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Battles of the central pacific history essay

William F. Halsey Jr. was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey on October 30, 1882. [1] Growing up, Halsey Jr. yearned to become a naval officer like his father, and by the age of fifteen, was determined to join the Naval Academy. However, his father’s constant relocations made it difficult for Halsey to obtain the political support for a congressional nomination. Demonstrating his resolve, he wrote a letter to numerous politicians, including President William McKinley, pleading to allow him into the academy despite no spots being available, but to no avail. In July 7, 1990, Halsey’s luck improved when Congress passed a bill that allowed the president to add 5 extra appointees to the Academy. After rigorously studying for the examinations, Halsey’s prayer for acceptance into the academy was answered. [2]Halsey’s class graduated on February 2, 1904, rather than the expected date in June, due to Roosevelt’s pressing call for new officers for the revamped Navy. Throughout his career at the academy, Halsey did little to distinguish himself from the other members, graduating only 43rd out of the sixty two who passed midshipmen. Halsey’s creative and innovative personality struggled in the stern environment and old style of teachings that focused primarily on memorization. Later, Halsey was sworn in as a lieutenant at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, in February 2, 1909, and a Rear Admiral in 1938 commanding carrier divisions [3]. As a result of the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Halsey’s task force was virtually the only operational group left in the Pacific. While surveying the damage done on Pearl Harbor, Halsey presented his familiar confidence when declaring that the Japanese language “[would] only be spoken in hell” after he was through with them. While the United States was left to rebuild from the destructive attack, Halsey took part in numerous surprise raids on Japanese controlled islands. In February 1, 1941, commanding as Vice Admiral, Halsey set out to the Marshall and Gilbert Islands and participated in a series of raids which were later known as the Marshall-Gilberts raids. In the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Halsey launched attacks on both the Roi Namur airfield while on the flagship USS Enterprise. He also struck merchant ships in Carlos Pass resulting in the sinking of a number of ships. Halsey’s involvement in the Marshall-Gilberts raids ultimately provided Halsey the much needed experience to continue with the United States’ retaliation towards the Japanese; experience that would prove useful later on in the war. Halsey also played a vital role in the infamous Doolittle Raid, which held significance due to it being one of the first major U. S. retaliations towards Japan. The raid occurred as a result of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s determination to bomb the Japanese as soon as possible to raise American morale. Throughout the raid, Halsey and the Enterprise’s troops provided protection for his entire task force 16, including the USS Hornet which joined him on April 5th, with the use of scout planes in case of a Japanese air strike. At the end of the raid, many targets were successfully struck including an oil tank farm and a few power plants. As a result of the war, American morale sky rocketed due to its recent success and territorial gain. While commanding in the South Pacific, Halsey led the South Pacific command through many battles around Guadalcanal. These battles include the Battle of Santa Cruz Islands and the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal. These battles and his leadership further demonstrate Halsey’s significance throughout the war. On October 18, Admiral Chester Nimitz replaced Vice Admiral Robert L. Ghormley with Halsey as commander of the South Pacific area because he preferred his fighting style and believed the position was better suited for him. Nimitz also felt Ghormley had lost his ambition and was too cynical to continue. Halsey led his fleet through the Battle of Santa Cruz which was a major naval battle between the U. S. and Japanese navies. Although ending in a strategic victory for the Japanese, Japan lost many more experienced pilots throughout the battle compared to the United States. Nimitz’s decision to provide Halsey the command over the South Pacific demonstrates how others saw Halsey as a resilient fighting force and was recognized for his constructive and confident attitude throughout the war which distinguished him from other naval officers. Despite Halsey’s considerable accomplishments throughout the war, Halsey also made some controversial decisions throughout his career. One of these controversial decisions took place in the Philippines. The Battle of Leyte Gulf, one of the largest battles in naval history, was fought in the islands of Leyte and Samar. The Battle of Leyte gulf is also a prominent battle in history due to Japan’s first use of the lethal Kamikaze attacks. For this battle, the Japanese entrusted Vice Admiral Jisaburo Ozawa to act as a decoy in order to distract U. S. naval forces from the main battle and allow the Southern and Central forces to attack the invaders. Ironically, the third fleet had been preoccupied defending itself from Japanese air strikes from Luzon and failed to locate the Ozawa forces, making it the only Japanese force that the United States failed to encounter. Finally, on October 24, 1944, U. S. forces found the Ozawa Northern Forces. Halsey was convinced that the Northern Forces constituted the bulk of the Japanese threat and seized the opportunity to pursue and destroy it. As a result, Halsey left the San Bernardido Strait completely unguarded and left the landing beaches to only be protected by small escort carries from the 7th fleet. On the 25th Japanese slipped through the strait prompting Thomas C. Kinkaid to send a desperate message asking for support. When Nimitz saw Kinkaid’s plea for help, he sent a message to Halsey asking where his fleet was with the highly ironic security padding phrase ” The world wonders”, which was, intended without meaning, to stop Japanese from deciphering the message. Despite Halsey’s blunder, the United States still managed to prevail and secured the beach heads and allowed for the invasion of Ryukyu Islands in 1945. Halsey’s hiccup in reasoning still managed to display the United States’ naval aptitude and overall dominance of Japanese forces. Throughout the war, Halsey’s involvement and aggressive fighting furthered the U. S. navy in the war and prompted their overall success with their retaliation towards Japan. It was Halsey’s forthright attitude and positive outlook that embodied the United States’ successful approach to World War II.[1] pg 2[2] pg 4-5[3] pg 16List of Sources: William F. Halsey. (2013). In World History: The Modern Era. Retrieved March 3, 2013, from http://worldhistory. abc-clio. com/http://www. history. navy. mil/photos/pers-us/uspers-h/w-halsy. htmhttp://www. battle-of-leyte-gulf. com/Leaders/Americans/Halsey/halsey. htmlBooks:” Bull Halsey” by E. B. Potter” William F. Halsey” by William F. Halsey III and J. BryanDon’t forget to talk about typhoon, his background

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