Good Morning: Meet Bull Halsey

[Okla-homey]

Oct. 18, 1942: Vice Admiral Halsey named new commander of the South Pacific

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65 years ago on this day in 1942, Vice. Adm. William F. Halsey replaces Vice Adm. Robert L. Ghormley as commander, South Pacific.

The man nicknamed "Bull" by the press began his military career as a destroyer commander during World War I. Halsey was made a captain at the age of 53, earned his naval aviator's wings, and was promoted to vice admiral in 1940.

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Young Bull first thought he wanted to be a physician. He left his home state of NJ for Charlottesville VA and the hallowed halls of the University of Virginia to begin "pre-med." He lasted a year, partied alot and had a ball...but it wasn't his cup of tea. He later matriculated at USNA from which he graduated in 1904. He wasn't a star student at USNA, but he racked-up three varsity letters. He did well during WWI.

It was the bombing of Pearl Harbor that would mark out his future for him. Halsey's task force was one of the few functioning battle groups left after the destruction of so much of the American fleet, placing him in the position of making the unpredictable and aggressive strategic decisions for which he would become renowned.

Upon learning of the Japanese attack, he was overheard remarking that after this war the Japanese language would only be spoken in hell. Halsey's contempt for the Japanese was well displayed throughout the war to the officers and sailors under his command in very successful campaigns to boost morale. One such example was a sign that Halsey had hanging on the bulkhead of his flag quarters that said "Kill Japs, Kill Japs, Kill More Japs!".

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Kill Japs!

In 1942, he led surprise attacks on the Marshall and Gilbert Islands and supported the American reinforcement of troops on Samoa. It was his task force (a temporary organization of a fleet for a specific operation) that carried the 16 B-25 bombers for Jimmy Doolittle's raid on Tokyo in April 1942. By this time he had acquired the nickname "Bull," after his slogan, "Hit hard, hit fast, hit often".

Halsey's reputation for being where the action was had made him arguably the most famous American admiral of the war. And so it is ironic that he missed two major Naval engagements: the Battle of the Coral Sea (his fleet was not strategically positioned to participate) and the Battle of Midway (a severe case of psoriasis put him out of commission).

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Guided missile destroyer USS Halsey currently haze gray and underway keeping the sea lanes safe for American shipping

But by October 1942, Halsey was back just in time to be appointed commander of South Pacific operations by Admiral Nimitz, who wanted Vice Admiral Ghormley replaced. (Ghormley had suffered several defeats militarily and severe cases of indecision and anxiety personally.)

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The weak and indecisive Adm. Bob Ghormley whom Bull replaced.

Brilliant work in the capture of the Solomon Islands and New Guineas led to Halsey's promotion to full admiral. His career continued to strike awe in his admirers and terror in his enemies, as he succeeded in destroying the Japanese fleet in the Battle of Leyte Gulf in 1944, and commanding U.S. forces in the operations that led to the capture of Okinawa and the surrender of the Japanese there.

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Halsey with VAdm. John S. McCain, Sr. aboard USS Missouri anchored in Tokyo bay imediately following the Japanese unconditional surrender

Fleet Admiral William F. Halsey died on August 20, 1959 and was interred in Arlington National Cemetery. His wife, Frances Grandy Halsey (1887-1968), is buried with him.

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[KsSooner]

:D He looks like a mean SOB!

[KRYPTON]

Halsey was a certified American Bad @$$.

However, I read the topic line as "Good Morning: Meet Bill Brasky"

[StoopTroup]

BULLY!

http://img.timeinc.net/time/daily/2006/0606/topener_0624.jpg

[TUSooner]

Here's what some anonymous innerweb expert says, but it sums up what I have read about Halsey.

Halsey was and is a highly controversial figure in the U.S. Navy. He never really distinguished himself in his campaigns, and yet, due to his incredible popularity and his ability to encourage his men, won all of them. Halsey was definitely not brilliant - under his command responsibility fell the losses of Hornet, Chicago, Princeton and Gambier Bay, all of which could have been probably avoided through careful planning. On the other hand, his fighting spirit resulted in the succesful raids on Rabaul, and the early invasion of Leyte, shortening the war by months, as well as the appointment of Spruance as COMTF16 at Midway. I'll go with what J.J.Clark said of him: by 1944, the war had become too complicated for Halsey. But before that, Halsey was the only one man to turn the problematic situation at Guadalcanal in favor of the Allies.

Bull's blunder was when he went chasing after the Japanese at Leyte and basically left the "back door" open so other Japanese forces could mangle the fleet that was screening the PI invasion force. (Something like that; nit-pickers commence picking! :D )

[Okla-homey]

Here's what some anonymous innerweb expert says, but it sums up what I have read about Halsey.


Bull's blunder was when he went chasing after the Japanese at Leyte and basically left the "back door" open so other Japanese forces could mangle the fleet that was screening the PI invasion force. (Something like that; nit-pickers commence picking! :D )

No, that's fair. There's also the matter of the Leyte typhoons. He chose to remain on station supporting the ground forces instead of putting to sea to ride them out. He lost ships, sailors and planes as a result.

[SoonerStormchaser]

I've got it:
Patton= Army's badass!
Halsey= Navy's badass!
LeMay= Air Force's Badass!
Marines= real badasses!

and the ultimate badass:
http://www.o-ronline.net/weblog/cp/uploaded_images/chuck_norris-748639.jpg

[TUSooner]

No, that's fair. There's also the matter of the Leyte typhoons. He chose to remain on station supporting the ground forces instead of putting to sea to ride them out. He lost ships, sailors and planes as a result.
Didn't The Caine Mutiny come out of that typhoon?

http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/6190/captainqueegqq7.jpg

[Okla-homey]

Didn't The Caine Mutiny come out of that typhoon?

http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/6190/captainqueegqq7.jpg

zackry!

[SoonerBorn68]

Bull's blunder was when he went chasing after the Japanese at Leyte and basically left the "back door" open so other Japanese forces could mangle the fleet that was screening the PI invasion force. (Something like that; nit-pickers commence picking! :D )

I picked up The Last Stand Of The Tin Can Sailors last time I was home. It'll be my next read. I've seen several documentaries on Taffy 3 & am really excited to get started on it.

http://www.amazon.com/Last-Stand-Tin-Sailors-Extraordinary/dp/0553802577