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How They Won the War in the Pacific: Nimitz and His Admirals

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After the Pearl Harbor disaster, President Roosevelt decided to relieve Admiral Husband Kimmel of his Pacific Fleet command. Many thought that Kimmel was made out to be a scapegoat and did not deserve to be relieved, but Roosevelt felt that a new commander was needed to lift America out of the ashes of Pearl harbor and begin the road to ultimate victory. The man chosen for the task was Admiral Chester W. Nimitz.

Nimitz was chosen over many higher-ranking officers, but in the end, Nimitz proved to be the perfect choice to lead the American Navy. Blessed with a keen sense of fairness to his fellow man, this fine book examines Nimitz and his admirals and how they ultimately won the war in the Pacific.

Although Nimitz was considered a "calm tower of strength" and the principal architect of victory in the Pacific, he could not have accomplished this feat alone. His choices of supporting staff members and Admirals are the ones who, in the end, helped win the war for the United States.

This book examines many of Nimitz' Admirals, but four really stand out above the rest: Ray Spruance, Bill Halsey, Kelly Turner, and Marc Mitscher. Halsey was the fire and brimstone commander who fearlessly took on the Japanese in the early days of the war. He also said that after he was finished, the only place where the Japanese language would be spoken was in hell. Spruance was the antithesis of Halsey. Calm and cerebral, Spruance endeared himself to Nimitz with his careful consideration of the task at hand. It was said that Halsey could win a battle, but Spruance could win a campaign. Turner was cut from the same mold as Halsey. Fearless and intimidating, even to a fault, Turner was the architect of the brilliant amphibious landings of the war. Meanwhile, Mitscher was in charge of the fast carriers and endeared himself to his fliers by lighting up his entire force's lights to help bring the boys home after a nighttime raid against the Japanese. In the end, it was Nimitz' use of these important men that ultimately won the war for the United States.

This book, written by historian Edwin P. Hoyt, does a fine job of explaining the transition of the U.S. Navy from a weakened and busted fleet early in the war to the offensive juggernaut that it became by the time of Japan's surrender. Each important naval battle is discussed, and the role of Nimitz and his commanders is explained. Form the dark days of January 1942 to the ultimate victory in September 1945, Nimitz' navy fought the Japanese tooth and nail, and, more often than not, came out on top. The book also discusses the inter-service rivalries that existed between the Army and Navy, as well as the rise of the "young turks", or the Naval Aviator Flag Officers. I recommend this book very highly. It does a very good job of explaining Nimitz' role in the Pacific war, as well as that of his commanders. Read it and learn about one of the greatest commanders and leaders our country has ever had.

The U.S. command in the pacific theater is one of the most underreported of the war. And yet this command was the most innovative of any command of any power in WWII. They invented a totally new type of warfare and quickly learned to execute it exceptionally well.

And they also made do with so little, winning Midway and holding Guadacanal by the skin of their teeth. The ability to know exactly where to fight and how is an incredible story.

Does this book get that? Yes, some of it. But for a book that revolves around this, it gets suprisingly little. The U.S. submarine fleet sunk half the Japanese ships and basically isolated Japan from it's raw material sources. Yet it's not mentioned in this book.

Add to that no real mention of how the Navy learned to develop amphibious warfare and to combine that with strong carrier support. And what you are left with is another book that just goes through the main battles of the pacific war, with a bit more emphasis on the admirals in charge.

Excellent detailed review of WW II in the Pacific with all the personalities and "backstabbing" of the commanders that went on.Much of the details were not released to the media at the time. Many of the leaders mentioned went on to become the Chief of Naval Operations later on. I had the privelege of calling on Nimitz and his wife in 1963 and he related the story of his ship grounding detailled in the book. This book was "released" in 1970. Why is it so late (2000) in being published? Would loved to have read it before meeting Nimitz and his son.Could have used more maps of some of the places being discussed.

How They Won the War in the Pacific is the work of author Edwin Hoyt, first published in 1970. Hoyt was an exceptionally prolific writer of both novels and non-fiction, primarily military history of WW2. The subtitle of How They Won is "Nimitz and His Admirals," and Hoyt leaves very few stones unturned in telling the history of the commander of the Pacific Fleet and the command personalities arrayed under him, who were integral in defeating Japan. Hoyt states in his acknowledgements that this is not a biography of Nimitz, but a study of Nimitz's command of the Pacific Fleet, and how Nimitz's subordinates performed in their own particular command roles.

The well-read Pacific War enthusiast may justly ask: What value is there in a book published more than forty years ago, and which condenses the history of Nimitz's command of the Pacific Fleet into a mere 504 pages? I was myself skeptical when I set out to read Hoyt's book, but found two distinct attributes that made How They Won the War in the Pacific a profitable read:

The first was Hoyt's use of a broad spectrum of primary sources. For the big picture of events Hoyt often cites the Pacific Fleet war diary, know as the "CincPac Greybook," also used extensively by another author, John Lundstrom. Writing and researching in the late 1960s, Hoyt had the valuable opportunity to correspond with then still-living participants. Hoyt also took advantage of sources from people who may have not had significant influence on the course of the Pacific War, but whose eye for detail reveals much about not just Nimitz in command, but Nimitz the man, such as the diary of Lt. James Bassett, who once visited Nimitz for dinner at his residence. This variety and range of primary sources gives Hoyt's study a freshness, even at a distance of more than forty years.

Second, Hoyt focuses on command, and not operations. This can only be construed as an advantage to a reader who is already familiar with the operational chronology and geography of the areas of action in the Pacific. The ideal background would be readers who have read Samuel Morison's nine volumes on the Pacific theater, or who have gained equivalent knowledge through some other source. Since so few maps are to be found in How They Won, it may be that that was Hoyt's intended audience. In any case, not dwelling on operational details leaves more room for Hoyt to develop the intricacies of the command situations. An exception to this would of course be when disputes over operational details were carried out among high level commanders, such as the reasons behind the Holland Smith vs. Ralph Smith brouhaha on Saipan.

This book is a study in command which showcases not just Nimitz's ability, but also that of his subordinates. It is instructive to note the range of capabilities and command styles of the admirals under Nimitz. Before the war, there were those who were respected for their organizational skills or analytical ability, but lacked the equanimity to withstand the pressure of wartime command, such as Ghormley. There were those already respected, whose command skills were demonstrated from the beginning, and only increased their value and prestige as the war grew in size and scope, such as Spruance. And then there were those such as Halsey, who excelled in the early days of the war, when the combination of stealth, speed and audacity was most valued, but failed to measure up once the USN grew into the complex administrative, logistical and operational leviathan it became in 1944-45.

How They Won the War is well edited. I only found a couple of mistakes. On page 242 (of the 2002 printed edition) Hoyt has Nimitz, in May 1943, sending "Admirals Calhoun and Callaghan" to Halsey, when Callaghan had been killed in November, 1942. On page 307, describing the second day of the Betio assault, Hoyt says on page 307 that, "On D-1 the reserves were committed." He obviously meant, "D+1." Elsewhere throughout the narrative, the D+ and D- designations are used properly.

Despite its age of more than forty years, Hoyt's How They Won the War will prove an informative, interesting read, not "even," but "especially" to those already familiar with the operations and command personalities of the Pacific War. For those with no prior familiarity, it may prove a bit dense, especially regarding geography. For those readers interested in the fullest portrait of Nimitz, I would strongly recommend reading this history by Hoyt in tandem with Potter's biography of Nimitz.

This book is very well written and provides interesting insights into the personalities of the leading naval commanders who helped win the Pacific war from 1942-1945. The only negative is that the maps are not clear and are hard to read. Also there are not enough of them to show how the major campaigns evolved. I compare this to Omar Bradley's "A Soldiers Story," which contains numerous easy to follow maps that show how the various campaigns took place in the European Theater of Operations during World War II. Other than that, "How They Won the War in the Pacific" is an excellent history and a must read for World War II aficionados.

Although I have not read this book, I wanted to comment on Amazon. The book was a gift for my uncle and it arrived on time and in perfect condition.

Outstanding history of the war in the Pacific. Great profiles of Nimitz, Fletcher, Halsey, Spruance, and others. Easy to read. I hated to finish it!