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Admiral Bill Halsey
A Naval Life
Language:
English
Published/Copyright:
2016
About this book
William Halsey, the most famous naval officer of World War II, was known for fearlessness, steely resolve, and impulsive errors. In this definitive biography, Thomas Hughes punctures the popular caricature of the fighting admiral to present a revealing human portrait of his personal and professional life as it was lived in times of war and peace.
Reviews
During World War II, Americans showered adulation on Douglas MacArthur, George S. Patton—and upon William F. Halsey Jr. Afterward, biographers flocked to chronicle the generals’ lives; less so the admiral’s. Now this stellar work, which seamlessly blends deep research and shrewd analysis, emerges as the most complete and sophisticated Halsey portrait.
-- Richard B. Frank World War II
-- Richard B. Frank World War II
In this remarkable work, Tom Hughes masterfully portrays the maturation of the U.S. Navy through the life and times of Admiral Bill Halsey, from the sailing of the Great White Fleet to the Japanese surrender aboard his flagship, the USS Missouri. A must-read for anyone interested in World War II naval strategy and the colossal challenges encountered in conducting joint maritime warfare in the Pacific as experienced by one of the most audacious and controversial commanders in naval history.
-- Phil Haun, Yale University
-- Phil Haun, Yale University
Hughes’s biography of Halsey replaces the generalities about ‘the greatest generation’ with a hard-hitting, thoroughly researched, and very persuasive account of Halsey’s command in the Pacific War at a time when the success or failure of the whole effort against Japan hung in the balance. His is an essential and very readable revisionist portrait of one of America’s most famous naval leaders.
-- Ronald H. Spector, author of Eagle Against the Sun: The American War with Japan
-- Ronald H. Spector, author of Eagle Against the Sun: The American War with Japan
A superb biography of a famed but elusive subject whose accomplishments and failings, virtues and flaws, have never been so persuasively captured. This compelling portrait of Halsey will stand for a generation or more as the preeminent life story of one of America’s greatest seamen.
-- Richard B. Frank, author of Guadalcanal: The Definitive Account of the Landmark Battle
-- Richard B. Frank, author of Guadalcanal: The Definitive Account of the Landmark Battle
Smartly written…[It] deserves to supplant E. B. Potter’s 21-year-old Bull Halsey as the standard life of its subject…Hughes is an entertaining writer and an incisive observer.
-- James D. Hornfischer Wall Street Journal
-- James D. Hornfischer Wall Street Journal
A complex, thought-provoking, and profoundly illuminating story.
-- Joseph F. Callo Weekly Standard
-- Joseph F. Callo Weekly Standard
This new biography presents a fascinating reappraisal of one of the most important, yet subsequently neglected, military commanders of World War II.
-- Robert Guttman HistoryNet
-- Robert Guttman HistoryNet
Hughes uses this expertly researched and well-written biography to look underneath the layers of popular culture and try to understand the man behind some of the US Navy's biggest WW II successes as well as its biggest controversies.
-- J. C. Rentfrow Choice
-- J. C. Rentfrow Choice
[An] impeccably researched, objective, and eminently readable biography of the fighting admiral…[Hughes] has succeeded, magnificently, in this well-written, fascinating biography.
-- Keith Robinson Military History
-- Keith Robinson Military History
Topics
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Frontmatter
i -
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Contents
vii -
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List of Maps
ix -
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Introduction: A Naval Death
1 -
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1. An American Aristocracy
7 -
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2. The Admiral’s Captain
17 -
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3. A Carefree and Careful Boy
38 -
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4. New Officer, New Navy, New Century
53 -
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5. A Naval Band of Brothers
67 -
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6. Becoming Bill Halsey
94 -
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7. The Oldest Aviator
116 -
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8. The First Fighter
143 -
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9. The Right Man
172 -
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10. The Thin Red Line
199 -
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11. Real Tales of the South Pacific
225 -
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12. The Crossroads of Command
253 -
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13. Low Tide
274 -
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14. High Tide
301 -
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15. At Sea at Last
330 -
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16. Bull’s Run
352 -
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17. An Old Man at Sea
376 -
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18. At Home at Last
398 -
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Conclusion: A Naval Legacy
416 -
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Notes
421 -
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Acknowledgments
471 -
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Index
473
Publishing information
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
eBook published on:
May 2, 2016
eBook ISBN:
9780674969315
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
Main content:
544
Other:
42 halftones, 6 maps
eBook ISBN:
9780674969315
Audience(s) for this book
General/trade;
