Afbeelding van de auteur.

Walter R. Borneman

Auteur van 1812: The War That Forged a Nation

18 Werken 2,969 Leden 54 Besprekingen Favoriet van 1 leden

Over de Auteur

Walter R. Borneman is the author of nine works of nonfiction, including MacArthur at War, American Spring, The Admirals, Iron Horses, Polk, and The French and Indian War. He holds both a master's degree in history and a law degree. He lives in Colorado.
Ontwarringsbericht:

(eng) It may be difficult to believe, but the Walter R Borneman who has written about 1812, President Polk, and the French and Indian War is indeed the same as the author of two Colorado climbing guides, a book about Alaska, and other books about the western United States.

Werken van Walter R. Borneman

Tagged

Algemene kennis

Geboortedatum
1952-01-05
Geslacht
male
Nationaliteit
USA
Woonplaatsen
Colorado, USA
Beroepen
Historian
lawyer
Organisaties
Walter V. and Idun Y. Berry Foundation (President)
Ontwarringsbericht
It may be difficult to believe, but the Walter R Borneman who has written about 1812, President Polk, and the French and Indian War is indeed the same as the author of two Colorado climbing guides, a book about Alaska, and other books about the western United States.

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Besprekingen

Well-written, engrossing read. Added a great deal to my knowledge of WWII in the southwestern pacific. I knew very little about Douglas MacArthur before reading this book, least of all what a petty, vindictive, and not altogether competent commander he was. Was shocked to learn in what low esteem he was held by peers outside his own orbit.
 
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rscottm182gmailcom | 1 andere bespreking | Mar 12, 2024 |
I finished, Walter Borneman’s, The French and Indian War: Deciding The Fate of North America. A solid history of the French and Indian War, with the final short chapter is dedicated to a quick synopsis of the causes of the American Revolution. A solid 3.5 to 4 stars but certainly not Fred Anderson’s Crucible of War: The Seven Years’ War and the Fate of Empire in British North America 1754-1766, which to me is the pre-eminent book on the topic.

Borneman touches on Pitts world view of the war against France, Spain, and the various Indian tribes and confederacies. He spends significant time on the war in the west, Canada, specifically Montreal and Quebec and the Caribbean.

If your looking for a shorter history on the French and Indian War, might I suggest this.
… (meer)
 
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dsha67 | 4 andere besprekingen | Jul 20, 2022 |
Reading about the lived experiences of great personalities arms us in two ways:

1.) It prevents us from committing the same mistakes.
2.) It empowers us to hone some fundamental principles of leadership and life to make our own existence worthwhile.

Borneman successfully brings out the above two factors in his The Admirals, a biographical retelling of the lives and leadership of the United State's four only five-star Admirals who while transforming the face of Naval Operations also transformed their country into the Marine juggernaut it is today. These four were the pugnacious Fleet Admiral William "Bull" Halsey who commanded the Third Fleet in the South Pacific region; the innovative Fleet Admiral Chester William Nimitz, the CNC for the entire Pacific Naval theatre of war; the bellicose Fleet Admiral Ernest King who was appointed CNC for the entire United States Navy and the laconic Fleet Admiral William Daniel Leahy who became the White House's de facto Chairman of the then embryonic Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Borneman lucidly underscores the origins of these four, the tragedies which shaped them and their perseverance in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds threatening to deaden their careers. For Halsey, Naval aviation and the ability envision a radical progression from battleships to Naval carriers proved his salvation; for Nimitz advances in submarine warfare heralded the ressurection of his career while King and Leahy found lifelines in the world of strategic policy making. The Admirals convincingly argues that these were not random cards dealt out by a careless twist of fate but rather reorientations which all four men tightly embraced having forecast that technological innovation would forever alter the role of the Navy in future conflicts.

The most groundbreaking facet of this book, besides its easy to understand language and avoidance of over-the-top maritime lingo and detail, is its exoneration of Leahy from baseless charges of political kowtowing and substantiation of the fact that all four Admirals harmonized their efforts to crush the Axis on both land and sea in WWII. King's strategic vision allowed him to preserve marine lifelines which allowed the unhampered movement of men and material to various battlefields across the Atlantic and within Europe. Nimitz worked hard and fast to upgrade submersible capabilities to render death blows to both German and Japanese marine combatants targeting these lifelines. Halsey pursued the Japanese Navy tirelessly with his hit hard, hit fast and hit often tactics to keep them away from Nimitz's plans while Leahy focused the White House's military-industrial policy without devolving into a yes man as many uninformed historians are wont to accuse him of.

Overall, The Admirals is a grand lesson in the craft of leadership. Leahy led by bluntness and voicing his opinions to the President of the United States; King focused on encouraging tactical initiative in his men; Halsey narrowed in on battlefield deficiencies while Nimitz merged technology and tradition to annihilate the foe. In their own way all four collectively reimagined American maritime dominance over the world's oceans and worked to generate the marine power required to make their homeland superior in both the Atlantic and the Pacific.

While the ending is anticlimactic given that the deaths of all four were rapid, one is left with a sense of awe at being allowed an ephemeral glimpse into the hearts and minds of four Admirals who found themselves pitted against two sanguinary foes on multiple fronts and effectively annihilated them. Well worth a read for all would-be leaders and professional soldiers.
… (meer)
 
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Amarj33t_5ingh | 15 andere besprekingen | Jul 8, 2022 |
Book follows most of the historical battles and events that forged our nation during the war of 1812. This book is great for students learning about the war of 1812 and want a new way of describing and seeing the battles and significance of the war from just lecturing and textbooks.
 
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ORB002 | 7 andere besprekingen | Nov 26, 2021 |

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Statistieken

Werken
18
Leden
2,969
Populariteit
#8,590
Waardering
3.9
Besprekingen
54
ISBNs
73
Talen
2
Favoriet
1

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