MacArthur at Terowie: I Shall Return
He'd abandoned 78,000 troops on a doomed peninsula, escaped by PT boat under cover of darkness, and now faced a crowd of Australian reporters who wanted to know why their commander had fled. MacArthur hadn't written anything down. Standing on that dusty railway platform in Terowie, South Australia, he improvised what became the most famous promise of the Pacific War: "I came out of Bataan and I shall return." His staff wanted him to say "we," not "I"—too personal, too arrogant. He refused. Twenty-nine months later, MacArthur waded ashore at Leyte with photographers in tow, making sure everyone saw him keep his word. What looked like cowardice in March 1942 became the rallying cry that carried America across 5,000 miles of ocean.
March 20, 1942
84 years ago
Key Figures & Places
South Australia
Wikipedia
World War II
Wikipedia
Douglas MacArthur
Wikipedia
General
Wikipedia
Terowie
Wikipedia
Battle of the Philippines (1942)
Wikipedia
Bataan
Wikipedia
World War II
Wikipedia
South Australia
Wikipedia
Philippines
Wikipedia
Douglas MacArthur
Wikipedia
Poland
Wikipedia
Terowie, South Australia
Wikipedia
Philippines campaign (1941–1942)
Wikipedia
Bataan
Wikipedia
Zgierz
Wikipedia
What Else Happened on March 20
lecture publique du testament de Jules César faisant d'Octave son héritier à Rome.Buste de Maximin le Thrace
Maximino el Tracio es proclamado emperador romano.
A Thracian shepherd who couldn't speak proper Latin became master of Rome. Maximinus Thrax never set foot in the Senate, never visited the capital during his en…
Emperor Tenmu ascended the throne at the Palace of Kiyomihara, consolidating imperial authority after his victory in the Jinshin War. By centralizing power and …
O imperador Tenmu do Japão assume o Trono do Crisântemo no Palácio de Kiyomihara em Asuka.
Alfonso VIII y Alfonso II, reyes de Castilla y Aragón, respectivamente, firman el Tratado de Cazorla, por el que ambos reinos se reparten las zonas de conquista…
Talk to History
Have a conversation with historical figures who witnessed this era. Ask questions, explore perspectives, and bring history to life.