23-26 October 1944
The Battle of Leyte Gulf
The commander of the Japanese fleet, Admiral Toyoda Soemu, sought to lure U.S. naval forces away from Leyte. Using his four remaining aircraft carriers as bait, he sought to trap the Americans between two groups of battleships and cruisers. Unfortunately for Toyoda, the plan started to go wrong almost immediately. In a whole series of engagements in and around the Gulf of Leyte—often referred to individually as the battles of Surigao Strait, Samar, and Cape Enganao—the Japanese Navy was crippled, losing no less than three battleships, six cruisers, and all four of the carriers. The Americans suffered the loss of one large and two smaller escort carriers.

The Battle of Leyte Gulf was the largest naval battle in history, and marked the last major effort on the part of the Japanese Navy to affect the course of the war. However, it also saw the first use of a horrific new weapon—the Kamikaze (Japanese for “divine wind”), planes packed with explosives and flown by pilots who were trained to crash them into enemy ships.

History:
The Battle of Leyte Gulf

Campaign Maps:
Invasion of Leyte, 1944
Battle for Leyte Gulf
Battle of Surigao Strait
Battle off Samar
Battle of Cape Enganao

Document:
Report of Operations of Task Force 34

Personal Accounts:
Rutgers Oral History Archives of World War II: Interview with Raymond Finley, Jr.
Rutgers Oral History Archives of World War II: Interview with John Melrose
Oral Histories: Battle of Leyte Gulf
Oral Histories: Battle of Leyte Gulf