Publisher's Weekly Review
Popular military historian Wukovits economically and convincingly refurbishes a WWII hero inappropriately grown unfashionable. Contemporary evaluations of Adm. William F. Halsey present him as a media creation, whose heroic words and posturing camouflaged mediocrity. Wukovits, in contrast, describes the early career that persuaded Halsey of the sovereign importance of acting "promptly, and with decision." The author stresses Halsey's ability to inspire loyalty and respect in his men, his skills as a trainer, and his success in developing harmonious interservice and interallied relationships. All were vital in the war's early stages, when odds were even and resources limited. Halsey's aggressive command style gave momentum and structure to the vital South Pacific campaign-where, the admiral said, "we broke their backs." Halsey then became, with Raymond Spruance, part of naval history's greatest operational command team. By 1945 he brought the war to the home islands of Japan with devastating surface/air bombardments. His mistakes at Leyte Gulf, while not trivial, reflected commitment to decisive action. Wukovits fully justifies "Bull" Halsey's place among America's greatest admirals. (July) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Kirkus Review
An admiring reappraisal of the belligerent fleet commander who carried the day for the American Navy during World War II.Descended from a line of peripatetic buccaneers and sea captains, William F. Halsey (18821959) proved an indifferent student at the Naval Academy, but was "full of life and ready for action." His early career benefited from Theodore Roosevelt's plans to expand the Navy, and Halsey learned important lessons as a commander of destroyers after World War I. However, his love of aviation prompted his move to the aircraft carrier. By the spring of 1940, well liked by his men, truculent and with the appearance of a bulldog, he was put in charge of all Pacific aircraft carriers and their air groups. To his consternation, but ultimate good luck, he was out on maneuvers near Wake Island on Dec. 7, 1941, when he was apprised of the attack on the rest of the fleet at Pearl Harbor. Witnessing that scene of devastation and humiliation fueled his anger and determination for the duration of the war, sometimes to cringingly incendiary language ("Kill Japs, kill Japs, kill more Japs!") Halsey proved to be the answer to a swift, bold offensive, and with the elevation of Chester W. Nimitz as Commander in Chief of the Pacific Fleet, Halsey was sent to protect the crucial Midway-Johnston Island-Hawaii triangle from Japanese attack. His series of raids played well on the home front, and the press dubbed him "Bull" and "Knock-'em Down Halsey." Subsequent decisive victories at Midway, Coral Sea and Guadalcanal stopped the Japanese advance. Military historian Wukovits (American Commando: Evans Carlson, His WWII Marine Raiders, and America's First Special Forces Mission, 2009, etc.) deals evenly with Halsey's precipitous, potentially disastrous decisions in October 1944 at Leyte Gulf, and later recklessness during two typhoons. However, the author makes a good case that Halsey was the much-needed warrior for America's darkest hour.A workmanlike, solid biography of a significant American military leader. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
A seasoned writer on WWII in the Pacific now turns his attention to one of its most controversial figures. Bull Halsey was a navy brat and a latecomer to naval aviation, although distinguished as a destroyer officer before the war. He successfully commanded the early carrier raids into Japanese waters, missed the Battle of Midway due to illness, then achieved his greatest distinction as commander in the South Pacific, beginning with turning Guadalcanal around. Moved into command of the Third Fleet, he was less successful, as his overwhelming aggressiveness led him astray twice. First was leaving the Leyte beaches unprotected while seeking the Japanese carriers, an effort that might have led to a major disaster; second was leading the Third Fleet into a typhoon while trying to keep in supporting range of General MacArthur. The author argues persuasively that these errors are not the sum of Halsey's career, however, and that his strategic and tactical judgments were more often sound than not. With his aggressiveness and charisma added in, he emerges as one of the great sea warriors in American history.--Green, Roland Copyright 2010 Booklist
