Chapter 5 Chapter One A Breath of Fresh Air

The Japanese aircraft carrier mobile force, led by Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo, was heading towards Japan, sailing mightily on the rough sea.Their attack on the U.S. Pacific Fleet and Hawaiian Air Force military installations at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 was a completely unexpected success that even Nagumo himself did not expect.At first, he was very skeptical about the success of this operation.Like the planners of the operation, Nagumo estimated that one-third of the mobile force might be lost, but now, he brought all the ships back to the court, and the ships participating in the battle did not even touch a bit of paint.Such a satisfying return voyage is rare.The only trouble was that Rear Admiral Yamaguchi Tamon's Second Aircraft Carrier Squadron, which was dispatched to support the Japanese attack on Wake Island, was accidentally attacked by the US Marines.

In the early morning of December 23, the mobile unit sailed through the Bungo Channel, and soon saw the high mountains of Shikoku Island appearing on the horizon.At this time, the welcome planes sent by the shore troops hovered over the fleet, like a group of machine-made, rococo-style Cupids who symbolized victory were flying. patrol. [Note: Diary of Rear Admiral Chizuo Sadao, December 23, 1941.Hereinafter referred to as Thousand Kinds of Diaries. 】The next morning, Nagumo led some officers to board the combined fleet flagship Nagato to pay tribute to the commander of the combined fleet, Admiral Yamamoto Fifty-Six.Admiral Nagano Shoushen, chief of the military command, came to congratulate him in person.

At the call of Emperor Hirohito, Nagumo and his two flight commanders, Mizuo Fuchida, Lieutenant Commander and Shige and Shigeka Shimazaki, entered the palace and briefed His Majesty in person on this operation, which had greatly honored the imperial flag. [Note: Gordon W. Prange, "Dawn, We Are Still Sleeping", five hundred and seventy-eighth | page five hundred and seventy-nine. 】The emperor's blessing made other celebrations pale in comparison. All this is intoxicating and pretentious, and Nagumo, who thought he was invincible, and his commanders and staff officers entered the subsequent battles with this emotion.But in the near future, they will definitely blame themselves for this.

On the contrary, all Americans have swallowed a very bitter medicine, which has knocked out American pride.Although Americans often have conflicts of opinion in domestic and foreign affairs, each of them is full of confidence and pride in the strength of the United States, which is firmly established on the basis of rich natural resources, advanced science and technology, hard-working people, and its military potential .Just twenty-five years after World War I, the memory of the mighty American Expeditionary Force was still fresh.John Q. Pubrick was especially proud of his navy, believing that with the combined fleets of the United States and Britain, Japan would never be able to challenge it, let alone defeat it.

But now, suddenly, this rock-solid faith crumbles, and the Birmingham News of Alabama says: The great shock caused by this (Japanese) attack on the United States is not so much that Japan attacked us, but that Its attack on a naval base as large as Pearl Harbor was so sudden and reckless that, in the words of the Los Angeles Times, such an attack could be regarded as a mad dog biting a man, [Note: both see 1942 Newspaper of December 8th. ] But a mad dog can also kill people, so it must be killed. Even a tabloid in Meridian, Mississippi, which never had the pomp and dignity of a big city newspaper, was outraged that Japan finally bared its yellow fangs and allowed the US to raze Tokyo and Japan's other Vulcan cities to the ground Destroy this kingdom of flowers!Cast pagan Japan and its treacherous emperor to hell! [Note: Meridian Star, December 8, 1941. 】

Nothing could be more consistent with the will of the American public.The question is how to do it and what to do it with.Thus, the United States entered a unique period in her history immediately after Pearl Harbor.When the Iranian hostage crisis occurred in 1980, the United States also had such a period, but the time was very short, and in terms of volume and intensity, it was far from comparable to the months after Pearl Harbor.At that time, the vast majority of young and middle-aged men in the United States became pawns on the chessboard of the United States and Japan, and the Japanese side seemed to have won.The American public was initially outraged and frustrated by the brutal attack on Pearl Harbor, and then agitated and ashamed by the apparent incompetence of the U.S. military.

But this was by no means a state of despair, and there is no trace in the newspapers, in documents, or in later recollections of any fear that the Axis Congress would eventually win.Yet the complacency that might have existed before the war with the certainty that the United States would win quickly once it entered the war was shattered by harsh reality.Alan Bass, who was in charge of reporting the situation of public opinion to his superiors in the Ministry of Finance, summed up the situation succinctly: The reaction of the press to the Pacific War can be represented by a parabola.When news of the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor first came, there was an outpouring of grief, followed by a surge of hope that the Japanese would be defeated without breaking a sweat; and it was not until last Wednesday and Thursday that the papers began to realize that there was almost certainly a serious threat. Setbacks awaited the Anglo-American Far East forces.Now, people's mood suddenly took a turn for the worse.

The situation on each battlefield is not good.Britain, though it seemed to have survived the threat of direct invasion, remained in the shadow of an almost equally deadly threat.German submarines moved freely in the waters of the United States, and the transport ships of the Allied countries that supported the economy of the island country of the United Kingdom were sunk in large numbers, and the loss of tonnage was astonishing.Winston Churchill later admitted that had Hitler concentrated greater forces in the Atlantic, the war would have continued indefinitely, severely disrupting all Allied operations plans. [Note: Winston S. Churchill's "Turning Point of Destiny", page 109. ] Between Hawaii and the west coast of the United States, Japanese submarines are also operating. Although the impact is still small, it is very annoying and makes the United States lose face.

Contrary to many people's expectations, the Soviet Union was not defeated this winter.But the German army still besieged the Soviet Union tightly, and the two sides were engaged in a life-and-death struggle.If the USSR had been defeated Stalin had withdrawn the capital's diplomatic missions from Moscow to Kuibyshev the Germans might have driven the Russian troops through the Urals out of European Russia and returned westward to attack Britain, or southward through the Middle East with the Japanese Rendezvous, because Field Marshal Erwin Rommel still dominates the North African battlefield.By mid-spring, the Japanese had captured Singapore and conquered the Dutch East Indies and Burma.Who knows what they have in mind for India, a country so restless under British rule?First, Australia is afraid of being invaded.

During the first months of the war, Pearl Harbor feared an attack to the point of nervousness.What more could one expect?The horrific remnants of the attack on the battleship moorings in the harbor are a reminder of what the Japanese would do if they succeeded in a surprise attack.Since December 7th, the American commanders in Hawaii have been waiting for the second Japanese attack. General Yamamoto Fifty-Six, who is respected by the American generals for his outstanding military command ability, must be very grateful for the last attack. I regret the serious negligence in the attack, and I will definitely send Lieutenant Admiral Chuichi Nagumo's aircraft carrier back to Pearl Harbor to blow up the docks, ship repair yards, and above all, the oil depots.In this way, the U.S. Navy will be forced to withdraw from the Central Pacific Ocean and retreat to the west coast due to the lack of fuel.So what could have prevented the Japanese from taking the Hawaiian Islands and establishing their own forward base there?

It was too late, but Rear Admiral Claude C. Bullock, commander of the 14th Naval District, did his best to temporarily install torpedo nets around dry docks and anchored ships. We knocked down the fence, the fence between Hickam Airport and the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard, took off the protrusions that were attached to the fence, welded it, and welded it to the rest to make a big screen , suspended in the water around the entrances of the docks and ships.Of course, we don't know if this will work, but we've done our best.We also took out all the floating targets and hung sections of fence under them, in front of the dock locks and some important repair docks. [Note: "Testimony of the Joint Committee of the Senate and House of Representatives on the Investigation of the Pearl Harbor Incident at the First Session of the Seventy-ninth Congress of the United States", Part 26, page 37 (hereinafter referred to as the "Pearl Harbor Incident Investigation") . 】 On Oahu, morale was low up and down the troops.Colonel William C. Farnham, who was in charge of supply and engineering at Hickam Field, recalled the situation: Everyone was worried, especially the Navy personnel.They were literally crushed like football players who lost the ball. [Note: Interview with Colonel William C. Farnham, October 15, 1963. 】 Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox and Supreme Court Justice Owen J. Roberts, who was ordered to investigate the Pearl Harbor incident, and the committee headed by him successively landed on Oahu.But their arrival failed to boost morale. [Note: For details, see "Dawn, We Are Still Sleeping Soundly", 584th | 598th page. 】Those who had any relationship with the guards of Pearl Harbor and the ships in the harbor at that time may have lost their jobs because of the Japanese attack again. On December 16, 1941, the Department of the Navy relieved Admiral Husband E. Kimmel of Commander-in-Chief, United States Fleet and Commander, United States Pacific Fleet, and temporarily appointed William S. Pye The Vice Admiral commands the Pacific Fleet.During Pye's brief tenure, the Japanese capture of Wake Island seemed to focus on exposing the impotence of the US Pacific Fleet.The Wake Island incident is a long story, so I won’t go into details here. [Note: For details, see U.S. Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel Robert D. Hyner, Jr., "Defense of Wake Island"; 23 | 254 pages. 】 In short, if Kimmel is not relieved of his duties, Wake Island may not be lost.Because Kimmel had a strong offensive awareness, he advocated approaching the Japanese army.He drew up a very excellent plan of operations for the rescue of Wake Island, and sent ships for this purpose, but they were grounded due to repeated delays.After Pye succeeded Kimmel, Washington sent him a telegram saying that Wake Island had become a burden. In the words of Rear Admiral Samuel Elliott Morrison, a well-known naval historian, this telegram Authorize Pai to evacuate Wake Island at any time, instead of reinforcing the defenders on the island.Just as Pai hesitated, on December 20, the Japanese army began to land. However, two task forces, led by Rear Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher's aircraft carrier USS Saratoga and Vice Admiral Wilson Brown's aircraft carrier USS Lexington, were racing towards Wake Island, if not in time to rescue Wake. The island can also deal a blow to the enemy.Besides, Vice Admiral William F. Halsey's Eighth Task Force, with the USS Enterprise as its flagship, was near Midway, and Pai could order him to go for reinforcements. [Note: "The Flag of the Sun Over the Pacific Ocean", 235th | 254th page. ] Commanders of Halsey's forces, such as Rear Admiral Raymond A. Spruance, Commander of the Cruiser Fleet, were happy to carry out specific combat missions.However, Major General Spruance received orders to operate in the northern suburbs.This vague order so irritated the sane Spruance that, looking back on the incident later, he said with contempt: Move, move!I really don't know what it means.The order was unclear, and we were there like bait to lure the Japanese submarine. [Note: Interview with Admiral Raymond A. Spruance, September 5, 1964. 】 But Pai, like others, was concerned about the safety of Hawaii, and he made the decision to halt military action on Wake Island without any pressure from Washington.He explained: Although I believe in the principle of offense and suffer as much as the people on Wake Island, I finally believe that the strategic overall situation trumps a certain part of the tactics. It was also unreasonable to take the risk of attacking enemy forces on Wake Island. 】 Pye must have had a hard time explaining this logic to the Saratoga's crew, many of whom even wept with anger and disappointment. [Note: "Flags of the Sun Over the Pacific", page 252. 】 The senior generals in Washington were also very dissatisfied.Secretary of the Navy Knox's aide, Captain Frank E. Beatty, was in the Secretary's office when he received the news that the operation on Wake Island had been called off.He immediately asked Chief of Naval Operations Harold R. Stark if he should report the matter to the President.The general was very reluctant to do this sad job, and said: No, Frank, I can't bear it.Better ask Secretary Knox to go.When Knox returned from the White House from this nasty errand, he said: The president thought the decision was a bigger blow than Pearl Harbor. [Note: Letter from Rear Admiral Frank E. Beatty to Harry Elmer, Barnes, December 21, 1966. 】 This reaction may be a bit excessive, but psychologically, it is normal.Morrison later wrote: God knows America needs a victory before Christmas 1941. [Note: "Flags of the Sun Over the Pacific", page 249. ] What's more, the whole country demanded to fight.As long as you really work hard, even if you fail, you will be forgiven and even respected by the American people.The defeat at the Battle of the Alamo excited enthusiasm that the victory at San Jacinto did not. [Translator's Note: The Alamo is an eighteenth-century Franciscan Church in San Antonio, Texas.In February 1836, less than 200 Texas volunteers fought a fierce battle with the 4,000 Mexican troops who besieged them. The defenders persisted for 12 days and finally all died in battle.Six weeks later, the U.S. Army under the leadership of General Sam Houston, shouting the slogan of remembering the Alamo, defeated the Mexican army at San Jacinto and ensured the independence of Texas. ] Although Robert E. Lee was defeated, he was more loved than Ulysses S. Grant who was defeated.On December 22, 1941, the unofficial logbook of the Sixth Fighter Squadron aboard the Enterprise summed up the despondency of the nation in two heartrending sentences: Everyone seemed to feel that the two A war between two yellow races.Wake Island was attacked this morning, and perhaps abandoned; at the time, the Saratoga was only two hundred miles from the island, and we were only circling in the ocean east of 180 degrees east. [Note: The unofficial flight log of the 6th Fighter Squadron was established in accordance with the instructions of the squadron leader for the convenience of the squadron members' personal reference. 】 It is hard to imagine how unfavorable it is to take over as the commander of the US Pacific Fleet at this moment.So Rear Admiral Chester W. Nimitz simply said to his wife Catherine: I am now the new commander.Seeing her husband's troubled look, Catherine reminded: Haven't you been waiting for this day? But, my dear, the Admiral objected, all the ships were lying on the bottom of the sea. [Note: See Reminiscence of Nimitz in Retired Military Officers by John Sabella, p. 91.This article mainly records the interview with Catherine Nimitz, hereinafter referred to as Memories of Nimitz. ] Under the circumstances at the time, it is understandable that this statement is a bit exaggerated. Salvaging the ship from Pearl Harbor was difficult and highly technical, but Nimitz had to leave it to others. (This task was later accomplished brilliantly.) He could and had to save something else, the work and mentality of the staff officers in the port.Nimitz had just stepped down as chief of the Naval Bureau of Navigation, who was in charge of personnel, and knew that Kimmel's staff and Pye's interim staff included highly capable, well-trained, dedicated professional naval personnel .Nimitz blamed neither them nor Kimmel for the Pearl Harbor fiasco.He believes that under the circumstances at that time, no matter who they are, they will face the same ending. [Note: E. B. Porter's "Nimitz", page 17.Hereinafter referred to as "Nimitz". ] Arbitrary removal of these staff officers is not only unjust, but also undermines their self-confidence, which can cause serious psychological damage to a valuable public official.Nimitz recalled this period: All these staff officers were suffering from shell shock, and the biggest problem I faced at that time was how to improve their morale.These officers must be rescued. At ten o'clock on December 31, 1941, Nimitz was inaugurated aboard the Grayling submarine with the rank of admiral. He had worked on the submarine for a long time, so it was very appropriate to hold the inauguration ceremony on the submarine. .That same day, he called together the staffs of Kimmel's, Paye's, and Destroyer Admiral Milo F. Dremel (his chosen chief of staff) and assured them that he trusted them and believed in them He intends to retain all of them, and he wants each officer to perform his own duties, instead of just giving each officer a little work to do.If someone is incompetent, he will not hesitate to make the necessary adjustments.Even then, however, he will do what he can to help find jobs for those who are removed. [Note: Interview with Five-Star Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, September 4, 1964. 】 There is no doubt that these practices of Nimitz have improved morale several times in Morrison's words. [Note: "Flags of the Sun Over the Pacific", page 256. 】The commanders at sea also greatly increased their confidence."It's like someone in a closed room opens a window and blows in a breath of fresh air," Spruance said. [Note: Interview with Spruance, September 5, 1964. ] But Nimitz was very clear-headed, and he didn't think he was done.He later said it took six months for morale at Pearl Harbor to return to normal. [Note: Interview with Nimitz, September 4, 1964. 】 So did Nimitz himself.Fleet Aviation Officer Lieutenant Colonel Arthur C. Davies got the impression that before the Battle of Midway, Nimitz was also worried and cautious. [Note: Interview with Admiral Arthur C. Davis, January 30, 1963. ] Indeed, the results of the Pacific Fleet in early 1942 were so inconspicuous that Nimitz said in a letter to his wife: If I can do it for six months without stepping down, I will be lucky enough.The public may ask me to act quickly and achieve results earlier, but I can't. [Note: "Nimitz", page 47. 】 The record at that time was really bad, and the United States suffered heavy losses.Although there are occasional small victories, they are so small that they are more embarrassing than failures.By Christmas 1941, Japanese troops had landed in the Philippines.The small Asian fleet couldn't stop the Japanese army's actions at all, and it didn't even have the power to stop it.At noon on Christmas Day, Admiral Thomas C. Hart handed over the rest of the Asian Fleet in this area to Rear Admiral F. W. Rockwell, and fled with his staff in the submarine USS Shark. [Note: "Flags of the Sun Over the Pacific", pages 181 and 198. 】 From January 5th to 8th, the five U.S. submarines patrolling off the coast of Japan spent a lot of effort and sank only three Japanese cargo ships.However, on January 11, the aircraft carrier USS Saratoga was torpedoed by Japanese submarines 500 nautical miles southwest of Oahu.Although the ship made it safely to Oahu and from there to Bremerton for repairs, she was out of action just when she was most needed.January 6 | On the 23rd, Enterprise and Yorktown successfully covered the Marine reinforcements to Samoa, but the Japanese achieved much more than this: under the air cover of the Nagumo fleet, they boarded In this way, the entire Coral Sea is within the attack range of Japanese bombers.And that same day, the U.S. attack on Wake Island ended when a Japanese submarine sank Brown's tanker USS Neches. [Note: "Flag of the Sun Over the Pacific Ocean", 258th | 260th page. 】 The Battle of Balikpapan boosted the morale of the US side.In this battle, four American destroyers intervened in a Japanese convoy.Fortunately, many torpedoes of the Japanese army failed to hit the target and did not cause too much damage.But the Americans still sank four transport ships and a patrol boat.Of course, this did not change the strategic situation at the time, but after all, there were happy news in the newspapers. [Note: Ibid., page 289 | 291. 】 In February, the United States made some achievements.The troops fought valiantly, but the victory was of little value.On February 1, Halsey launched an aerial attack on the islands of Watje, Maloelap, and Kwajalim.Some people claim that the battle was brilliant, but in fact only a few Japanese Zero planes were destroyed, and the Chester was hit by a bomb.According to the plan, Fletcher should attack Jarut Island at this time, but he encountered bad weather, six planes were shot down, and he had to give up and retreat.Hal attacked Wake Island from the northwest, but only sank a small Japanese patrol boat, but he lost an aircraft and its crew for this, which is not counted. [Note: Ibid., 263 | 264, 268 pages. 】 In the Battle of Java on February 27, the United States had no luck.The Allied fleet was defeated, but the Japanese did not lose a single ship.Although the U.S. fleet suffered no losses, the Americans were quite incompetent in this naval battle.On the same day, the USS Langley, an old American ship, was attacked by the land-based naval fleet of the Japanese Eleventh Air Fleet while transporting the plane and crew from Australia to Mumbai. Due to the heavy damage, it had to scuttle itself. [Note: "The Flag of the Sun in the Pacific Ocean", page 345 | 358, 362 | 363. 】 February 28｜March 1, in a battle in the Sunda Strait, the US cruiser Houston was sunk.Three days later, Halsey attacked Marcus Island.It was a bold move, since the island is less than a thousand miles from Tokyo.But he encountered no enemy aircraft, only losing one bomber when he was hit back by ground anti-aircraft fire. [Note: Same as above, page 268. 】 All of these actions by the US are like mosquito bites on an elephant compared to the major Japanese victories: (the Japanese) took Guam, sank the British battleship HMS Prince of Wales and the battlecruiser The Counterattack captured the Philippines and forced Singapore to surrender.In addition, Nagumo carried out a devastating air raid on the port of Darwin in northern Australia. It can be seen that Nimitz did not have any luck.But he clearly understood what happened to Pearl Harbor last time, and he also knew that although the US military suffered heavy losses, they were still very lucky.The Japanese ran away after they came to attack last time, and he believed that they would come again next time in order to solve it completely.That is to say, they will launch an attack like last time, blowing up the submarine base on the island, blowing up all the storage tanks, blowing up all the targets, and leaving none.If Japan had destroyed our oil supply last time, Nimitz said of that surprise attack, the whole war would have dragged on for another two years. Speaking of ships, he said, God forbid, on December 7, 1941, our fleet was in Pearl Harbor.He then added that if Kimmel had known the Japanese were approaching, he would probably have tried to intercept them.But since Kimmel's warships were not as fast as the Japanese aircraft carriers, it was impossible to get close enough to shoot at the enemy ships, so many of our ships would have been sunk in the deep sea instead, and thousands of lives would have been lost. [Note: Interview with Nimitz, September 4, 1964. 】 There was great fear that the Japanese would attack Hawaii again, and that further action might be taken.This concern has produced some bizarre phenomena, at least in hindsight.Newspapers of the day exhibited a strange ambivalence, as Bass reported: editors were busy warning readers to beware of headline writers.Some commentators have also urged the public to be wary of overconfidence and not to expect easy wins. But the wire editors continued to describe every successful air strike by our army as a major victory. Bass cites an editorial in New York's Daily News newspaper syndicate about the possible resurgence of isolationism.The editorial believes that the fall of the Philippines is only a matter of time, and Singapore and the Dutch East Indies will inevitably follow in their footsteps.Therefore, it strongly advocates that the US military should concentrate its forces in Hawaii: If we don't hold on to Hawaii, it's all the same predictions about what's going to happen to us.We estimated that after the Japanese army took Hawaii, they would use bombers or warships, or both, to harass our west coast.In this way, our situation is very bad. We believe that defending Hawaii with the full support of the native people, fighting tenaciously, and defending Hawaii to the death is the number one combat task of the American people. [Note: Morgenthau's diary.January 16, 1942. 】 Lieutenant General John DeWitt, commander of the Western Defense, repeatedly urged the withdrawal of all persons of Japanese descent and nationality from the West Coast.Henry L. Stimson, the ex-lawyer and impartial Secretary of the Army, was fretting over the implications of this.Stimson is justified in worrying, because this unwise and inhumane action will condemn the American national conscience.Stimson worried that implementing such a policy would: Greatly undermine our country's constitutional system.This is a big question, especially since I think that once the Japanese have gained command of the sea in the Pacific, they are likely to invade our country.If they do come, we will have to deal with it with great effort.The Americans made a huge mistake in underestimating the Japanese, and are now beginning to learn from it. [Note: Diary of Henry L. Stimson, February 10, 1942. 】 While Stimson and other senior and experienced government officials were seriously considering the possibility of the Japanese invasion of the West Coast, a daunting strategic and psychological task had clearly fallen on Nimitz's shoulders. Nimitz never dreamed that he would be among the elite of America.President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Secretary Knox made the greatest service to the United States in this moment of life and death: they chose Nimitz, a mild-mannered general, over a large number of well-known and experienced generals Elegant, popular Texan as Commander of the Pacific Fleet.Nimitz took the rank of Rear Admiral in 1938, and has served as the Director of the Navigation Bureau of the Naval Command since June 15, 1939. With hard work, meticulous style, strong organizational skills, and meticulous implementation of regulations, he analyzed He has a reputation for being prudent and reasonable in judging issues.He had always wanted to be a fleet commander, but when he was entrusted with agency work again, he still accepted it without complaint. [Note: "Flags of the Sun Over the Pacific", page 256. 】 In 1905 Nimitz graduated from the Annapolis Naval Academy seventh, a mysterious and lucky number.His classmates spoke well of him.The college's class commemorative publication "Lucky Paper" said that he had the characteristics of a Dutchman who is calm, down-to-earth, and asks the bottom of the casserole.He brings to his new Pacific Fleet command in Hawaii his unassuming but tangible experience of serving in submarines, battleships, cruisers and naval commands.More importantly, he brought the intelligence, determination and spirit needed to accomplish this mission.In the years to come, the great challenges and responsibilities of the Pacific Fleet will prove that he is a great American man in the tradition of General Robert E. Lee.Nimitz resembled Lee in temperament, character, and ability. From the outside, Nimitz is not the kind of material for people to take pictures and portraits.He was never in the limelight, and he didn't speak very loudly.If he was eccentric, it was that he liked to play the rustic game of throwing horseshoes, and he was a bit addicted. [Note: Interview with Spruance, September 5, 1964. 】He is not at all like the bad-tempered but experienced old sailor in people's concept.Although his once-beautiful blond hair had turned gray, someone still nicknamed him a white-tailed brown rabbit behind his back, [Note: Washington Evening Star, January 4, 1942. ] But he still looks amazingly young: his skin is fine and his complexion is good.Only the lines of experience and sense of humor that lined his nostrils and the sides of his frank, blue eyes suggested that he was fifty-seven years old. At that time, the post of Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Fleet and the post of Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Pacific Fleet were assigned to two persons respectively. ｜The first line in Hawaii maintains the transportation line between the United States, Australia and New Zealand from Samoa to Fiji. [Note: "Flags of the Sun Over the Pacific", page 257. ] 2. To restore morale, which had been so badly dampened successively by Pearl Harbor and by the decision to recall troops to aid Wake Island.The second point, though not in writing, is absolutely essential. Nimitz accomplished his double duty.This is the highest admiration for his leadership, tact and judgment.We know that in the period leading up to the Battle of Midway he achieved little in raising morale, while at the same time dodging the slander of the American Navy as public opinion demanded action and action.However, Nimitz was too patient to make empty gestures.While waiting for the opportunity, he worked diligently to prepare for the arrival of this opportunity. Nimitz has all kinds of excellent qualities in one person.No one can say that this is General Nimitz, Spruance later recalled, but the important point was that he was always ready to fight. He asked his officers to fight against Japan or die. Tune it away. [Note: Interview with Spruance, September 5, 1964. ]