The Quiet Warrior: A Biography of Admiral Raymond A. Spruance

Classics of Naval Literature

by Thomas B. Buell

Regarded as the standard biography of World War II naval hero Adm. Raymond A. Spruance. Spruance, victor of the battles of Midway and the Philippine Sea and commander of the Fifth Fleet in the invasions of the Gilberts, the Marshalls, the Marianas, and Okinawa, is one of the towering figures in American naval history. Yet his reserved, cerebral personality did not make good copy for correspondents, and until the publication of The Quiet Warrior he remained an elusive figure. Thomas Buell has succeeded in evoking the nature of the man as well as recording the achievements of the admiral in this brilliant biography, which won the Alfred Thayer Mahan Award for Literary Achievement the year of its publication.

Genres: Biography, History, Naval History, World War II, Military Fiction, Nonfiction, Military History

544 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1974

About the author

A 1958 graduate of the United States Naval Academy, Thomas Buell served as a destroyerman throughout much of his career in the Navy. Buell taught in the history department of the Military Academy at West Point from 1975 until 1979, and, following his retirement from naval service in 1979, worked in the defense industry for the Honeywell Corporation and Rosemont Company in Minnesota.

Reviews

[Spad53 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was ever so good; Spruance was the most enigmatic of the US admirals in WW2. Contrary to Halsey he hated publicity, he didn’t want to be a hero, and all he wanted was a quiet life with ship command as the icing on the cake.
The problem was that he was too good, and he kept on getting higher commands. In the end he was better than his more ebullient contemporary Bull Halsey, who made more mistakes, and the funny thing was that they never were competitors; they were always very good friends.
Spruance management philosophy was to let his subordinates get on with the job, and leave him alone, so he could relax, sleep, walk and read books. And it worked.
Sure he made mistakes but fewer than most, that’s the trick, and a good night’s sleep helped a lot in avoiding the traps.
It’s difficult not to love Spruance, he’s everything I’d like to be, but unfortunately I’m nowhere near as clever as he was.
This is the classic Spruance biography; it’s from 1974, yet still reads like the most modern biographies. Thomas Buell has done a fantastic job of myth-busting, and getting as much out of Spruance as possible without being able to talk to him. Buell was able to talk to his wife, and others close. Spruance was really very ordinary, just extraordinarily good at his job.

[Sy De Witt]

I enjoyed this book and learned much about Admiral Raymond Spruance, who led our naval forces at Midway and later the campaigns to take the Japanese held islands in the Gilberts, Marianas, Marshall Islands. He also commanded the naval and ground forces who took Iwo Jima and Okinawa.

I was a bit disappointed that Spruance abdicated his responsibility and saddled his long-time friend and Chief of Staff, Captain Carl Moore, with mediating the conflicts between Admiral Kelly Turner and Marine General Holland Smith.

After the war, Spruance was assigned as President of the Naval War College with orders to strengthen its curriculum. Apparently, he was quite successful.

At the end of the war, Congress authorized four billets for Fleet Admirals (five stars). The obvious choices were Leahy, King, and Nimitz. Navy Secretary Forrestal left it to King to decide who the fourth would be - - Halsey or Spruance. According to the author, King catalogued the contributions of both men and reportedly favored Spruance. However, Representative Carl Vinson, a powerful Congressman and Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, had publicly endorsed Halsey and King would not risk going against Vinson. And so Halsey was the fourth Fleet Admiral. Later efforts to promote Spruance were thwarted by Vinson. Perhaps as a consolation, Spruance was allowed full-pay for life of a 4-star Admiral. In a letter to a professor at the Naval Academy, Spruance wrote, "So far as my getting five star rank is concerned, if I could have had it along with Bill Halsey, that would have been fine; but, if I had received it instead of Bill Halsey, I would have been very unhappy over it."

Spruance's final public service was as Ambassador to the Philippined during the first Eisenhower administration and by all accounts, Spruance acquitted himself very well.

[Mark Mears · Rating 5 out of 5]

Admiral Raymond Spruance has long held a fascination for me. Find Mr. Buell’s biography fulfilled a quest for more information. And reveals why he is not as well known as he should be...he wanted it that way.

Now I know that not only did Admiral Spruance possess a calm, thoughtful demeanor, he shunned the publicity and bombast that his close friend Admiral William Halsey revelled in.

I found many traits Admiral Spruance possessed which I can relate to, and aspire to emulate.

He was the “unsung hero.” As an example,after all he did to win the Pacific War, while Nimitz, Halsey and others were in the spotlight at the surrender ceremonies, Spruance remained on his flagship. Someone would need to be available if things went horribly wrong. And he did not desire the attention.

The Quiet Warrior is definitely worth your time!

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent bio of ADM Raymond Spruance. Proves you do not have to be a swashbuckling media darling like Halsey or Patton to be effective. Although Spruance was a cerebral introvert, I think he and and Omar Bradley had much in common. Most significantly their modesty and selflessness.

[Rick Cheeseman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Splendid.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read Buell's work because it is considered the authoritative book on Admiral Spruance. It is indeed complete and comprehensive, tightly written with all the details. And dry as dust. Some might say that Spruance was dry, which he was in the style of Gene Roddenberry's creation, Mr. Spock. Many took Ray Spruance as cold and calculating, but what he was was reserved, analytical and rational, to a fault. After the war, where Spruance had served as King and Nimitz's top surface fleet commander, Spruance's wife asked him of his impressions of the world conflict. His answer: "It was interesting." Ray Spruance consistently viewed his job as Fifth Fleet Commander as an intellectual exercise, thereby saving him from many of the emotional and hasty decisions that caused Bill Halsey so much embarrassment.
For those who want to dig deep into Spruance's life before and after WWII, go ahead and read this book. But I would highly recommend instead James Hornfischer's magnificent book, "The Fleet at Flood Tide." I've been an avid reader of WWII history for almost 50 years and The Fleet at Flood Tide is the best work of history out there about the U S Navy in WWII. I just finished reading The Fleet at Flood Tide for the second time and thought, "This book could have been called "Raymond Spruance in WWI." I high;y recommend The Fleet at Flood Tide.

I recommend The Quiet Warrior only to history buffs and students of the US Navy.

[Pei-jean Lu · Rating 5 out of 5]

In many ways one can compare Admiral Raymond Spruance to that of General Omar Bradley. Both came from relative obscurity in the prior years to WWII and then an extraordinary set of circumstances would thrust them both into the world stage and like Bradley who was overshadowed by the likes of the more forceful personalities of Patton and Montgomery in the European theatre, Spruance too was largely overshadowed by the more flamboyant personalities of Admiral Halsey and of course General MacArthur in the Pacific theatre. The only real difference is that Admiral Spruance perhaps more shy and reticent than Bradley, shunned the media spotlight more so than Bradley and so many of his exploits save for his role in winning the Battle of Midway are perhaps less known.
This biography reads like the man himself. Clear, concise and simple.

[Elizabeth Evans]

I was curious to know about Spruance, as the gymnasium at my high school in Manila, Philippines, was named after him. What an enormously intelligent, albeit quiet, leader and naval strategist. He knew his weaknesses, but prevailed all the same.

[Mac McCormick III · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Quiet Warrior: A Biography of Admiral Raymond A. Spruance by Thomas B. Buell is a very informative biography of one of the US Navy's top World War II Admirals. Spruance was a private, seemingly introverted person, but this book does a great job of revealing his personality and leadership style, revealing the reasoning behind the decisions he made at key points in the war. It does so objectively; Buell points out where he thinks Spruance went wrong as well as where he believes Spruance made the right decisions. He also addresses the controversies surrounding Spruance's decisions and planning around several Pacific campaigns and his tenure as Ambassador the Philippines. It reveals Spruance to be a very complex man and even after reading The Quiet Warrior, I still find Spruance somewhat of an enigma (although I don't find that a fault of the author, but a product of that personality itself). I finished this book in short order and came away with a better understanding of Spruance, his thought processes, and his actions. I also came away with some lessons in leadership. I would highly recommend The Quiet Warrior to anyone interested in naval warfare and/or the Pacific Theater of World War II.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Quiet Warrior is a biography on the life and Naval career of Admiral Raymond A. Spruance. Spruance it one of the unknown heroes of WWII and in my mind the greatest fighting Admiral of the war. He is not as well known as William Halsey, however, he was superior in every area except hubris and bluster. Where Halsey was courting the press, Spruance was studying the enemy and laying the ground work for victory. Halsey should have been court martialed or relieved of duty for his actions in the Battle of the Philippines or in his handling of his fleet during 2 typhoons. Spruance took over for Halsey and commanded the task force during the Battle of Midway and guided them to victory. Spruance was an intellectual and avoided the limelight and is probably the reason 5 stars were awarded to Halsey and his promotion to Fleet Admiral and not himself. Spruance's handling of the 3rd Fleet (5th fleet when Halsey commanded) is one of the reasons the U. S. won the war in the Pacific. This is a great biography about a great man.

[Ronald Golden · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this book the author, Thomas Buell tells a detailed and well-balanced story of the life and career of Admiral Raymond Spruance. I use the term well-balanced because Buell does not write a love-letter to Spruance in his book, but rather examines the Admiral's decisions in what I felt was a very objective manner, opining favorably on some and negatively on others. In each case, Buell illustrates the entire scenario and highlights all aspects, allowing the reader to form his or her own conclusions. It appeared to me that the author went to great pains to be as objective as possible.
As for the subject of the book himself, in my opinion Admiral Spruance is an example of a great leader. One trait that the Admiral exhibits that is far to rare, particularly today is humility. All through his career he shunned publicity and made sure that his subordinates received credit for the successes of his team. His example should be held up and modeled for anyone who seeks to function in a leadership role.

[C. Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very readable biography about Admiral Spruance who despite his thorough and pivotal involvement in the Pacific campaign, never seemed to command the attention lauded on others, probably due to his disinclination to gain attention. Lots of great vignettes to be extracted about his approach to a great many things, including running staffs and other organizations. I was not aware of his role as ambassador to the Philippines at a crucial time for that country, though sadly his efforts there did not successfully bend the trajectory away from the challenges that continue to bedevil it today.

[William "Spig" · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was challenged by a mentor to learn my history. This was a great way to learn through the eyes of Spruance. The author does a great job showing the humanity of Spruance. I found myself asking what would it be like for me to work for or advise a man like Spruance. My personal takeaway was to build trust between communities like Aviation and Surface to keep them mission ahead of cultural bias. I hope to be a “Mitcher” for my soon to be surface admiral.

[Mr. John H. Hayward · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant leader well recalled.

There are those that lead the charge will gain acclaim and glory, other captains quietly drive to victory. Both are needed in existential wars. Spruance was from the latter mold. It’s a shame both he and Halsey did not share five-star rank. Spruance made few errors, but Halsey’s guts and glory shone bright in ‘42 and ‘43.

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this biography by Buell. You can tell Buell loves the subject (he even met and interviewed Spruance while he was serving in the Navy). This book isn't hero worship, but rather a critical homage to a person who very quietly and meekly grew into a great admiral.

[Wai Zin · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a history enthusiast and WW2 buff, this book is an excellent read for me.
Instead of reading the detailed descriptions of battles it touch on the life of Admiral Spruance and they were golds.

But I don't have much interest in Spruance's tenure as the Ambassador of Philippines.

[Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a wonderful book to read. Very well written. A very descriptive, very personal story about a humble, modest Admirsl. What was very revealing was his reciprocated love and understanding of his family. A must read for students of naval history and WW2.

[Stewart Wolfe · Rating 5 out of 5]

an Excellent Study of Admiral Spruance

ADM Raymond Spruance has been a mysterious figure in history, with very little known of the man behind the stars. This book does a good job of explaining his attitude, and actions.

[WRH · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best biography's of a WWII senior officer, Raymond Spruance. The focus was on the man and his military decisions. Why did he do what he did?

[Preston · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an extremely well written and honest biography of Admiral Spruance. I really appreciate the effort the author put into researching his background to create this book.

[Don Crumbley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent!

Excellent historical review of a lesser known leader, but clearly a giant in the Pacific during WWII and is to be recognized as such in U.S. Naval history.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good biography of a great Navy admiral of WW2.

[michael pomponio · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Quiet Warrior: Admiral Raymond Spruance

A good interesting read, especially the World War 2 time frame. Well done, and I would highly recommend reading this bio.

[Steven Peterson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Admiral Raymond Spruance was one of the major naval leaders in the Pacific Theater during World War II, ranking with Halsey in that regard. He was given command of the Fifth Fleet after having served some time as Admiral Chester Nimitz' chief of staff. He was happy to be released from that position and able to serve at sea once more.

Spruance is perhaps best known for his role at the Battle of Midway. Halsey came down ill and Spruance was designated as his replacement--even though he had never commanded an aircraft carrier nor had any background in naval aviation. There is some controversy over his decision-making, but, overall, the volume represents him as a sound commander under a greatly ambiguous situation.

Later, he also suffered some criticism for his decision making during the Battle of the Philippine Sea. The author of the Introduction notes that (page ix): "Spruance was largely unfamiliar with the intricacies of naval aviation, and carrier operations in particular. Whether or not this lack of specialized experience was detrimental to his handling of a carrier task force in battle is debatable." Overall, the book examines Spruance fairly sympathetically, although Buell, the author, is willing to suggest where difficulties lay, too.

The treatment of Spruance after the War is well done, including his stint as Ambassador to the Philippines and President of the Naval War College. All in all, a serviceable biography of one of the more important leaders in the Pacific Theater.

[Charles H Berlemann Jr · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book on a interesting man and how he rose to be such a hero in the WW2 era navy. The most interesting parts to me was that his family life prior to entering the Naval Academy was different that most of the other individuals that I had read about of the WW2 era admirals. Raised entirely by his mother and her sisters after financial hardships force issues with his family to break up. The rest of the story flowed well in presenting both the history of Spruance and his immediate family. A few good stories that showed that Spruance was spit and polish when he needed to be, but also hated spit and polish since there are stories of him making a show of inspections just to get back to the real work for a ship or command he operated at. The end of life is also interesting with his tour as the Naval War College President and then ambassador to the Republic of the Philippines Islands. The author admits as well that Spruance kept no personal letters so it was hard to create the person behind the scenes and had to base it all on people that worked with him and around him at these times. A very good book and worthwhile read or addition to the library.

[Darrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Raymond Spruance is one of the great admirals that served during the Pacific campaign in WWII. Mr Buell has taken on the task of writing about this very private man. Admiral Spruance never sought out the media coverage and was not very well known like Nimitz and Halsey but he played a huge role in the command of Pacific victories. When he returned to the U.S. after the war he didn't get a hero's welcome like Nimitz and Halsey did (not to take away from them). He just went to assume his new job as the President of the War College. His career and views were private and he liked it that way but he was key to such battles as Midway (where he assumed command because Halsey was ill), battle of the Philippine sea, Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Did he make mistakes? Sure he did but so did most of the senior admirals in the Pacific (Halsey had Leyte Gulf and two hurricanes for example) but overall, Spruance was known as a methodical and very good commander of the U.S. Naval forces. This is a great book for people interested in learning about this unique and key person from this era of Naval history.

[Todd · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not for the average reader. It's more for those who are into WWII history to the point of reading a somewhat boring biography just to see what philosophies, decisions, strategies and details contributed to a certain leader's winning of an important battle. I was a little disappointed the book didn't go into that a little deeper. This was more a blow-by-blow account of Admiral Spruance's life and times...and that's about it. Not a lot of depth for a deep character who is most responsible for turning the tide of war against the Japanese Navy at the Battle of Midway. It was honest, however, about his mistakes. Just another testament of the idea that war is a series of mistakes and that the winner is the side who made the fewest.

[Simon Alford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ian Toll's Pacific Trilogy got me interested in Spruance. Possibly the best fighting admiral the USN had, but also a modest man who didn't hate the Japs. The comparison with Halsey was interesting, Spruance made fewer mistakes and was more organised, and less into personal PR.

His penchant for exercise seemed to keep his stress levels down. A man of integrity who had no issue arguing for the less popular.

I fear like Cromwell and Churchill, he is now a hero of mine !

[Nikky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Raymond Spruance is one of the unsung heroes of the Pacific Theater in WWII. Passed over his fifth star for political reasons, he was the commanding officer during the Battle of Midway. This is one of the only books about Adm. Spruance, and is a fascinating read about this enigmatic and humble figure.

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

What an amazing leader.