A Discussion on Fleet Admiral Nimitz, with special guest Admiral James Stavridis

• Nimitz Pre War
• Who was he and where did he come from?
• Texas Hill Country, Fredericksburg
• Too poor to go to college, worked his tail off to go to Naval Academy
• Spent time in Japan before the war
• Nimitz was a submarine officer in his early years
• Commanded a DD in the Philippines
• Commanded a cruiser division and battleship division
• XO of SC, CO Chicago
• Highly experienced in the realm of command

 

• Nimitz Upon Assignment as CINCPAC
• 56 Years Old currently occupying the office of the Bureau of Navigation
• Whose decision was it to promote Nimitz to the position?
• FDR
• He had been offered the job before December 41 and turned it down for fear of upsetting senior officers.
• He was junior to some 50 other Admirals
• He feared that taking the job and leapfrogging them would have created resentment and made it more difficult to do the job.

 

• Nimitz the Leader
• What kind leadership style did Nimitz utilize?
• He was a people person
• Never cussed, raised his voice or dressed men down in public
• He gave his subordinates a lot of autonomy and assumed they knew their jobs until they proved they did not
• If that occurred, he spoke in low tones, was blunt but not rude or insulting
• Always looked after his men and took care of them

 

• Nimitz the Executive
• Juggled personalities of subordinates and his boss extremely well
• Dealings with King
• Dealings with subordinates
• Turner
• GEN Smith
• Halsey
• Towers
• JO Richardson
• MacArthur
• Spruance and Nimitz relationship
• Nimitz handled the various personalities in the Pacific in check much as Ike did in the ETO. 
• Was very similar to Ike in terms of Supreme Commander, even though, Nimitz was no Supreme Commander

 

• What did Nimitz inherit in December 41 and how did he go about fixing the problems?
• Inherited a shattered command
• Devastated morale
• Staff, fleet and populace
• Fear of a Japanese invasion
• When he landed in Pearl on Xmas Day he asked about the relief of Wake
• When told it fell and was abandoned, he fell silent
• Didn’t take command immediately. Worked with Admiral Pye to get the lay of the land, latest issues and intel.
• Took command on December 31, 1941 aboard USS Grayling (SS-209) fittingly

 

• Nimitz’s Strategy 1941-42
• Be cautious, yet forceful and hit them where they least expect it
• Strike  back was essential
• (Set the stage for next episode about the Hit and Run Raids)

 

• Nimitz’s biggest gamble
• Midway
• Recognized the role of intel and believed in it, believed in his people and their skills
• Nimitz’s Legacy
• Developed and implemented the island hopping strategy that won the war.
• Inherited a shattered fleet, trusted his subordinates, built his leadership teams and won when it was absolutely necessary.