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| - 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, Hawaii on December 7, 1941. As a result, his preparations proved all for naught. On December 7, 1941, the Imperial Japanese Navy attacked Pearl Harbor. During the battle Admiral Kimmel was grazed by an enemy bullet and later reflected "It would have been merciful had it killed me".
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abstract
| - 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, Hawaii on December 7, 1941. In February 1941, Kimmel became Commander in Chief, U.S. Fleet and Pacific Fleet, with the temporary rank of four-star 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. However, Kimmel did not worry about the risk of attack by the Japanese fleet, assuming that Hawaii was too far from Japan's Home Islands to be threatened. Therefore, he did not take measures such as rigging torpedo-catching nets along the sides of his battleships. As a result, his preparations proved all for naught. On December 7, 1941, the Imperial Japanese Navy attacked Pearl Harbor. During the battle Admiral Kimmel was grazed by an enemy bullet and later reflected "It would have been merciful had it killed me". Admiral Kimmel was soon removed from command and reduced to the two-star rank of Rear Admiral, and retired from the navy in early 1942 as such. He died in 1968 at Groton, Connecticut of natural causes. His role in history has been an object of debate, being variously described as an effective commander in unlucky circumstances, or as an ineffective commander responsible for Pearl Harbor's inadequate defense.
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