Chester Nimitz and the Sea


Book Description

Celebrate the exciting life of a World War II naval hero! When Pearl Harbor was bombed, Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt sent Adm. Chester Nimitz to respond. Nimitz was put in charge of all US ships in the Pacific and was commander of the Pacific Fleet at the decisive Battle of Midway. This inspiring biography for young readers traces his remarkable life from his nineteenth-century childhood through his valiant service during World War II.




Admiral Nimitz


Book Description

“A superbly written biography” of the legendary Admiral who commanded the Allied Pacific Fleet during WWII (Carlo D’Este, author of Eisenhower and Patton). Chester Nimitz was an admiral’s Admiral, considered by many to be the greatest naval leader of the last century. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Nimitz assembled the forces, selected the leaders, and—as commander of all US and Allied air, land, and sea forces in the Pacific Ocean—led the charge one island at a time, one battle at a time, toward victory. A brilliant strategist, Nimitz achieved remarkable victories against fantastic odds, outpacing more flamboyant luminaries like General Douglas MacArthur and Admiral “Bull” Halsey. And he was there to accept, on behalf of the United States, the surrender of the Japanese aboard the battleship USS Missouri in August 1945. In “meticulously researched, immensely informative, and laudably balanced” biography, Brayton Harris uses long-overlooked files and recently declassified documents to bring to life one of America’s greatest wartime heroes (Alan Axelrod, author of A Savage Empire).




Sea Power


Book Description

A classic work covering over 2,000 years of naval history, from Greek and Roman galley warfare to Vietnam.




Nimitz


Book Description

Called a great book worthy of a great man, this definitive biography of the commander in chief of the Pacific Fleet in World War II, first published in 1976 and now available in paperback for the first time, continues to be considered the best book ever written about Adm. Chester W. Nimitz. Highly respected by both the civilian and naval communities, Nimitz was sometimes overshadowed by more colorful warriors such as MacArthur and Halsey. Potter's lively and authoritative style fleshes out Admiral Nimitz's personality to help readers appreciate the contributions he made as the principal architect of Japan's defeat. The book covers his full life, from a poverty-stricken childhood to postwar appointments as Chief of Naval Operations and U.N. mediator. It candidly reveals Nimitz's opinions of Halsey, Kimmel, King, Spruance, MacArthur, Forrestal, Roosevelt, and Truman.




The Great Sea War: The Story Of Naval Action In World War II


Book Description

A brilliant, concise and, perhaps, best single volume history of the Second World War at Sea. Written by veteran historian E. B. Potter during his time as resident historian at the United States Naval Academy this history is filled with action and analysis. As the conflict raged from the Pacific to the North Sea the author takes the action in each theater for the purposes of clarity but masterfully links the actions and events together to preserve the historical integrity of the work. A classic of Naval History.




The Admirals


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. 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.




Hellcats of the Sea: Operation Barney and the Mission to the Sea of Japan


Book Description

Author Charles Lockwood (Sink 'Em All) brings his same flair for submarine warfare story-telling to his account of Operation Barney, the secret mission during World War 2 to extend the conflict in the Pacific beyond the Sea of Japan and closer to the enemy's coastline. On June 9, 1945, torpedoes from nine American submarines - 'The Hellcats' - were launched at dozens of Japanese freighters, paralyzing maritime operations between Japan and Korea. Each U.S. sub was equipped with newly designed mine-detectors and Mark-18s -- electronic torpedoes that left no traceable wakes or fume exhausts. Operation Barney continued for 15 days and proved a crucial breakthrough in the war, with U.S. submarines sinking 28 Japanese ships totaling some 70,000 tons. Hellcats of the Sea is a riveting account of the planning and events of those 15 days.




The War for the Seas


Book Description

A bold and authoritative maritime history of World War II which takes a fully international perspective and challenges our existing understanding Command of the oceans was crucial to winning World War II. By the start of 1942 Nazi Germany had conquered mainland Europe, and Imperial Japan had overrun Southeast Asia and much of the Pacific. How could Britain and distant America prevail in what had become a "war of continents"? In this definitive account, Evan Mawdsley traces events at sea from the first U-boat operations in 1939 to the surrender of Japan. He argues that the Allied counterattack involved not just decisive sea battles, but a long struggle to control shipping arteries and move armies across the sea. Covering all the major actions in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, as well as those in the narrow seas, this book interweaves for the first time the endeavors of the maritime forces of the British Empire, the United States, Germany, and Japan, as well as those of France, Italy, and Russia.




How They Won the War in the Pacific


Book Description

This meticulous study is a concentrated look at naval admiral Chester W. Nimitz and his subordinate leaders—military men under stress—and the relationship of fighting admirals to their top leaders and one another. Bull Halsey, “the Patton of the Pacific,” could win a battle; ascetic and cultivated Raymond Spruance could win a campaign; but Chester W. Nimitz, the quiet but dauntless battler from the banks of the Pedernales River, could win a war. And the way he did win that war in the Pacific is the center of this excellent and absorbing biography of naval operations and of men in command relationships. How They Won the War in the Pacific covers many leaders, including the top fighting ones afloat and ashore, and it shows Admiral Nimitz as history will record him—as the wise, calm tower of strength in adversity and success, the principal architect of victory in the Pacific during World War II.




Black Shoe Carrier Admiral


Book Description

The revisionist work about Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher, who won his battles at sea but lost the war of public opinion. A surface warrior, Fletcher led the carrier forces in the Pacific that won against all odds at Coral Sea, Midway, and the Eastern Solomon’s. Despite these successes, during the post-war Fletcher had become one of the most controversial figures in U.S. naval history and was portrayed as a timid bungler who failed to relieve Wake Island and who deliberately abandoned the Marines at Guadalcanal.