Harry D. Felt

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Admiral Harry D. Felt

Harry Donald Felt (born June 21, 1902 in Topeka , Kansas , † February 25, 1992 ) was an American admiral in the US Navy , who was Vice Chief of Naval Operations from 1956 to 1958 and Commander of the US Pacific Command from 1958 to 1964 was.

Life

Military training and World War II

Felt was the son of journalist Harry Victor Felt, founder of the Summerfield Sun , the first newspaper to appear in Summerfield , and grandson of Republican politician Andrew Jackson Felt , who was lieutenant governor of Kansas from 1889 to 1893 . After attending school in 1919, he himself began military training at the US Naval Academy , which he completed in 1923. He then joined the US Navy as a lieutenant at sea and completed training as a naval aviator, which he completed with the pilot's badge (Naval Aviator Badge) . In 1931 he was promoted to lieutenant at sea .

During the Second World War was felt in January 1942 Commander promoted and served as pilot of a Marine combat aircraft and Commander ( Commanding Officer ) of the Third Aviation Group (Air Group Three) on the aircraft carrier USS Saratoga . In this function he carried out numerous successful air raids against ground troops of the Imperial Japanese Army in the area of ​​the islands of Guadalcanal and Tulagi on August 7 and 8, 1942 and was honored with the Distinguished Flying Cross in June 1943 .

Three weeks later, on August 24, 1942, during the Battle of the East Solomon Islands , he took part in an air raid against Japanese ground and air defense forces stationed in the Solomon Islands . Despite intensive air defenses and enemy air strikes, he led an attack that led to the damage and sinking of an aircraft carrier of the Imperial Japanese Navy , the damage to a heavy cruiser and the sinking of a destroyer . For these achievements he was honored with the Navy Cross , the highest honor given by the US Department of the Navy .

Later in the war, Felt, who was promoted to sea captain in July 1943 , served on the US military mission in the Soviet Union . He later became the commander of the escort aircraft carrier USS Chenango and as such was significantly involved in the Battle of Okinawa between May 2 and June 14, 1945 . For his services there he was awarded the Legion of Merit in May 1947 .

Postwar and Vice Chief of Naval Operations

After the war, Captain Felt worked intermittently in the office of the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) before graduating from the National War College at Fort Lesley J. McNair , Washington, DC , between 1947 and 1948 . He was then from August 3, 1948 to July 11, 1949 in command of the aircraft carrier USS Franklin D. Roosevelt , which was used in the Atlantic and the Mediterranean . He then moved to the staff of the Naval War College (NWC) and was appointed Chief of Staff of the Naval War College in April 1950 by the President of the NWC, Vice Admiral Donald B. Beary . In this position he served after the end of the term of Beary from October 17 to December 1, 1950 as acting president of the NWC.

In January 1951 he was promoted to rear admiral . A few weeks later, in March 1951, Felt became commander of the US Middle East Force , the US armed forces stationed in the Persian Gulf in the Middle East , before he returned to the US Department of Navy in October 1951, where he was Vice-Director of the Strategic Plans Division) . In that capacity, he was deputy to Rear Admiral Arleigh Burke , who was then head of the department.

After completing this function, Felt acted between 1953 and 1954 as the 15th aircraft carrier division (Carrier Division 15) and at the same time took part in submarine hunting missions with the escort aircraft carrier USS Rendova . In 1954 he became commander of the 3rd Carrier Division Three and undertook operational attacks in the South China Sea with the aircraft carriers USS Essex and USS Philippine Sea .

A short time later, Rear Admiral Felt became Assistant Chief of Naval Operations for Fleet Readiness in 1954 and as such was responsible for the operational readiness of the US fleet. In April 1956 he was promoted to Vice Admiral and took over as such as commander of the US 6th Fleet in the Mediterranean .

After his promotion to Admiral on September 1, 1956, Felt succeeded Admiral Donald B. Duncan as Vice Chief of Naval Operations (VCNO). He held the second highest position within the leadership of the US Navy after the Chief of Naval Operations and was again deputy to Arleigh Burke, who was now Chief of Naval Operations. He remained in this position until his replacement by Admiral James S. Russell on July 1, 1958.

Commander of US Pacific Command

Felt succeeded Admiral Felix B. Stump as Commander of the US Pacific Command on July 31, 1958 . He was thus in command of the entire United States military in the region, including Japan and South Korea. His tenure as commander of the US Pacific Command was marked by a crisis between the US-backed Republic of China and the People's Republic of China on Formosa Street in 1958, a permanent crisis in Laos and finally the military operations against the Viet Cong and the beginning of the Vietnam War , albeit he erroneously assumed a quick victory for the Republic of South Vietnam against the Viet Cong.

He remained in the post for six years and then retired on July 31, 1964. He was succeeded by Admiral Ulysses S. Grant Sharp . Felt, who was also the US military advisor to the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization ( SEATO ), was awarded the Japanese Order of the Rising Sun 1st class and the Japanese Order of the Rising Sun in June 1964 by the Japanese Defense Minister , Fukuda Tokuyasu , for his services as Commander of the US Pacific Command Honored with the Navy Distinguished Service Medal on November 11th, 1964 . At the end of his tenure, he assumed that the United States would risk a war with the People's Republic of China in the course of the Vietnam conflict.

A few weeks after retiring from active military service, Felt became an advisor to the Crocker Citizens National Bank and the two Honolulu- based food companies Castle & Cooke and C. Brewer & Co. , which were among the five most important Hawaiian companies (Hawaii's Big Five) .

Awards

The Cape Felt in Antarctica is named in his honor .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Navy College Staff Chief Named . In: The New York Times, April 12, 1950
  2. ↑ COMMUNISTS EASE QUEMOY SHELLING; Nationalists Land Supplies on Embattled Island for Seventh Day in Row . In: The New York Times, September 21, 1958
  3. ^ Situation Urgent, Felt Says . In: The New York Times, April 26, 1963
  4. ↑ Admiral Felt Asserts Saigon Is On Offensive Against Reds . In: The New York Times, March 7, 1962
  5. ^ Felt Sees Progress in Vietnam . In: The New York Times, October 23, 1962
  6. ↑ Admiral Felt Predicts South Vietnam Victory . In: The New York Times, January 31, 1963
  7. ↑ Japan Honors Adm. Felt . In: The New York Times, June 28, 1964
  8. ^ Felt Says US Is Willing To Risk War With China . In: The New York Times, June 21, 1964
  9. ↑ Adm. Felt to Be Consultant . In: The New York Times, September 1, 1964
personal data
SURNAME Felt, Harry D.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Felt, Harry Donald (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American admiral
DATE OF BIRTH June 21, 1902
PLACE OF BIRTH Topeka , Kansas
DATE OF DEATH February 25, 1992