March 11

MacArthur Leaves Philippines — 'I Shall Return'

General Douglas MacArthur obeyed President Roosevelt's order to leave the besieged Philippines by PT boat, escaping to Australia and leaving General Jonathan Wainwright in command of the doomed garrison. MacArthur's promise 'I shall return' became a rallying cry.

MacArthur's departure symbolized America's inability to defend its Pacific territories in the war's early months, while his return in 1944 became one of the war's great symbolic moments.