Admiral Bill Halsey

A Naval Life

By: Thomas Alexander Hughes

Narrated by: David Drummond

Length: 17 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's summary

William Halsey was the most famous naval officer of World War II. His fearlessness in carrier raids against Japan, his steely resolve at Guadalcanal, and his impulsive blunder at the Battle of Leyte Gulf made him the "Patton of the Pacific" and solidified his reputation as a decisive, aggressive fighter prone to impetuous errors of judgment in the heat of battle. In this definitive biography, Thomas Hughes punctures the popular caricature of the "fighting admiral" to reveal the truth of Halsey's personal and professional life as it was lived in times of war and peace.

Halsey, the son of a Navy officer whose alcoholism scuttled a promising career, committed himself wholeheartedly to naval life at an early age. An audacious and inspiring commander to his men, he met the operational challenges of the battle at sea against Japan with dramatically effective carrier strikes early in the war. Yet his greatest contribution to the Allied victory was as commander of the combined sea, air, and land forces in the South Pacific. Skillfully mediating the constant strategy disputes between the Army and the Navy, Halsey was the linchpin of America's Pacific war effort when its outcome was far from certain.

©2016 the President and Fellows of Harvard College (P)2016 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Smartly written... [It] deserves to supplant E. B. Potter's 21-year-old Bull Halsey as the standard life of its subject... Hughes is an entertaining writer and an incisive observer." ( Wall Street Journal)

Great read. This book is a true World War Classic!

I LOVE THIS BOOK!!! PLEASE CONSIDER IT. IT I LEARD A LOT ABOUT STRATEGY AND CONFIDENCE!

Admiral Bill Halsey

A writing that I will re-visit many more times. I applaud this as an even handed approach to a life of service.

The man

This book gave an interesting account of admiral Bill Halsey and I thoroughly enjoyed T. It gave insights not just on him but also admiral Nimitz and general McArthur.

sea dog

A great admiral of the US navy. like many of the great military leaders of WWII served at right time at the right time.

Educational & Enjoyable

I could not stop listening to this book. I think this book presents Halsey in a balanced way: the Admiral, the hero of the press, and the man. I would definitely recommend this book.

The cost of War

This book reflected the cost of capital and lifes that had to be expended in Pacific Theatre as reflected from Admiral Halsy perspective. It gave a very humbling experience to look back from my comfortable living room to what the very young men and women indure. I strongly recommend this book

Good Book

Nice Follow up to :"The Admirals". Reader was a bit dull and took time to get used to.

Finally a fair assessment

I appreciate a great recapitulation of an imperfect hero (aren't they all?) and his enormous contribution to the US Navy legacy.

My only critique of the book was the narrator's mispronunciations of Japanese surnames and places. I'm a former Navy linguist who lived in Japan for many years. My educational prissiness was jarred but it didn't interfere with being captivated by this book.

Still a grand slam.

A Naval Life in Review

This is a well-written summary of Fleet Admiral Bill Halsey's life and many of his achievements. If you want to pull aside the larger-than-life aura that has built up around this warrior and get a balanced look at the man underneath then give this book a try, The story is an honest overview and the narrator does a good job. If, however, you're looking for substantial detail about Halsey and his activities during the tumultuous years of the Pacific campaign you'll need to augment this book with other material. This book catches the highlights but there was much more going on between the lines, so to speak. Still, this is good overview and you'll definitely learn some things about this interesting man. America was fortunate that he served when and where he did. If you would like additional information about the war in the Pacific, try The Pacific Crucible by Ian Toll. His other two books in the trilogy are worth the read as well: The Conquering Tide, and the Fleet at Flood Tide. Then listen to Neptune's Inferno by James Hornfisher for an unmatched telling of the Solomon Islands campaign and the fight for Guadalcanal. Oh, one more read: A very good comparison of Halsey's contemporaries is found in The Admirals: Nimitz, Halsey, Leahy, and King by Walter Borneman. Again, this is a great overview. Read this book then go watch the B&W movie The Gallant Hours with Jim Cagney as Halsey.

I liked it!

I liked all the background of his father and learning about his early years with Destroyers. I think he errorred at Leyte - with 20/20 hindsight it is easy to see that he could have split his forces, left his battleships and one carrier division to guard San Bernardino Straight and chase Ozawa with everything else.... but that the Baby Flattops and their efforts stepped up to the challenge and that Kurita failed to press his attack resulting in an overall victory, I think Halsey shouldn't be criticized as harshly as some do. I think Halsey was a great leader and should be remembered as such.