7. Kamikazes, Typhoons, and the Unstoppable Halsey AUTHOR: Professor Craig Symonds BOOK TITLE: Nimitz at War: Command Leadership from Pearl Harbor to Tokyo Bay Admiral Halsey recklessly navigated his fleet through two major typhoons (December 1944 and Jun
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John Batchelor
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🗓️ 12 October 2025
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Summary
7. Kamikazes, Typhoons, and the Unstoppable Halsey
BOOK TITLE: Nimitz at War: Command Leadership from Pearl Harbor to Tokyo Bay
Admiral Halsey recklessly navigated his fleet through two major typhoons (December 1944 and June 1945), causing severe losses including three ships sunk and 800 lives lost in the first storm. Despite recommendations for dismissal, Nimitz refused to fire Halsey, using calculated risk that removing the popular, iconic commander would negatively impact American morale. Nimitz moved his headquarters to Guam to be closer to the fighting. At Iwo Jima, Marine commanders argued the Navy provided inadequate preparatory gunfire, though the Japanese tactic of fighting to the death was the primary cause of casualties. During the Okinawa campaign, the Japanese introduced the terrifying Kamikaze tactic—the one element Nimitz noted the Naval War College had not anticipated. The Kamikazes inflicted horrific losses, but ultimately failed to force negotiations.
8. Blockade vs. Invasion: Ending the Pacific War and Post-War Command
BOOK TITLE: Nimitz at War: Command Leadership from Pearl Harbor to Tokyo Bay
Nimitz and King opposed the planned invasion of the Japanese home islands (Operation Downfall), arguing that a strict naval blockade, executed primarily by submarines, combined with bombing, would force surrender. They calculated that an invasion would cost hundreds of thousands of American lives and millions of Japanese lives, given the culture of fighting to the death. Nimitz was informed about the secret development of a special weapon (the atomic bomb) in March 1945 to ensure targets were reserved. After the war ended, Nimitz was the logical candidate for Chief of Naval Operations (CNO), though he faced opposition from the aviation community (Towers). He accepted a two-year term as CNO. Admiral Spruance declined high command, instead choosing to become President of the Naval War College to teach future officers the lessons learned in the Pacific War.
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| 0:32.3 | I'm John Batchel. This is CBSI on the world. Craig Simons is the author of the new book Nimitz at War, command leadership from Pearl Harbor to Tokyo Bay. A dramatic moment that is replayed again and again |
| 0:39.2 | in debate at the U.S. Naval Academy. |
| 0:40.8 | And everywhere you read the book about the Pacific War. |
| 0:44.6 | It holds these decision making at the Battle of Lady Gulf, but it doesn't stop there. |
| 0:49.3 | This is a war. |
| 0:50.7 | And in that war, the Fifth Fleet is going to again take over, and they're going to be landings at Guam. They're going to be land, not Guam. They're going to be landings at Iwojima and Okinawa coming up in the new year. We're going to turn into the, we're going to turn into 45. But before that, there's something that isn't about the Japanese, that isn't about the Americans, |
| 1:11.2 | it's about nature. There's a typhoon in the middle of December, 1944. And Bill Halsey again, |
| 1:17.6 | who's given a chance again and again by Chester Nimitz to explain his excesses, again makes a |
| 1:24.3 | decision that leads to the deaths of 800 sailors, the loss of three ships, |
| 1:30.9 | damaged to the fleet, this invincible task force 58, and the review board faults Halsey afterwards, |
| 1:41.1 | and Nimitz travels out to meet Halsey and to talk about this at the time. Again, this |
| 1:47.3 | gets complicated, Professor. It becomes almost as if Nimitz doesn't have a way of disciplining |
| 1:52.8 | Halsey. Did Halsey take advantage of that? I don't know that Hawley took advantage of it. In a way, |
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