Husband E. Kimmel
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Husband Edward Kimmel | |
|---|---|
| 26 February 1882 – 14 May 1968 | |
 Rear Admiral Husband E. Kimmel |
|
| Place of birth | Henderson, Kentucky, USA |
| Place of death | Groton, Connecticut, USA |
| Allegiance | United States Navy |
| Rank | Rear Admiral |
| Unit | United States Pacific Fleet |
| Commands | United States Navy |
Husband Edward Kimmel (February 26, 1882 – May 14, 1968) was a Rear Admiral in the United States Navy. He was the commander of the Pacific Fleet at the time of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
Husband E. Kimmel was born in Henderson, Kentucky, on 26 February 1882 and graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1904. Before reaching flag rank, he served in several battleships, commanded two (2) destroyer divisions, a destroyer squadron and USS New York (BB-34). He also held a number of important positions on flag staffs and in the Navy Department, and completed the senior course at the Naval War College.
After promotion to Rear Admiral in 1937, he commanded Cruiser Division Seven on a diplomatic cruise to South America and then became Commander Cruisers, Battle Force in 1939. In February 1941 he became Commander in Chief, U.S. Fleet and Pacific Fleet, with the temporary rank of Admiral. Operating from the advanced base at Pearl Harbor, Kimmel led his fleet during the months of vigorous training that preceded the outbreak of the Pacific War.
Along with Army Lieutenant General Walter Short, Admiral Kimmel became a scapegoat for American unpreparedness prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor, and their careers were effectively ruined. He was relieved of his command in mid-December 1941 and reverted to the rank of Rear Admiral (although this was not specifically retaliatory, as before the outbreak of the war it was standard procedure for no American officer to hold a permanent rank higher than two stars, with officers given temporary promotions for high command).
During the attack a spent bullet harmlessly bounced off Kimmel. Later he was to say that he wished it had killed him.
His son, Manning M. Kimmel, died when the USS Robalo (SS-273) was destroyed by a Japanese mine.
Rear Admiral Kimmel died at Groton, Connecticut, on May 14, 1968.
Kimmel was depicted positively in the film Tora! Tora! Tora!, as a commander who operated competently considering the inadequate communication of intelligence and the errors of subordinates.
In 1994, an active attempt by Admiral Kimmel's family to have him restored to permanent four star rank was instigated and reached President William J. 'Bill' Clinton, who, after reviewing the case, refused the request due to unspecified reasons.
On May 25, 1999, the United States Senate passed a resolution exonerating Kimmel and Short. "They were denied vital intelligence that was available in Washington," said Senator William V. Roth Jr. (R-DE), noting that they had been made scapegoats by the Pentagon. Senator Strom Thurmond (R-SC) called Kimmel and Short "the two final victims of Pearl Harbor." (1)
An anecdote provided by a naval serviceman in The World at War who had been situated alongside Admiral Kimmel during the attack provides a first hand account of his reaction to the events unfolding before them. Apparently Kimmel, watching the destruction of the fleet, tore off his four star shoulder straps and replaced them with those of a Rear Admiral, in recognition of the impending end of his command of the Pacific Fleet.
