Bull Halsey: A Memoir

by E.B. Potter

Applauded by the public and revered by the men who served under him, Adm. William F. Halsey was one of the leading American personalities of World War II. His reputation as a no-holds-barred fighter and his tough-guy expression earned him the nickname "Bull," yet he was also known for showing genuine compassion toward his men and inspiring them to great feats in the Pacific. Originally disclaiming the praise heaped on him, Halsey eventually came to believe in the swashbuckling legend that surrounded him, and his conduct became increasingly controversial.
Naval historian E. B. Potter, who established his reputation with an award-winning biography of Chester W. Nimitz, gets behind the stereotype of this national hero and describes Halsey at his best and worst, including his controversial actions at Leyte Gulf. To write this book Potter had full access to Halsey's family and to the admiral's private papers and provides detail of Halsey's youth and career before the war. First published in 1985, it remains the definitive study.

Genres: Biography, History, World War II, Military History, Military Fiction, American History, Naval History

440 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1985

About the author

Elmer Belmont "Ned" Potter was an American historian and author. He was the leading naval historian at the United States Naval Academy from the late 1940s to the mid-1970s, and author/editor, in collaboration with Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, of the Naval Academy's famous textbook on naval history, Sea Power.

Reviews

[Spad53 · Rating 5 out of 5]

To start with he was called Bill Halsey not Bull Halsey. He didn’t like the nickname. That cheapens the book, I thought, but in the end it doesn’t detract very much from what is in fact a very good book. There is much more to Bill Halsey than the battle of Leyte gulf, I enjoyed the parts about the Guadalcanal campaign with MacArthur and his early life. I’ve always supported the idea of doing something rather than dithering, and that was a policy Halsey adopted with spades. Sure he made mistakes, but his biggest mistake (Leyte gulf, the one that is so debated) resulted in the greatest US Naval victory of the war.
Highly recommended, despite the dodgy title.

[Darrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

E.B. Potter once again did an excellent job on his biography of William Halsey. Halsey was responsible for the onsite turn around of the Pacific war. He took over during Guadalcanal and got the Allies going in the war against Japan. Until that point, the effort was bogged down and moral was low. Halsey then began to utilize his navy commands and make progress toward Japan. There was however several controversies. Not once but twice, during his command of the 3rd fleet did he fail to avoid typhoons. Both times his ships received significant damage and personnel were injured. This, in my opinion, was gross command negligence and should have been dealt with more severely. Halsey, however was a very popular figure in the U.S. as one of the fighting men of the Pacific and therefore not relieved. This was despite the second board of inquire's recommendation to do so. You couple the two typhoon incidents with his controversial decisions during the Leyte Gulf battle, and it is very surprising that he was later given his 5th star. I realize that there are a lot of historians that would argue against my stand but it is my opinion that Spruance was a much more deserving Admiral for the 5th star.

Potter does an excellent job of covering all of these incidents and more as he details the life of Halsey. It is interesting to note that since Potter had also written a biography on Chester Nimitz, he was able to relay both sides of view between Halsey & Nimitz. Overall, it is a really good book for WWII historians and enthusiast.

[Steven Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This work, overall, is a good biography of Admiral William "Bull" Halsey. He is most renowned for his work in the Pacific Theater during World War II, with distinguished service from Gaudalcanal to Okinawa. This volume does a sound job in laying out his career in the Pacific.

A couple cavils: (1) The jumping back and forth between his early life and World War II makes for a sometimes jarring narrative; (2) Some of the more controversial aspects of his leadership in World War II, such as his decision-making in the Philippines, seem a bit underplayed.

I'm not sure of the background of the John Wayne movie, In Harm's Way, but the description of Halsey taking over from his predecessor here sure has some analogues with John Wayne's Rock Torrey taking over from an ineffectaul admiral to win a battle that has some clear parallels with Guadalcanal.

Halsey was a "take no prisoners," "full steam ahead" fighting admiral. It is interesting to compare this biography with, for example, a nice biography of his colleague Raymond Spruance, The Quiet Warrior. These admirals of the Pacific had very different personalities and tactics. Nonetheless, they were both effective in their distinct ways.

This volume certainly informs readers of those facets of Halsey's leadership that served the United States well in the Pacific. All in all, despite some questions one might have about the book, this is worth reading by those interested in the naval war in the Pacific during World War II.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd recommend this book if one is interested in the life wartime experiences of one of the leading U.S. naval commanders of World War 2. It has interesting details of Admiral William "Bull" Halsey's life with the major focus being Halsey's role as a commander in the Pacific. It only makes sense to read this book if one has a thorough grounding in the history of the Pacific war. This biography is by E.B. Potter, who was a professor of naval history, and it reads like a naval history, not as a personal biography. Potter also wrote the leading biography of Admiral Chester Nimitz. The book was published in 1985, long after Halsey's death, but the author had access to interviews with key figures connected to Halsey.

I'm a regular reader of World War II history and had this book in my library for years. I was finally prompted to read it after I recently read the book The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors: The Extraordinary World War II Story of the U.S. Navy's Finest Hour, by James D. Hornfischer. That 2004 book is an account of the naval battle off Samar Island in the Philippines. Admiral Halsey had a key role in the history and his reputation became embroiled in controversy because of it. Tin Can Sailors is a book I actually strongly recommend. It's much more personal and tells the story of the American men who fought, sacrificed and suffered in that battle because of errors in command that never should have happened.

[Kenneth Schultz · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good overall account of Admiral Halsey's life and considerable accomplishments. Potter is clearly a fan of Halsey, and tends to gloss over some of Halsey's more questionable decisions. The book is also pretty strictly devoted to Halsey's story, and often gives a sketchy account of events not directly involving Halsey...like the Battle of the Philippine Sea. Reading the book you would think the Japanese lost few ships there, whereas they lost two of their three fleet carriers (both to subs) and one of their six light carriers (to air attack.) This was a major lost which impacted the future course of the war and the forces Halsey would face later in the war.

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Admiral Halsey is still something of a contentious figure, even after all these years. A true fighting admiral and a greatly respected public hero, he was also responsible for the escape of the major portion of the Japanese fleet at Leyte and twice sailed his fleet into storms, causing much loss of lives. Potter is kind to his subject - probably justifiably - and gives Halsey a fair hearing. A good solid biography. Recommended.

[Preston · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a pretty good book that was also historically accurate and full of great information about the war in the Pacific from Admiral Halsey's perspective. It was honest in both his strengths and his weaknesses as a leader and explains a lot about what he contributed to U.S. victory in the Pacific.

[John Lomnicki, · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my objectives is to read a book about every US 5 star. This was not a plodding book like McArthur or a dry book like Leahy, but a very readable biography with insight into Halsey. The author did well and revealed parts of Halsey that I was not familiar. Well done.

[Jim Dolbow · Rating 5 out of 5]

E.B. Potter does it again with another great biography! Just as he does in his other book Nimitz, Potter makes the reader feel like they were Halsey's shadow throughout his naval career! A must read

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

enjoyed the book but I had hoped for more info on the non ww2 time