Given today marks the 81st anniversary of Pearl Harbor and America’s entrance into World War II, many Americans will think of generals like Douglas MacArthur, Dwight Eisenhower, George Marshall, and George Patton. Few will remember Chester Nimitz. Yet, by commanding the entire Pacific Fleet from the attack on Pearl Harbor to the Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay, Nimitz played as large a role as anyone in the Allied victory. Each Allied general was under enormous pressure, but as Craig Simon highlights in his recent book, “Nimitz at War,” the pressures facing Nimitz were unique given the timing and scope of his ... (full story)