If you read my other two books on the Pacific War, "Pacific Thunder" and "Tidal Wave," you will find I am a fellow "Spruance Man." His ability to keep the Big Picture in mind and keep his ego under control, was why he won Midway, where Halsey would have dashed on west that night and run right into Yamamoto's ambush. "The Battle of Bull's…
If you read my other two books on the Pacific War, "Pacific Thunder" and "Tidal Wave," you will find I am a fellow "Spruance Man." His ability to keep the Big Picture in mind and keep his ego under control, was why he won Midway, where Halsey would have dashed on west that night and run right into Yamamoto's ambush. "The Battle of Bull's Run," where Halsey dropped the ball at Leyte and exposed the invasion to potential destruction to go sink the Japanese carriers (that were a sacrifice) demonstrates the difference. I always liked the story about the kamikaze hitting Spruance's flagship at Okinawa and he couldn't be found. The Flag Lieutenant looked everywhere and found him manning a hose line to fight the fires on the boat deck, just another crew member. I would have loved to be you and to have met him. Nimitz was pretty understated too - he had to be to negotiate all the egos at PacFleet HQ.
If you read my other two books on the Pacific War, "Pacific Thunder" and "Tidal Wave," you will find I am a fellow "Spruance Man." His ability to keep the Big Picture in mind and keep his ego under control, was why he won Midway, where Halsey would have dashed on west that night and run right into Yamamoto's ambush. "The Battle of Bull's Run," where Halsey dropped the ball at Leyte and exposed the invasion to potential destruction to go sink the Japanese carriers (that were a sacrifice) demonstrates the difference. I always liked the story about the kamikaze hitting Spruance's flagship at Okinawa and he couldn't be found. The Flag Lieutenant looked everywhere and found him manning a hose line to fight the fires on the boat deck, just another crew member. I would have loved to be you and to have met him. Nimitz was pretty understated too - he had to be to negotiate all the egos at PacFleet HQ.