The Vinson-Trammel Act of 1934 began this metamorphosis, and by the time of Pearl Harbor, the United States had an enormous armada under construction. The onset of a two-ocean war necessitated a reconsideration of American strategic plans. The success of the Japanese attack showed that battleships had been replaced by aircraft carriers as the dominant weapon of naval warfare. The death of the crewmen on the battleships was tragic, but the temporary loss of the ships was not all that strategically important. It was a bitter disappointment for a country still reeling from the shock of Pearl Harbor. The decision to abandon the beleaguered Wake garrison was a body blow to American morale.
He was not willing to risk the Saratoga task force against two enemy carriers, even if that meant leaving the Marines on Wake to their fate. The Wake Island expedition was led by Pye, and it was he who had to decide whether or not to evacuate the island. Nimitz was not from a military family, but he had spent much of his early career in submarines, which was what the carrier aviation service became in the 1920s: a cutting-edge career that attracted ambitious and daring young officers. The men who signed up for pilot training developed a swaggering elan. The most visible and cohesive was composed of those who served in destroyers, cruisers, and especially battleships. Navy was divided into different warfare communities in 1941. King was willing to accept, but he had three conditions: first, he wanted his abbreviated title changed from CinCUS to CominCh second, he wanted a promise that he would not have to hold press conferences or testify before Congress unless absolutely necessary and third, he wanted authority over the various navy bureaus.
King had a well-earned reputation as a heavy drinker and womanizer. King, the commander of the Atlantic Fleet. He had been a critic of President Roosevelt and the New Deal, but he had been appointed to the cabinet after Germany invaded Poland and war broke out.įDR and Knox wanted to replace Admiral Husband Kimmel with Admiral Ernest J. Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox was extremely angry about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. His most confrontational response was usually Now see here. He was not demonstrative, and rarely showed his emotions to others. Nimitz was known for his calmness and coolness under pressure. The seaplane flew over the fleet anchorage, and the smell of fuel oil, charred wood, and rotting flesh hit him like a fist. On Christmas morning in 1941, Admiral Chester Nimitz, who was in charge of the American fleet in Hawaii, surveyed the devastation below. Insights from Chapter 16 Insights from Chapter 1
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