The volume explores how the Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars were experienced; perceived and narrated by contemporaries in Britain and Ireland; drawing on an extensive range of personal testimonies by soldiers; sailors and civilians to shed new light on the social and cultural history of the period and the history of warfare more broadly.
#594801 in Books 2012-01-03 2012-01-03Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.55 x 24.26 x 6.48l; .93 #File Name: 0230107656256 pages
Review
21 of 21 people found the following review helpful. A Brief But Informative Story of America's Pacific AdmiralBy Jeffrey T. MunsonThanks to Admiral Nimitz and his subordinates like Halsey and Spruance; the U.S. Pacific Fleet was able to rise from the ashes of Pearl Harbor and eventually strike back at the Japanese. In this brief but informative book; author Brayton Harris gives the reader a look into the life of America's most famous admiral.Nimitz worked his way up through the naval hierarchy during the course of his career. After graduating from Annapolis; Nimitz served in various commands; such as destroyers; submarines; cruisers; and battleships; along with various shore duties. As Nimitz' career progressed; so did his ability to lead men. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the ensuing relief of Admiral Kimmel; President Roosevelt chose Nimitz to become commander of the Pacific Ocean Theater; despite Nimitz being junior to other admirals.During the course of the war; Nimitz' strategies and his ability to get the most out of his subordinates proved to be important factors in winning the war. Nimitz was also insturmental in the development of many naval practices; including refueling at sea; the circular ship formation for antiaircraft defense; integration of the aircraft carrier into the fleet; and innovative training programs. Nimitz was a leader and he got the utmost from the men who served under him.After the war; Nimitz worked to maintain the integrity of the Navy and Marines during the tough unification debates. He also served as Chief of Naval Operations.I found this book to be interesting and informative. Author Harris does a good job of describing the career of Admiral Nimitz; from the time he entered Annapolis until his death in 1966. Although he describes the battles of the Pacific War only generally; the reader gets an idea of how the American Navy fought against the Japanese and how Nimitz was insturmental in Japan's defeat. I recommend this book as a good source of general information about Admiral Nimitz. The reader gets a general understanding about Nimitz' career without being overwhelmed. A fine and informative read.4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Admiral NimitzBy Drue L. DeBerryAdmiral Nimitz: The Commander of the Pacific Ocean Theater is an extraordinarily interesting and revealing book on at least two levels. Early in the book; Brayton Harris begins building a profile of Nimitz as a remarkable leader - "a hands-off commander" who "did not smother subordinates." Harris attributes this to the Navy need to train officers for independent action. Nimitz himself was tested early and often with command responsibilities; first as the commander of a gunboat; then a destroyer; then four different submarines - all six of these afloat commands within his first six years of commissioned service. As a young officer; Nimitz learned to lead and to delegate; skills that would be tested on a much larger scale during World War II. Every young military officer in any branch of US military service could learn much from the positive example set by Nimitz and described by Harris.On a second level; Harris describes the growing tension within and between the US military services spawned by the emerging importance of both air power and nuclear weapons. Aircraft carriers displaced battleships as the core element of naval power; long-range land-based aircraft threatened the survival of all surface ships; and nuclear weapons; only deliverable by heavy bombers in the 1940s; seemed to diminish the importance of both land and sea power. Concurrent with his retirement; Nimitz addressed these issues publicly arguing that aircraft carriers; heavy surface ships; and submarines - not strategic bombers - were keys to projecting US national power. His comments and Secretary of Defense Louis Johnson's action cancelling construction of a new aircraft carrier; the United States; in favor of building Air Force B-36 bombers; intensified service rivalries. Senior naval officers began an organized assault; known as "The Revolt of the Admirals;" on both the B-36 program and the Air Force.Unfortunately; in an otherwise excellent biography; Harris defends the irrationality of that postwar period by labeling the deployment of thirty B-29s to Europe as one of several "headline-grabbing stunts" by the Air Force. In fact; in 1948 the Air Force routinely rotated one squadron (fifteen aircraft) from the United States to forward bases in Europe. When the Soviets restricted surface access to Berlin in 1948; the Air Force began airlifting supplies to the US garrison in the city. President Truman approved the dispatch of a substantial number of jet fighters and another thirty B-29s to Germany as a contingency force should the crisis escalate. More B-29s arrived later that summer. Objective analysis suggests that rather than a "headline-grabbing stunt" to inflate the Air Force budget; this action was a prudent response to an unfolding Soviet threat to the US presence in Berlin.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Good look at Admiral NimitzBy Darrell SmithAdmiral Nimitz is my favorite leader of WWII. His leadership was key to the U.S. success in the defeat of Japan. The area of his command was vast and spread out against a superior naval enemy. He was able to facilitate key victories like Midway and Leyte Gulf. He also had the ability to facilitate his command with other; more boisterous commanders; like MacArthur; Halsey and King to achieve his goals. After the war; he was also played a key role in the current military structure including helping to save the Marine Corps. Post war he was also one of the first to realize the importance of submarines. He believed that if they could operate more submerged they would be highly effective in positioning nuclear missiles in the new world. He was Chief of Naval Operations and approved the nuclear naval propulsion program. He was the one who started future Admiral Rickover on his path to being the 'father of the nuclear Navy'. This book provides an excellent review of all these achievements but it is a little on the general side and that is why I gave it 4 stars instead of 5. The book by E.B. Potter is a much more detailed and more fitting biography. Nevertheless; I still enjoyed the book and would recommend it to others.
