Admiral Spruance and Halsey's chief of staff

I was reading a little on Nincompedia about Spruance taking over for halsey at Midway and that Halsey lent Spruance his chief of staff, Captain Miles Browning. The article goes on to say that Spruance had difficulties with Browning and it references a book:
The Quiet Warrior. Buell, Thomas B. Boston: Little, Brown, 1974.
Has anyone read this book?
Is it worth getting?
What are the difficulties that the two men had?
Thank you

 

From what I've read the two admirals were just about as different in their approach as you could get. Halsey was almost reckless and Spruance almost over cautious. By the end of the war some people wanted Halsey removed from command. It's reasonable to assume their staff would fit their own mold.

 

Yes I would recommend The Quiet Warrior.

As to your question, it was a compilation of things that had built up during the battle. Of course the fog of war had as much to do with it as well. Overall, Browning performance was piss poor. He failed to give the first strike a location for Point Option, the expected location of the carriers at the time the planes would return. As a result, Spruance assumed it was this oversight by Browning that caused the loss of his entire torpedo squadron. Between the first and second strikes of the day, Browning and Spruance argued about when to launch the strike, Spruance ordered that they wait until more accurate contact reports could be made. This should have given Browning enough time to plan and coordinate a strike between the two remaining carriers (Yorktown had been hit by this time) but it did not materialize. No attack order was sent to Hornet until after the Enterprise had launched her planes. It was an hour and a half after the scout planes attack. The Quiet Warrior states on page 153 "
The staff had collapsed. Midway was their first test of sustained combat against powerful forces. Their earlier raids against weakly defended islands had not prepared them for the demands of a fleet action. They were a free-wheeling staff, accustomed to impulsive decisions and hasty plans. Before Midway they had muddled through without any major mistakes. The staff officers were capable and willing, but erratic Browning provided neither leadership nor cohesion. Thus the staff became progressively more confused and disoriented as the battle progressed, unable to cope with the need for disciplined planning and the coordination of complex task force operations"

It went further than that as well. The next day, Browning ordered an attack based on the last known information about the Japanese fleet. Minutes after issuing the order Wade McClusky and he got into an argument over his estimations. McClusky argued the range was to great, the payload to heavy, and the planes would not have enough fuel.
pg 157-158
"During their argument, McClusky had accused Browning of being unfamiliar with the bomber's characteristics; Browning, rather than checking his figures with McClusky's, arbitrarily told the air group commander to "follow order's." Already disillusioned by Browning's performance the day before, Spruance finally lost all confidence in his chief of staff that afternoon."

 

After the Leyte incident; Admiral King wanted Nimitz to relieve Halsey, but Nimitz refused.