Admiral Halsey 8/15/45

Whithin hours after the Emperor's radio
announcement that his nation would
surrender Halsey was ordered to
immediately cease offensive actions
against Japan.
Complying with orders but still wary of
treachery, Halsey sent the following to
all ships in the 5th Fleet.

[b:654c4848f0]"Investigate and shoot down all
snoopers — not vindictively, but in a
friendly sort of way."[/b:654c4848f0]

And so ended the war for the ships at
sea.

I like it.
Sort of like what Teddy R said years before.
Richard

Halsey did have a way with words!

DT45 couldn't have said it better. (;>))

Smithsonian Channel on Dish ran a show on the Battle of Leyte Gulf last night. I had read the story, but missed some side remarks about Halsey's real reason for chasing after the Japanese diversionary fleet and the fact that he had negotiated that ability with Supreme Pacific Commander Nimitz to run off and chase ghosts if he felt the need or something to that effect which kept him from disobeying orders when he felt the need to do something aligned with his character..(of which the Japanese were aware and the reason for the diversionary fleet at Leyte Gulf).

Seems as the battle progressed Adm. Nimitz sent out a coded radio message (which any ship in the fleet could decode if so equipped) asking Adm. Halsey where was Task Force 32 I believe was the number. Seems it embarrassed him and he went to his quarters for an hour. Then there was the Typhoon he drove head long into and suffered significant losses of aircraft in particular on the way back to the Gulf. Glad the end result of the action worked out as it did, especially for the Marines going ashore.

Was he not the task force commander for the Tokyo raid in early '42 where Jimmy Doolittle's raiders took B25's off the deck of the Hornet (Wasp) in the Bearing Sea? Was the early launch necessary? Realizing that you don't get to be a senior level Admiral by chance, he obviously earned his stars. One of the reasons I left the service after 9 years was the fact that I didn't want some commander (at whatever level) making the wrong decision as it had to do with my service and my life.

We won the war in spite of Halsey.

A good example of the "Good Boys Network" at work.

WHOA! Hold on there young fella. The US order of battle did not have one Marine in it for the Battle of Leyte Gulf. Not one Marine went ashore at Leyte Gulf. Get your facts straight!

I don't like to see untruthful information put out. Down below it references "Marines that went ashore". Not one Marine went ashore at the Battle of Leyte Gulf. That was an Army/Navy/Air Force operation in total.