S8 Ep257: TYPHOONS, KAMIKAZES, AND UNFORGIVING WARFARE Colleague Craig Symonds. Halsey's aggression led to disaster when he twice steered the fleet into typhoons, causing significant loss of life and ships. Despite inquiries recommending Halsey's removal, Nimitz re

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John Batchelor

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🗓️ 28 December 2025

⏱️ 13 minutes

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Summary

TYPHOONS, KAMIKAZES, AND UNFORGIVING WARFARE Colleague Craig Symonds. Halsey's aggression led to disaster when he twice steered the fleet into typhoons, causing significant loss of life and ships. Despite inquiries recommending Halsey's removal, Nimitz retained him to maintain public morale. The war grew grimmer with the invasion of Iwo Jima, where Marines felt unsupported by naval gunfire, and the emergence of Kamikaze suicide attacks off Okinawa. Nimitz, now based in Guam, observed the terrifying effectiveness of the Kamikazes, which he noted was the only wartime development the Naval War College had failed to anticipate. NUMBER 7
1945 OKINAWA FLAME THROWER DUGOUT

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0:00.0	My place in tech changes every day, but I don't fear the future,
0:05.0	because I'm with the leader, Pluralsight.
0:08.0	Their online learning platform has the hands-on, expert-led courses I need
0:13.0	to master new tech skills and create bigger impact,
0:17.0	so I can learn quickly and stay ahead.
0:20.0	With Pluralsight, I don't quickly and stay ahead.
0:23.3	With Pluralsight, I don't fear what's next.
0:24.9	I embrace it.
0:28.3	Tap in at Pluralsight.com and see for yourself.
0:36.2	I'm John Batchel.
0:54.6	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 in debate at the U.S. Naval Academy. And everywhere you read the book about the Pacific War. It holds these decision-making at the Battle of Lady Gulf, but it doesn't stop there.
0:59.4	This is a war.
1:00.7	And in that war, the fifth fleet is going to again take over, and they're going to be landings at Guam.
1:06.7	They're going to be landings at Iwojima and Okinawa coming up in the new year.
1:13.6	We're going to turn into 45.
1:16.7	But before that, there's something that isn't about the Japanese, that isn't about the Americans.
1:21.2	It's about nature.
1:22.4	There's a typhoon in the middle of December, 1944.
1:26.1	And Bill Halsey again, who's given a chance again and again by Chester Nimitz to explain his
1:31.7	excesses, again makes a decision that leads to the deaths of 800 sailors, the loss of three ships,
1:40.9	damaged to the fleet, this invincible task force 58, and the review board vaults Halsey afterwards.
1:51.2	And Nimitz travels out to meet Halsey and to talk about this at the time.
	...

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