Battle of Leyte Gulf
History -- Military history -- List of battles
The Battle of Leyte Gulf, was a World War II engagement between October 23 and October 26, 1944. It was the largest air-sea battle in history.
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2 Battle of the Sibuyan Sea 3 Battle of Surigao Strait 4 Battle off Cape Engano 5 Battle off Samar 6 Misc 7 See Also 8 External Links |
The US Third Fleet under Admiral William Halsey was protecting the landings of Allied forces at Leyte in the Philippines. The Japanese plan was to lure the Third Fleet away to the North using an apparently vulnerable force of aircraft carriers, and then to attack the landing forces with two attack forces sailing from the West. The diversion was successful, yet one of the Japanese attack forces was driven off by a force of six old battleships, five raised from the bottom of Pearl Harbor.
The other attack force fell on a group of escort carriers, designed for anti-submarine warfare, and escorting destroyers. Massively outgunned the carriers fought back, and the Japanese withdrew.
Shortly before midnight on 24 October 1944 the three American carrier groups made rendezvous off Luzon and began a high-speed run northwards to strike the Japanese Northern Force at daybreak. During the run northward the ships which were to make up Task Force 34 were detached from the carrier groups and Task Force 34 was officially formed at 0240 October 25. This force swept northwards in the van of the carrier groups to follow up with gunfire the carriersÃÂÃÂ attacks on the Japanese ships. The carriers launched their first attack group of 180 aircraft at dawn, before the Northern Force had been located, and the search aircraft made contact at 0710. At 0800 the air strikes began and continued until the evening, by which time the American aircraft had flown 527 sorties against the Northern Force, and sunk the carrier Zuikaku, the last survivor of the six carriers which had launched the attack on Pearl Harbor, and two of the three light carriers, crippled the remaining light carrier, and sunk a destroyer.
When added to the three battleships and nineteen smaller ships it represented a quarter of the Japanese losses so far.
The force under Admiral Kurita passed through San Bernardino Strait at 0300 on 25 October 1944 and steamed south along the coast of Samar. At dawn the Japanese ships engaged an American fleet of six escort aircraft carriers, three destroyers and four destroyer escorts under the command of Admiral Clifton Sprague which they thought was part of the 3rd Fleet. The escort carriers launched their aircraft which attacked the Japanese ships as they pursued the fleeing American force. The seven small ships turned to attack the Japanese fleet and, while three were sunk and the others damaged, they delayed the Japanese pursuit. The Japanese ships also had to evade the aircraft from the escort carriers and were soon spread out and were in some confusion while Kurita, who still thought he was engaging the Third Fleet, expected a massive air strike. He received a message from Ozawa that he was engaging the Third Fleet, which further confused the action, and he turned north. He felt that the Fast Carrier Task Force was close by and could engage the fast carriers while their aircraft were busy with Ozawa. He did not make contact with HalseyÃÂÃÂs ships but continued to take punishment from Admiral McCainÃÂÃÂs Task Group then from the carrier group returning from the north. Kurita then turned westward and retreated through the San Bernadino Strait.
The Battle of Leyte Gulf saw the first use of Kamikaze aircraft by the Japanese.
Having defended the landing force against the air and naval challenge, the way was opened for the reconquest of Leyte by the land forces under the command of General Douglas MacArthur, in the Battle of Leyte.Background
Battle of the Sibuyan Sea
Battle of Surigao Strait
Battle off Cape Engano
Battle off Samar
Misc