Black Shoe Carrier Admiral: Frank Jack Fletcher at Coral Sea, Midway, and GuadalcanalAn abundance of new evidence demanded this reevaluation of Frank Jack Fletcher, the ?black shoe? admiral who won his battles at sea but lost the war of public opinion. A surface warrior'in contrast to a ?brown shoe? naval aviator--Fletcher led the carrier forces that won against all odds at Coral Sea, Midway, and the Eastern Solomons. These and other early carrier victories decided the Pacific War not only because they inflicted crippling losses but also because they denied Japan key strategic positions in the region. Despite these successes, by 1950 Fletcher had become one of the most controversial figures in U.S. naval history and portrayed as a timid bungler who failed to relieve Wake Island in December 1941 and who deliberately abandoned the Marines at Guadalcanal. |
Contents
The World Turned Upside Down | 1 |
Vice Adm Frank Jack Fletcher 17 September 1942 | 6 |
To Retrieve Our Initial Disaster | 14 |
Copyright | |
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Other editions - View all
Black Shoe Carrier Admiral: Frank Jack Fletcher at Coral Sea, Midway, and ... John B. Lundstrom No preview available - 2006 |
Black Shoe Carrier Admiral: Frank Jack Fletcher at Coral Sea, Midway and ... John B. Lundstrom No preview available - 2013 |
Common terms and phrases
action actually Admiral afternoon aircraft appeared attack August aviation base battle battleships bombers bombs Brown carrier Cincpac close combat Cominch command Comsopac Coral Sea course cruisers CSCMF dawn December deck destroyers diary directed east enemy Enterprise February fighters Fitch five flag Fleet Fletcher flying followed four fuel Ghormley Guadalcanal Halsey heavy cruisers hundred miles intelligence Island January Japan Japanese July June King Kinkaid knots land later letter Lexington light March marine Midway Moresby morning Naval Navy never night Nimitz northeast northwest officer operations orders Pacific patrol Pearl planes Point Port position possible Rabaul radio raid reach received remained roll Saratoga SBDs Sherman ships sighted situation Smith Solomons soon southeast southwest Spruance Squadron staff strike task force thought Tongatabu took torpedo transports Truk Tulagi turned Turner United Wake Yorktown