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Decision and Dissent: With Halsey at Leyte Gulf
The author served in the Pacific in 1944 as an air combat intelligence officer on Admiral William F. Halsey's flagship, New Jersey , as three Japanese fleets converged on the Philippines for one of the largest naval battles of WWII. He recalls the battles and events leading up to Halsey's fateful decision to send Task Force 34 north, and traces the development of air combat intelligence units in the US Navy. Includes b&w photos. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.
203 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 1995
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December 3, 2021
Carl Solberg served as an Air Combat Intelligence (ACI) officer on Admiral Halsey's staff aboard the USS New Jersey during the controversial Battle of Leyte Gulf. In his book, Solberg presents an "I was there" account of the battle, focusing on the fateful decision by Halsey to go after the Japanese carrier force while leaving the San Bernardino Strait open to the Japanese surface force.
I have read (and continue to read) extensively on Leyte Gulf. I also wrote a long paper on the battle in graduate school so I have spent much time contemplating Halsey's actions during the battle. Solberg's book was published in 1995 but I only obtained a copy this year after reading Tom Cutler's 75th anniversary retrospective of the battle earlier this year. I wish I had found a copy of this book 20 years ago as I feel it is an important addition to the historiography of the battle.
Solberg's recounting of the information available at the time, the context of Halsey's orders, and Halsey's aggressive personality all point to Halsey's decision being understandable. The only real fault came after the ACI team reached the conclusion on the eve of the battle that the carrier force was a diversion and that it was highly likely that Kurita's surface force would make another attempt to reach the Leyte beaches after being turned away by Halsey's airmen on October 24th. The key point of the issue seems to be that Captain Mike Cheek, head of the intelligence staff, was just not a forceful enough personality to convince Admiral Carney of the importance of the air staff's conclusions and that Halsey should be woken up to hear them during the Third Fleet's infamous run to the north.
Solberg's book, which is also a memoir of his wartime service, is readable although it starts off rather slow, recounting his experiences in the early days of the war. Once he gets into the events around the battle, however, his narrative picks up speed and becomes more interesting. His writing is rather stiff and sometimes dull - he's definitely not a novelist! He does fall into cliches - I found one instance in which he referred to planes taking off "at dawn's early light," among others. It is worth it, however, to push through to the heart of the book, Leyte Gulf. He offers a unique insight into the battle and the decisions that were made.
Halsey himself once commented that he should have been in command during the Battle of the Philippine Sea and Admiral Spruance should have commanded at Leyte Gulf. I highly agree with this sentiment. Halsey's aggressiveness would have served well at Philippine Sea while Spruance's focus on protecting the landing beaches would have meant that the San Bernardino Strait was not have been left unguarded. But, as they say, hindsight is twenty-twenty.
If you are interested in the Battle of Leyte Gulf and have pondered "Bull's Run" after the carriers, Solberg's book is definitely one to read.
I have read (and continue to read) extensively on Leyte Gulf. I also wrote a long paper on the battle in graduate school so I have spent much time contemplating Halsey's actions during the battle. Solberg's book was published in 1995 but I only obtained a copy this year after reading Tom Cutler's 75th anniversary retrospective of the battle earlier this year. I wish I had found a copy of this book 20 years ago as I feel it is an important addition to the historiography of the battle.
Solberg's recounting of the information available at the time, the context of Halsey's orders, and Halsey's aggressive personality all point to Halsey's decision being understandable. The only real fault came after the ACI team reached the conclusion on the eve of the battle that the carrier force was a diversion and that it was highly likely that Kurita's surface force would make another attempt to reach the Leyte beaches after being turned away by Halsey's airmen on October 24th. The key point of the issue seems to be that Captain Mike Cheek, head of the intelligence staff, was just not a forceful enough personality to convince Admiral Carney of the importance of the air staff's conclusions and that Halsey should be woken up to hear them during the Third Fleet's infamous run to the north.
Solberg's book, which is also a memoir of his wartime service, is readable although it starts off rather slow, recounting his experiences in the early days of the war. Once he gets into the events around the battle, however, his narrative picks up speed and becomes more interesting. His writing is rather stiff and sometimes dull - he's definitely not a novelist! He does fall into cliches - I found one instance in which he referred to planes taking off "at dawn's early light," among others. It is worth it, however, to push through to the heart of the book, Leyte Gulf. He offers a unique insight into the battle and the decisions that were made.
Halsey himself once commented that he should have been in command during the Battle of the Philippine Sea and Admiral Spruance should have commanded at Leyte Gulf. I highly agree with this sentiment. Halsey's aggressiveness would have served well at Philippine Sea while Spruance's focus on protecting the landing beaches would have meant that the San Bernardino Strait was not have been left unguarded. But, as they say, hindsight is twenty-twenty.
If you are interested in the Battle of Leyte Gulf and have pondered "Bull's Run" after the carriers, Solberg's book is definitely one to read.
Displaying 1 of 1 review