favor of then Australian Prime Minister John Curtin — so maneuvering that brought to my mind “office politics” rather than “battles”.

Perry writes with somewhat of a chip on his shoulder. He clearly feels that the US general MacArthur, a showman who knew how to work a crowd and influence public opinion, gets more credit for the defense (defence in the Australian spelling) of Australia than the General specifically placed in charge of the country’s defense, Thomas Blamey.

Now I’m not an Australian, I’m just an American who has had the good fortune of spending many months visiting Australia over the last few years. I love history and bought this book with an interest in learning more from an Australian perspective.

So, I’m clearly no expert on Australian public opinion. While I know from my own reading of American histories that MacArthur’s weaknesses as well as his strengths are well known in the US, I wouldn’t be surprised to be told that MacArthur still benefited among Australians from the “halo” of his PR efforts while based in Brisbane during World War II. From my own experience in my time here I do know that some older Australians definitely maintain a pretty hagiographic view of the US military.

So perhaps Blamey doesn’t get the respect he deserves from Australians. Another example I guess, of the prophet not getting honor among his own. Regardless, I can’t help but feel the book doesn’t live up to its title, given the shortcomings I noted above.

Unfortunately, I also felt it lacked detail and “fighting man” perspective in its history of the battles of New Guinea. Most of the battle stories were about the actions of the generals and troop leaders and those stories were then shoehorned into the overall theme of the perceived “battle” between MacArthur and Blamey. Blamey is said to have fired some of the leaders on the ground not because he necessarily agreed they had not led well, but because he feared for his own job if he didn’t fire them, due to McArthur planting seeds of doubt in the ears of Prime Minister Curtin. If that’s a correct reading of events (and who am I to say it’s not) it doesn’t speak well for any of the three men.

I wished for more of a front-line perspective to the action in New Guinea. A lot of Australians lost their lives repelling the Japanese from New Guinea and thus protecting the Australian mainland. Seeing things through their eyes would be the kind of history I’d like to read. I need to go looking for that book, I guess.

RATING: Two and a Half Stars ⭐⭐🌠

[Ian Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE BATTLE OF THE GENERALS by Roland Perry
McArthur and Blamey, how Australia was the front line when turning back the Japanese and, in charge, one would-be Hollywood star and a resurrected public servant who liked the ladies.
After McArthur deserted the Philippines, but declared he would return, leaving 7,000 plus troops behind, the Japanese were eyeing off Australia via New Guinea. McArthur ended up in Australia and won over the then prime minister Curtin.
Meanwhile, Blamey, who had extensive WW1 service and post war militia involvement, had been selected to head Australia’s part of the offensive, pushed forward on all fronts by Stan Savige.
The Battle of the Coral Sea stemmed the Japanese advance, the first ever sea battle where the ships never saw each other.
Australia was forlornly hoping for some of their troops and equipment back from the European fronts as Japan ripped through East Asia in 1942, an idea not shared by the British Government but, eventually, and almost too late, some started to come later on.
Australia was well served by battle hardened troops who mostly out performed their American counterparts who were raw. The horrors and sacrifice that went on in the jungles of New Guinea, mostly by Australian troops is well documented here. However, America were able to eventually supply equipment though and, towards the end of the New Guinea saga, it was a game changer.
Of course, when it was time to return to the Philippines, McArthur didn’t want a bar of the Australians who had helped his cause no end to this point in time. No, in typical egotistical style, he brought out the corn cob pipe, cleaned his sunglasses and posed for the media who, somewhat sadly I believe, went along for the ride.
As all the facts slowly came out, pictures were framed in a different manner with more understanding and honesty being brought to light after the war.
This volume, written in exquisitely readable prose, lays out all the relevant details and a little scuttlebutt. A definite recommendation from me.

[Rowan · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Battle of the Generals suffers from a fundamental disconnect between its premise and execution. Roland Perry sets out to tell a story of rivalry between Blamey and MacArthur—one of ambition, deceit, and political maneuvering—but the book spends most of its time on the combat operations in PNG. The result is a strange juxtaposition: the petty scheming of the generals contrasted with the sacrifice of the diggers.

All the main figures read like caricatures, and Perry’s portrayal of the conflict leans heavily into a parochial, anti-US perspective. Perry saturates the book with one dimensional stereotypes —the savagery of the Japanese, the incompetence of the bombastic American forces and commanders, and the idea that every Australian soldier was a laconic veteran.

The book would have sold its concept better if Perry had maintained focus. Zoomed out, the political battle between Blamey and MacArthur is compelling. But interlacing it with the suffering and slaughter of the troops on the ground makes it feel wholly inappropriate. Both stories are interesting and readable, but when told together the result is unsatisfying.

[Mark Latchford · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh dear. This book sounded so promising. A considered, well researched analysis of two extraordinary military leaders and their often flaut relationship. However, what is delivered is a rushed, under researched essay that sounds like it was written by an HSC student. The language is tabloid-like and any historical argument light and often illogical.
Most upsetting are the constant errors in basic facts. On one page the author talks about the Japanese occupation of Ceylon; a few pages on he discusses their occupation of Fiji, Samoa and New Caledonia. None of this happened. Earlier, he directly quotes General Monash writing of ‘The First World War’ even though the great soldier died long before the Second World War and wrote about the Great War.This is very embarrassing for author and publisher.

[Garry Jabs · Rating 1 out of 5]

A truly appalling book, possibly the worst I have ever read. Full of errors, what I can only describe as fabrications, and even some blatant plagiarism (from terrible amateur historian websites no less). A sad indictment of the publishing industry we now have.

[A · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this book, in light of AUKUS, is an important study of why Australian defence personnel should never be under the authority of any foreign Generals even if they are supposed to be allies.