Miles Browning

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Miles Browning
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Place of burial
Arlington National Cemetery
Allegiance United States of America
Service/branch United States Navy
Years of service1917–1947
Rank Rear Admiral
Commands heldUSS Hornet (CV-12)
Battles/warsWorld War I

World War II

AwardsDistinguished Service Medal
Silver Star

Miles Rutherford Browning (April 10, 1897 – September 29, 1954) was an officer in the

Craig Symonds disagrees, however, writing that "the citation claim that Browning was 'largely responsible' for the American victory at Midway, an assertion that some historians have taken seriously . . . is manifestly untrue."[1]

Browning served as Admiral William Halsey's chief of staff aboard the USS Enterprise as it launched air attacks on Japanese-held islands across the Pacific in February and March 1942, helped plan and execute the Doolittle Raid that launched 16 Army twin-engine B-25 bombers from USS Hornet to bomb Tokyo in April 1942, served as Admiral Raymond Spruance's chief of staff aboard USS Enterprise during the Battle of Midway in June 1942, served as Admiral Halsey's chief of staff at Nouméa during the Guadalcanal campaign in October-November 1942, and commanded the recently built new aircraft carrier USS Hornet (CV-12) during the early weeks of the Western New Guinea campaign in April-May 1944. He was removed from command in May 1944, after a shipboard incident in which a Hornet sailor drowned. For the rest of the war, he taught aircraft carrier tactics at the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. He retired in 1947.

Early life

Miles Browning was born in

Annapolis, in 1914. His class graduated early; he was commissioned Ensign with the Class of 1918 on June 29, 1917, a few weeks after the U.S. entered World War I.[2]

Career

Following graduation, Browning briefly served on the

U.S. Atlantic Fleet. From February 1918 he then had duty in connection with fitting out the battleship New Mexico
. In June 1918, he joined the French cruiser Lutetia, and was an observer aboard while she operated with Cruiser Force, Atlantic Fleet, through the end of the war.

After the end of World War I, Browning spent four consecutive years afloat, serving on the battleship

Naval Station San Diego
.

In January 1924, Browning reported to

Light Cruiser Division Two of the Scouting Fleet
(USS Trenton, flagship).

As an aviator flying warplanes between the wars, Browning helped develop and implement

flight ceiling at the expense of speed and other characteristics that the progressives argued were more important. If the bureau had been more receptive to an emphasis on speed, the United States Navy might have entered World War II with a more advanced high-performance fighter.[3]

In June 1934, Browning was given command of Fighting Squadron 3B, based on USS Langley and later on

command and control and joint military operations
.

In 1936, the year that

Imperial Japan, Browning laid out his tactical logic in a 13-page, single-spaced, typewritten memorandum on carrier warfare prepared at the Naval War College. Browning's essay briefly noted the vulnerability of carriers during the aircraft re-arming process, which was later demonstrated conclusively during the Battle of Midway.[4]

After completing his academic work, Browning was appointed to Admiral

Chief of staff in June 1941. From the onset of U.S. involvement in World War II, Browning provided tactical recommendations to Admiral Halsey from the bridge of the carrier USS Enterprise
.

As war loomed on the horizon, Halsey had Browning prepare the Enterprise crew and her aircraft squadrons. When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on Dec 7, 1941, the Enterprise was en route to Hawaii after delivering a Marine Corps fighter squadron to Wake Island. USS Enterprise scout bombers arrived over Pearl during the attack, and immediately went into action in defense of the naval base. Six of them were shot down. The carrier reached the devastated harbor on the evening of 8 December, the day after the attack, refueled and resupplied through the night, and put to sea again early the next morning to patrol against any additional threats to the Hawaiian Islands. (Enterprise planes sank a Japanese submarine on December 10, 1941, three days into the war.)

With the United States Pacific Fleet nearly destroyed, USS Enterprise and her battle group took up forward defensive positions west of Hawaii. Eight of the fleet's nine battleships had been trapped in the harbor, four of them sunk and four heavily damaged, along with three of the fleet's eight cruisers that had also been in port during the dawn attack. With the battleship force crippled, defense against further Japanese attacks on the United States and its territories was left to the three aircraft carriers stationed in the Pacific: USS Enterprise and the converted battlecruisers Lexington and Saratoga.

Designated

Marcus Island, and on Wake Island. Halsey gave credit for much of this success to his chief of staff, and recommended Commander Browning for a spot promotion to the rank of captain. So dramatic were these air raids on Japanese island bases that Life magazine dubbed Browning "America's mastermind in aerial warfare."[5]

Army Air Forces long-range bombers, led by Lt. Col. James H. Doolittle, from the deck of the carrier Hornet, with Enterprise providing combat air support. Doolittle's B-25 squadron dropped bombs on Tokyo
and other Japanese cities on April 18, 1942, completely surprising the Japanese and giving beleaguered American troops and the American public a much-needed boost in morale.

Midway

See also: Battle of Midway

Admiral Halsey suffered a severe attack of dermatitis on the Enterprise on the way back from launch of the successful Doolittle bombing raid, and was hospitalized in Hawaii. Rear Admiral Raymond A. Spruance, Halsey's hand-picked successor, inherited Halsey's staff just prior to the Battle of Midway.[3] Spruance, who had commanded a cruiser division since the beginning of the war, was concerned about leading a carrier group because he had no prior aviation or carrier experience. Halsey reassured him, telling Spruance to rely on his battle-tested staff, especially Browning.[3][5]

Unfortunately, Browning had an abrasive personality. Spruance found it difficult to get along with his chief of staff during and after Midway.

slide-rule brain."[7] Others said he had a "calculator brain"[8] and "a superintellect that evoked praise – often begrudging – from his superiors." Browning is commonly described as "crusty and brawling,"[9]
clever, daring, exceptionally aggressive, and uncontrollable. He was willful, arrogant, a hard drinker, and violent tempered. Despite his many personality flaws, he was respected as a brilliant tactical officer.

Midway would be a critical battle for the United States and its allies, one that all parties knew might very well determine the outcome of the war in the Pacific. After the devastation of its battleships at Pearl Harbor six months earlier, the U.S. Navy was forced to place all its hopes on a small aircraft carrier force that was dwarfed by the strength of Japan's Combined Fleet. As chief of staff for Task Force 16, Browning was charged with supporting Rear Admiral Spruance during the impending battle as the Imperial Japanese Navy, undefeated for over 350 years,[10] bore down on Midway Island.

American

Chuichi Nagumo, the hero of Pearl Harbor, also expected to achieve complete surprise at Midway. He failed to anticipate attacks from any of America's remaining carriers,[8] and presumed that the heavily damaged Yorktown had been sunk during the Battle of the Coral Sea
.

Some accounts credit Browning's tactical talent and carrier operations experience with winning the battle of Midway.[3][11] According to these, on the morning of 4 June 1942 Spruance wanted to wait to launch attack aircraft until the Japanese ships were within 100 miles (160 km).[9] Spruance's biographer Thomas Buell disagrees, saying that Spruance had always planned to launch as early as possible. According to naval historian John Lindstrom, "Morison misunderstood the time expressed in the TF 16 war diary" and "created the fiction of Spruance's supposed desire to delay the launch. It did not arise from Browning's wartime reputation or from any recollections by participants."[12]

Despite last minute tactical changes in the Japanese fleet's path of advance and U.S. operational delays after launch that forced them to improvise in the air,

Torpedo Squadron 8 had exactly one survivor. But with no aircraft carriers left, Admiral Yamamoto's large surviving fleet returned to Japan. The U.S. had won at Midway, and with a high cost.[3][8][13][14][15]

By early afternoon on June 5, Admiral Spruance knew Yamamoto's fleet was retreating. Concerned that at least one Japanese carrier might still be afloat, Spruance ordered Task Force 16 to pursue and attack. Browning prepared an ambitious attack plan, to arm

Wade McClusky and two of his senior pilots objected vehemently to this unrealistic attack plan, which provided no margin for error. All three pilots had flown dive bombers in the successful attack on the morning of June 4, and all three would later be awarded the Navy Cross for it. McClusky had landed on Enterprise with no more than two gallons of fuel left, and other dive-bomber pilots in the air group had ditched their planes in the ocean after running out of fuel. After hearing McClusky outline the solid reasons for their objection, then listening patiently to a heated discussion between Browning and the normally soft-spoken McClusky, Admiral Spruance sided with the pilots. The planes took off with the lighter bombs (500 lb. instead of 1000 lb.), and took off an hour later than specified in the original plan. Events during the subsequent attack confirmed that in this instance LCDR McClusky and the other two pilots had been right.[16]

Enterprise returned to Pearl Harbor on 13 June 1942.

Guadalcanal

See also:
Battle of Guadalcanal

Unfortunately, Browning continued to be a man of tremendous contradictions. At this moment of triumph, in the summer of 1942, he had an affair with the wife of a fellow officer, Commander Francis Massie Hughes. Combined with his drinking and unstable temperament, this breach of trust would eventually help to derail his career. But Captain Browning resumed combat duties in October 1942 when Halsey was given command of the South Pacific theater, where Allied fortunes had gone from bad to worse. Browning's tactical advice as chief of staff helped Halsey achieve the command miracle in the Solomon Islands that did much to turn the tide in the Pacific.[7]

Like Midway, the

Guadalcanal Campaign was another critical turning point in the Pacific war. The first major offensive by combined Allied forces against Japanese-held territory, it was a desperate ongoing sea, air, and ground campaign that required continual, almost daily, aircraft action. Repeated Japanese counterstrikes were repelled while Halsey ran the entire South Pacific Force – including U.S. and Allied army, navy and marine forces – from his headquarters at Nouméa in New Caledonia, with assistance from Browning, a handful of staff officers, and some fifty bluejackets. Audacious strikes by air, land and sea, and the tenacity and sacrifices of thousands of soldiers, sailors and marines under Admiral Halsey's command led to the historic naval victory at Guadalcanal in early November 1942.[7]

Again, Halsey generously gave Browning credit for much of his success. In a New Year's Day 1943 letter to Admiral

Commodore
for Browning, but this did not happen.

In March 1943, Browning married Jane Matthews, the woman with whom he had the 1942 affair; she was his fourth and last wife.

Browning was detached from Halsey's staff in July 1943 to become the commanding officer of the new attack carrier USS Hornet (CV-12), namesake of USS Hornet (CV-8), which had been lost in October 1942 at the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands. During his tenure in command, USS Hornet (CV-12) took part in massive air strikes against Japanese bases in the Pacific, including Palau, Truk, and Ponape, and provided carrier-launched air support during the Allied invasion of New Guinea and the Jayapura operation, both of which began on 22 April 1944.

Removal from Command

On 13 April 1944, Rear Admiral

Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, where he taught carrier battle tactics during the final months of the war.[19]

After World War II

Browning toured Japan in 1949, and stated that radiation damage from the atomic bombs was a "myth". He pointed to gardens and a number of tall chimneys left standing in

Nagasaki as "proof" that there were no long-term effects from the blasts.[21]

Browning retired from active duty on January 1, 1947, and was retroactively promoted to rear admiral (upper half).

Civil Defense Director in 1950, where he devised a plan wherein 500,000 displaced residents of Boston could be housed in New Hampshire private homes in the event of disaster. Browning resigned from this post in 1952.[21]

Grave at Arlington National Cemetery

On September 29, 1954, Browning died of

systemic lupus erythematosus at Chelsea Naval Hospital in Boston. He was buried on October 6, 1954, at Arlington National Cemetery.[22]

Fictional portrayals

In the 1976 film Midway, Browning was portrayed by actor Biff McGuire. In the 1988 TV-mini series War and Remembrance, Episode 3, Browning was portrayed by actor Michael McGuire. In the 2019 film Midway Browning was portrayed by actor Eric Davis. In the 2019 film Dauntless: The Battle of Midway, Browning was portrayed by actor C. Thomas Howell.

Awards and decorations

Bronze star
Bronze star
Bronze star
Silver star
Bronze star
Naval Aviator Badge
Navy Distinguished Service Medal Silver Star
Navy Presidential Unit Citation
w/ 3⁄16" bronze star 		World War I Victory Medal
w/ Atlantic Fleet Clasp 		American Defense Service Medal
w/ Fleet Clasp
American Campaign Medal
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal

w/ 3⁄16" silver star and 3⁄16" bronze star
World War II Victory Medal
  • Naval Flight Officer Badge

Personal life

Browning was married three times.

On May 20, 1922, Browning married

Naval Station San Diego. During that time, his only daughter, Cathalene Parker Browning, was born in San Diego (her son is the American comedian Chevy Chase
).

After his divorce from Parker, Browning married Marie Héloïse Barbin (1907-2005) in June 1931.

In 1943, he married Katherine Jane Eynon (1909-1982). They were married for the rest of his life. In 1970, Jane Browning testified to Congress about the small widow's pension she received and her penury.[23]

See also

References

  1. ISBN 978-0-19-931598-7
    . Retrieved 21 October 2022.
  2. ^ a b Mountain Lakes Library. Rear Admiral Miles Rutherford Browning Archived 2012-02-05 at the Wayback Machine. Accessed 2006-08-09.
  3. ^
    ISBN 1-55750-947-6
    .
  4. ^ Wildenberg, Thomas. Midway: Sheer Luck or Better Doctrine? Archived 2014-06-25 at the Wayback Machine Naval College War Review, Winter 2005, Vol. 58, No. 1. Wildenberg quotes Browning's thesis: "Every carrier we have knows what it means to be 'bopped' with all planes on deck, because her hands were tied by uncertainty as to her next move..."
  5. ^
    ISBN 0-89256-206-4
    .
  6. ISBN 0-07-050672-8
    . Prange writes, 'Spruance inherited his Chief of Staff from Halsey, who "thought he was wonderful." Browning had the disposition of a snapping turtle and Spruance admitted freely that "during the war in the Pacific people hated his guts." But "Browning was smart and quick", and Spruance was not running a charm school. Browning had the aviation know-how that Spruance needed, which was all that concerned the imperturbable admiral. Browning estimated that the Japanese attack planes would complete their strike and return to the carriers about 0900. Almost certainly, Nagumo would maintain course until that time. If Spruance wanted to catch the enemy carriers with all planes aboard, he should begin to launch as soon as possible ... [Fighter pilot James Gray] radioed the task force at approximately 0952 that he was over the target... To this Enterprise fighter base shot off an uncompromising, "Attack immediately!"... the voice urging the attack was that of Miles Browning, and McClusky, leading the dive bombers, assumed that the message was meant for him. It would have been quite in character for Browning to thus exhort any and every aircraft within reach of voice radio...."
  7. ^
    ISBN 0-7858-1306-3
    .
  8. ^
    ISBN 0-06-015812-3
    .
  9. ^
    ISBN 0-380-78790-3
    .
  10. ^ Biographies in Naval History. Admiral Raymond Ames Spruance Archived 2013-03-03 at the Wayback Machine Naval Historical Center. Accessed 2006-08-10.
  11. ISBN 0-684-80196-5
    .
  12. ISBN 978-1-59114-085-6
    . Retrieved 21 October 2022.
  13. ISBN 1-84022-236-0. Lord writes, "Browning, inherited from Halsey, was a difficult man – almost impossible to get along with – but there was no doubt about his mind. He calculated that Nagumo would then be 155 miles (249 km) away – just within effective striking range. That meant a long flight to the target – practically no safety margin – but it was all-important to attack at the earliest possible moment. The key to everything was surprise... Spruance understood this. Originally his own inclination was to launch at 9:00... But Browning was his man on this... Enterprise would attack with 33 dive bombers, 15 torpedo planes, 10 fighters; the Hornet with 35 dive bombers, 15 torpedo planes, 10 fighters – everything available... At 7:28 there was a new complication. Spruance's radar picked up something suspicious; then the Enterprise's forward gun director, with its powerful range finder, sighted it for certain – a Japanese sea-plane lurking on the southern horizon... No doubt about it: they had been spotted... Still, there was no thought of calling off the operation. As Miles Browning pointed out, the Japanese would be locked in their present course at least until they recovered their Midway strike... Through the static-filled air came a message from (C. Wade) McClusky
    indicating that he was at last in contact with the enemy ... Miles Browning shouted over the radio, "Attack immediately!""
  14. ISBN 1-55571-466-8
    .
  15. ISBN 978-1-4728-3473-7
    .
  16. ISBN 978-1-4728-3473-7
    .
  17. ISBN 978-0-7432-5221-8
    .
  18. ISBN 978-1472821843
    .
  19. ^
    ISBN 1-57866-003-3
    .
  20. ^ Dwayne Miles, USS Hornet Commanding Officers Retrieved 2006-09-02.
  21. ^ a b Staff writer. Miles Browning, Aide to Halsey (Fee required). The New York Times,1954-09-30. Retrieved on 2007-05-10.
  22. ^ Staff writer. Deaths - October 3, 1954. The New York Times, 1954-10-03. Retrieved on 2007-05-10.
  23. ^ U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Armed Services, Special Subcommittee on Survivors' Benefits (1970). Inquiry into Survivor Benefits: Hearings before the Special Subcommittee on Survivor Benefits of the Committee on Armed Services, House of Representatives, Ninety-first Congress, Second Session. Vol. 5. Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office. pp. 9728–9730.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

External links

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