Fleet Admiral William Halsey, often referred to as “Bull”, was an influential figure that commanded the South Pacific during World War II which strategically led to the end of Imperial Japan. The nickname “Bull” came about from his extreme aggressiveness that was steered more by instinct rather than knowledge. Although his inspirational leadership in the South Pacific is widely acknowledged, Halsey’s “Bull” like personality almost resulted in his demise. William Fredrick Halsey, Jr. was born on October 30, 1882. He was born and practically bred to become a sailor. His father, Captain William Halsey, raised William Halsey, Jr. on stories of his naval career which led to his interest in joining the navy and later attending the United States Naval Academy. In the two years waiting to gain admission to the Naval Academy, Halsey had decided to study medicine at the University of Virginia and try to enter the Navy as a doctor. He finally received admittance in 1900. Halsey was not the strongest in academics as he finished forty-second in a class of sixty-two, but he was athletic and participated in many clubs.(1) During that time in history, the Navy was in need of officers as it was expanding, so the class of 1904 graduated on February 2 instead of in June.(2) Upon graduation he went to serve his mandatory two years of service aboard his first ship the battleship USS Missouri. He was commissioned as an officer on February 2, 1906. (3) In 1907, Halsey was aboard the battleship USS Kansas as the “Great White Fleet” of Theodore Roosevelt set out of Hampton Roads on its expedition across the world. During World War I, Halsey commanded the destroyer USS Benham and earned a Navy Cross for his anti-submarine patrol actions. In 1922 he became ... ... middle of paper ... ... in World War II. Regardless of how his individual decisions have been scrutinized by historians, Admiral William ‘Bull’ Halsey remains one of the greatest leaders in American Naval history. He was instrumental in the defeat of the Japanese in the South Pacific. When asked how his decisions and efforts affected the outcome of the war, he replied, “There are no great men, just great challenges which ordinary men, out of necessity, are forced by circumstances to meet.” Halsey was an outspoken, charismatic and aggressive leader that can be compared to other leaders like John Paul Jones and David Farragut. His ability to access risk and have no fear against the enemy earned him well deserved respect from his peers and subordinates. Halsey’s contributions to preserve the ideals of the American way have an overall positive and lasting impression on American Naval history.
Things quickly turned around in 1950, once Brigadier General Theodore R. Wessels became leader. He was also respon...
COL Prescott’s role in the Battle of Bunker Hill, or more correctly know as the Battle of Breed’s Hill, is a great example of how to properly execute mission command. An overview from The Cowpens Staff Ride and Battlefield Tour (Moncure) reveals a number of operation and strategic objectives that the American militia had to consider. In this instance, COL Prescott takes charge of 1200 men with instructions to defend against incoming British forces that were seeking to occupy the surrounding hills during the Siege of Boston campaign. COL Prescott utilized a variety of steps in the operations process that contributed to his expert utilization of mission command over his forces. Through various sources from published works by experts on the subject, COL Prescott’s mission command demonstrates its effectiveness in his understanding of the situation against the British, his visualization to create an end state for t...
I learned many things from the different naval experiences that these men were confronted with, but what had intrigued me was the vast majority of naval technology used during the war and its particular job as well as who had control over the vast majority of it. The future Fleet Admirals were appointed certain jobs, and were each given different naval ships they had to command with knowledge, and each played a role in the Allied victory in the sea. Before the war each officer held on a variety of vessels, battleships, submarines, aircraft carriers, and how the development of each type of vessel influenced the course of naval warfare. While battleships had reigned as the most reliable and preferred vessel of the seas, their supremacy was soon challenged by the uprising of the carrier. Leahy was the oldest of the four who had clung to his view of the vessel he felt was reliable and he believed strongly in the battleship's power. Nimitz was an advocate of the submarine as a strategic and very effective weapon as it could be evasive to vessels on the sea’s surface. Halsey was a devotee of the destroyer but eventually came to under...
Roosevelt had been influencing the United States Navy to be stronger ever since he wrote The Naval War of 1812, while he was at Harvard. Theodore Roosevelt’s book puts the war in a whole new perspective. Roosevelt with the help of Captain Alfred T. Mahan and Rear Admiral Stephen B. Luce identified that their common ground was that America had great power in her deep ocean waters and needed to use it. Those oceans needed a capable water fleet to operate them (The Naval Strategist). In 1890 Congress approved the building of the first modern steam-powered, steel-hulled ships. Out came the most excellent warships anywhere; they were named the Indiana, the Massachusetts, and the Oregon. Roosevelt was impressed with these ships, but he wanted more. Roosevelt wanted a two-ocean navy capable of attacking the Pacific and the Atlantic simultaneously (Grondahl 2015 246). Congress agreed and Roosevelt got what he wanted. Mahan and Roosevelt campaigned to strengthen the navy through their speeches and writings. The Navy was slow, bulky, short-haul monitors guarding the home shores and swift, light cruisers that shot out of protected ports to attack enemy ships. Theodore and Mahan’s writings and speeches changed that part of the Navy for the better (Grondahl 2015 246-247). Theodore changed the Navy several ways and not all by
At the beginning of the war, the preconceptions of each side show exactly why Britain was destined for failure. On the American team,
Admiral William Frederick Halsey Jr. (Bull) (American Naval Officer who led vigorous campaigns during World War II, 1882-1959)
General Douglas Macarthur was one of the most well known military figures in the history of the United States. He gave his farewell speech to congress on 19th April 1951 and went into retirement after 52 years of service in the United States army. He was given the chance to address his final message to the US government. This analysis carefully examines his ethics, goals, strategies, strengths and weaknesses. The speech is very famous and highly popular among the American audience. Therefore, we will take into account all factors to critically evaluate the speech and find out what makes it important.
Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces during World War II, was close to not achieving commander status. If this had happened, a different person would have taken control over Operations Torch, Avalanche, and Overlord. Eisenhower, in fact, was the key component in the victory for the Allies. Had he not been assigned by George Marshall to a planning officer in Washington D.C., President Harry Truman might not have saw Eisenhower’s potential. Eisenhower’s past 30 years of military experience, his strong mental and social stature, and his ideas and tactics were all key factors for his triumphant victory in World War II.
The Battle of Midway by Craig L. Symonds is an in depth look at the events and decisions both before and during The Battle of Midway, which started on June 4th, 1942. Symonds uses a combination of words, pictures, and maps to drive home his message in a beautifully crafted work. Over all the book focuses on the war in the Pacific starting from just after Pearl Harbor and then focusing in on The Battle of Midway. The author uses the Americans, as well as the Japanese, point of view to portray the many factors of war at sea. Throughout his novel, Symonds investigates the many aspects that would lead to an American victory as well as a turning point of the war in the Pacific. “A history of what is perhaps the most pivotal naval battle in American history necessarily must explore the culture of both the U.S. Navy and the Imperial Japanese Navy, as well as the politics and technology of the age.” (Symonds 5).
Douglas MacArthur was one of the most famous American Generals. He commanded troops in the Southwest Pacific during World War II (1939-1945). He also commanded the successful occupation of Japan after the war, and was in charge of the United Nations forces during the Korean War(“Douglas MacArthur Biography”). MacArthur was talented, outspoken, and in the eyes of many, egotistical. Douglas MacArthur was one of the most influential generals in United States history.
Macksey, Kenneth. Military Errors of World War Two. Great Britain: Arms and Armour Press, 1987.
America’s involvement in World War II has often been equated to the Japanese waking the “sleeping giant”, and is often thought of as an invincible superpower. The reality is that the United States’ invincibility has never been really tested. The United States’ is separated from the rest of the Western world by an ocean on either side of its borders and has therefore only had two attacks on native soil. While America’s invincibility is not easily tested, and therefore not easily discredited, whether or not the Japanese awoke the “sleeping giant” by bombing Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, is, however, debatable. The American public before the attack on Pearl Harbor were isolationists, they may have felt sympathy for the victims of Hitler, Franco, and Mussolini, but did not in fact care enough to get involved in another war. The congressmen they elected into office from the late 1930’s to the early 1940’s respected the wishes of their constituents and therefore did everything in their power to prevent U.S involvement in World War II even after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. In fact one of the only Americans to appear at all concerned with the horrific events occurring across the ocean was President Franklin Roosevelt, however, despite pleas from the heads of the allied forces, even President Roosevelt could not entirely commit to the need for U.S involvement and remained a wishy-washy figure up until the late 1930’s. It was not until 1940, that President Roosevelt was able to take a stand and begin the attempts to talk the American people into actively supporting the allied forces against Nazi forces. The Japanese may get the credit for waking the “sleeping giant”, however, it is in fact President Roosevelt and a small portion of t...
A human being develops and grows throughout their life through many challenges and sometimes it takes an event in one’s life to change a person. In the novel “The Caine Mutiny” by Herman Wouk, is a novel about Willie Keith, a chubby and well educated son from an upper class family who joins the Navy. Willie goes into the Columbia University School of Journalism, which has been converted for the war effort. He is almost rejected because of his physical reasons of not being fit, but his Princeton background saves him from being rejected. As soon as he stepped in this navy life and went through a long journey with the navy crew , Willie became more independent, responsible and courageous.
White, Steve. The Battle of Midway: the destruction of the Japanese fleet. New York: Rosen
Abrashoff begins the book by informing the reader of how his story begins; when he is given command of the USS Benfold. The Benfold was the Navy’s most advanced guided missile destroyer the Navy had in 1997 and its command was to be one of the Navy’s top innovators. Unfortunately, Abrashoff points out some flaws with the Navy’s personnel management that I found to be shocking. First, was that “nearly 35 percent of the people who joined the military annually, wouldn’t complete their enlistment contracts.” (p.2) Such turnover can be understood by many business managers in the service industry, but unlike the quick and cheap training process for them, the cost for the military (taxpayers) is astounding. Abrashoff estimates that it cost roughly “$35,000 to recruit a trainee and tens of thousands more in additional training costs to get new personnel to the basic level of proficiency.” (p.2) Curbing this trend on his own ship and eventually helping to achieve a decrease overall in the mil...