Admiral William Halsey: The US Navy's Raging Bull

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  • Опубликовано: 26 июн 2024
  • His aggression won key battles; it also got men needlessly killed. But in the wake of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, few men had a bigger impact on the war in the Pacific than US Admiral William Halsey.
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    Source/Further reading:
    Bull Halsey, EB Potter, 1985, US Naval Institute Press
    Nimitz, EB Potter, 1976, US Naval Institute Press
    The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors, James Hornfischer, 2005, Bantam

Комментарии • 751

  • @ethanramos4441
    @ethanramos4441 3 года назад +200

    “There aren’t any great men. There are just great challenges that are ordinary men like you and me are forced by circumstances to meet”
    William Halsey

    • @andymckane7271
      @andymckane7271 3 года назад +12

      Some folks---Halsey certainly was one of them---do a vastly better job at measuring up to the great challenges than other man (or women) do or are capable of doing.

    • @newseries6275
      @newseries6275 3 года назад +3

      Exactly. There are so many people with the talents to be us president but only a few candidates can compete. Life is unfair that not everyone gets a chance

    • @Johnnycdrums
      @Johnnycdrums 3 года назад +3

      I remember that.

    • @daleeasternbrat816
      @daleeasternbrat816 3 года назад +3

      Movie made after Admiral Halsey's death was The Galkant Hours. The story revolves around those words. You may ave seen it.

    • @maureencora1
      @maureencora1 Год назад +1

      @@daleeasternbrat816 Touche' (smile)

  • @lawrencewestby9229
    @lawrencewestby9229 3 года назад +205

    Only four Fleet Admiral promotions were authorized by Congress and they went King, Leahy, Nimitz, and Halsey. A fifth should have gone to Ray Spruance.

    • @rachaelsdaddontdrink
      @rachaelsdaddontdrink 3 года назад +18

      Spruance over Halsey.

    • @patrickhows1482
      @patrickhows1482 3 года назад +26

      This was mainly down to Rep. Carl Vinson, the Navy's congressional advocate; for no obvious reason he vetoed Spruance's fifth star, insisting that it went to Halsey. Despite their very different personalities Spruance and Halsey were good friends and Halsey always thought Spruance deserved a fifth star.

    • @mgarcia366
      @mgarcia366 3 года назад +5

      But he got 4 star admiral pay for the rest of his life

    • @kingcrayon3668
      @kingcrayon3668 3 года назад +2

      @@rachaelsdaddontdrink no.

    • @claytonberg721
      @claytonberg721 3 года назад +8

      If not for the shingles I don't think midway would have ended in favor of the americans. After Spruance dealt that knockdown blow by sinking four of their carriers he was wise enough not to pursue and give the japanese the chance of engaging his remaining carriers with their superior battleships. the only screen vessels the americans had were destroyers and ineffective treaty cruisers that were little more than pretty yachts. Had the japanese fleet gotten within 20 miles of the american one it would have turned into a massacre. I doubt Halsey would have been wise enough to quit while he was ahead.
      It was said the only reason he didn't loose his command after leyte was because he was so popular with the press.

  • @TheRussianFloofCat
    @TheRussianFloofCat 3 года назад +30

    Halsey's motto was literally
    "Hit Hard. Hit Fast. Hit Often"
    Sums up his command style perfectly

    • @maureencora1
      @maureencora1 Год назад +1

      I'd Like "Attack Repeat Attack"

    • @MrDonkeyblow
      @MrDonkeyblow Год назад +1

      I actually have his coin that says this, it was passed down to my grandpa

  • @opeth1429
    @opeth1429 3 года назад +149

    As a plebe at the US Naval Academy, each person is required to learn the location of, and reason for, every monument on the Yard. In my first week, I was tasked with finding the 'Halsey-Taylor' Memorial. I looked everywhere, could not find it and incurred the wrath of the upperclassmen, and then found out that they were referring to the 'water fountain'. whose manufacturer was 'Halsey-Taylor'. I had been looking for a statue of Admiral Halsey and someone else named Taylor the whole time. It made sense, because there are a number of monuments at USNA that are dedicated to several people.

    • @dougerrohmer
      @dougerrohmer 3 года назад +4

      @Sam Bacon Strange that Macarthur seemed to favour him, unless it was because Macarthur realised that Halsey will make him look good without stealing the glory.

    • @dougerrohmer
      @dougerrohmer 3 года назад +1

      @Sam Bacon True.

  • @buckshot6481
    @buckshot6481 3 года назад +272

    Taffy 3 showed the very best of American resolve.

    • @TheDuck632
      @TheDuck632 3 года назад +22

      Tin can sailors are the best in the fleet.

    • @orchichris628
      @orchichris628 3 года назад +9

      American Kamikaze facing the largest Battleship with a couple of destroyers and light carriers.

    • @ericaarcadia7178
      @ericaarcadia7178 3 года назад +12

      I remember reading that Japanese sailors giving a salute to the men in one if Taffy 3''s sinking destroyers

    • @patrickhows1482
      @patrickhows1482 3 года назад +26

      The sailors of Taffy 3 should be as celebrated in the USA as the 300 Spartans at Thermopylae were in Greece, sadly the dispute over Halsey's actions at Leyte Gulf have overshadowed the extraordinary courage of the sailors on the escort carriers, destroyers and escort destroyers of Taffy 3.

    • @Electriceye1984bySam
      @Electriceye1984bySam 3 года назад +2

      GO DAWGS! 👌🏻

  • @willhues7243
    @willhues7243 3 года назад +15

    My grandfather was on the first aircraft carrier to ever be sunk by kamikaze, during the Battle off Samar. It was a tragic yet epic experience as he relayed it, and he lost a lot of friends. But he spoke of it with pride.

  • @thomasls1276
    @thomasls1276 3 года назад +50

    James D. Hornfischer's work in "The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors" is an absolutely phenomenal recounting of the battle.
    As an anecdote, my grandfather was actually serving aboard the USS Essex in Halsey's Third Fleet during the Battle of Leyte Gulf and rode out the typhoon. He still spoke with pride of his time under Halsey, despite his mistakes, even 50 years later.

    • @extragoogleaccount6061
      @extragoogleaccount6061 3 года назад +6

      I wish I had been mature enough/old enough during the 90's/early 2000's to have conversed more with that generation! I know you cherish your grandfather's first-hand accounts and stories of those times and I hope he still felt appreciated and loved during the twilight of his life. I know that may sound too personal for a YT comment, but when I see stories of senior neglect or think about the many that are just forgotten in homes during their final years, I always try to remember that anyone one of them could have incredible stories of sacrifice, survival, and triumph that absolutely deserve to be heard and respected! So cheers to you and your family, and may we never have to face a war of that scale ever again!

    • @thomasls1276
      @thomasls1276 3 года назад +2

      @@extragoogleaccount6061 Nah dude I get it, it's good. And he definitely wasn't, he knew he was loved and appreciated. I grew up listening to him tell stories from the war. He was a globe trotter who lived a helluva life. He was in London during the Blitz in 1940 after getting in touch with some of our relatives in Cornwall, then joined the Navy in 41, served on the USS Ranger in the North Atlantic on convoy escort, in Operation Torch and Operation Leader. Transferred to the Essex and the Third Fleet in 44 and was on the deck underneath a 40mm mount when she was hit by a kamikaze in November of 44. He was about 100 feet away from the point of impact. After the war he went to work for Lockheed Martin and helped train pilots on the use of the Bullpup missile in the 60s, then rounded out his career as Chief Engineer on the Martin Marietta/Lockheed Martin MK 41 VLS project in 70s and 80s. Decided to retire after the completion of the VLS. "I knew it was time to ride out on my laurels, it doesn't get better than this." (Job title on the VLS might be wrong, I remember that his team basically took the initial designs and made it workable for implementation aboard ship and "wrote the manual.") Then he dealt with my crazy self from 93 to 04 when he passed. It's funny how much I've forgotten about my youth, but his stories I still retain almost verbatim.

    • @patrickhows1482
      @patrickhows1482 3 года назад +4

      Yes it is an excellent book, at times when I read it l found myself choking up when reading about the courage of young sailors such as Paul Carr. 'For Crew and Country' by John Wukowits, about 'USS Samuel B Roberts' is very good as well.

    • @sandracarpenter4990
      @sandracarpenter4990 3 года назад +6

      My Dad served on the USS Essex during WW2.

    • @stevehomeier8368
      @stevehomeier8368 3 года назад +3

      Have you read ‘Halsey’s Typhoon’ great book also

  • @emilymcfadden4360
    @emilymcfadden4360 2 года назад +9

    My father met and worked out problems with him. My father, a mere Chief Petty Officer, confered with Halsey at Noumea, New Caledonia, or possibly in the Solomons, Details vary. Halsey got my dad everthing he needed for his men, and thanked him for bringing the issue to Halsey. He was a great leader!

    • @emilymcfadden4360
      @emilymcfadden4360 2 года назад +3

      Footnote: The Navy Despised General MacArthur, and revered William F. Halsey.

    • @jonathanbrown7250
      @jonathanbrown7250 Год назад

      @@emilymcfadden4360 there's a great video here on RUclips explaining just how big a screw-up MacArthur was.
      He managed to get every bit as ransacked by the Japanese in the Philippines as Kimmel at Pearl harbor, and with 7 hours extra notice.
      Then he moves his men away from their supplies down to bataan.
      and this is just the beginning.
      The only reason he didn't get fired right along with Kimmel is political connections.
      Nimitz's Pacific strategy made a lot more sense than his, but again, politics MacArthur s plan just to keep his Philippine grandstanding promise got a lot of people unnecessarily killed
      His firing by Harry Truman was about 10 years overdue

    • @MrDonkeyblow
      @MrDonkeyblow Год назад +1

      My great grandfather is bull Halsey

  • @DaveKraft1
    @DaveKraft1 3 года назад +19

    While understandably tough to get the entire life of a major war hero condensed into 18 minutes, one rather important oversight was the fact the Halsey commanded Task Force 16 on the Doolittle Raid of Tokyp in April 1942. It had a far greater strategic effect on the course of the entire War than did his directing the hit and run raids on the Gilberts. FYI. But thanks for doing this piece about Adm. Halsey.

    • @TXMEDRGR
      @TXMEDRGR 3 года назад +1

      I agree. They should have given that operation a minute or two in the video.

    • @johnharris6655
      @johnharris6655 3 года назад +2

      Because the Doolittle raid forced Japan to attack Midway where Spruance became a hero and the tide of the war turned.

  • @christophergoodman404
    @christophergoodman404 3 года назад +247

    When Halsey sailed into Pearl Harbor after the attack. He said "when we get done with them, the only place Japanese will be spoken is hell."
    He also sailed into Tokyo Bay with all Mark 50 16" guns locked and loaded for the formal surrender of Japan because he didn't trust them

    • @dangreene9846
      @dangreene9846 3 года назад +30

      Im going to screw this up , but I remember one quote by Halsey . It went something like this , there are no great men just ordinary men who are thrust into extraordinary circumstances who do great things.

    • @slapdaddyj
      @slapdaddyj 3 года назад +14

      There’s a reason he was called “Bull” Halsey. Absolute respect for the men and women of that era.

    • @Warmaker01
      @Warmaker01 3 года назад +43

      Also during the Japanese surrender ceremony, if you find pictures where all these Cruisers, Battleships in Tokyo Bay, note that none of the Aircraft Carriers were there.
      "Just in case."

    • @garyoa1
      @garyoa1 3 года назад +7

      @@slapdaddyj Or one reporter made a typo and it stuck. :)

    • @CuteDwarf11
      @CuteDwarf11 3 года назад +2

      Thanks for the additional info.

  • @danfreeman5301
    @danfreeman5301 3 года назад +85

    The Bull was Patton on the sea.

    • @extragoogleaccount6061
      @extragoogleaccount6061 3 года назад +4

      I love that! Im going to tweak it a tiny bit and call him "Patton of the Sea!" (Get the reference?)

    • @wheelman1324
      @wheelman1324 3 года назад +1

      Patton was the commander of the 3rd Army. Halsey was the commander of the 3rd Fleet. Coincidence?

    • @ramal5708
      @ramal5708 2 года назад +2

      Patton had 2 blunders, slapping a soldier and task force Baum operations
      Halsey had 3 blunders, Taffy 3, Typhoon Cobra and Typhoon Connie

    • @josephkool8411
      @josephkool8411 2 года назад

      @@ramal5708 Yup

  • @MartinCHorowitz
    @MartinCHorowitz 3 года назад +44

    Halsey's absence at Midway was a key component to victory, the Japanese had planned on Halsey's aggressive style and not a calculated Risk Strategy. The US surprised them and fought the battle using unexpected tactics.

    • @ph89787
      @ph89787 3 года назад +6

      I’d say it was naming Raymond Spruance as Task Force 16 (Enterprise and Hornet) Commander.

    • @adamscott7354
      @adamscott7354 2 года назад +2

      Not really simply because the tactical approach was to trick the Japanese, regardless of carrier commander, what Halsey is waiting for, is his chance to be unleashed which means he will go at them and indeed all the harder for it, but its like the title says, he was a raging bull, an attack dog waiting to be set free, maybe the risk would be him sending too many planes too abruptly at most likely

    • @josephkool8411
      @josephkool8411 2 года назад +5

      @@ph89787 Gotta give Fletcher some credit also

    • @ph89787
      @ph89787 2 года назад +2

      @@josephkool8411 true.

    • @ph89787
      @ph89787 Год назад

      @@adamscott7354 bit late. But was this opinion based on what he did at Leyte Gulf?

  • @msbae
    @msbae 3 года назад +65

    Why no mention of Halsey's participation in the Doolittle Raid? USS Enterprise participated in that action. Halsey took some medals he received on a previous tour to Japan in earlier years and tied them to the bombs that Doolittle dropped on Tokyo. Halsey was NOT joking when he said he didn't want to stop until the Japanese language was spoken only in Hell.

    • @RabidlyTaboo
      @RabidlyTaboo 3 года назад +4

      fkn metal

    • @thomaskusar5816
      @thomaskusar5816 3 года назад +1

      I thought he compleatly missed it. I want to know who wrote this up and how the hell they "missed" it.

    • @claytonberg721
      @claytonberg721 3 года назад +7

      while halsey was not tactically the best commander in the pacific his greatest contribution to the war was moral.
      It is difficult to understand today the blow that the japanese dealt at pearl harbor. It was thought by the brass and the public at large that war in the pacific would be won and lost by the battleships. After pearl harbor the army, navy, and the public at large assumed that america had no capacity to wage war in the pacific. Americans weren't only afraid for the hawaiian islands but the entirety of the mainland pacific coast. People were very afraid.
      Then along came halsey. Speaking of victory, being brash and confident when nobody was confident, nor had any real logical reason to feel that way.
      His effect on moral in the navy cannot be underestimated. Especially among naval aviators. I once read that under most admirals that pilots were afraid that they would be expended much like shells out of a deck gun. They trusted halsey to close the range and only authorize a launch when they could perform the mission and have a reasonable chance at returning. Because halsey was one of their own, a real naval aviator.
      Despite all his real faults he kept fighting spirit alive at a critical juncture. That is why we remember his name today.

    • @christianfreedom-seeker934
      @christianfreedom-seeker934 3 года назад

      So did that raid actually happen? I saw a Hollywood movie about it (very old) I think what happened was someone in Congress called for such a raid but the idea was scrubbed because it would have distracted from rebuilding the Fleet and blunting the Imperial Japanese advance. Remember, we had the Battle of Midway not long after Pearl Harbor. I think Hollywood (I call Hollywood's movie production at the time "Jollywood" because their movies were meant to build up civilian morale and military morale, omitting mistakes and blunders made by the Higher-ups.) The idea was a good one and the movie was great but it didn't happen. Usually when an event is not mentioned by military historians, it is because it was just a Hollywood movie.

    • @Spaghetter813
      @Spaghetter813 3 года назад +2

      @@christianfreedom-seeker934 Bruh, of course it did. I don't know what military historian covering the early war in the Pacific would fail to mention it. Doolittle Raid- April 1942. Battle of the Coral Sea- May. Midway- June.

  • @lainehalsey1408
    @lainehalsey1408 3 года назад +8

    Bull Halsey is my distant cousin so I'm glad you are doing a video on him

  • @rydplrs71
    @rydplrs71 3 года назад +21

    I can’t imagine using my fading years to wage war instead of enjoying freedom.
    I can never thank these hero’s enough

    • @Gunners_Mate_Guns
      @Gunners_Mate_Guns 3 года назад

      No doubt, a true patriot.

    • @Belfreyite
      @Belfreyite 3 года назад +1

      @@Gunners_Mate_Guns So very true my friend. I'm just turned seventy and missed WW2 by miles. Our generation is so so lucky and we owe so much to our fathers.

  • @nightngale6747
    @nightngale6747 3 года назад +251

    U.S.S Johnson the little destroyer to angry to die.

    • @dcviper985
      @dcviper985 3 года назад +32

      Johnston's captain was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

    • @kirkmorrison6131
      @kirkmorrison6131 3 года назад +21

      A shame it was posthumously awarded. His courage, devotion to duty and love of country went well beyond the highest traditions of the US Navy

    • @Volnas97
      @Volnas97 3 года назад +14

      U.S.S. Samuel B. Roberts didn't do so bad either. She just wasn't so lucky, because ships that fought her realised, that this is just a destroyer and swtched from Armour Piercing shells (that just flew through the ship) to High Explosive, that actually did a lot more damage.
      Also this battle was mostly won, because Kurita sucked as commander and made so many mistakes, that the only explanation for his behaviour would be, that he was an American saboteur or spy.

    • @kirkmorrison6131
      @kirkmorrison6131 3 года назад +3

      @@Volnas97 agreed and I think he had to be on ourside nobody could be that incompetent and or stupid

    • @stevehomeier8368
      @stevehomeier8368 3 года назад

      please see my above comment

  • @michaelfrench3396
    @michaelfrench3396 3 года назад +5

    I love the picture of Halsey at 9:15. For me it kind of sums the man up. He's got this smile on his face and he looks happy and like the king of the world and at the same time you know that he would stab you in the heart with that same smile on his face.

  • @adventuretaco7140
    @adventuretaco7140 3 года назад +16

    LONG LIVE TAFFY-3!! There oughta be whole video on taffy and it’s commander !

    • @Internettumbleweed
      @Internettumbleweed 3 года назад +2

      Taffy 3 really deserve it’s own video, first and only time I heard about them was years ago and idr the video. But shocked they weren’t really talked about for how impressive the fight was

    • @drcthru7672
      @drcthru7672 3 года назад +3

      Search RUclips for the Battle of Samar.

  • @bentolleson8582
    @bentolleson8582 3 года назад +125

    You should do a video on Chesty Puller. He was an marine corp officer. He is one of the most decorated officer in American history.

    • @johnniemiec3286
      @johnniemiec3286 3 года назад +15

      I believe it was Chesty Puller that when first presented with a flamethrower derisively asked "Where do you put the bayonet?", truly a Marines Marine.

    • @Valhain
      @Valhain 3 года назад +7

      Hell yeah! Give me some Chesty! I would like to see something about John Paul Jones as well.

    • @TheBIGBOSSCROSS
      @TheBIGBOSSCROSS 3 года назад +2

      I've been asking for both of those guys for a loooong time

    • @lovelessissimo
      @lovelessissimo 3 года назад

      Yes.

    • @randylucas2458
      @randylucas2458 3 года назад +3

      God bless Chesty Puller and his Marines

  • @crazyhair2863
    @crazyhair2863 Год назад +1

    Bull Halsey was my grandfathers twin cousin, my father and two of his brothers also served with him. My father's nickname also became Bull Halsey.

  • @garylawless3608
    @garylawless3608 3 года назад +6

    I read that the debilitating skin condition that Halsey suffered with was Psoriasis, and being a sufferer myself, I can appreciate that the outbreak of this condition, and his stay in hospital at that crucial time, was probably due to the highly stressful circumstances that he found himself in.
    The condition is exacerbated by stress, which can cause an outbreak that can incapacitate even the strongest man if it is serious enough, and can affect large areas of the body in a serious outbreak.
    In such circumstances it means the sufferer cannot effectively function due to the pain caused by large areas of skin becoming hard and rough to the touch. Skin cracks and bleeds without treatment, and is very painful. In severe cases hospitalisation for treatment is the only course of action for treatment.
    The condition has no known cure, and is largely a hereditary disease. My father was also a sufferer, as were a few of his relatives on his mother’s side of the family. I myself have had this condition since my late teens. I am now sixty eight years old and I am still trying to control it with topical treatment, using steroid based ointments. It is a losing battle.
    Apart from from anything else, it must have been very galling and frustrating for this warrior to be away from his command at that particular time, with what some of his detractors unkindly described as a ‘skin rash’.

  • @johnharris6655
    @johnharris6655 3 года назад +6

    The Halsey Biography, the Gallant Hours, with James Gagney as Halsey, is considered one of the best military Biographies ever made.

  • @dcviper985
    @dcviper985 3 года назад +56

    Even without the padding, Nimitz's message to Halsey re: TF34 was still a stinging rebuke. According to Ian W. Toll in his book "Twilight of the Gods", Nimitz said after the war that he knew exactly where TF34 was.
    It was also one of the few times Nimitz interjected into an active battle.

    • @patrickhows1482
      @patrickhows1482 3 года назад +8

      A junior naval officer suggested to Nimitz's face that he was partly to blame by adding to Halsey's orders the possibility of destroying the enemy's fleet. Nimitz was visibly displeased and changed the subject. The young officer was Chester Nimitz Jr !

  • @williamerickson6689
    @williamerickson6689 3 года назад +16

    Halsey was one of my ALL TIME heroes. He turned a page in Naval history by demonstrating the value of aggressive leadership as opposed to being political operative. I served in the Navy for 18 years and Halsey was the model I hoped to find in my commanding officers. Sometimes yes, sometimes no. But even as an enlisted man I emulated his style of "get the damn job done" and I didn't concern myself with politics. Thank you William Halsey for your inspiration.

  • @katemaloney4296
    @katemaloney4296 3 года назад +2

    It is so cool to find out that I have a weird link to Admiral Halsey. He was in charge of the Pacific Third Fleet, and I was ship's company on The Commander Third Fleet USS Coronado (AGF-11). Now THAT'S some shared history I can relish in.

    • @s.sestric9929
      @s.sestric9929 3 года назад +1

      I was on the Coronado right after 9/11 when I came out of the reserves and back on active duty. They had Halsey's portrait, uniform coat and other items on display in the wardroom.

  • @patg1875
    @patg1875 3 года назад +16

    Would love to see a Biographics or Geographics on the Battle of Samar/Taffy 3

    • @drgonzo4329
      @drgonzo4329 3 года назад

      Where is Halsey? The world wonders.

  • @kyleking9417
    @kyleking9417 3 года назад +3

    Thanks for the fire content Simon

  • @bradfordhatch5085
    @bradfordhatch5085 3 года назад +62

    0:30 "No officer in the United States typified the tactical commander better than Admiral William Halsey".
    No disrespect meant for Admiral Halsey, but I think General George Patton might strenuously dispute that claim.

    • @carsongeye1462
      @carsongeye1462 3 года назад +3

      I’m not sure that totally counts. While you might be right, it’s hard to compare when they’re respective commands are basically polar opposites.

    • @bradfordhatch5085
      @bradfordhatch5085 3 года назад +9

      @@carsongeye1462 My thinking is both were military in WWII (the Navy is merely the Army at sea in some ways), and unlike Halsey Patton never lost a battle or made any key mistakes involving troop movements in the war. His biggest blunders were basically political; the soldier he face-slapped, his insults to the Russian allies, and so on had nothing to do with tactics; Halsey's mistakes were.
      Whenever Patton failed to accomplish his goals (wehich was rarely) it was usually because he was not given the supplies (such as gasoline) he needed to achieve them. Patton was not as high ranking but made key tactical decisions that many times were truly brilliant. The Nazis feared him more than they did any other military leaders we had.
      Yes they were in different theaters of the war in different services, but Simon never made that distinction introducing his video.

    • @jimcronin2043
      @jimcronin2043 3 года назад

      Why do we have to choose?

    • @bradfordhatch5085
      @bradfordhatch5085 3 года назад +1

      @@jimcronin2043 No reason, really. Other than that Simon apparently did. But if we just stipulate that the best tactical commander *in the U.S. Navy* was Halsey, then I am quite satisfied. :-)

    • @theawesomeman9821
      @theawesomeman9821 3 года назад +1

      What about Robert E. Lee? Before the Civil War he helped conquer the American South West for America.

  • @rockhardnipple6633
    @rockhardnipple6633 3 года назад +3

    As a former US sailor I must say, smoking and coffee drinking is what keeps the fleet afloat.

  • @jonatanrullman
    @jonatanrullman 3 года назад +3

    One of my favourite quotes from Halsey was when he heard a sailor say "I'd go through hell for that old son of a bitch", after which he went over and told the sailor and his friend "Right here, I want to tell you that I object to being called old."
    There is also a story of Halsey throwing himself flat on deck during an attack and afterwards rebuking an ensign stifling a laugh with the words (from memory): "What the hell are you laughing at? You don't have rank enough to laugh at an admiral. I'm going to make you chief petty officer. That will look better."

  • @gruntcomm3904
    @gruntcomm3904 3 года назад +14

    I'm doubling up what another comment said. You need to do a video on Chesty Puller. Marines are required to be able to say all of his medals in boot camp. We all are brought to a memorial during the crucible( The last phase to become a marine. ) in his honor. Every Marine knows about him. People doing their last pull up to engaging an enemy usually say "This is for chesty!" Or "Do it for chesty."
    You just gottah do it man.

    • @lestermount3287
      @lestermount3287 3 года назад +2

      we were not allowed to call him Chesty, it was General Puller in boot camp

    • @webbtrekker534
      @webbtrekker534 3 года назад +1

      Simper Fi Marine! Go Navy!

  • @thomassalois3508
    @thomassalois3508 Год назад +1

    It may surprise a lot of people but Admiral Halsey and General MacArthur actually got along well together

  • @armondedge8840
    @armondedge8840 3 года назад +3

    Much appreciation for this video. I admire both Halsey and Nimitz.

  • @kikufutaba1194
    @kikufutaba1194 3 года назад +31

    I know Admiral Halsey hated us(Japanese) not undeservedly I will admit. But he was a wonderfully aggressive commander. Far less risk-averse than any IJN Admiral, he never gave anything but his best and maximum aggression, How can anyone not carry greatest respect for this hero of the United States.

    • @sMASHsound
      @sMASHsound 3 года назад

      i cant. cause i think its wasteful and puts ur people in unknown jeopardy. it will win u some fights, but it will let u lose some fights too.

    • @axelpatrickb.pingol3228
      @axelpatrickb.pingol3228 3 года назад +2

      Ever since Midway, what IJN commander in their right mind would try to be risk averse after losing MOST of the whole navy's carriers? Even the USN paused for a while after Santa Cruz since they only had one operational fleet carrier and had to borrow HMS Victorious from the RN...

    • @ph89787
      @ph89787 3 года назад +3

      @Max Smith In the words of Drachinifel. 'I wonder how the captains of those ships felt knowing that their ships were sunk by effectively a cripple.' Enterprise entered the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal with bomb damage on her decks. Her forward elevator jammed and leaking fuel oil.

    • @ph89787
      @ph89787 3 года назад

      @Max Smith True.

    • @jimcronin2043
      @jimcronin2043 3 года назад +8

      I have read that enlisted men were proud to serve under Adm. Halsey but officers preferred Adm. Spruance because his orders were clear, consistent and on time. Adm. Halsey had a less-disciplined approach. It might be said that each commander had his finest hour et the point that his abilities were most needed. Certainly if not for Halsey Guadalcanal would have been lost and that would have changed the course of the Pacific War.

  • @gaiagirl5715
    @gaiagirl5715 3 года назад +1

    So interesting! Thank you for doing these types of stories, enlightening me on the war heroes I heard about as a child.

  • @coreyh233
    @coreyh233 2 года назад +1

    Glad to see my family represented on this channel

  • @stephenpowstinger733
    @stephenpowstinger733 3 года назад +2

    My dad, Lt. Commander in the Navy in WWII, always spoke of Leyte Gulf as the greatest sea battle.

  • @majormojo9830
    @majormojo9830 3 года назад +1

    Love your work dude

  • @barrydysert2974
    @barrydysert2974 3 года назад +1

    💜By narrowing the focus you've broadened my perspective. Thank you. !:-)💜

  • @ElenarMT
    @ElenarMT 2 года назад +1

    Taffy 3 deserves its own video really.
    I have rarely heard of such incredible valour and courage in the face of overwhelming odds.
    I have a note on my desk which simply reads; "Taffy 3". Not only in memory of those brave sailors, but also as a reminder that, if they could do what they did, I can fight through the comparatively small little battles I have.
    I salute Taffy 3

  • @delurkor
    @delurkor 3 года назад +5

    Three actors that portrayed Halsey: James Cagney "The Gallant Hours" (war movie with no battle scenes but good), James Witmore "Tora Tora Tora", Robert Mitchum "Midway" . Cagney looked the closest to Halsey but I think he was shorter.
    Thank you Simon and crew for another informative video.

    • @charleslarrivee2908
      @charleslarrivee2908 3 года назад +1

      More recently Denis Quaid portrayed him in Midway (2019) and also did a great job, probably second to Cagney

    • @TylerBunchanumbers
      @TylerBunchanumbers 3 года назад

      I have lost count how many "The Gallant Hours" DVDs I've distributed to subordinates. You're correct in your description as a war movie without battle scenes. As a note: "The Gallant Hours" is reportedly one of the most historically accurate movies ever filmed in the U.S. That said, it's one of the greatest resources of situational leadership I've seen. We've spent millions on programs over the years but for the cost of a movie you can get a really good example. Thanks for your comment.

    • @delurkor
      @delurkor 3 года назад +1

      @@charleslarrivee2908 Yes, thank you. I thought of Midway and could not remember the actor and did not consult IMDB/Google.

  • @RobChoi9m
    @RobChoi9m 3 года назад +3

    Love all your videos Simon! Could you do a segment on Edward Teller? Or perhaps Curtis LeMay?

  • @slick8038
    @slick8038 3 года назад +1

    Yessss been waiting for this one!

  • @motorTranz
    @motorTranz 3 года назад

    Well done documentary! Thank you.

  • @mandosandradios
    @mandosandradios 3 года назад +3

    Excellent presentation.

  • @ahmonwilliams6640
    @ahmonwilliams6640 3 года назад +9

    Please cover Vice admiral James Stockdale!!

  • @byronharano2391
    @byronharano2391 3 года назад

    Your explanation is appreciated. Thank you

  • @rashkavar
    @rashkavar Год назад +2

    The Battle Off Samar - the one with Taffy 3 vs the Yamato and Centre Force during the Battle of Leyte Gulf - is well worth reading or watching a blow-by-blow of - Drachinifel has done a particularly good video on it.
    The misidentification of Taffy 3 as the main US fleet happened right at the start of the battle, and is a key part of why Taffy 3 was not summarily obliterated by the vastly superior Japanese fleet. Navel cannons of the day used one of two types of ammunition for firing on targets (there's also stuff like star shells for making light at night and such, but...): High explosive rounds and armour piercing rounds. High Explosive rounds were suitable for lightly armoured targets, and would detonate on contact with the ship. These were the appropriate ammunition for the escort carriers and destroyers of Taffy 3, and when used with the Yamato's big guns, they would have ripped through them like a hot knife through butter. These rounds are precisely WHY destroyers don't fight battleships. Armour piercing rounds are used on large, heavily armoured targets, like the fleet carriers and battleships that the Japanese Centre Force had identified Taffy 3 as. These shells effectively detonate when they come to rest, using as much kinetic energy as possible to embed themselves in or penetrate through the target's armour.
    When you mix up the type of ammo you're using, you get impressively pathetic results. High explosive rounds on heavy armour are about as effective as trying to punch out a car. Dramatic, but spectacularly useless. Armour piercing rounds on under-armoured targets, on the other hand, are much more interesting. The round keeps going until it hits something dense enough to make it stop...which means it punches a nice 8 inch (or whatever caliber the round is) hole through the entire ship, eventually finds the ocean somewhere on the far side, and blows up whatever sea life was unfortunate enough to be in the area. This is still a problem for those ships - getting multiple holes that big punched in your ship is not conducive to staying afloat if you don't fix that problem, but it's much less problematic than ripping the entire side of the ship off, which the high explosive round would have done. And for the excellent damage control teams of the US Navy in WWII, it was, effectively, a manageable problem.
    The result of this is a bunch of destroyers and escort carriers getting shot to pieces by a vastly superior battleship force and...effectively shrugging it off and going toe to toe with them. This is by no means to say that the crews of Taffy 3 were anything less than ridiculously brave in their fighting. Indeed, the USS Johnston, one of the Destroyers, managed to badly maim several of the Japanese cruisers (an intermediate designation that is much bigger than a destroyer but significantly smaller than a battleship) pretty much single handed, while the air crews from all of the carriers (as well as those of Taffy 1 and 2, similarly outmatched units that were out of gunnery range but within range to add their air power to the cause.) And all in all, as noted, the fight they put up overall was so fierce that the Japanese commander elected to withdraw, fearing the destruction of his fleet. But it is that early misidentification that makes it all possible in the first place.

  • @judochopmaster8233
    @judochopmaster8233 3 года назад +8

    I will not stop asking. Please make more videos covering the people in the American Civil War, for example;
    Thomas Jackson, better known as Stonewall
    General William T. Sherman, who I really couldnt say anything about without someone getting pissed
    Confederate President Jefferson Davies
    Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, who commanded the first African-American Regiment in the Civil War
    Ulysses S. Grant, who needs no introduction
    Etc.
    I just wish there were more videos that tackled the people in the Civil War on your channel

  • @thatoneguynamedthat1307
    @thatoneguynamedthat1307 3 года назад +1

    Such a great video!

  • @BMW7series251
    @BMW7series251 3 года назад

    Brilliant video Simon.

  • @dochughes
    @dochughes 3 года назад +1

    Very well done! You did a great job of condensing complex story and enigmatic individual into a very entertaining and educational presentaion.

  • @joshuapatrick682
    @joshuapatrick682 3 года назад +7

    You should do one on the Gray Ghost, USS Enterprise!

  • @fredking9118
    @fredking9118 3 года назад +1

    Great article. Thank you Sir.

  • @justafuable
    @justafuable 3 года назад

    Great video!!!

  • @rudranshu65sengupta14
    @rudranshu65sengupta14 3 года назад +9

    A personal request as an Indian Simon, please do a biographics video on Field Marshall Sam ‘Bahadur’ Manekshaw, possibly one of the greatest officers in the History of the Indian Army.

  • @terminator-qf6vw
    @terminator-qf6vw 3 года назад +11

    a reporter was talking to halsey and asked him if we and the japanese could share the pacific certainly he said the can have bottom well have the top

  • @FIVEHIGH
    @FIVEHIGH 3 года назад +1

    Great!THX°°as always

  • @drewdederer8965
    @drewdederer8965 3 года назад +7

    The story that is told of Halsey as to why he was so loved (even if he was a profane blowhard some of the time). Two newly-minted Ensigns (bottom-rung officers) had just reported aboard the Flagship, and decided to hit the geedunk (the ice cream bar). When there they saw the line was quite long (the Geedunk was separate from the mess and first-come first-served), and decided to pull rank and cut in front, only to hear a "BELAY THAT" from further back in line. At which point they Noticed the Admiral, standing in line with all the rest. What exactly they were assigned to next, is not reported, but was surely unpleasant.

  • @markb7913
    @markb7913 3 года назад +1

    I literally just started a reaserch essay on Holsey. Thank You !

  • @lawsonbrady2586
    @lawsonbrady2586 3 года назад +1

    since i was little i always thought of Halsey as a grizzled old man who was a fighter all his life

  • @robinhalsey8840
    @robinhalsey8840 2 года назад +1

    Such a great memory for an amazing relative

  • @jonathanbarker1016
    @jonathanbarker1016 3 года назад +2

    He was the right man for right time during World War 2 .Since the Naval battles in the Pacific were some the worst in World War 2 ,so again he the right commander fro Pacific Fleet .

  • @johnharris6655
    @johnharris6655 3 года назад +2

    MacArthur, Nimitz, Halsey, Patton were all in their 60's. Eisenhower was just a young pup in his 50's in WW2.

  • @Chiefshadow4
    @Chiefshadow4 3 года назад +4

    Admiral rickover would be an interesting video.

  • @jasonvaughn4886
    @jasonvaughn4886 3 года назад +19

    Direct quote from the script of the Hunt For Red October:
    Ramius : "What books did you write?"
    Ryan: "I wrote a biography on Admiral Halsey
    called The Fighting Sailor, about naval combat tactics."
    Ramius: "I know this book. Your conclusions
    were all wrong, Ryan. Halsey acted stupidly."
    That about sums it up

  • @zendonbuilds948
    @zendonbuilds948 3 года назад +2

    When I was a kid, I thought the Paul McCartney song was being sung from the POV of Admiral Yamamoto.

  • @imouse3246
    @imouse3246 3 года назад +10

    Whey you buy a bulldog, you can't be surprised at it's character.

    • @RabidlyTaboo
      @RabidlyTaboo 3 года назад

      its. the very very very few times posessive doesnt include an apostrephe.

  • @loupiscanis9449
    @loupiscanis9449 3 года назад +1

    Thank you

  • @AtheAetheling
    @AtheAetheling 3 года назад +1

    Really great video!
    Maybe it's because I've got WW2 on the brain but it would be nice to see Bill Slim sometime. My grandpa fought under him and I have photos of them together.

  • @Internettumbleweed
    @Internettumbleweed 3 года назад +1

    Would love a video of Taffy 3. only saw one video about them many years ago, and it was the most interesting and badass thing I’ve heard in a while that I almost never hear about.

  • @stevehomeier8368
    @stevehomeier8368 3 года назад +4

    For a better perspective than 'several times larger'- The displacement of the USS Johnston (destroyer) 2700 tons, the displacement of the IJN Musashi (battleship) 63,000 tons.

    • @Gunners_Mate_Guns
      @Gunners_Mate_Guns 3 года назад +2

      Yikes!
      My own destroyer (Charles F. Adams-class ship) had a displacement of just a bit over 4500 tons fully loaded.
      The Johnston was almost exactly the same size as the McCloy, a frigate that I saw many times in Norfolk that always struck me as almost ridiculously small whenever we were parked across the pier from her.

    • @aethyr6776
      @aethyr6776 3 года назад +4

      I believe one of the Yamato's 18in turrets massed more than a Fletcher-class DD like USS Johnston. As you say, perspective.

    • @athras8822
      @athras8822 3 года назад +1

      Better perspective, Yamato displaces more than the entirety of Taffy-3 combined

    • @aethyr6776
      @aethyr6776 3 года назад +1

      @@athras8822 You basically just repeated what Steve Homier already said, considering Yamato and Musashi were sister ships and roughly the same displacement. Good job repeating things
      *Correction* My error, I had a different comment in my head about this. Leaving the post to display my moment of idiocy

    • @Gunners_Mate_Guns
      @Gunners_Mate_Guns 3 года назад

      @@aethyr6776 Such humility is admirable.
      No, not being sarcastic or insulting at all.

  • @teroxc
    @teroxc 2 года назад +1

    Neat. Thanks for showing some family history!

  • @doogandoggin2571
    @doogandoggin2571 3 года назад +6

    My Grandpa was in the battle of Leyte Gulf. Heros them all.

  • @danfreeman5301
    @danfreeman5301 3 года назад +10

    And one of the few men to get respect out of MacArthur

    • @somethinglikethat2176
      @somethinglikethat2176 3 года назад

      Not sure if the respect of WW2's answer to Zapp Brannigan is too much of a plus.

    • @danielbackley9301
      @danielbackley9301 3 года назад

      Only because he was the Navy's Macarthur An ass with a great pr machine

    • @djquinn11
      @djquinn11 3 года назад +1

      MacArthur was an egotistical narcissist

  • @moherbert5332
    @moherbert5332 3 года назад +3

    Oh just great, now I have that Paul McCartney song stuck in my head, thanks a lot

    • @sandybarnes887
      @sandybarnes887 3 года назад +1

      Admiral Halsey notified me
      He had to have a berth or he couldn't get to sea
      I had another look and I had a cup of tea and butter pie (butter pie)
      The butter wouldn't melt so I put it in the pie

  • @wozza77able
    @wozza77able 3 года назад

    Awesome again 👍

  • @scottyford4224
    @scottyford4224 3 года назад +1

    Great video.

  • @ericmares8036
    @ericmares8036 3 года назад

    Thank you.

  • @TheEvilCommenter
    @TheEvilCommenter 3 года назад +2

    Good video👍

  • @markhaas9159
    @markhaas9159 3 года назад +1

    FADM Halsey is also the only officer to be promoted to a five-star rank during peacetime. Marshall, MacArthur, Eisenhower, and Arnold were promoted to General of the Army during WWII. Leahy, King, and Nimitz were promoted to Fleet Admiral during WWII. Omar Bradley was promoted to General of the Army during the Korean War. Halsey was promoted to Fleet Admiral after WWII, and when Nimitz had been promoted to Chief of Naval Operations.

  • @CDPR2024
    @CDPR2024 3 года назад +2

    can you do chaing kai shek next please.

  • @ignitionfrn2223
    @ignitionfrn2223 3 года назад +2

    1:35 - Chapter 1 - Early life
    4:30 - Chapter 2 - War begins
    6:40 - Chapter 3 - Guadacanal
    8:35 - Chapter 4 - 3rd fleet
    10:30 - Chapter 5 - Battle of leyte gulf
    15:45 - Chapter 6 - End of the war

  • @Qboi1982
    @Qboi1982 3 года назад

    This channel and mega projects are my two favorite Simon channels

  • @waynemontpetit8181
    @waynemontpetit8181 3 года назад +1

    You failed to mention those legendary eyebrows.

  • @Stimy42069
    @Stimy42069 3 года назад

    I'd like to see a Biographics episode about Simon. Dude is a machine when it comes to youtube videos.

  • @moonlightalkemist
    @moonlightalkemist 3 года назад +1

    The first 3 and 4 of first 6 channels on my feed are @simonwhistler channels! LOL keep up the good work, Sir!

  • @Boop__Doop
    @Boop__Doop Год назад +1

    i just wanted to hear paul scream
    HEEEAAAAAAAAADS ACROSS THE WATER (water)
    HAAAAAANDS ACROS THE SKY

  • @vger3157
    @vger3157 3 года назад +3

    You should make a video about Admiral Lee.

  • @jimcronin2043
    @jimcronin2043 3 года назад +1

    A little nitpicking point: no US admirals were killed at the Battle of Savo Island. Adms Callaghan and Scott were killed in the First Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, which occurred several months later.

  • @cliff8669
    @cliff8669 3 года назад +9

    Taffy 3 saved Halsey's ass.

    • @Gunners_Mate_Guns
      @Gunners_Mate_Guns 3 года назад +4

      Amazing that those ships didn't capsize due to the enormous weight of the balls of the men on them.

  • @ilearnedsomethingnewtoday6193
    @ilearnedsomethingnewtoday6193 9 месяцев назад

    As someone who has studied The Battle off Samar in meticulous detail, I find Bull's Run unforgiveable. He was not fooled, he knew he was chasing down a decoy. His hubris and determination to go after the aircraft carriers of the Japanese fleet when he knew they had no aircraft remaining was also against the direct orders of General MacArthur, who was given strategic command over the 3rd fleet during the battle of the Philippines. What he did directly endangered the lives of 30,000 troops fighting on the islands. If it were not for Clifton Sprague's Taffy 3 and their frankly suicidal stand off Samar, MacArthur and his landing forces would have been utterly annihilated. Thank God that the destroyer Johnston and the destroyer escort Samuel B Roberts saved his ass by being crewed by the most badass sailors in history of naval warfare.

  • @theawesomeman9821
    @theawesomeman9821 3 года назад +3

    If Halsey and Admiral Horatio Nelson of Britain lived during the same time and commanded ships against each other, who would win?

  • @ComradeCommissarYuri
    @ComradeCommissarYuri 3 года назад +3

    Very good but you’ve left me wanting a more detailed look at task force 34 and their commander

  • @1981dlambert
    @1981dlambert 3 года назад +1

    What a commanding lesson. ;-)

  • @ExUSSailor
    @ExUSSailor 3 года назад +1

    A great, great man, and, a fellow New Jerseyan.

  • @Uncle_Torgo
    @Uncle_Torgo 3 года назад +8

    Interesting video, I guess Halsey's version of latter events would be "We don't make mistakes, we make decisions."
    But... MOAR BLAZE PLEASE!

  • @EdwardTCBlake
    @EdwardTCBlake Год назад

    "Hauling ass with Halsey." I love that they included that in Midway.
    I also just realized that despite the movie being named Midway and the battle of Midway being the movies climax Admiral Spruance the US Naval commander that lead their fleet at Midway doesn't get a 'the actors and the real person' text blurb at the end of the movie.

  • @staceyrivers3297
    @staceyrivers3297 3 года назад

    I would love to see a Bio on Leopold and Loeb.

  • @JackDManheim
    @JackDManheim 3 года назад +4

    Have you done Saburo Sakai yet?
    You really should.

    • @andymckane7271
      @andymckane7271 3 года назад +1

      Japan's Number One ace of the Pacific War. Imagine, someone so dedicated to his country, that he continues to fly fighter aircraft after the loss of one of his eyes!