The Admirals: Nimitz, Halsey, Leahy, and King - The Five-Star Admirals Who Won the War at Sea: Amazon.co.uk: Walter R. Borneman: Books

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Publication Date: 7 Jun 2012 | ISBN-10: 0316097845 | ISBN-13: 978-0316097840

Only four men in American history have been promoted to the five-star rank of Admiral of the Fleet: William Leahy, Ernest King, Chester Nimitz, and William Halsey. These four men were the best and the brightest the navy produced, and together they led the U.S. navy to victory in World War II, establishing the United States as the world's greatest fleet.

In THE ADMIRALS, award-winning historian Walter R. Borneman tells their story in full detail for the first time. Drawing upon journals, ship logs, and other primary sources, he brings an incredible historical moment to life, showing us how the four admirals revolutionized naval warfare forever with submarines and aircraft carriers, and how these men-who were both friends and rivals-worked together to ensure that the Axis fleets lay destroyed on the ocean floor at the end of World War II.

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Product details

Hardcover: 560 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown US (7 Jun 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0316097845
ISBN-13: 978-0316097840
Product Dimensions: 16.1 x 4.3 x 24 cm

Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)

Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 240,432 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #31 in Books > History > World History > World War II 1939-1945 > Naval Warfare > USA

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Review

"The first book to deal with the four [admirals] together, focusing on their intertwined lives, friendships, and rivalries....A very well-crafted book."--John Lehman, Washington Post

Book Description

How history's only five-star admirals triumphed in World War II and made the United States the world's dominant sea power.

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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Those who led "from sea to shining sea" during World War Two 27 Oct 2012

By Robert Morris TOP 100 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover

Many years ago, I read 19 Stars: Study in Military Character & Leadership (1971) in which Edgar F. Puryear rigorously examines four U.S. Army Generals: Eisenhower, Bradley, Marshall, and Patton. The title refers to the total of their stars, with only Patton having been awarded four at the time of his death.

I often wished there were a companion volume that focuses on their counterparts during World War Two, on four Five Star Admirals in the U.S. Navy: Nimitz, Halsey, Leahy, and King. I have always had an interest in military history and a keen interest in learning more about the preparation and deployment of those whose leadership can be the difference between life or death, victory or defeat, when battles are waged. Therefore I am deeply grateful to Walter R. Borneman for what I have learned from his book while acknowledging that I am unqualified to address any validation issues that others have.

Even used copies of 19 Stars are very difficult to locate. However, there are countless other, highly-praised and less costly sources for those especially interested in one or more of the four generals, Eisenhower, Bradley, Marshall, and Patton as well as those that discuss one or more of the four admirals, Nimitz, Halsey, Leahy, and King. Winston Churchill once observed that the United States and England are separated by a common language. The barriers to effective communication can be linguistic, cultural, and even anthropological. These barriers are especially difficult during wartime crises when those at the highest level of authority and responsibility must communicate, cooperate, and collaborate effectively despite their significant differences.... Add other considerations such as ego, career advancement, public esteem, and media attention and it becomes even more obvious how complicated the relationships between and among military leaders were during World War Two. President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill did little (if anything) to make them easier.

When examining Nimitz, Halsey, Leahy, and King, Borneman focuses on issues such as these:

o Early indications of what they could -- and did -- achieve during their military career
o Greatest influences on their personal growth
o Greatest influences on their professional development
o Defining characteristics of their leadership style
o Most significant personal strengths and weaknesses
o Specific contributions to the Allied victory

Here in Dallas near the downtown area, there is a Farmer's Market at which several merchants offer fresh slices of fresh fruit as samples. In that spirit, I now share a few of the passages in which Borneman's discusses the admirals when they attended the U.S. Naval Academy:

Leahy "the Judge," Annapolis: Class of 1897:

As a student at Annapolis, Leahy was solid but never stellar. He was content to play tackle on the B squad in football, and he sometimes seemed to float his way through classes...common sense seemed to radiate from Leahy's otherwise reserved and even dour personality throughout his life, and among his classmates it earned him the nickname `the Judge.'"

King, "Rey," Annapolis, Class of 1901: "If he graduated first in his class, King reasoned, he might become too visible for comfort during his career. Superiors' expectations might be too high. But if he graduated third or fourth, he would still have the prestige without as much of the scrutiny. It was a typical King rationalization, and he would take similar position in similar situations throughout his career."

Halsey, "Pudge," Annapolis, Class of 1904: When dangerously close to failing theoretical mechanics, Halsey "recruited the scholars in the class to tutor him and a few others similarly challenged. When the exam was over, Bill went to his father's quarters for lunch and was immediately asked if the results had been posted. `Yes, sir,' Bill answered, and then reported he had made 3.98 out of 4.0. His father stared at him for a full minute and then finally asked incredulously, `Sir, have you been drinking?'"

Nimitz, "Nim-i-tiz," Annapolis, Class of 1905: "By all accounts, Nimitz was a hardworking and even-tempered cadet who got along easily with subordinates, peers, and superiors alike. The [academy yearbook] Lucky Bag struck at the core of his personality by observing that he `possesses the calm and steady going Dutch way that gets at the bottom of things.' His identifying quote his senior year was from Wordsworth: `A man he seems cheerful yesterdays and confident tomorrows.'"

As is also true of CEOs in the business world, general officers in the military come in all shapes and sizes. That is certainly true of the four admirals whom Borneman discusses in his book. However, there are also resemblances such as those shared by Halsey and Patton, for example, and by Army General George Marshall and Leahy. Ultimately, they are best viewed and appreciated as imperfect human beings who were entrusted with making decisions that had life-or-death implications, not only for those they led but for countless others in or out of uniform. Here in a single volume is probably about as much about each of them that general readers such as I wish to know. Read more ›

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars It is a sign of the book's strengths that it leaves you both informed and wanting to know more 1 Sep 2012

By Mark Pack TOP 1000 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Walter R. Borneman's book is a very ambitious one, trying to squeeze into one volume four different characters each of whom could easily fill a multi-volume biography themselves. It's an ambition Borneman succeeds in matching, with the inevitable omissions not detracting too much from the book.

The book tells us of the careers of the only American 5-Star Admirals, all of whom served with great distinction in the Second World War. They are wrapped together into a story that, despite the need to cover four different people, is still cohesive, showing the reader not only how the individuals developed but also how naval technology and tactics evolved during their four careers and how the war in the Pacific was won.

Several of the key battles in the Pacific have generated many books in their own right, and Borneman skilfully balances giving the reader enough of an understanding of the controversies over some of the battles without getting mired too much into the details. Chances are you will be reaching for the internet or the bookshelf to find out more about the particular controversies which most interest you when reading the book - and triggering that level of further interest is a sign of an author succeeding. Borneman's copious notes and bibliography help with that, with the notes also including some interesting side-stories to the main narrative, such as on the efforts to end segregation in the navy.

What is missing then? Well, pretty much all of the naval operations by the US outside the Pacific. In particular, the battle against German submarines in the Atlantic gets only brief mentions despite its crucial importance to the outcome of the Second World War. Two important related questions are implied rather than discussed head-on.... Read more ›

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5.0 out of 5 stars The Admirals who defeated Japan 24 May 2013

By Walter Yeo

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book published in 2012 details the careers of the most important Admirals of the US Navy during World War 2 who became the then unheard of five star Admirals. The careers of each are discussed from their days in Annapolis, the United States Naval Academy which include personal stories / observations which enables one to understand these exceptional people as each developed the skills which enabled the eventual triumph of USA in the Pacific War. Also are discussed the political background and internal tensions between the various theatre commanders in the Pacific as to the strategy to be used.

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5.0 out of 5 stars The Admirals: Nimitz, Halsey, Leahy, and King - The 5-Star Admirals... 21 Mar 2013

By C Castleton

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

For a student of the Pacific Campaign absolutely indispensible and unputdownable! The biographical in warfare is inseparable from the logistical and the strategic. Great generals and admirals are both born and made, but I think probably more born.

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