Before the major naval actions in Leyte Gulf
Battle of Leyte Gulf
The Battle of Leyte Gulf is considered to have been the largest naval battle of World War II and, by some criteria, possibly the largest naval battle in history, with over 200,000 naval personnel involved. It was fought in waters near the Philippine islands of Leyte, Samar, and Luzon, fro…
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II, called the United Nations from the 1 January 1942 declaration, were the countries that together opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War. The Allies promoted the alliance as a means to control German, Japanese and Italian aggression.
Why did the Battle of Leyte Gulf take so long?
sive battle on Leyte. Thus, not enough covering air and naval support was available to prevent the substantial enemy troop influx between 23 October and 11 December. This reinforcement, in turn, lengthened the fight on the ground for Leyte and forced the commitment of units, such as the.
What happened on Leyte?
While the advance on Ormoc continued events both alarming and reassuring occurred at other locations on Leyte. In early December, elements of the Japanese 16th and 26th Divisions in the central mountains combined with the 3d and 4th Airborne Raiding Regiments from Luzon to attack the airfields in the Burauen area, which the 7th Division.
When did MacArthur take Leyte Gulf?
On 8 September the chiefs directed MacArthur and Nimitz to take the Leyte and Surigao Strait area beginning 20 December. The issues of objectives and operational scheduling were finally settled by fleet-covering operations in support of the invasion of the Palaus and Morotai.
What led to the Battle of Leyte Gulf?
In response to the Allied Invasion to reclaim the Philippine Islands on October 20, 1944, the Japanese sent an armada to the islands. The subsequent battles from October 23 to October 26 resulted in the greatest naval battle of World War II.
Why did the Battle of the Philippine Sea happen?
The Battle of the Philippine Sea, the largest aircraft carrier action in World War II, began on June 19, 1944. This battle was to counter the American invasion of Saipan.
What happened in the Leyte campaign?
The campaign for Leyte cost American forces a total of 15,584 casualties, of which 3,504 were killed in action. In their failed defense of Leyte, the Japanese lost an estimated 49,000 troops, most of them combat forces.
When did the Battle of Leyte start?
October 23, 1944Battle of Leyte Gulf / Start date
When did the Battle of Leyte Gulf start and end?
October 23, 1944 – October 26, 1944Battle of Leyte Gulf / Period
When did the Philippine Sea war start?
June 19, 1944 – June 20, 1944Battle of the Philippine Sea / Period
What was the intention of the Japanese fleet in the Battle of Leyte Gulf?
The main Japanese effort was a force of five battleships and seven heavy cruisers under the command of Vice Admiral Takeo Kurita that would transit through the central Philippines with the intent to attack the U.S. landing force in Leyte Gulf from the north.
Who won the battle of Leyte?
Allied victoryThe Battle of Leyte Gulf (Filipino: Labanan sa Look ng Leyte) was the largest naval battle of World War II and, by some criteria, the largest naval battle in history, with over 200,000 naval personnel involved....Battle of Leyte Gulf.Date23–26 October 1944LocationLeyte Gulf, Philippines 10°22′16″N 125°21′22″EResultAllied victory
Why was the Battle of Leyte Gulf so crucial to the Allies?
Why was the Battle of Leyte Gulf so crucial to the Allies? It put the Allies in an offensive position, and the Japanese were forced to defend.
What events led to the defeat of the Japanese in the Philippines?
In an effort to take Luzon the U.S. army landed at Lingayen Gulf on January 9, 1945, Subic Bay on January 20 and Batangas on January 31. These attacks trapped the Japanese in giant pincers. The Japanese fought back fiercely in Manila, at Balete Pass and in the Cagayan Valley.
Where did the Battle of Leyte take place?
PhilippinesLeyteLeyte GulfPacific OceanPhilippine SeaBattle of Leyte Gulf/Locations
When was the last battleship Battle?
October 25, 1944The last battleship confrontation in history was the Battle of Surigao Strait, on October 25, 1944, in which a numerically and technically superior American battleship group destroyed a lesser Japanese battleship group by gunfire after it had already been devastated by destroyer torpedo attacks.
Overview
Setup for the battle
U.S. Seventh Fleet at this time contained units of the U.S. Navy and the Royal Australian Navy. Before the major naval actions in Leyte Gulf had begun, HMAS Australia and USS Honolulu were severely damaged by air attacks; during the battle proper these two cruisers were retiring, escorted by HMAS Warramunga, for repairs at the major Allied base at Manus Island, 1,700 miles (2,700 km) aw…
Background
The Allied campaigns of August 1942 to early 1944 had driven Japanese forces from many of their island bases in the south and the central Pacific Ocean, while isolating many of their other bases (most notably in the Solomon Islands, Bismarck Archipelago, Admiralty Islands, New Guinea, Marshall Islands, and Wake Island), and in June 1944, a series of American amphibious landings supported by Fifth Fleet's Fast Carrier Task Force captured most of the Mariana Islands (bypassing
Submarine action in Palawan Passage (23 October 1944)
(Note: This action is referred to by Morison as 'The Fight in Palawan Passage', and elsewhere, occasionally, as the 'Battle of Palawan Passage'.)
As it sortied from its base in Brunei, Kurita's powerful "Center Force" consisted of five battleships (Yamato, Musashi, Nagato, Kongō, and Haruna) , ten heavy cruisers (Atago, Maya, Takao, Chōkai, Myōkō, Haguro, Kumano, Suzuya, Tone and
Battle of the Sibuyan Sea (24 October 1944)
Despite its great strength, Third Fleet was not well-placed to deal with the threat. On 22 October, Halsey had detached two of his carrier groups to the fleet base at Ulithi to take on provisions and rearm. When Darter's contact report came in, Halsey recalled Davison's group, but allowed Vice Admiral John S. McCain, with the strongest of TF 38's carrier groups, to continue towards Ulithi. Halsey finall…
Task Force 34 / San Bernardino Strait
After the Japanese Southern and Center forces had been detected, but before it had been engaged or Ozawa's carriers had been located, Halsey and the staff of Third Fleet, aboard the battleship New Jersey, prepared a contingency plan to deal with the threat from Kurita's Center Force. Their intention was to cover San Bernardino Strait with a powerful task force of fast battleships supported by two of Third Fleet's equally swift carrier groups. The battleship force w…
Halsey's decision (24 October 1944)
Third Fleet's aircraft failed to locate Ozawa's Northern Force until 16:40 on 24 October. This was largely because Third Fleet had been preoccupied with attacking Kurita's sizable Center Force and defending itself against the Japanese air strikes from Luzon. Thus the one Japanese force that wanted to be discovered – Ozawa's tempting decoy of a large carrier group, which actually had only 108 aircraft – was the only force the Americans had not been able to find. On the evening o…
Battle of Surigao Strait (25 October 1944)
The Battle of Surigao Strait is significant as the last battleship-to-battleship action in history. The Battle of Surigao Strait was one of only two battleship-versus-battleship naval battles in the entire Pacific campaign of World War II (the other being the naval battle during the Guadalcanal Campaign, where Washington sank the Japanese battleship Kirishima). It is also the most recent …
Overview
The Battle of Leyte (Filipino: Labanan sa Leyte; Waray: Gubat ha Leyte; Japanese: レイテの戦い) in the Pacific campaign of World War II was the amphibious invasion of the island of Leyte in the Philippines by American forces and Filipino guerrillas under the overall command of General Douglas MacArthur, who fought against the Imperial Japanese Army in the Philippines led by General Tomoyuki …
Background
Japan had conquered the Philippines in 1942. Controlling it was vital for Japan's survival in World War II because it commanded sea routes to Borneo and Sumatra by which rubber and petroleum were shipped to Japan.
For the U.S., capturing the Philippines was a key strategic step in isolating Imperial Japan's military holdings in China and the Pacific theater. It was also …
Opposing forces
Southwest Pacific Area General Douglas MacArthur in light cruiser Nashville US Seventh Fleet Vice Admiral Thomas C. Kinkaid in amphibious command ship Wasatch
Central Philippines Attack Force (Task Force 77) Vice Admiral Kinkaid
Northern Attack Force (Task Force 78) Rear Admiral Daniel E. Barbey in amphi…
Battle
Preliminary operations for the Leyte invasion began at dawn on 17 October 1944, with minesweeping tasks and the movement of the 6th Rangers toward three small islands in Leyte Gulf. Although delayed by a storm, the Rangers were on Suluan and Dinagat islands by 0805. On Suluan, they dispersed a small group of Japanese defenders and destroyed a radio station, while they found Dinaga…
Aftermath
The campaign for Leyte proved the first and most decisive operation in the American reconquest of the Philippines. Japanese losses in the campaign were heavy, with the army losing four divisions and several separate combat units, while the navy lost 26 major warships and 46 large transports and hundreds of merchant ships. The struggle also reduced Japanese land-based air capability in the Philippines by more than 50%. Some 250,000 troops still remained on Luzon, bu…
1998 claims of Japanese intelligence
In 1998 it was claimed in Australia (see Royal Commission on Espionage) that Allied estimates of Japanese troop strengths including those on Leyte were given to Tokyo via the Soviet consulate in Harbin, Manchuria as Stalin wanted to delay an American victory over Japan until the Soviet Union could participate. MacArthur's G-2 Willoughhby had underestimated the numbers, and the troops were reinforced. The secret "Ultra" estimates were not available to the Soviets, but were given to …
See also
• Bataan death march
• George Benjamin, Jr.
• Richard Ira Bong
• Leonard C. Brostrom
• Elmer E. Fryar
Further reading
• Prefer, Nathan N. (2012). Leyte 1944: The Soldiers' Battle. Havertown, PA: Casemate Publishers. ISBN 978-1612001555.