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Nimitz at War

Command Leadership from Pearl Harbor to Tokyo Bay

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Nimitz at War

By: Craig L. Symonds
Narrated by: L.J. Ganser
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About this listen

From America's preeminent naval historian, the first full-length portrait in over fifty years of the man who won the war in the Pacific in World War Two.

Only days after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, President Franklin D. Roosevelt tapped Chester W. Nimitz to assume command of the Pacific Fleet. Nimitz transformed the devastated and dispirited Pacific fleet into the most powerful and commanding naval force in history.

Facing demands from Washington to mount an early offensive, he had first to revive the depressed morale of the thousands of sailors, soldiers, and Marines who served under him. And of course, he also confronted a formidable and implacable enemy in the Imperial Japanese Navy, which, until the Battle of Midway, had the run of the Pacific.

Craig Symonds's Nimitz at War captures Nimitz's composure, discipline, homespun wisdom, and most of all his uncanny sense of when to assert authority and when to pull back. As Symonds's absorbing, dynamic, and authoritative portrait reveals, it required qualities of leadership exhibited by few other commanders in history, qualities that are enduringly and even poignantly relevant to our own moment.

©2022 Craig L. Symonds (P)2022 Tantor Americas Armed Forces Military Naval Forces War Submarine Sailing Franklin D Roosevelt Air Force
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It approaches the events leading up to the Battle of Midway from the leadership, planning, strategic and tactical side of things. Complements nicely the author’s “the battle as it is happening” perspective in his previous book on Midway. Also, this book goes beyond Midway to the hard, desperate slog that were the battles in the South and Central Pacific. As pivotal as Admiral Nimitz’s leadership was to the naval battles in the Pacific theatre in WW2, I hadn’t realised that he was Commander of the land battles as well, and was behind the grim island by island fight to reclaim Guadalcanal, Saipan, Iwo Jima, Okinawa etc. Cometh the hour, cometh the man. We owe much to Admiral Chester Nimitz for the world we have today.

The narrator isn’t as good as the narrator in the Battle of Midway book. I found it rather distracting to have the constant sound of air escaping between the narrator’s teeth and also thought his voice was on the thin side. However, he was good at putting himself into the voice of the characters as they speak. I got used to him about a third of the way through the book but overall, I think Craig Symons could have done with a better narrator.

Perfect complement to author’s Battle of Midway book

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loved it. never stopped once started
it was not only a war story as a commander but also teach us a lesson and attitude to carry with each others life.

learned a life lesson

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Just wanted more, that's all. Great listening and one of the few audio books I will go back and listen all the way through again.

fascinating insight to Nimitz's WW2 times and the people he led, great listening.

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Unbiased written in the modern times. Excellent research, beautifully sentimental and never looses track of the reality of those who gave everything.

Honesty

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