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Admiral Arleigh Burke
Describes his achievements as a commander of a destroyer squadron in the Solomon Islands during World War II, his postwar advancement, and his accomplishments as chief of naval operations
494 pages, Hardcover
First published April 21, 1990
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About the author
E.B. Potter
9 books14 followersElmer Belmont "Ned" Potter was an American historian and author. He was the leading naval historian at the United States Naval Academy from the late 1940s to the mid-1970s, and author/editor, in collaboration with Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, of the Naval Academy's famous textbook on naval history, Sea Power.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 2, 2024
Ned Potter was one of the finest Naval historians, especially as a biographer. He has consistently shown in biographies of Admirals Nimitz, Halsey and Burke, his mastery of the period.
Admiral Burke was a dynamic and larger-than-life figure. During WWII he was chief of staff to the greatest carrier commander Adm Marc Mitscher. Together they commanded the 3rd and 5th fleet carrier operations from Guadalcanal to the Japanese defeat.
After the war, Burke continued his career and rose to the highest job - Chief of Naval Operations (CNO). He served 3 tours (unheard of at that time) and left the office when he retired.
Admiral Burke's high energy and drive helped to lead the Navy through the post-WWII era. He was key in implementing the strategy for the cold war with his support of the Navy's Polaris program and the nuclear navy.
Potter does an admirable job of demonstrating how Admiral Burke impacted not only the navy but those around him. He is the only Admiral to have a class of ship christened in his name while alive.
Burke’s life is intense and deeply passionate about all things navy. Coming from a Swedish immigrant background, the navy was his ticket out of poverty. His life was one of struggle and unmatched commitment to the navy. As a destroyer captain he earned the sobriquet “ 31 Burke “ as his squadron ravaged the pacific in the Second World War at flank speed. He would often chide his destroyer captains at shying away from manoeuvring at 31 knots and above. As Mitscher’s Chief of Staff he excelled at a job ( running a carrier strike force )which was completely outside his domain. He began his stint with Mitscher’s scorn, and eventually had an unparalleled bond of mutual respect with him. A workaholic in every job, including his three terms as CNO, working fifteen-hour work days six days a week as a norm. The men who worked under him loved him and hated him in the same breath. Hate for his uncaring attitude towards those who worked the hardest to fulfil his vision and respect for his vision and his single-minded pursuit to achieve the seemingly impossible. He and Bobbie, his dutiful wife, had no children and were themselves wedded to the navy. Bobbie dutifully looked after him while being resigned to playing second fiddle to the navy’s demands on his life. He was immensely passionate about sea service and once left a station overnight in a cargo plane to assume his duties afloat, when he learnt that a Flag Officer was gunning for him as his aide. He was also the founding director of CSIS and was the recipient of the highest civilian honour of the United States, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
The tale of Burke’s life left me with mixed views on his style of leadership, but there is no doubting his remarkable achievements. An excellent read for anyone interested in Naval history and keen to grasp the leadership style of one of the greatest admirals of the US Navy.
Admiral Burke was a dynamic and larger-than-life figure. During WWII he was chief of staff to the greatest carrier commander Adm Marc Mitscher. Together they commanded the 3rd and 5th fleet carrier operations from Guadalcanal to the Japanese defeat.
After the war, Burke continued his career and rose to the highest job - Chief of Naval Operations (CNO). He served 3 tours (unheard of at that time) and left the office when he retired.
Admiral Burke's high energy and drive helped to lead the Navy through the post-WWII era. He was key in implementing the strategy for the cold war with his support of the Navy's Polaris program and the nuclear navy.
Potter does an admirable job of demonstrating how Admiral Burke impacted not only the navy but those around him. He is the only Admiral to have a class of ship christened in his name while alive.
Burke’s life is intense and deeply passionate about all things navy. Coming from a Swedish immigrant background, the navy was his ticket out of poverty. His life was one of struggle and unmatched commitment to the navy. As a destroyer captain he earned the sobriquet “ 31 Burke “ as his squadron ravaged the pacific in the Second World War at flank speed. He would often chide his destroyer captains at shying away from manoeuvring at 31 knots and above. As Mitscher’s Chief of Staff he excelled at a job ( running a carrier strike force )which was completely outside his domain. He began his stint with Mitscher’s scorn, and eventually had an unparalleled bond of mutual respect with him. A workaholic in every job, including his three terms as CNO, working fifteen-hour work days six days a week as a norm. The men who worked under him loved him and hated him in the same breath. Hate for his uncaring attitude towards those who worked the hardest to fulfil his vision and respect for his vision and his single-minded pursuit to achieve the seemingly impossible. He and Bobbie, his dutiful wife, had no children and were themselves wedded to the navy. Bobbie dutifully looked after him while being resigned to playing second fiddle to the navy’s demands on his life. He was immensely passionate about sea service and once left a station overnight in a cargo plane to assume his duties afloat, when he learnt that a Flag Officer was gunning for him as his aide. He was also the founding director of CSIS and was the recipient of the highest civilian honour of the United States, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
The tale of Burke’s life left me with mixed views on his style of leadership, but there is no doubting his remarkable achievements. An excellent read for anyone interested in Naval history and keen to grasp the leadership style of one of the greatest admirals of the US Navy.
July 6, 2023
E.B. Potter is one of the best Naval historians of this period. He consistently has shown with biographies about Admirals Nimitz, Halsey and now, Burke, his master of the period.
Admiral Burke was a dynamic and larger than life figure. During WWII he was chief of staff to the carrier command master, Marc Mitscher. Together they commanded the 3rd and 5th fleet carrier operations from Guadalcanal to the Japanese defeat.
After the war, Burke continued his career and rose to the highest job - Chief of Naval Operations (CNO). He served 3 tours (unheard of at that time) and left the office when he retired.
Admiral Burke's high energy and drive helped to lead the Navy through the post-WWII era. He was key in implementing the strategy for the cold war with his support of the Navy's Polaris program and the nuclear navy.
E.B. Potter does an excellent job of demonstrating how Admiral Burke impacted not only the navy but those around him. An excellent read for anyone interested in Naval history.
Admiral Burke was a dynamic and larger than life figure. During WWII he was chief of staff to the carrier command master, Marc Mitscher. Together they commanded the 3rd and 5th fleet carrier operations from Guadalcanal to the Japanese defeat.
After the war, Burke continued his career and rose to the highest job - Chief of Naval Operations (CNO). He served 3 tours (unheard of at that time) and left the office when he retired.
Admiral Burke's high energy and drive helped to lead the Navy through the post-WWII era. He was key in implementing the strategy for the cold war with his support of the Navy's Polaris program and the nuclear navy.
E.B. Potter does an excellent job of demonstrating how Admiral Burke impacted not only the navy but those around him. An excellent read for anyone interested in Naval history.
March 16, 2016
I learned a lot about Arleigh Burke. He was a very energetic, ever-productive man, and his legacy is a lot to live up to. I'd like to read more biographies of our World War II notables!
April 21, 2016
Solid summary of the contributions made by this important figure in the Pacific campaign of WWII. Would be of interest to anyone researching this area.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews