Bull Halsey: A Memoir

Longtime United States Naval Academy professor E. B. Potter presents us here with a biography of William F. "Bull" Halsey, the famed USN admiral of the Pacific War. This book covers Halsey's military life and exploits in thorough detail. Halsey's participation in the Great White Fleet of Teddy Roosevelt, his time spent in destroyers and his introduction into aviation late in life all make for great reading in describing the growth of the pre-WWII Halsey as a naval commander.Where we get the most fully developed picture of Halsey is in his leadership during WWII. From the early raids on the outlying Japanese possessions, his bitter disappointment in missing Midway, to his dramatic replacement of Ghormley during the Guadalcanal campaign and perseverance throughout Operation Cartwheel we see him come into his own as the eventual commander of the Big Blue Fleet. It is only at this highest level that we see Halsey's actions called into question, most prominently the decision to abandon the San Bernardino Strait to confront Ozawa's Northern Force at Leyte Gulf. Halsey spent much of his post-WWII years in defending himself, often ineptly, against the charge that he had "taken the bait" and left the strait wide open for Kurita's Central Force.As another reviewer stated, where Potter fails to give us a full picture is of Halsey the man, the way Manchester did with MacArthur, D'este with Patton, or even Potter himself with his earlier biography of Nimitz. We know Halsey smoked a lot, and liked to drink, but what other interests or hobbies did he have? What books did he read? How disappointed was he that his son's poor eyesight would keep him from significant posts in the navy? These types of details are what help give such a complete picture of the subjects mentioned above in their excellent biographies. Even Nimitz, admittedly much less colorful than Patton or MacArthur, was still fully developed by Potter in the earlier biography. Despite this shortcoming, the book still merits four stars due to its thorough coverage of Halsey's many achievements and few, though highly publicized, mistakes as a naval commander.One last note: The disjointed chronology, which seems to have bothered other reviewers, was not a problem. If you can grasp the movie Pulp Fiction, or the Seinfeld episode where they go to the wedding in India, Potter's timeline should provide little challenge.

VERY WELL WRITTEN AND INFORMATIVE

I really enjoyed this book and looked forward to it each evening. If you are a student of history this is one you just need to read to open up your knowledge of the WW II in the south pacific. It will also may you want to know more about many of the characters of the era...

Very well written great detail

Great book about a great admiral who was not whom he seemed to be. Don't think I would have liked the person, but as an admiral he ranks right behind Nimitz and Spruance! The three of them astound me!

My husband enjoyed it

Book purchased was in MUCH better shape than expected and a GREAT price! I WILL be using this vendor again for certain! The content itself is the very best of this subject that I have ever read!

It tells the story of a true maverick in the navy. E.P. Potter added a new piece of the puzzle for World War II navy. It is right up there with his book at Nimitz. Must read for any World War Ii history buffs.