Question for REAL WWII history buffs

[BryanP]

Mike, check your left ankle.  That appears to be a length of chain.  And fistful has a ... well ... a fistful of it.



*yank*

[Moondoggie]

Actually, Mike, the Task Force 34 debacle that allowed the Japanese to ravage the Taffey 3 "Jeep Carriers" off the Phillipines was Admiral Halsey's blunder...not Nimitz.  My bad!  But yes, I know the story....I've been interested in history since grade school; started my college education as a history major, finished with a degree in business.  During the latter half of my 26 yrs in the Marines we had a "professional reading program".   I've always been an avid reader, and read everything on the suggested list for every grade from E-1 to O-10 besides maxing-out non-resident professional military education courses.

Nimitz was an excellent theater commander....but he didn't have the "boots on the ground" involvement of Patton who was always pretty much up front when his forces were engaged.  Different styles of leadership, but both were highly effective.

[K Frame]

Moon,

Halsey has taken a lot of heat over the years for the events surrounding Leyte Gulf, some of it deserved, but some of it not.

He shouldn't have assumed that the San Bernadino strait was secure, but I think his movement towards Ozawa's carrier force was actually the correct decision.

Some years ago I worked with a woman at Navy Federal Credit Union. Her husband had been a career Marine officer (Col.). The interesting part was that his father was Cmdr. Ernest Evans. You should know that name.

As for Nimitz, no, he didn't get his feet wet. Neither did Eisenhower. Nor did Ernest King.

Patton's not an apt comparison with them, though, because Patton was in command of an army group, Nimitz, Eisenhower and King were in command of entire theaters. It wasn't their job to lead troops into battle, it was their job to ensure that all operations in their theaters proceeded as planned.

[Perd Hapley]

Sorry, all you Patton fans.  He's got a sissy name, if you think about it.  Bet they called him Patsy at school.

Now if his name was Bissey, like my last name - then he'd be way macho.

[K Frame]

You know, I REALLY have to wonder what you have a fistful of, boy.

Yourself?

[Moondoggie]

Hey Fistful, for a good read try "The Patton Papers".  It's mostly his letters to his wife throughout WWII.

He was egocentric.

He was vain beyond description.

He had a paranoid streak a mile wide.

His only fear was of failure.  Even though the fear was for himself, it served as a powerful and successful motivator for his tremendous talents as a military leader.

[BryanP]

You know, I REALLY have to wonder what you have a fistful of, boy.

Yourself?

Well, they say you can't love someone else if you don't love yourself.  And me, I've had a crush on me since I was about 12 years old ...

[Perd Hapley]

Actually, I have a Fistful of Dollars.  

I don't know why, but I just felt like messing with all you guys.  Hope you didn't mind too much.  Incidentally, I don't know enough about WWII to fill a thimble, so I really have no opinion on the question at hand.

fistful