
The Quiet Warrior
A Biography of Admiral Raymond A. Spruance
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
3 months free
Buy for $21.49
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Chris Monteiro
-
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.
©1987 United State Naval Institute (P)2023 TantorListeners also enjoyed...




















People who viewed this also viewed...


















Evan's Review
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
The details are great
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Great admiral!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Deep dive into personality of Adm Spruance
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Great story
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
The author's opinions and moral judgements were not.
This was a reasonably good account of Adm. Spruance's life and career.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A GOOD Story About A Great Man
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
His personality
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
My key takeaway from Thomas Buell’s book is that while Spruance was frequently the right man at the right time, he was still human and had flaws like anyone else. First and foremost, I found his leadership style to be in conflict with what I had been taught. For example, it appears he was more concerned about getting his sleep and exercise than in providing leadership and assistance to the officers on his staff. These men were overworked and under tremendous strain, with little guidance from the Admiral. When Spruance did not want to be disturbed, which seemed to be most of the time, his staff had to make "best guess" estimates of the Admiral's desires. Woe betides anyone who interfered with his “me” time. I found him to be a taciturn individual, seemingly unable to deal with interpersonal relationships and conflicts. There is much to criticize in the “micro-manager” leadership style, but the “hands-off” style Spruance seemed to favor is equally problematic. A balance must be struck between the two extremes. I believe a good example of such a leader would be Admiral Chester Nimitz.
Buell’s research was excellent, no doubt complicated by the lack of background available on Spruance. Unlike Halsey or MacArthur, both of whom loved the limelight and could not pass a microphone or a newsman without making some kind of comment, Spruance kept to himself and left little behind but the official war diaries and letters to his wife. Still, Buell was able to bring some reality to the legend. It is a very good biography of a famously private man, but sadly as a result my esteem for the Admiral has been diminished somewhat. The old saying is true, “You should never meet your heroes”.
Chris Monteiro's narration was excellent.
You Shouldn't Meet Your Heroes
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.