The Admirals: Nimitz, Halsey, Leahy, and King--The Five-Star Admirals Who Won the War at Sea any re

[JohnDillworth]

Just saw this up on Amazon. Just starting to free up some reading personal time (got 2 hours a day on the train but work has claimed the last 3 months of that time) and my summer reading list is full. Anybody read this one. If no one on this forum has read it I assume it's not worth my time

http://www.amazon.com/Admirals-King-Fiv ... 1619693526

[geofflambert]

Have not read. Washington and Pershing posthumously received six stars. Did everyone know that?

[Knavey]

ORIGINAL: geofflambert

Have not read. Washington and Pershing posthumously received six stars. Did everyone know that?

I did NOT! Did they actually have room on the collar for 6? Always wondered where the '70s collar craze started from. [:D]

[geofflambert]

I think Washington might have put them on one of those huge cuffs they had back then.

[morganbj]

ORIGINAL: geofflambert

Have not read. Washington and Pershing posthumously received six stars. Did everyone know that?

Pershing's promotionb was in 1919, immediately after WWI. Washington's was in 1976, so that no general could ever outrank him.

There was no 6 star or 5 star rank in WWI. Pershing was made General of the Armies, as opposed to a General of the Army (singular), so some have imagined that this was a 6 star general. But, there never has been a 6 star rank approved by the Army or any other service branch.

Here's a quote from wiki that has it correct, I think.

... the United States Army firmly states (to the present day) that there has never been an officially recognized six-star general rank in the United States military hierarchy. John Pershing's status remains in a very gray area, in particular due to the vague statements made by Secretary of War Stimson and the fact that Pershing was never on active duty at the same time as a five-star General of the Army. Pershing's rank has thus been interpreted as a senior version of a four-star general, an earlier version of a five-star general, or a six-star rank that has never been officially recognized.

[Justus2]

First time I heard this was during a tour of Pershing's home/museum in Missouri, the tour guide said he was a six-star, but after trying to read up on it, it sounds like it was just an unofficial caveat that he would outrank anyone else (until Washington's 'upgrade', but again not a formal rank).

[geofflambert]

ORIGINAL: bjmorgan

There was no 6 star or 5 star rank in WWI. Pershing was made General of the Armies, as opposed to a General of the Army (singular), so some have imagined that this was a 6 star general. But, there never has been a 6 star rank approved by the Army or any other service branch.

Yes, I just checked the same Wiki (I think) and it showed that he received four gold stars as opposed to the four silver stars a full general had.

[Mundy]

Even that wasn't really "official" and I think that's the route Pershing himself chose to display that rank.

Ed-

[Nikademus]

Havn't read it. Not sure want too. Toll's Pacific Crucible already did a pretty good job on King and Nimitz though with the former, its kind of like MacArthur, there are different interpretations of him. Nimitz on the other hand gets a pretty consistent portrayal with every book that touches on him. Not sure what 'new' thing this book would bring to the table. Similar for Halsey.

Kindle price isn't bad though.....maybe i'll pick it up. Hardcover price....no way.

[Lokasenna]

ORIGINAL: geofflambert

ORIGINAL: bjmorgan

There was no 6 star or 5 star rank in WWI. Pershing was made General of the Armies, as opposed to a General of the Army (singular), so some have imagined that this was a 6 star general. But, there never has been a 6 star rank approved by the Army or any other service branch.

Yes, I just checked the same Wiki (I think) and it showed that he received four gold stars as opposed to the four silver stars a full general had.

I read somewhere the other day when looking up USAF ranks that the USAF uses silver as superior to gold (compare insignias for lieutenant ranks, and captain/major) and that this tradition was imported from the army (USAAF -> USAF and all). So I would be baffled by the use of 4 gold stars vs. 4 silver stars...

[Dereck]

General of the Armies
3-SEP-1919 John J. Pershing
4-JUL-1976 George Washington

The Navy, not to be outdone, has the "rank" Admiral of the Navy
24-MAR-1903 George Dewey

None of the above ranks are really official I don't think. The highest official rank in the Army/Air Force is General of the Army/Air Force while in the Navy it is Admiral of the Fleet but the above ranks were created specifically for the above people to ensure that nobody would ever outrank them.

Incidentally, Hap Arnold, is the only person to hold the 5 star rank in two branches of the military: General of the Army and, after 1947, General of the Air Force.

[Grunt]

I just finished reading it. Excellent book. If you've read a lot about Nimitz and Halsey already, you might not find much new. But the discussion of Leahy and King were very interesting to me. There is also quite a bit regarding Marshal, Eisenhower and MacArthur and how they interacted with the admirals. The writing style is very readable and brought out the personalities of the characters.

To those of us interested in the Pacific War, this is a must read in my opinion.