Bull Halsey [Hardcover]

E. B. Potter (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1985

A thorough and balanced study of the tough and controversial World War II naval hero of the Pacific.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

By the author of Nimitz, this is the first comprehensive biography of Admiral William F. Halsey, the best-known American naval hero of World War II. Drawing on unpublished memoirs, oral histories, and interviews with relatives and military colleagues, Potter has constructed a scholarly and highly readable account of the life of this colorful, bold, controversial leader. The last of the great swashbuckling sea dogs, Halsey was one of the key figures in the defeat of Japan. His strategical decisions during the Battle for Leyte Gulf, however, have been debated for over 40 years. Here the issue is explained with clarity, and readers can draw their own conclusions. Halsey was the only military man of comparable rank who was able to work harmoniously with Douglas MacArthur. Potter not only explains why this was so but provides new material on that increasingly maligned general in his account of the Halsey-MacArthur partnership during the South Pacific campaign. Photos. Military Book Club selection. November
Copyright 1985 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Three years after assuming command of the southwest Pacific area, a triumphant Halsey led the Third Fleet into Tokyo Bay to accept the Japanese surrender. No man did more to assure U.S. victory in the Pacific. A colorful and cantankerous figure, Halsey was one of the greatest combat leaders in U.S. naval history. While Potter brilliantly illustrates Halsey's ability as a leader and tactician, he candidly admits to the Admiral's shortcomings and explains the reasons behind his most controversial decisionsthe Battle of Leyte Gulf and the typhoon incidents of 1944/45. Potter had access to sources not previously available and has produced a remarkably fine and objective biography, the best account of the ``Bull'' to date. Essential for all World War II collections. Military Book Club main selection. Stanley Itkin, Hillside P.L., New Hyde Park,
Copyright 1985 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 421 pages
• Publisher: Naval Institute Press (November 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0870211463
• ISBN-13: 978-0870211461
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 7.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #454,090 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty good history, September 30, 2006

By 

Steven A. Peterson (Hershey, PA (Born in Kewanee, IL)) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Bull Halsey (Paperback)

This work, overall, is a good biography of Admiral William "Bull" Halsey. He is most renowned for his work in the Pacific Theater during World War II, with distinguished service from Gaudalcanal to Okinawa. This volume does a sound job in laying out his career in the Pacific.

A couple cavils: (1) The jumping back and forth between his early life and World War II makes for a sometimes jarring narrative; (2) Some of the more controversial aspects of his leadership in World War II, such as his decision-making in the Philippines, seem a bit underplayed.

I'm not sure of the background of the John Wayne movie, In Harm's Way, but the description of Halsey taking over from his predecessor here sure has some analogues with John Wayne's Rock Torrey taking over from an ineffectaul admiral to win a battle that has some clear parallels with Guadalcanal.

Halsey was a "take no prisoners," "full steam ahead" fighting admiral. It is interesting to compare this biography with, for example, a nice biography of his colleague Raymond Spruance, The Quiet Warrior. These admirals of the Pacific had very different personalities and tactics. Nonetheless, they were both effective in their distinct ways.

This volume certainly informs readers of those facets of Halsey's leadership that served the United States well in the Pacific. All in all, despite some questions one might have about the book, this is worth reading by those interested in the naval war in the Pacific during World War II.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Military biography on Halsey, December 21, 2006

By 

lordhoot "lordhoot" (Anchorage, Alaska USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bull Halsey (Hardcover)

E.B. Potter's biography on Admiral William "Bull" Halsey proves to be pretty well written, researched and very readable book. Like some of the other reviewers, I didn't like the way the author skipped around Halsey's life at the beginning but I thought it didn't distract from the overall book.

I regards this as an introductionary biography on Halsey simply because as one previous reviewer stated, it really doesn't say too much about Bull Halsey the man. This book read like the military biography of Halsey and thus feel incomplete as a full biography.

The book proves to be "Halsey friendly" most of the time. However the author couldn't hide the fact that Halsey was a very overt racist and that he made a serious error in judgment at Leyte Gulf where only the timidness of the Japanese Admiral Kurita saved Halsey's reputation. The book did make it clear that Halsey's racial hatred toward the Japanese came about long before Pearl Harbor. Author never explain how or why Halsey developed such an attitude toward people he had little or no interaction with.

But overall, as a military biography of Admiral William "Bull" Halsey, this book meet all the points of interest. Its clearly written and gives a good understanding of Halsey as a navy man and as a fleet commander.

32 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars What a disappointment, September 3, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Bull Halsey (Hardcover)

I purchased this book expecting it to be on a par with the biographies of Douglas MacArthur, Chester Nimitz, George S. Patton Jr. and Dwight D. Eisenhower that have been written by such authors as William Manchester, Carlos D'Este, Stephen Ambrose and yes, E.B. Potter. Needless to say, I was disappointed after reading this book.

The organization of the book was spotty in the beginning, alternating between the events surrounding the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 and afterwards and Halsey's early years. I would have preferred it had Potter begun with Halsey's geneaological background and progressed through to his years at Annapolis, his years commanding destroyers, the time he learned how to fly (even though his eyesight did not meet Navy standards), and his leadership during World War II. Or the book could have opened with Halsey issuing his first battle order before the attack on Pearl Harbor and then going to a straight narrative (without shifting back and forth between Pearl Harbor and his early years). The organization of the book, as it is, distracts from the portrait that Potter is trying to paint of his subject, which is colorful enough.

But Potter doesn't let the person of Admiral Halsey truly step forth. There is much that I would have liked to have learned, which this book does not answer. For example, what was his family ancestry? What was his family life like? Why did he develop his prejudices against the Japanese, and did he have any others?

The author has merely scratched the surface of his subject with this work. As this book demonstrates, Halsey was popular with the sailors and naval officers, and did much to guarantee the Allied victory in the Pacific, yet more than once he was reckless with the lives of his sailors and naval officers. A full biography of Halsey,in the style of AMERICAN CAESAR or PATTON: A GENIUS FOR WAR has yet to be written.