Bull Halsey: A Biography

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In June Halsey became commander of the 3rd Fleet and led his carrier task force in brilliant air strikes. He was responsible for covering and supporting U. Halsey was promoted to the rank of fleet admiral in December , and he retired in He was president of International Telecommunications Laboratories — We welcome suggested improvements to any of our articles.

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The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. Oct 26, See Article History. Learn More in these related Britannica articles: Three groups of U. Halsey, who was commander of the South Pacific Area —44 and the U.

William Halsey Jr.

He led or participated significantly in the Navy's first offensive strikes against the Marshall Islands and Wake Island, the Guadalcanal campaign, and the offensive toward Japan. As a commander, he never shied from engaging the enemy, but boldly entered into battle, ready for a fight.

As a consequence, Halsey became the face of the Navy and its most attractive public relations phenomenon. Due to his bold tactics and quotable wit, Halsey continues to be a beloved and debated figure. In this balanced biography, historian John Wukovits illuminates the life of a man who ultimately deserves recognition as one the great naval commanders in U.

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To ask other readers questions about Admiral "Bull" Halsey , please sign up. Be the first to ask a question about Admiral "Bull" Halsey. Lists with This Book. This book is not yet featured on Listopia. A solid effort, although its a bit shorter then you might expect for a biography of a person of Halsey's stature.

286,82 RUB

Unfortunately errors in the Kindle edition affect the readability and hence my rating. Apr 23, James Clark rated it it was amazing. A book devoted to Admiral William F. Since the World War II generation of our fathers and mothers is fast fading into the past, it is easy to forget how we came to win a World War and who was responsible for making that happen. No doubt most would say, millions deserve the credit and rightfully so Admiral Halsey is one of those few leaders in World War II who forged our ultimate victory not only through his brilliant strategy but as a moral leader not only to those who served him, but to a grateful nation who acknowledged that his name stands among leaders like Eisenhower, MacArthur and Patton.

For some reason, our nation and its people give less credit in history to our naval and marine heroes then to army and air force heroes - let no one be deceived, the U. Navy has always been of vital importance in American History and remains so to this day - while land combat is more real in the minds of humans because the tragic toll of war is more evident in terms of blood, suffering and material destruction, the contribution of sailor blood is just the same honorable contribution.

And while tanks, artillery and other guns seem to stand at war memorials as tokens of sacrifice that caused death and wins or losses, we dismantle and scrap the same symbols of naval power when they are no longer needed, no one should be deceived into believing that those weapons were of any less creditability then those kinds used by other military services.

It is easy to forget about ships who lie at the bottom of oceans as reminders of battle sacrifices - "out of sight, out of mind. The countless lives Admiral Halsey saved by gaining victory after victory at sea, are far and away more important than whatever minor mistakes in strategy or tactics he may have made along the way.

In times of peace and through retrospection, it is only human nature to concentrate on, embellish and blame for the tiniest mistakes overlooking all the great decisions and actions that had brought success before or after them. And every man, is culpable to being waylaid by his human foibles. There is no doubt what-so-ever that Admiral Halsey was a brilliant and daring commander, a voice in the wilderness of defeatism crying only 'victory onward'! I liken Admiral Halsey to the daring charges of General Custer during the Civil War who time and again charged into the enemy and gained the victory.

Halsey has often been likened to General George Patton, but Halsey did not act like a pima donna - he did not wear fancy pearl handled pistols or smack battle shocked enlisted men. Everywhere where Halsey went, his men followed him with love and respect and he garnered the highest regards of his superiors and their continued support, namely Admiral's Nimitz and King.

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Anyone who has read biographies of Nimitz and King know how tough those commanders were in their demands and expectations of performance. The storm inflicted damage on a great many ships in the fleet, with the loss of some men and aircraft. Third Fleet conducted search and rescue operations for three days following the storm, finally retiring for repairs at Ulithi on December Forty-three-year-old Captain Herbert K.

Gates, of Cascade , was the Judge Advocate. At the conclusion of this operation, Halsey passed command of the ships that made up Third Fleet to Admiral Spruance on January 26, whereupon its designation changed to Fifth Fleet. Returning home Halsey was asked about General MacArthur. General MacArthur was not the easiest man to work with, and vied with the Navy over the conduct and management of the war in the Pacific.

When a reporter asked Halsey if he thought General MacArthur's fleet 7th Fleet would get to Tokyo first, the admiral grinned and answered "We're going there together. I have worked under him for over two years and have the greatest admiration and respect for him. Spruance held command of 5th Fleet until May, when command returned to Halsey. In early June the 3rd Fleet again sailed through the path of Typhoon Connie.

Admiral "Bull" Halsey: The Life and Wars of the Navy's Most Controversial Commander

On this occasion, six men were swept overboard and lost, along with 75 airplanes lost or destroyed, with another 70 badly damaged. Though some ships sustained significant damage, none were lost. A Navy court of inquiry was again convened, this time recommending that Halsey be reassigned, but Admiral Nimitz declined to abide by this recommendation, citing Halsey's prior service record, despite that record including a previous instance of negligently sailing his fleet through a typhoon.

Halsey led Third Fleet through the final stages of the war, striking targets on the Japanese homeland itself. If any Japanese airplanes appear, shoot them down in a friendly way. He hauled down his flag in November of that year and was assigned special duty in the office of the Secretary of the Navy. On December 11, , he took the oath as Fleet Admiral , becoming the fourth and still the most recent naval officer awarded that rank.

Fleet Admiral Halsey made a goodwill flying trip, passing by Central and South America, covering nearly 28, miles and 11 nations. He retired from active service in March but, as a Fleet Admiral, he was not taken off active duty status. If I had to give credit to the instruments and machines that won us the war in the Pacific, I would rate them in this order: Upon retirement, he joined the board of two subsidiaries of the International Telephone and Telegraph Company , including the American Cable and Radio Corporation , and served until They proved fruitless, as it was not possible to secure sufficient funding to preserve the ship.

His wife, Frances Grandy Halsey, is buried with him. Asked about his contribution in the Pacific and the role he played in defending the United States, Halsey said merely:. There are no great men, just great challenges which ordinary men, out of necessity, are forced by circumstances to meet. Among the ushers were Halsey's friends Thomas C. Hart and Husband E. Fan developed manic depression in the late s and eventually had to live apart from Halsey.

Halsey never held the rank of lieutenant junior grade , as he was appointed a full lieutenant after three years of service as an ensign. For administrative reasons, Halsey's naval record states he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant junior grade and lieutenant on the same day. At the time of Halsey's promotion to rear admiral, both rear admirals lower half O-7 and rear admirals upper half O-8 wore two stars. This was the case until During World War II and up until , the Navy used the one star commodore rank for certain staff specialties. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

For other uses, see William Halsey disambiguation. The term stems from pre-war planning, called the color plans because each nation included was given a color code name. In these potential plans the British navy was red, the German navy black, and so forth. The "Big Blue Fleet" was the massive fleet that the U.

Navy anticipated they would win the war with. It was thought this fleet would largely come into being by late , early The Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War: A Political, Social, and Military History. The New York Times. Retrieved February 11, Sheer Luck or Better Doctrine?

Naval College War Review. Wildenberg quotes Browning's thesis: The General and the Admiral". The Definitive Account of the Landmark Battle. Naval War College Review. Retrieved 11 April The Battle of Leyte Gulf: The Last Fleet Action. Flags of Our Fathers. Halsey III, 88; Navy man had adventurous nature". Band on the Run: Little, Brown and Company. Drury, Robert and Tom Clavin December 28, Hughes, Thomas, "Learning to Fight: The Rising Sun in the Pacific — April The Struggle for Guadalcanal, August — February , vol. Fleet Admiral William F. Civil and Military Funeral, — Department of the Army.

Parshall, Jonathan; Tully, Anthony The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway. Norton, ; reprinted Annapolis, Md.: Naval Institute Press , New York, New York: Primary sources Halsey, William J. The book is online. William Frederick Halsey Jr. Navy Midshipmen athletic directors.

Harris Laning — Arthur P. Ingram — Henry D. Cook Jr — John W. Giffen — Ernest W. McKee — Thomas S. Humphreys — Edmund B. Taylor — Tom Hamilton — Henry H. Caldwell — Ian C. Busik — Alan R. Retrieved from " https: Views Read Edit View history. In other projects Wikimedia Commons Wikiquote. This page was last edited on 11 December , at By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Fleet Admiral William Halsey Jr. United States of America. Navy Distinguished Service Medal with three gold stars. Army Distinguished Service Medal. Presidential Unit Citation United States with service star. American Defense Service Medal with Fleet clasp. Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with twelve battle stars. National Defense Service Medal. Colombia — Grand Cross of Boyaca.

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