Battleship Commander

The Life of Vice Admiral Willis A. Lee Jr.

By: Paul Stillwell

Narrated by: Walter Dixon

Length: 11 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's summary

Battleship Commander explores Lee's life from boyhood in Kentucky through his eventual service as commander of the fast battleships from 1942 to 1945. Said to be down to earth, modest, forgiving, friendly, and with a wry sense of humor, Lee eschewed the media and, to the extent possible, left administrative details to others. During his service in the Navy Department from 1939 to 1942, Lee prepared the US Navy for war at sea, and was involved in inspecting designs for battleships, cruisers, aircraft carriers, and destroyers. He sent observers to Britain to report on Royal Navy operations during the war against Germany and made plans to send an action team to mainland China to observe conditions for possible later Allied landings there.

In 1942, Willis Lee became commander of the first division of fast battleships to operate in the Pacific. During that service, he commanded Task Force 64, which achieved a tide-turning victory in a night battle near Guadalcanal in November 1942.

Continuing his career of service near the end of the war, Lee, in the summer of 1945, directed anti-kamikaze research efforts in Casco Bay, Maine. While Lee's wartime successes and failures are compelling, what is here in this biography is a balanced look at the man and officer.

©2021 Paul Stillwell (P)2021 Tantor

Bullseye

Good look into an historic figure. Good narration. Recommend for any enthusiast of the pacific battles.

Another greate WWII story

So many books from different perspectives have told of the war from the American side. This is a wonderful documentation of the life and command style of Vice Admiral Willis Lee. It does not over sell. It was a great story to hear about.

A real in depth look at Admiral Lee

I found this book to be an enjoyable listen. it goes into a lot of detail about Admiral Lee's pre-WW2 service that I did not know much about. Once WW2 starts, the details of just how much he really contributed became clear. I think he would have been an absolutely amazing person to meet and talk with.

Thank you

Thank you for the time and effort expended to tell the story of Admiral Lee. The contributions of this unsung hero have gone for to long unrecognized and this book does him a measure of justice.

Finally a telling of a great man's legacy.

The life of America's most capable and effective Naval commanders who knew how to use Battleships in WW2. A great story long over due.

Love Listening To Naval History

Really into listening to Naval History. For most part of WW2. Many personalities of Naval Leaders.

A biography with feeling, color and details

This vivid and thoroughly researched biography evokes the reality, hopes, accomplishments and disappointments of a man devoted to his Navy and his country. Through this, the author illustrates the life of a person who is a model of leadership. Adm Lee’s life makes entertaining listening for anyone interested in naval affairs. It would be particularly useful to anyone contemplating or Burgos naval career. Thanks for reading.

Pretty good, but needs an editor

Thrilled to read the biography of Willis Lee, and the information about him is fascinating. But this book lacks the polish the polish of something like a Hornfischer or Beevor, with a number of small errors and gripes that mar an otherwise good work. For example, in describing the consequences of Typhoon Cobra, the author says something like “less than a thousand men died” as a consequence of Halsey’s poor judgement — the trouble with the statement is that it was intended to convey the enormity of the error, not minimize it.
It just wasn’t as well done as it could and should have been.

Excellent Historical Piece

This is a well written piece on a man who has not been talked about much when it comes to his role in the battle of the pacific.

His understanding of radar and his ability to rationally think about the battle field is throughly explained in this book.

An Unassuming Leader

Despite many years as a naval officer, albeit as an aviator rather than surface line, I learned of VADM Lee only recently and long after I had left the service. I was immediately intrigued by this brilliant yet unassuming leader and was pleased to discover Stillwell’s book. For my taste, Stillwell spent too much time on Lee’s formative years, and particularly his marksmanship. It is made clear early on that Lee was a crack shot, earning seemingly countless medals and awards for pistol and rifle competition, including at the Olympic games. But sadly, like a lot of “sportsmen” of that period, he seemed to enjoy exhibiting that skill at the expense of whatever bird or animal that had the misfortune to fall into his sights, including one unfortunate dog that wandered onto a shooting range. I was disappointed in his willful disregard for innocent life.
That said, once the book began to concentrate on his naval career, Lee’s qualities began to show. Stillwell chronicles Lee’s progression through the ranks and admirably writes of Lee’s critical, yet largely unsung, contributions to the war in the Pacific.
Had things been different Lee might have been as well-known as say, Nimitz or Mitschner, but he was the preeminent leader of the Navy’s “Gun Club” at a time when the aircraft carrier was replacing the battleship as the fist of the fleet. He was also not one who craved the spotlight and was adverse to drawing attention to himself (unlike Halsey). Sadly, he also died too young.
The first couple of chapters notwithstanding, “Battleship Commander” is an excellent read, particularly for students of naval history in general or the war in the Pacific in particular. It is also a very good narrative on leadership. Finally, Walter Dixon’s narration is a pleasure to listen to.