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October 23-25, 1944, the Battle of Leyte Gulf (off Leyte and Samar islands, Philippines) is generally considered to be the largest naval battle of World War II and, by some criteria, possibly the largest naval battle in history. (The United States Third and Seventh Fleets, including some Australian warships, comprised 8 large aircraft carriers, 8 light carriers, 18 escort carriers, 12 battleships, 24 cruisers, 141 destroyers and destroyer escorts, many other ships, and around 1,500 aircraft. They won a decisive victory over Japanese forces, which consisted of 1 large aircraft carrier, 3 light carriers, nine battleships, 19 cruisers, 34 destroyers and several hundred aircraft. The opposing fleets carried a total of about 200,000 personnel.)
It was fought in waters near the Philippine islands of Leyte, Samar and Luzon, from 23–26 October 1944, between combined American and Australian forces and the Imperial Japanese Navy. On 20 October, United States troops invaded the island of Leyte as part of a strategy aimed at isolating Japan from the countries it had occupied in Southeast Asia, and in particular depriving Japanese forces and industry of vital oil supplies. The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) mobilized nearly all of its remaining major naval vessels in an attempt to defeat the Allied invasion but was repulsed by the U.S. Navy's Third and Seventhfleets. The IJN failed to achieve its objective, suffered heavy losses, and never sailed to battle in comparable force thereafter. The majority of its surviving heavy ships, deprived of fuel, remained in their bases for the rest of the Pacific War and suffered under heavy sustained aerial attack.
The battle consisted of several separate engagements between the opposing forces: 1. the Battle of the Sibuyan Sea; 2. the Battle of Surigao Strait; 3. the Battle of Cape Engaño; and, 4. the Battle off Samar, as well as other actions.
This was the first battle in which Japanese aircraft carried out organized kamikaze attacks. By the time of the battle, Japan had fewer naval ships than the Allied forces had aircraft carriers, underscoring the disparity in force strength at this point in the war.
Commanders and leaders:
American and Australian Forces
William Halsey
(3rd Fleet)
Thomas Kinkaid
(7th Fleet)
Clifton Sprague
(Taffy 3 / Task Unit 77.4.3)
Jesse Oldendorf
(Task Group 77.2)
John Collins
(Task Force 74)
Imperial Japanese Navy
Takeo Kurita
(Center Force)
Shōji Nishimura †
(Southern Force)
Kiyohide Shima
(Southern Force)
Jisaburō Ozawa
(Northern Force)
Yukio Seki †
(Kamikazes)
Strength:
American &Australian Forces
~300 ships in total
8 fleet carriers
8 light carriers
18 escort carriers
12 battleships
24 cruisers
166 destroyers and destroyer escorts
Many PT boats, submarines, and fleet auxiliaries
About 1,500 planes
Imperial Japanese Navy
67+ ships in total
1 fleet carrier
3 light carriers
9 battleships
14 heavy cruisers
6 light cruisers
35+ destroyers
300+ planes (including land-based aircraft)[2]
Casualties and losses:
~3,000 casualties;
1 light carrier,
2 escort carriers,
2 destroyers,
1 destroyer escort sunk
200+ planes ~12,500 casualties;
1 fleet carrier,
3 light carriers
3 battleships,
10 cruisers,
11 destroyers sunk
~300 planes
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Leyte_Gulf
It was fought in waters near the Philippine islands of Leyte, Samar and Luzon, from 23–26 October 1944, between combined American and Australian forces and the Imperial Japanese Navy. On 20 October, United States troops invaded the island of Leyte as part of a strategy aimed at isolating Japan from the countries it had occupied in Southeast Asia, and in particular depriving Japanese forces and industry of vital oil supplies. The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) mobilized nearly all of its remaining major naval vessels in an attempt to defeat the Allied invasion but was repulsed by the U.S. Navy's Third and Seventhfleets. The IJN failed to achieve its objective, suffered heavy losses, and never sailed to battle in comparable force thereafter. The majority of its surviving heavy ships, deprived of fuel, remained in their bases for the rest of the Pacific War and suffered under heavy sustained aerial attack.
The battle consisted of several separate engagements between the opposing forces: 1. the Battle of the Sibuyan Sea; 2. the Battle of Surigao Strait; 3. the Battle of Cape Engaño; and, 4. the Battle off Samar, as well as other actions.
This was the first battle in which Japanese aircraft carried out organized kamikaze attacks. By the time of the battle, Japan had fewer naval ships than the Allied forces had aircraft carriers, underscoring the disparity in force strength at this point in the war.
Commanders and leaders:
American and Australian Forces
William Halsey
(3rd Fleet)
Thomas Kinkaid
(7th Fleet)
Clifton Sprague
(Taffy 3 / Task Unit 77.4.3)
Jesse Oldendorf
(Task Group 77.2)
John Collins
(Task Force 74)
Imperial Japanese Navy
Takeo Kurita
(Center Force)
Shōji Nishimura †
(Southern Force)
Kiyohide Shima
(Southern Force)
Jisaburō Ozawa
(Northern Force)
Yukio Seki †
(Kamikazes)
Strength:
American &Australian Forces
~300 ships in total
8 fleet carriers
8 light carriers
18 escort carriers
12 battleships
24 cruisers
166 destroyers and destroyer escorts
Many PT boats, submarines, and fleet auxiliaries
About 1,500 planes
Imperial Japanese Navy
67+ ships in total
1 fleet carrier
3 light carriers
9 battleships
14 heavy cruisers
6 light cruisers
35+ destroyers
300+ planes (including land-based aircraft)[2]
Casualties and losses:
~3,000 casualties;
1 light carrier,
2 escort carriers,
2 destroyers,
1 destroyer escort sunk
200+ planes ~12,500 casualties;
1 fleet carrier,
3 light carriers
3 battleships,
10 cruisers,
11 destroyers sunk
~300 planes
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Leyte_Gulf
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