Chester William Nimitz (February 24, 1885, Fredericksburg, Texas – February 20, 1966) was an American Admiral. During World War II, he was Commander-in-Chief of United States Forces in the Pacific. He was commander of the American submarine fleets and was chief of the navigation office in 1939.
Nimitz was born in Fredericksburg, Texas, where his birthplace has been turned into a museum. His father died shortly before he was born and it was his grandfather, Charles H. Nimitz, who took charge of much of his education. Formerly in the German merchant navy, Charles Nimitz instilled in his grandson the values of the navy and a passion for navigation.
Beginning of military career
Nimitz tried to enter West Point Military Academy to become an Army officer, but there were no more places available. Congressman James L. Slayden told him that there was still a vacancy in the navy at the Annapolis Naval Academy, but that it was reserved for the best of candidates. Nimitz then studied with even more enthusiasm in order to obtain this place. He was integrated into the academy in 1901 and was promoted in January 1905, ranked 7th out of a promotion of 144 students.
He joined the battleship Ohio (BB-12) in San Francisco on which he sailed in the waters of the Far East. In September 1906, he was transferred to the Baltimore (C-3) and on January 31, 1907, after two years at sea, as the law stipulated, he obtained the rank of ensign. Stationed in Asia in 1907, he served successively on the Panay, the Decatur and the Denver.
Aged 22, Ensign Nimitz was placed in command of the Decatur, a badly damaged old destroyer that patrolled the waters of the Philippines. One night, Nimitz and his crew made a bad move and ended up on a sandbar. Despite the poor quality or absence of sea charts at the time, Nimitz was court-martialed for endangering a naval vessel. He received a letter of reprimand and this incident could have had fatal consequences for his military career, but in the end nothing came of it.
Nimitz returned to the United States on the 4th Ranger when the vessel was converted to a training ship and in July 1909 began training in the First U-boat Flotilla, an area where he did much of his service. In May of the same year, he was given command of the flotilla in addition to direct command of the Plunger, later redesignated A-1. He commanded Snapper (later renamed C-5) from February 2, 1910 and Narwhal (D-1) from November 18, 1910. At the same time, command of the 3rd Torpedo Submarine Division in the Atlantic (the 3rd Submarine Division Atlantic Torpedo Fleet) was entrusted to him on October 10, 1911, . In November 1911, he was recalled to the Boston Navy Yard to attend the launching of the Skipjack, of which he was to command from February 14, 1912. On March 20, 1912, Lieutenant Nimitz rescued Second Class W. J. Walsh, who was drowning. He received the Silver Lifesaving Medal for this heroic deed. After commanding the flotilla of submarines stationed in the Atlantic (between May 1912 and March 1913), he supervised the construction of the diesel engines for the tanker Maumee (AO-2), which was being assembled at the New London Ship and Engine Building based in Groton, Connecticut. In April 1913, he married Catherine Vance Freeman.
First World War
During the summer of 1913, he studied engine design at diesel engine factories located in Nuremberg, Germany, and Ghent, Belgium. Returning to the New York Navy Yard, he became second-in-command and engineer on the Maumee sent for service on October 23, 1916. On August 10, 1917, Nimitz was placed in the rank of second in command to Admiral Samuel S. Robinson, commander of forces of American submarines of the Atlantic fleet.
On February 6, 1918, he was appointed chief of staff and received a distinction for his meritorious service. On September 16, 1918, he was sent to the office of the Chief of Naval Operations, and on October 25, he continued his service with the mention of Senior Member of the Submarine Design Committee.
Between the wars
From May 1919 to June 1920, Nimitz served aboard South Carolina (BB-26) as second in command. He then commanded the Chicago (CA-14) and was given command of the 14th Submarine Division based at Pearl Harbor. He returned to the United States in the summer of 1922 and began studies at the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island. In June 1923, he was appointed Aide and Assistant Chief of Staff to the Commander, Battle Fleet, and later Assistant Commander-in-Chief, United States Fleet. In August 1926, he went to Berkeley to set up the first unit of the Navy's Reserve Officers' Training Corps.
Nimitz lost a fingertip following an accident with a diesel engine, an event that could have been more serious if he had not worn that day his ring received at the Annapolis Academy. He also suffered from a severe ear infection that left him partially deaf. He compensated for his handicap by becoming a good lip reader.
In June 1929 he took command of the 20th U-boat Division. In June 1931, he assumed command of the Rigel (AR-11) and destroyers based in San Diego, California. In October 1933, he took command of the Augusta (CA-31) and carried out a mission in the Far East. In December of the same year, the Augusta became the flagship of the Asian fleet. In April 1935, he returned to the continental United States and worked as Assistant Chief of the Navigation Office, before becoming Commander of the 2nd Battle Force Cruiser Division. In September 1938, he was appointed to command the 1st battleship division of the fighting force. On June 15, 1939, Nimitz assumed the post of Chief of the Navigation Bureau.
World War II
World War II broke out shortly before Nimitz took over as head of the shipping office. Ten days after the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, Roosevelt appointed him Commander-in-Chief of the United States Fleet in the Pacific (CINCPAC) with the rank of Admiral effective from December 31. Nimitz managed the naval units at one of the most critical moments of the war in the Pacific and, despite the lack of resources at his disposal, he managed to organize a first defense to slow the Japanese advance.
He was aided in his endeavor by his entire staff, many of whose members came from Admiral Kimmel's staff in charge of Pearl Harbor at the time of the attack. On March 24, 1942, the Combined Chiefs of Staff (the Combined Chiefs of Staff comprising American and British military personnel) designated the Pacific Theater as a strategic area under American control. Six days later, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) divided the area into three parts:the POA (Pacific Ocean Areas), the SWPA (Southwest Pacific Area managed by General Douglas MacArthur) and the SEPA (South East Pacific Area) . Nimitz was placed at the head of the POA with the title of Commander-in-Chief (CINCPOA). His role was thus no longer limited to the navy but he took command of all the Allied forces (air, land and sea) in this area.
As ships and men became available, Nimitz launched them into the offensive and won such battles as the Battle of the Coral Sea, the Battle of Midway, or the campaign in the Solomon Islands.
During the final stages of the war in the Pacific, Nimitz launched the offensive on the Mariana Islands and invaded Saipan. He inflicted a decisive defeat on the Japanese fleet during the Battle of the Philippine Sea. He seized the rest of the islands, including Guam and Tinian, which were to become important rear bases for American bombers. His naval forces succeeded in isolating enemy strongholds in the Caroline Islands and quickly secured Peleliu, Angaur, and Ulithi. In the Philippines, the American fleet repelled the Japanese Navy with a swing in favor of the Americans during the Battle of Leyte Gulf between October 24 and 26, 1944.
Meanwhile, on October 7, 1943, he had become Commander-in-Chief of the Pacific Fleet and the POA. An act of Congress approved on December 14, 1944 created the rank of Admiral of the Fleet in the U.S. Navy, the highest rank in the United States Navy. The next day, Roosevelt, supported by the Senate, awarded this rank to Nimitz and he was sworn in on December 19, 1944.
Nimitz continued his long-term strategy with amphibious assaults on Iwo Jima. He persuaded the Air Force to bomb Japanese ports and shipping lines with B-29s, an action carried out as part of Operation Starvation that undermined Japanese logistics and supplies. br class='autobr' />Signature by Nimitz of the acts of surrender of Japan (September 2, 1945)
In January 1945, Nimitz moved his Pacific Fleet headquarters from Pearl Harbor to Guam. The headquarters remained on the island until the end of the war. His wife remained on the mainland during the war and did not join him while he was in Hawaii or Guam. On September 2, 1945, Nimitz signed Japan's act of surrender aboard the Missouri in Tokyo Bay. On October 5, 1945, designated Nimitz Day in Washington, he received a gold star in lieu of the Distinguished Service Medal. President Truman cited his outstanding service as Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Fleet and Pacific Ocean Areas, June 1944 to August 1945.
Post-war
On November 26, 1945 his appointment as Commander-in-Chief of Naval Operations was confirmed by the Senate. It was effective from December 15, when he relieved Admiral Ernest King. Nimitz explicitly asked President Truman to serve only a two-year term in office. He then undertook the restructuring of the navy which had reached great potential during the war but which now had to adapt to the post-war period. He set up the necessary structures for active service and reserve units.
Dönitz trial
Nimitz gave an affidavit at the Nuremberg Trials about the use of submarines during the conflict. It concerned more particularly the rescue of shipwrecked people. German Admiral Karl Dönitz had given the order during the war not to undertake such relief operations. Nimitz claimed he ordered a similar order to avoid jeopardizing the safety of the submarines.
To the question “Was it common in such areas (of the theater of operations) to proceed with submarines to attack merchant ships without warning, except their own and those of the allies? Nimitz replied, "Yes, with the exception of medical ships, other controlled vessels, and transits for humanitarian reasons." On the second question asking if he had received such orders, Nimitz said, “The Chief of Naval Operations ordered on December 7, 1941 the unrestricted use of submarines in the war against Japan. »
Despite the charges against him, Dönitz was not sentenced to death, which may suggest that Nimitz's intervention allowed him to significantly consolidate his defense.
Retirement
On December 15, 1947, he left his position as Chief of Naval Operations as planned. As the rank of fleet admiral was considered a lifetime distinction, he continued to be officially on active service with the annuities and benefits that flowed from it. He and his wife moved to Berkeley, California where his three daughters, his son (a Navy official) and his former associates visited him. After a serious fall from Admiral in 1964, the Nimitzes moved from Berkeley to Navy quarters on Yerba Buena Island in San Francisco Bay.
In San Francisco, Nimitz held the largely ceremonial position of Special Assistant to the Secretary of the Navy for the Western Area. He then worked within the Naval Historical Foundation, and worked to bring the American and Japanese armies closer together (restoration of the flagship commanded by Heihachiro Togo, the battleship Mikasa, during the battle of Tsushima in 1905).
In 1949, Nimitz was appointed administrator in Kashmir, under the flag of the United Nations, but the deterioration of relations between India and Pakistan caused the diplomatic mission to fail. From 1948 to 1956, he was regent of the University of California. She paid homage to him on October 17, 1964 on the occasion of Nimitz Day.
Nimitz never attempted to profit from his participation in the war and refused to write his memoirs. He believed that any reflection on the conflict would not help the Navy and that it was not honoring those who had died in combat. Towards the end of 1965, Nimitz had a stroke, aggravated by pneumonia. He was admitted to Oak Knoll Military Hospital in California. In January 1966, doctors let him go home. He died on the evening of February 20, 1966 at his home in the first military district of Yerba Buena, 4 days short of his 81st birthday.
He was buried in Golden Gate National Cemetery in San Bruno, California, the same day he was to celebrate his 81st birthday.
In the film The Battle of Midway, her role is played by Henry Fonda.
Decorations
US Army
Navy Distinguished Service Medal
Army Distinguished Service Medal
Silver Lifesaving Medal
Interallied Medal 1914-1918
American Defense Service Medal
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
World War II Victory Medal
National Defense Service Medal
Foreign armies
Order of the Bath (UK)
Pacific Star (UK)
Legion of Honor (France)
Medal of Valor (Philippines)
Philippine Liberation Medal (Philippines)
Order of Orange-Nassau (Netherlands)
Order of George I (Greece)
Order of Pao Ting (China)
First Class Military Merit Cross (Guatemala)
Order of Carlos Manuel de Cespedes (Cuba)
Order of the Liberation of San Martin (Argentina)
Order of Abdon Calderón (Ecuador)
Order of the Crown (Belgium)
Croix de Guerre with Palm (Belgium)
Military Order of Italy (Italy)
Order of Naval Merit (Brazil)
Family
Chester and Catherine Nimitz (1892-1979) had four children:
Catherine Vance (b. 1914)
Chester, Jr., (1915-2002), graduated in 1936 from the Naval Academy, submariner until 1957, retired with the rank by Rear Admiral
Anna Elizabeth Nimitz, known as Nancy (1919-2003), specialist in the Soviet economy at the RAND Corporation
Mary Aquinas (1931-2006) , sister of the Order of Preachers, professor of biology at the Dominican University of California with important functions in research
Tributes
An aircraft carrier (CVN 68) as well as a class of US Navy aircraft carriers are named after him.
The Nimitz Freeway (Interstate 880) connects the eastern and southern portions of the San Francisco Bay Area.