Nimitz-The Consummate Leader with special guest Admiral James Stavridis-Episode 104

This week very special guest Admiral James Stavridis joins Seth and Bill to discuss the leadership qualities and character of the greatest Admiral in US Navy history, Chester W. Nimitz. Join us as we unpack the legacy of the Fleet Admiral who was instrumental in the ultimate defeat of Imperial Japan.
Link to Admiral Stavridis' book, "Sailing True North": www.amazon.com/Sailing-True-N...
Link to Bill Toti's book, "From CO to CEO": www.amazon.com/CO-CEO-Practic...
#wwii #wwiihistory #ww2 #usnavy #usa #usarmy #medalofhonor #enterprise #aircraft #aircraftcarrier #cv6 #midway #wwii #wwiihistory #ww2 #worldwar2 #usnavy #usnavyseals #usmc #usmarines #saipan #usa #usarmy #aircraft #aircraftcarrier #battleship #battleships #ussenterprise #aircraftcarriers #guadalcanal #naval battles #unitedstatesnavy #marine #marineraiders #admiral #midway

[@johnfleet235]

An aircraft carrier pilot off the Enterprise served under Admiral Kimmel and Admiral Nimitz. He described the difference between the two men. Kimmel gave you his support, but Nimitz made each officer and enlisted man feel like he was part of Nimitz's team and that he transferred a lot of positive energy to his subordinates. Spruance described the first staff meeting with Nimitz as if the windows were opened and fresh air came into the room.

[@timothyreilly4499]

This is a timeless, authentic and candid series. Taking my time, sipping it like a fine wine that it is.

[@ganndeber1621]

Yes but this is far from their best video, too much self referential, poor

[@mitchrc3]

Except I am not taking my time...

[@TomSmith-lf8tr]

After the war, Nimitz was in Japan playing golf with commander of Commonwealth Occupation forces in Japan, Horace Robertson (nicknamed Red Robbie). Robertson was a member of The Metropolitan Golf Club in Australia and told this story in the 1950’s to a young Brian Twite (new professional who was formerly from Sunningdale). Nimitz was hacking in the scrub around the coastal golf course and Robbie told him he was in charge of the land and Nimitz should stop damaging it. When Robbie hooked a tee shot into the ocean, Nimitz told Robbie he was in charge of the waters around Japan and Robbie should stop hitting balls into it. Australians who know their history, appreciate the role that Nimitz played in our country’s survival.

[@Scott-kc5fg]

A's hire A's. B's hire C's.... Great line!

[@nancygrote742]

I am a huge Nimitz fan; he was one of the greatest leaders of WW2.

[@williamhollis6578]

He was the anti-MacArthur, and that is a good thing.

[@johnschuh8616]

If you can get to Frederickburg.and see the museum. As for the town, I saw it as a kid just after after the war, which was pretty much still as Nimitz knew it. A western town founded by German colonists. The other folks were pretty much like the Admiral, as I remember. Listen carefully to a Nimitz speech. There is still that ‘Burr”--I call it, of a man who grew up speaking the German dialect peculiar to the Hill Country as well as “High” German.

[@davidcbr0wn]

I found your channel just recently in 2024, and being the son of Hellcat pilot on the Enterprise in VF-20 from August to December 1944 and later the Lexington CV-16, it’s so interesting and so much fun to listen to you and guests talk about the Pacific. My father and I would get together in front of the TV every week and watch Victory at Sea when it first came out that was the beginning of us watching WWII documentaries together for almost 70 years.

[@AndrewGivens]

Fantastic episode - thanks from this viewer to ADM Stavridis. A very sobering discussion , with perfect content and the parallels with our two panellists' 9/11 experiences could not have been more relevant and illustrative. Two very humble gentlemen. Props to Seth for sitting back and allowing the conversation to flow. I wish KZbin was like this more often.

[@craigjones3846]

I figured the small statue Admiral would be eaten up by little man complex. Very refreshing to see how he’s super confident and used his ability for the betterment of our nation. Thank you Admiral.

[@jonrettich4579]

Any competent review of Nimitz is invaluable especially from such capable and dedicated professionals. I am especially moved at your accounting of your 911 experiences in that context. It means much to me as a citizen of this nation. Thank you

[@shoofly529]

Thoroughly enjoyed listening to Admiral Stavridis.

[@thebutlersellsit]

Bill thank you for your service for helping during 9/11. I live in ny and was a consultant with a 911 provider and saw so much that day

[@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWar]

Thank you

[@lawrencemyers3623]

Army vet here...and a great admirer of Adm. Nimitz. I've been a student of the Pacific War since the 1960s and love your podcast. Are there going to be future episodes on Spruance, Fletcher, Mitscher, etc?

[@dcl1019]

An excellent channel, Gentlemen. Well documented and well narrated. A real pleasure to follow and get more properly documented on what (in today’s language) largely boils down to an in-depth study of WWII senior Human Resource Management. The learnings from past leaders such as Chester Nimitz are totally actual, especially when it comes to his soft skills. Grateful greetings from Switzerland.

[@stevewaldschmidt4344]

Great to hear the personal stories of 9-11 at the Pentagon! Thanks for being real educators with your work!!

[@johnmoore9404]

THis is by far one my favorite podcasts of all time. Love this episode about one of my favorite military heroes.

[@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWar]

So kind

[@Zephyrmec]

My father had the honor and pleasure of serving with and directly for VAdm Willis Augustus Lee, he was a bit older than most enlisted men he was a top notch tool and die maker and gunsmith most of the good toolmakers were fairly new at the trade and 22-23 years old, my dad was over 30 at the end of the war. Back then as now it was rare for zeros to hang out with or even associate with the men, except the older guys, or the guys with higher or desirable skill sets. The ships gunners mates could repair anything with parts on hand, but one of a kinds, custom etc, you needed a special. Skill set. In Noumea, the admiral scored an antique Sohn and son .32 ACP, my dad fixed it by building a steel heat treated extractor to replace the original soft brass one. VAdm Lee was also an incredible flag officer it’s a damned shame he died so young! He worked out the coreolis effect in the 20s while assigned to BuOrd, and validated the data , greatly improving the accuracy of USN heavy naval rifles

[@kennethcox2224]

Nimitz was the right man, at the right time, in the right place.

[@hugosowder4474]

I loved the 'A's hire A's' standard that was mentioned here.

[@gravitypronepart2201]

I happen to know of a signed phorograph of Adm. Nimitz. The one on board USS Missouri at the surrender. Its in a auto repair shop in San Diego of all places!

[@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWar]

This is Bill-- would love to see that!

[@randywarren7101]

I honestly believe the biggest morale boost was the fact that Nimitz kept everyone on the staff in place upon taking command in Pearl Harbor! If anyone had been fired I don't believe the Navy would have won the Battle at Midway because Commander Edwin Layton wouldn't have been there to emphasize that the Japanese were coming in June 1942!

[@covertops19Z]

I totally agree with you, Mr. Warren..

[@Engineer1980]

A great Admiral talking about our greatest Admiral.

[@B1900pilot]

VADM Willis A. Lee…most underrated, and overall most intelligent fleet commander in the US Navy. Regrettably, he died in a backwater command in Casco Bay, ME. Having said that, Fleet Admiral Nimitz was an amazing leader and a great man…

[@sulevisydanmaa9981]

NOT ANY LONGER - a biography was finally publ some 6 yrs ago. Also a marksman,,5,, goldmedals in Anwers games 1920 !! Weak heart if story true. "CHING-CHONG-CHINA LEE ... entering the Slot ..." How about Theodore Wilkinson next book ? Also an early casualty of peace ....

[@gagamba9198]

He was the battleship admiral at a time when the carrier became pre-eminent. He handled this very well. He actually opposed the idea of adding more Alaska-class ships to the building schedule; instead, having determined the resources would be better put into carriers. That was May '39. The Navy was still battleship minded, and the one fella who came to be known as America's foremost battleship admiral (and who loved shooting) was thinking beyond his own niche (and career and ego) to the betterment of the force. And he loved tearing things apart to know deeply how they worked and could be improved.

[@parkercushingable]

What a thoughtful, sharp Admiral. Wish we had leaders like him in politics it would bring some dignity to the whole thing.

[@larrytischler570]

One of the higher IJN admirals was asked what was the most impressive advancement the US NAVY had. He said it was refueling under way at sea. It gave us a bigger advantage than we knew.

[@jamesthompson8133]

That was absolutely wonderful! Love the channel!! Keep it up guys!

[@MadLudwig]

I was in the Army Operations Center in the Pentagon on 9/11. It was an event that changed my life forever. I remember the sudden revelation later that morning that everything had changed in an instant and that we were now a nation at war. I also remember getting into my soot covered car in the north parking lot the following morning, having stayed through the night, and looking back at the building. It was still burning and after going home long enough to shower, get two hours of sleep, and put on a fresh uniform, I went right back into the building. I personally lost a number of close friends that day and in the years that followed in Iraq and Afghanistan. My only regret is how we ultimately withdrew in disgrace from Afghanistan. Somewhere along the way the National Command Authority forgot to define what success looked like, which seems like a terrible repeat of the leadership failures of the Vietnam War. On a positive note, I have always admired Admiral Nimitz and I cherish the tailhook certificate that was presented to me after landing on CVN-68 in the Pacific back in 2008.

[@edwardadams9358]

Although done poorly, our withdrawal from Afghanistan was long overdue. We stayed too long under the misperception that we could fundamentally change that society.

[@mollybell5779]

A year late, but what a great episode.

[@ottomechanic1370]

Lately, I have been looking at WW2 history. My favorite Admiral is Chester Nimitz. For the reasons everyone spoke on. Calm, cool and focused. Great in leadership. No ego here. Thank you to your guest and coverage.

[@MemorialRifleRange]

Thank-you

[@auscolpyrtosspott9175]

I've been to his Museum in Fredericksburg (TX) and Pacific War Museum, highly recommend

[@jammininthepast]

Thanks well done.

[@jeffreybaker4399]

Excellent. One minor point, as far as big personalities and Eisenhower having an easier job than Nimitz. Ike would, if he'd had enough, get the message to Patton and Montgomery, sometimes in not-so-subtle ways, that they were getting close to his line. He did not have that luxury with personalities like DeGuelle, Churchill, and other political personages, but he still had to deal with them. For some of this he had a buffer through FDR (and a buffer from FDR through Marshall), but it still occupied a good chunk of his time.

[@johnschuh8616]

Ike had a great smile but real bite. Nimitz had terrible teeth, and so didn’t show them much, but he had a softer bite and, I think, was a better judge of good subordinates. Both were born in Texas but Nimitz was a true Texan. I liked the way that Woody Harrelson played him in a recent film.

[@jeffreybaker4399]

@@johnschuh8616 Well said.

[@Thumpalumpacus]

Craig Symonds and Trent Hone both wrote outstanding character/leadership studies of Adm Nimitz that should be read by any student of his career.

[@helenel4126]

I second your comment about Symonds' book (I haven't read Hone). It was excellent -thorough, insightful, full of the description and background this layperson boomer needed to better understand the war in the Pacific.

[@jeffconley6366]

Nimitz, the greatest US Admiral of all.

[@houseatreides4128]

I personally think the carriers should be named after the great Admirals. There should always be an Enterprise, Nimitz, Halsey...etc

[@johnschuh8616]

Eisenhower and McArthur, of course, parted ways. But Ike was the one who put Mark Clark in his command and also Bradley,

[@nevadaleadershipgroup8616]

Thanks!

[@robertcupelli757]

I just discovered your channel a few weeks ago….. I love it! This is coming from an Army Brat who’s Dad and brother both retired as Lt Colonels…. Dad, from WW 2 and Ralph from Vietnam…. But I’ve always had a fascination of history. Growing up in Pittsburgh and Fort Duquesne/ Fort Pitt to Civil War to WW1 and 2 , Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan etc….. so interesting…. But the question always remains for me…. What would I have done or acted like in combat????

[@billyhouse1943]

Thank you..

[@jfuente]

You guys are knocking it out of the park! Amazing work.

[@georgesenda1952]

There are a lot of Nimitz signed articles on EBay, I just looked.

[@Blog4Justice]

Phenomenal content. 🇬🇧

[@willosee]

Sounds like Nimitz had a touch of Grant about him.

[@kidhammer2567]

The city is Waco, TX in 1896, and the Ranger is Captain Bill McDonald

[@DalonCole]

God Bless Texas

[@Fremen2]

Great video and channel. Have you guys done a video on the Role that Admiral Leahy played during the war?

[@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWar]

Not yet

[@lt.petemaverickmitchell7113]

What Would Nimitz Do

[@mencken8]

Seeng the clip at the outset with Adm. Nimitz in his khakis evoked nostalgia in me for the years after WWII when I grew up. I miss the passing of the khaki uniform, have a picture of my daughter-in-law in her khakis, which she wore and had her picture taken in on the last day they were regulation. All those leather-skinned admirals in their khakis who led the fight across the Pacific- Spruance, Mitscher, Fletcher, Halsey. All things must pass, I suppose, but I don’t have to like it.

[@larrytischler570]

Nimitz's island hopping was great. But when Halsey told Nimitz to bypass Mindinao and take the lightly defended Leyte, that meant Palau could be bypassed according to some. But the Palau invasion was not scrubbed and produced a great number of casualties. Was this really a Nimitz oversight?

[@josephairoso8013]

love the pod cast and really appreciate the depth of background knowledge you guys bring, however this episode kind of missed the mark for me, Admiral Stavrids dominated the conversation and really did not say anything. Would liked to learned more about Nimitz in the future if the op presents it's self please revisit Nimitz, keep them coming.

[@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWar]

We have another Nimitz episode that will drop on 31 December…the anniversary of his taking command.

[@josephairoso8013]

@@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWar Great!

[@adamstrange7884]

Nimitz kept his staff from Kimmel this action cemented his greatness as a leader of men!

[@leebiggs1685]

America has been blessed with many fine miltary leaders during and after WW2. If you consider that "mutual assured destrction" was only made credible by nuclear powered submarines' ablity to stay hidden, you can appreciate the influence Nimitz had on world peace long after he left the service, even up to today.

[@bobbiecrider6964]

👍👍

[@808scott]

Captain Toti was his MIRROR UNIVERSE counterpart for the first three episodes, now we have prime universe Captain Toti.

[@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWar]

From Bill: not sure I understand.... ???

[@808scott]

@@UnauthorizedHistoryPacificWar Sorry Captain, it was a Star Trek reference, your goatee.

[@bobstitzenberger1834]

Is it accurate to say island hopping was the naval equivalent of blitzkrieg?

[@petertorvik8413]

pretty much the opposite

[@bobstitzenberger1834]

@petertorvik8413 , I was thinking it was similar in that they bypassed positions of strength, and just cut off supply lines to fortresses

[@20chocsaday]

When Margaret Thatcher became British PM the statement about 2nd class choosing 2nd class was made about her by an English Tory.

[@craigjones3846]

Stature

[@jakobming4831]

What is the name of the book that the admiral is writing?

[@mykofreder1682]

Nimitz didn't have to deal with MacArthur because the UK gave him everything he needed. The UK projected almost no power at the time of the US entering, they could barely hold on in Africa. They couldn't defend their trade, struggled to control the Mediterranean, and projected 0 naval power in the Pacific. It guaranteed, Roosevelt and the military including Marshall were going to overcompensate the navy, those future ships needed men, a certain percentage were Marines. The US turned Japan into the UK with less than half of what the Navy eventually got a year and a half into the war, Japan had no ability to project power and struggled to maintain trade routes. It was built into the plan to project US power and get supplies and men where they wanted to without the problems and on the edge struggles the UK was facing. MacArthur struggled with Marshall and his plans for the remaining resources after the navy was taken care of.

[@stevethom8588]

Why pretend that the torpedo fiasco had no link to Nimitz?

[@strydyrhellzrydyr1345]

Did he just say... No drama Obama.... What... Is that supposed to mean... I'm so confused

[@Laotzu819]

Are you both trying to claim the Admiral lol

[@HeedTheLorax]

Y'all lost me on this one, 15 minutes in and all I've learned is some guy is writing a book

[@vstar7196]

Nimitz was a racist to the nth degree. He was also afraid of confronting MacArthur even when MacArthur’s antics impacted the war strategy in the Central Pacific. Nimitz banned women from serving in Hawaii while he was commanding the Pacific fleet. The man had many faults that his achievements cause us to over look.

[@johnschuh8616]

MacArthur had a different view of things. The Navy didn’t give a damn about the Philippines. Ask Filipinos how their grandparents would have felt being left to the tender mercies of the Japanese for another year.