Miles Rutherford Browning William Lawrence Sr Omnibit 12-11-20

Miles Rutherford Browning served as Chief of Staff to Admiral Raymond Spruance on the USS Enterprise during the Battle of Midway. He was said to be “largely responsible for the rout of the Japanese feet.” He never became particularly celebrated, however, because he was not a very good man. He had an affair with another officer’s wife, drank too much, ignored drowning sailors and was rude to the secretary of the Navy.

He was the maternal grandfather of once famous actor/comedian Chevy Chase.

Miles Rutherford Browning William Lawrence Sr Omnibit 12-11-20
Miles Rutherford Browning served as Chief of Staff to Admiral Raymond Spruance on the USS Enterprise during the Battle of Midway.

2 thoughts on “Miles Rutherford Browning William Lawrence Sr Omnibit 12-11-20”

  1. I think that’s supposed to be “rout”, not “route”.
    Yes, it’s recorded in most accounts of the battle that he was what we would call today, an asshole.
    I don’t know that he was as responsible for the victory as was Nimitz, for directing the strategy and providing and the tactical framework, and as were Admirals Fletcher and Spruance, for their tactical command.
    Browning at one point had to be sent to his cabin to have a pout, after he lost the debate about the bomb load a second strike would carry. Browning insisted on loading the dive bombers with 1000-lb bombs. Wade McCluskey, the Enterprise’s air group commander, pointed out that the planes would likely not return, because of the fuel consumption carrying that load for such a distance. Browning got so mad, he almost got physical. He was asked to withdraw, and Admiral Spruance told McCluskey that he would follow his pilots’ advice.
    As far as drinking and womanizing go, Admiral King, the Chief of Naval Operations, was also a notorious womanizer, and he had a habit of holding grudges, too. For example, King felt Fletcher was a coward because he didn’t follow up and pursue the Japanese at Coral Sea-ignoring the fact that Fletcher had no effective striking force, once the Lexington blew up and with the Yorktown damaged. King refused to approve a decoration for Fletcher for Coral Sea, and he was against giving him further sea command.
    But-and this is the important thing-they won the war.

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