Many lives were lost. When Admiral Ozawa learned of the deployment of DuBose's relatively weak task group, he ordered battleships Ise and Hyūga to turn southwards and attack it, but they failed to locate DuBose's group, which they heavily outgunned. Returning to the Philippines, Allied forces began landing on Leyte on October 20. Early in the day, a 550-pound (220-kg) bomb from a Japanese dive-bomber penetrated the flight deck of the light carrier USS Princeton and ignited a series of fires on the decks below. The Battle of Leyte Gulf officially entered the books as the Second Battle of the Philippine Sea, though most of the action occurred nearly one thousand miles from the June turkey shoot. Sadly, several thousands of them died on the battle. Four U.S. destroyers and two cruisers hastily converged on the Princeton in an attempt to save the stricken carrier and its crew. When … A kamikaze hit the Australian heavy cruiser HMAS Australia on 21 October. Halsey assumed that this retreat signified that his threat was dealt with for the time being. This attack was unusually successful. Most of the attacking Japanese planes were intercepted and shot down or driven off by Hellcats of Sherman's combat air patrol, most notably by two fighter sections from USS Essex led by Commander David McCampbell (who shot down a record nine of the attacking planes in this one action, after which he managed to return and land in extremis on USS Langley because the Essex's deck was too busy to accommodate him although he had run short of fuel). Finally, the loss of Leyte opened the way for the invasion of the Ryukyu Islands in 1945. The Battle of Leyte Gulf, was the biggest naval battle in modern history. Kurita's battle report stated he had received a message indicating a group of American carriers was steaming north of him. Lo was struck by a kamikaze and sank shortly after the main engagement had ended. The American Joint Chiefs of Staff, acting with necessary haste, moved to capitalize on the situation. Believing the Center Force had been neutralized by 3rd Fleet's air strikes earlier in the day in the Sibuyan Sea, and its remnants were retiring, Halsey radioed (to Nimitz and Kinkaid): We ended up winning, with casualties of 13,313 soldiers. The plans were for complex offensive operations committing nearly all available forces to a decisive battle, despite substantially depleting Japan's slender reserves of fuel oil. For the invasion of the island, see, Plaza Cuartel Museum, Puerto Princesa, historical marker for 23 October 1944 (left). As the Battle of the Philippine Sea had resulted not only in the sinking of three Japanese carriers but also in the virtual destruction of the air groups of three carrier divisions, the fleet had been reorganized for surface action. Learn about the Battle of Leyte Gulf through historical newspapers from our archives. 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 the USS South Dakota and Washington sank the Japanese battleship Kirishima). Men of the central Philippines attack force, under Vice Adm. Thomas Kinkaid (commander of the Seventh Fleet and MacArthur’s principal naval subordinate), went ashore on the east coast of Leyte. [57], In his master's thesis submitted at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, Lieutenant Commander Kent Coleman, argues that the division of command hierarchies of the Third Fleet, under Halsey reporting to Admiral Nimitz, and Seventh Fleet, under Vice Admiral Kinkaid reporting to General MacArthur, was the primary contributor to the near-success of Kurita's attack. The communications staff on Halsey's flagship correctly deleted the first section of padding but mistakenly retained the last three words in the message finally handed to Halsey. But Task Force 34 had not been detached from his other forces, and Lee's battleships were on their way northwards with the 3rd Fleet's carriers. The assault on Leyte marked the joining of the two major advances on Japan—the central Pacific offensive commanded by Nimitz and the southern Pacific approach under MacArthur. His cruisers finished off the light carrier Chiyoda at around 17:00, and at 20:59 his ships sank the destroyer Hatsuzuki after a very stubborn fight. The first use of kamikaze aircraft took place following the Leyte landings. Responding, the Imperial Japanese Navy launched plan Sho-Go 1. Ozawa's carrier group was a decoy force, divested of all but 108 aircraft, intended to lure the American fleet away from protecting the transports at the landing beaches on Leyte island. Halsey later claimed he knew Kinkaid was in trouble, but he had not dreamed of the seriousness of this crisis. From 3,000 mi (2,600 nmi; 4,800 km) away in Pearl Harbor, Admiral Nimitz had been monitoring the desperate calls from Taffy 3, and sent Halsey a terse message: "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." Updates? 25 October 1944. Halsey finally recalled McCain on 24 October—but the delay meant the most powerful American carrier group played little part in the coming battle and the 3rd Fleet was therefore effectively deprived of nearly 40% of its air strength for most of the engagement. Believing the Center Force had been neutralized by 3rd Fleet's air strikes earlier in the day in the Sibuyan Sea, and its remnants were retiring, Halsey radioed (to Nimitz and Kinkaid): CENTRAL FORCE HEAVILY DAMAGED ACCORDING TO STRIKE REPORTS.AM PROCEEDING NORTH WITH THREE GROUPS TO ATTACK CARRIER FORCES AT DAWN[33][page needed], The words "with three groups" proved dangerously misleading. Halsey's original plan for TF 34 was for four, not all six, of the 3rd Fleet's battleships. There would be no sense in saving the fleet at the expense of the loss of the Philippines. This lack of unity of command, along with failures in communication, was to produce a crisis and very nearly a strategic disaster for the American forces. "[41]Shigure turned and fled but lost steering and stopped dead. At 08:00, as the attack went in, its escorting fighters destroyed Ozawa's combat air patrol of about 30 planes. Proceeding to position in Leyte Gulf. The Battle of Leyte Gulf was fought from October 23-26 1944 and was the largest naval battle of World War II. At 03:55, California and Tennessee joined in, firing 63 and 69 shells, respectively, from their 14 in (356 mm) guns. Having just redeployed his ships into anti-aircraft formation, he further complicated matters by ordering a "General Attack", which called for his fleet to split into divisions and attack independently. After supporting the American landings in the western Caroline Islands throughout early September 1944, Adm. Marc Mitscher’s fast carrier task force began launching attacks against Japanese positions in the Philippines. At 03:16, West Virginia's radar picked up the surviving ships of Nishimura's force at a range of 42,000 yd (24 mi; 21 nmi; 38 km). Lo would be the first U.S. ship to be sunk by a kamikaze attack. Takao turned back to Brunei, escorted by two destroyers, and was followed by the two submarines. [33][page needed][38][page needed], The other three U.S. battleships also had difficulty, equipped with less advanced gunnery radar. If it should remain in southern waters, it could not receive supplies of ammunition and arms. During the night, Halsey had passed tactical command of TF 38 to Admiral Mitscher, who ordered the American carrier groups to launch their first strike wave, of 180 aircraft, at dawn—before the Northern Force had been located. Pennsylvania was unable to find a target and her guns remained silent. 25 October 1944. The ferocity of the American defense seemingly confirmed the Japanese assumption that they were engaging major fleet units rather than merely escort carriers and destroyers. (about) BB's formed column. Casualties and Deaths: America 3,504 killed and 12,080 wounded. Gen. Douglas MacArthur (centre) and others arriving ashore during the initial U.S. landings at Leyte, Philippines, October 20, 1944. One account of the losses, by Samuel E. Morison, lists the following vessels: The United States lost 7 warships during the Battle of Leyte Gulf: The Japanese lost 26 warships during the Battle of Leyte Gulf:[63]. Halsey's withdrawal of all six of Lee's battleships in his attempt to assist Seventh Fleet had now rendered TF 38 vulnerable to a surface counterattack by the decoy Northern Force. Halsey's great decision 24 October 1944 in the Battle for Leyte Gulf . 1 turret of a heavy cruiser.[46]. Poor communication between the separate Japanese forces and a lack of air reconnaissance meant that Kurita was never informed that the deception had been successful, and that only a small and outgunned force stood between his battleships and the vulnerable transports of the invasion fleet. Organized suicide attacks by the "Special Attack Force" (Japanese Special Attack Units) began on 25 October during the closing phase of the Battle off Samar, causing the destruction of the escort carrier St. Such was the ferocity of Taffy 3’s attack that the Japanese identified the handful of U.S. destroyers as heavy cruisers and escort carriers were taken to be fleet carriers. Halsey's great decision 24 October 1944 in the Battle for Leyte Gulf . It was also the last battle in which one force (in this case, the U.S. Navy) was able to "cross the T" of its opponent. This final stage of the Battle of Leyte Gulf has been derisively termed “Bull’s Run.”. The Battle of Leyte Gulf was the largest naval engagement of World War II. [29] After being struck by at least 17 bombs and 19 torpedoes, Musashi finally capsized and sank at about 19:35.[30]. [8][9][page needed] The Japanese Navy suffered heavy losses and never sailed in comparable force thereafter, stranded for lack of fuel in their bases for the rest of the war,[9][page needed][10] and were therefore unable to affect the successful Allied invasion of Leyte. However, much hard fighting would be required before the island was completely in Allied hands at the end of December 1944: the Battle of Leyte on land was fought in parallel with an air and sea campaign in which the Japanese reinforced and resupplied their troops on Leyte while the Allies attempted to interdict them and establish air-sea superiority for a series of amphibious landings in Ormoc Bay—engagements collectively referred to as the Battle of Ormoc Bay. Over the following days, U.S. carrier planes responded with attacks on Japanese air bases in Formosa and the northern Philippines, and October 18–19 saw further strikes on targets near the landing beaches. Both battalions reached positions only about 1,000 yd (910 m) apart on opposite sides of the highway by 13 November despite strong opposition and heavy rains. The escort carrier St. It had originally been planned to attack the Philippines at a somewhat later date, but the air strikes revealed an unexpected weakness in the Japanese defense of the islands. Leyte had a free undefended approach from the east and adequate anchorages, as well as good access to the other islands in the archipelago. On 24 October, as the submarines continued to shadow the damaged cruiser, Darter ran aground on the Bombay Shoal. 0026- It also contrasts with the 527 sorties flown by 3rd Fleet against Ozawa's much weaker carrier decoy Northern Force on the following day. As the Japanese ships sailed north through the narrow strait, they were subjected to torpedo attacks from U.S. PT boats and destroyers. Birmingham was so badly damaged, she was forced to retire. In the end, it would be Gen. Douglas MacArthur who prevailed. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... U.S. landing ships, tanks (LSTs), on the beach at Leyte Island in the Philippines, October 1944. The initial landings were entirely successful and almost completely uncontested, as the Japanese had chosen to mount their defense farther inland and out of the range of naval gunfire. This was the last act of the Battle off Cape Engaño, and—apart from some final air strikes on the retreating Japanese forces on 26 October—the conclusion of the Battle for Leyte Gulf. To Halsey the Japanese carriers represented a target too inviting to ignore. The Japanese responded to the American landings with Sho-Go (Victory Operation), a plan to decoy the U.S. Third Fleet north, away from the San Bernardino Strait, while converging three forces on Leyte Gulf to attack the landing; the First Attack Force, under Vice Adm. Kurita Takeo, was to move from the north across the Sibuyan Sea through the San Bernardino Strait, with the Second Attack Force, under Vice Adm. Shima Kiyohide, and C Force, under Vice Adm. Nishimura Shōji, moving from the south across the Mindanao Sea through the Surigao Strait. Location: Leyte Gulf, Philipines Date: October 23-26 1944 Australia and United States vs. [26], Meanwhile, Vice Admiral Takijirō Ōnishi directed three waves of aircraft from his First Air Fleet based on Luzon against the carriers of Rear Admiral Frederick Sherman's TG 38.3 (whose aircraft were also being used to strike airfields in Luzon to prevent Japanese land-based air attacks on Allied shipping in Leyte Gulf). [34] The message was picked up by 7th Fleet anyway as it was common for admirals to direct radio operators to copy all message traffic they detected whether intended for them or not. By autumn 1944 the Japanese had been dislodged from many key outposts in the southwest and central Pacific, and other Japanese-controlled islands had been allowed to wither on the vine. In his dispatch after the battle, Halsey justified the decision to go North as follows: Searches by my carrier planes revealed the presence of the Northern carrier force on the afternoon of 24 October, which completed the picture of all enemy naval forces. [6][page needed]. The Japanese did not bother with the wreck. Army Chief of Staff Gen. George C. Marshall had proposed skipping both the Philippines and Formosa and proceeding directly to an assault on southern Honshu. At the Battle of the Surigao Strait the Japanese Southern Force night attack on the landing forces was repulsed by Admiral Kinkaid’s covering forces, including Shropshire and Arunta . The Battle of Leyte Gulf secured the beachheads of the U.S. Sixth Army on Leyte against attack from the sea. Amphibious forces and close naval support would be provided by the Seventh Fleet, commanded by Vice Admiral Thomas C. Kinkaid. On September 24 Mitscher’s planes bombed the central Philippines and conducted photographic reconnaissance of the area around Leyte and Samar, where landings were to take place in October. 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. [30] It would be the desperate action and great sacrifice of the much weaker force of six slow escort carriers, three destroyers, four destroyer escorts, and 400 aircraft at the Battle off Samar, utterly lacking in credible weapons to sink armored ships, to stop Kurita. [33][page needed]. Among the ships in the decoy fleet was the Zuikaku, the last surviving carrier to have participated in the Pearl Harbor attack. [33][page needed]. On 22 October, Halsey had detached two of his carrier groups to the fleet base at Ulithi to provision and rearm. [23], Atago and Maya quickly sank. In the light of the intercepted 15:12 24 October "…will be formed as Task Force 34" message from Halsey, Admiral Kinkaid and his staff assumed, as did Admiral Nimitz at Pacific Fleet headquarters, that TF 34—commanded by Lee—had now been formed as a separate entity. On being told that Halsey did, Mitscher—knowing Halsey's temperament—commented, "If he wants my advice he'll ask for it" and went back to sleep.[36]. This task force left Brunei after Kurita at 15:00 on 22 October, turning eastward into the Sulu Sea and then northeasterly past the southern tip of Negros Island into the Mindanao Sea. On October 20 the amphibious landings at Leyte began after air strikes, and heavy naval bombardment prepared the beaches. [2]. The third island, Homonhon, was taken without any opposition t… As a result of communication errors and other failures, a large number of survivors from Taffy 3 were unable to be rescued for several days, and died unnecessarily as a consequence. By December 31, 1944, Allied forces had captured the island, at a cost of about 3,500 American casualties. The destroyer Albert W. Grant was hit by friendly fire during the night battle, but did not sink. However, their luck ran out a short time later, as they were subjected to devastating torpedo attacks from the American destroyers deployed on both sides of their axis of advance. The Japanese Side. [33][page needed][44][page needed] HMAS Australia suffered 30 officers and sailors dead, and another 62 servicemen wounded in a kamikaze-like attack 21 October 1944 at the start of the battle.[58]. They assumed that Halsey was leaving this powerful surface force guarding the San Bernardino Strait (and covering the Seventh Fleet's northern flank), while he took his three available carrier groups northwards in pursuit of the Japanese carriers. [12] Eventually Nimitz changed his mind and agreed to MacArthur's plan,[13] and it was eventually decided that MacArthur's forces would invade the island of Leyte in the central Philippines. The traditional account of the sinking of the Fusō was that she exploded into two halves that remained floating for some time. Leyte Gulf was the last naval battle between battleships in history. The fire was gradually brought under control, but at 15:23 there was an enormous explosion (probably in the carrier's bomb stowage aft), causing more casualties aboard Princeton, and even heavier casualties—233 dead and 426 wounded—aboard the light cruiser Birmingham which was coming back alongside to assist with the firefighting. Clifton Sprague—commander of Task Unit 77.4.3 in the Battle off Samar—was later bitterly critical of Halsey's decision, and of his failure to clearly inform Kinkaid and 7th Fleet that their northern flank was no longer protected: "In the absence of any information... it was logical to assume that our northern flank could not be exposed without ample warning." The Japanese sought to converge three naval forces on Leyte Gulf… The Battle of Leyte Gulf—NHHC's overview of the battle American survivors of the battle are rescued by a U.S. Navy ship on 26 October 1944. [55][page needed], Halsey may have considered Kurita's damaged battleships and cruisers, lacking carrier support, as little threat, but ironically, through his own failures to adequately communicate his intentions, he managed to demonstrate that unsupported battleships could still be dangerous. ), 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 Chikuma), two light cruisers (Noshiro and Yahagi) and 15 destroyers. Kurita had begun the battle with five battleships. Kurita, however, waited until 17:15 before turning around again to head for the San Bernardino Strait. The rear of the Japanese Southern Force—the "Second Striking Force" commanded by Vice Admiral Shima—had departed from Mako and approached Surigao Strait about 40 mi (35 nmi; 64 km) astern of Nishimura. 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