On October 23, 1944, the Japanese Navy launched a massive counterattack against the Allied invasion of the Philippines, beginning the Battle of Leyte Gulf—the largest naval battle in world history and a turning point in the Pacific War. The four-day struggle shattered Japan’s fleet and ended its ability to fight a large-scale naval war.
By late 1944, Japan’s empire was collapsing. Allied victories across the Pacific had pushed its defenses steadily westward, and the Philippines stood as the key link between Japan and its vital resources in Southeast Asia. The Allies invaded the island of Leyte on October 20, determined to cut those supply lines and open the path to Japan itself. The landings caught Japan by surprise, but their response was immediate and all or nothing.
The Japanese high command launched Operation Shō-Gō 1, an ambitious plan to destroy the invasion force and deliver a decisive blow to the US Navy. Their fleet, though greatly diminished after years of war, was divided into four groups that would converge on Leyte Gulf from different directions. The idea was to lure the powerful US Third Fleet, under Admiral William “Bull” Halsey, away from the beaches, while other Japanese forces slipped in to attack the vulnerable troop transports and supply ships supporting the landings.
The first major clash came on October 23 in the Sibuyan Sea, when American aircraft from Halsey’s carriers spotted and attacked the Japanese Center Force under Admiral Takeo Kurita. In one of the heaviest air assaults of the war, US planes bombed and torpedoed the massive battleship Musashi, one of the largest ever built. After taking approximately three dozen hits, the Musashi sank, and Kurita temporarily withdrew, though he would soon return.
That same night, another Japanese group—the Southern Force—tried to break into Leyte Gulf through the Surigao Strait. Waiting for them was a line of US battleships, cruisers, and destroyers commanded by Admiral Jesse Oldendorf. Using radar-directed gunfire and superior positioning, Oldendorf’s ships crossed the Japanese “T,” a classic naval tactic that allowed the Americans to fire full broadsides while the enemy could respond with only their forward guns. The result was devastating: the Southern Force was virtually annihilated. It was the last battleship-to-battleship duel in history.
Meanwhile, Halsey took the bait and pursued a decoy Northern Force made up mostly of aircraft carriers with few planes left aboard. His departure left the invasion beaches temporarily unguarded. Seeing an opportunity, Kurita’s Center Force reemerged and steamed toward the landing zone through the island of Samar.
On the morning of October 25, Kurita’s powerful fleet encountered a small American task group known as “Taffy 3.” These escort carriers and destroyers were built for air support, not heavy combat. Outgunned and outnumbered, they fought with astonishing bravery. The destroyers Johnston, Hoel, and Heermann charged directly at Japanese battleships, launching torpedoes and laying down smoke screens to protect the carriers. Aircraft from the escort carriers struck again and again. Believing they had stumbled into the main American fleet, Kurita lost confidence and ordered a retreat. The courage of Taffy 3’s crews became one of the most celebrated acts of heroism in naval history.
By October 26, the battle was over. Japan had lost four aircraft carriers, three battleships, ten cruisers, and eleven destroyers—twenty-seven major ships in all—and more than 10,000 sailors. The US lost several ships and about 1,500 men, but the outcome was a decisive Allied victory. The Imperial Japanese Navy was broken and would never again threaten Allied control of the seas.
Leyte Gulf also saw the first organized use of kamikaze attacks—suicidal pilots who deliberately crashed their planes into Allied ships. The escort carrier USS St. Lo became the first major vessel sunk by a kamikaze. These attacks, though terrifying, could not reverse Japan’s defeat.
The Battle of Leyte Gulf, beginning on October 23, 1944, ensured the success of the Philippines campaign and destroyed Japan’s remaining naval strength. It was the final, desperate gamble of the Japanese fleet—and the battle that guaranteed ultimate Allied victory in the Pacific.
Click here to see lots of photos from the Philippine Campaign and Leyte Gulf.
| FREE printable This Day in History album pages Download a PDF of today’s article. Get a binder or other supplies to create your This Day in History album. |
Discover what else happened on This Day in History.
Great information.
I was stationed on Cebu island in 1966-67 and twice visited Leyte. Saw the memorial at Palo Beach when I was there. There was a rumor that there was a Japanese infantryman still holed up in the mountains on Leyte who hadn’t surrendered even though the was had been over for 21 years.
This day in History is a great learn in for anyone interested in history, An enjoyable read always.
Great idea. Thanks
Great idea. Thanks
Boy, someone needs to revise this one! To begin with, it was the Japanese Navy that initiated the Battle of Leyte Gulf, not the Allies. More glaring is the error that has Halsey being decoyed away fighting the Southern force. The fact of the matter was that he was off on a wild goose chase to the north going after a decoy force of Japanese carriers which lacked aircraft due to the tremendous losses the Japanese had experienced during the earlier Battle of the Philippine Sea off Saipan. That left the forces at the landing beaches at Leyte exposed to destruction by a central force of Japanese ships that had come through the islands. Only a gallant counterattack by under-gunned destroyers and escort carriers saved the day. We won, but just barely, and the battle remains one of the most controversial episodes in Halsey’s career.
I wondered if anyone would point out Halsey’s tactical error in this battle, and Dr. Zeimet did. Halsey was a fighter, but his decision to trail the Japanese carriers almost led to a disaster.
Yes, unlike nearly all the other Mystic Stamp days in history, the research and summary writing has a lack of historical fact, omissions and fails to portray the truly desperate situation with any accuracy. Recommend a revision of this one when it goes into your archives!
Did not know this is considered the greatest naval battle in history. I always learn so much from these Mystic stamp write ups. Pictures are wonderful also.
DR Roger Zeimet is right on Thanks Mr Zeimet
Maybe the current President of the Philippines should revisit this fact .
The word is strait not straight.
Corrected! Thank you.
My father was an officer on one of the LSM’s landing troops and supplies at Leyte. He and many others would have been crushed if not for the self-sacrificing counterattack of the “Tin Can sailors”. He was not a fan of Halsey.
“Where is, repeat, where is Task Force Thirty Four? The world wonders.”
The message that infuriated Halsey, perceived as criticism, but it was just Nimitz inquiring about the locaton of the TF. The last phrase was message “padding”, commonly placed at the beginning and end of messages, and should have been removed by the radio operator.
Full text:
TURKEY TROTS TO WATER GG FROM CINCPAC ACTION COM THIRD FLEET INFO COMINCH CTF SEVENTY-SEVEN X WHERE IS RPT WHERE IS TASK FORCE THIRTY FOUR RR THE WORLD WONDERS
In retrospect, though, it was probably quite germane!