What proclamation did MacArthur make after Buna that signaled a shift in tactics?

What proclamation did MacArthur make after Buna that signaled a shift in tactics?

• A. No more Bunas!
• B. We will never retreat
• C. Bomb the jungles to silence
• D. We will use only infantry

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is recognizing how combat experience in the Buna–Gona fight led Allied commanders to change how they fought in the Pacific. Buna-Gona exposed the futility and cost of slow, brutal frontal assaults through dense jungle against well-defended positions, with awful logistics and high casualties. When MacArthur proclaimed “No more Bunas!” he signaled a move away from those kinds of direct, attritional attacks. The shift was toward using air power, naval action, and amphibious operations to isolate or bypass strongpoints, focusing on decisive, mobile advances rather than repeating another costly jungle assault. That moment marks a turning point toward the broader island-hopping approach that characterized later Pacific warfare. Other statements don’t fit as well because they don’t capture a strategic pivot tied to the Buna experience: one is a morale pledge, another suggests an impractical tactic, and the last claims to rely on infantry alone, which contradicts the established move toward coordinated, multi-service operations.

The main idea here is recognizing how combat experience in the Buna–Gona fight led Allied commanders to change how they fought in the Pacific. Buna-Gona exposed the futility and cost of slow, brutal frontal assaults through dense jungle against well-defended positions, with awful logistics and high casualties. When MacArthur proclaimed “No more Bunas!” he signaled a move away from those kinds of direct, attritional attacks. The shift was toward using air power, naval action, and amphibious operations to isolate or bypass strongpoints, focusing on decisive, mobile advances rather than repeating another costly jungle assault. That moment marks a turning point toward the broader island-hopping approach that characterized later Pacific warfare.

Other statements don’t fit as well because they don’t capture a strategic pivot tied to the Buna experience: one is a morale pledge, another suggests an impractical tactic, and the last claims to rely on infantry alone, which contradicts the established move toward coordinated, multi-service operations.