Chester William Nimitz (February 24, 1885 – February 20, 1966) was a fleet admiral of the

Chester William Nimitz (February 24, 1885 – February 20, 1966) was a fleet admiral of the United States Navy. As Commander in Chief of the naval US Pacific Fleet and Pacific Ocean Area command, Nimitz played a pivotal role in the United States’ military presence in World War II, perhaps most notably curbing the Empire of Japan’s progress in the Pacific. Nimitz was the United States’ last surviving officer who served in the rank of fleet admiral, as the rank was created by Congress to be granted to four people during World War II.Nimitz’s arguably most important and decisive victory was at the Battle of Midway, where US forces successfully sank all four of Japan’s large aircraft carriers and, in the long run, dealt irreparable damage to the Japanese fleet. The battle, which occurred six months after the attack on Pearl Harbor, originally began as a planned surprise attack by Japan, who hoped to  to eliminate the United States as a strategic power in the Pacific; however, American codebreakers were able to  determine the date and location of the planned attack, enabling the forewarned U.S. Navy to prepare its own ambush. The battle, considered a turning point in the Pacific Theater, has since been called “the most stunning and decisive blow in the history of naval warfare.” [x] [x] -- source link

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