The Admirals: Nimitz, Halsey, Leahy, and King--The Five-Star Admirals Who Won the War at Sea

by Walter R. Borneman

Hardcover, 2012

Status

Available

Call number

359.0092

Genres

History

General Nonfiction

Biography & Memoir

Collection

Your library

Publication

Little Brown and Company (2012), Edition: First Edition, 576 pages

Description

A unique collective biography of the four men who "with a combination of nimble counsel, exasperating ego, studied patience, and street-fighter tactics" shaped the modern U.S. Navy to win WWII at sea.

User reviews

LibraryThing member GeoKaras

Excellent summary of the careers of Nimitz, Halsey, Leahy and King. Some errors of fact and some omission of relevant information, particularly in the discription of battles and campaigns. But, interesting insights into personalities and pre-war activities. Well worth inclusion in the collection of

anyone interested in World War Two or the U. S. Navy.

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LibraryThing member damcg63

Great read - four completely different yet incredibly effective leaders - when they were needed the most.

LibraryThing member BradKautz

The Admirals is an outstanding work of US history, telling the story of the four men to achieve the rank of Fleet Admiral in the US Navy: Chester Nimitz, William Halsey, William Leahy and Ernest King. These men served the Navy during an era that was arguably the most important in its history, those

years from early in the 20th century through the end of World War II. It was a time of two major wars and also the time of transition from what could be called traditional seamanship to an era where what lay beneath the sea and what flew overhead had a greater bearing on the outcome than what merely rode across the surface.

The four fleet admirals had much in common, as they each attended the US Naval Academy during the same general period of time and as they worked their way through the ranks, taking advantage of the opportunities that came their way. Each of these men had distinctive character and gifts. At various points in their careers they made mistakes, the kinds of mistakes that taught them lessons and prepared them for what was to be their greatest challenge and the pinnacle of naval achievement to this point in history, the defeat of Japan as the navy played the leading role throughout the Pacific theater during WWII.

I really liked this book, but frankly I am a bit biased. I served in the Navy aboard the ship named after Nimitz. I enjoyed learning more about Nimitz as well as the basic story of his contemporaries, the ways in which they interacted with each other, and the era in which they rose to the top of their profession. Borneman has written what I consider to be a compelling story of naval history around four of the most gifted persons to wear the uniform of an officer in the United States Navy. I highly recommend it.

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LibraryThing member joeydag

Good parallel narratives of these 4 admirals. Not very analytic and somewhat fawning study. Considering the depth of detail that must be available this was an easy way to approach the achievements of the US Navy in WWII.

LibraryThing member Richard7920

A masterful account of the people, politics, and policies of the US Navy in World War Two. The presentation is unusual as it presents simultaneous although somewhat thin biographical accounts of the four most important admirals during the war: King, Nimitz, Halsey, and Leahy. Interwoven into this

theme is a stirring narrative that takes the reader behind the scenes of some of the most important events of the Second World War, revealing the personalities of these men and the conflicts and controversies, great and petty, in which they were engaged. Great read about larger than life characters that should be read by anyone curious about how this war was fought at sea. One only wishes the author had been able to give this subject multi-volume treatment it deserved.

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LibraryThing member buffalogr

A good summary of the lives and accomplishments of the nations' five star admirals. I wanted to learn something about these men without hefting the volumes that have been written about each and this book fit that need. It's concise, yet descriptive and at the end, I felt like I knew each person.

The book interweaves their careers as they arose similarly after near simultaneous graduation from the USNA and stepped up to contribute their talents to win WWII in their own ways. As it seems always happens with a biography, the author falls in love with his characters and doesn't outline faults too much, although one an hardly miss Halsey's controversy. The book demonstrated the personal relationships that each had with the other. Masterful account.

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LibraryThing member DeaconBernie

Sadly, a book of this nature, a book about the four Five Star Admirals of the U.S. Navy during World War II, calls to mind one of the real sad stories about the Admirals, the exclusion of Raymond Spruance from the ranks of the Five Stars. That said, this is a comprehensive history of the four men

to attain that rank, Leahy, King, Nimitz and Halsey, how they got there and what they did while they were there. Probably, the least known of these four is also the one with the most far reaching impact on the Navy's role in WWII ... William Leahy. The other three fought the navy on two oceans and from a grubby little lot of surviving ships to the monster juggernaut it became in just a little less than 4 years. Leahy was the one just behind FDR and even beside him and Truman, and who spoke his mind to both of them with an impact well into the peace that followed the war. Nimitz brought order out of the chaos that was the Pacific following December 7, 1941, and who was the steady hand. Halsey was the give 'em hell fighter with blunders aplenty but a bright light in the darkness. And King was the Washington head of the Navy. One might wonder why this book was written, appearing in 2012. It is a hallmark of what the USA did when it's back was against the wall and what it was able to do when leadership was the determining factor. Even the Commander of the Japanese Navy recognized the war potential of the USA and what it would likely produce. But without these four, plus Spruance, the road to Tokyo would have been longer and much more costly. So, thank you Walter Borneman for writing this book.

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LibraryThing member jamespurcell

Excellent, balanced, overview on the "Naval Persons" that were the key leaders in the war against the Japanese in the Pacific. I, agree with another reviewer and regret that Raymond Spruance did not get his fifth star. Interesting note that he, Nimitz and Kelly Turner chose to be interred together

with their spouses in Golden Gate National Cemetary. The "Measure of Men " chapter would make a notable stand alone piece for the Naval History Magazine. The paucity and inadequacies of most WW2 generals provides a suitably dull background for these not perfect but outstanding leaders

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LibraryThing member Razinha

My first 5-star of 2015. Borneman clearly could have written four separate books about these men, but of course, those were already written. Instead, he deftly composed a compelling parallel chronology of their respective rises and roles in World War II.

I eat this stuff up. I knew a bit of

Nimitz's calm leadership and Halsey's brash, possibly reckless drive, but admit to little of Leahy's diplomacy and King's vision. Cutting edge of the naval technologies of the time. As I have not been a student of Roosevelt or Truman, I had no idea of Leahy's influence. Enlightening.

Excellent book.

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LibraryThing member expatscot

This is what you get when an author is allowed to write a book about his boyhood heroes. A hagiography from start to finish it's also depressingly US-centric and makes one feel that fleet train or no fleet train these four could have walked across the Pacific if they'd wanted to.

This is a really

interesting subject matter and I'm disappointed the author never gave it its just desserts.

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LibraryThing member SDWets

Read during Christmas break 2019-2020 before going into second semester of EWS. Detailed account of WWII from the Navy's perspective. The book spends a great deal of time going through the background of each of the admirals and focuses the second half on their contributions and role in WWII and

their relations with one another and the president.

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