World War II: Battle of Leyte Gulf Ends in Overwhelming American Victory

October 23–26, 1944 — Leyte Gulf, Philippines - The Battle of Leyte Gulf, fought from October 23 to 26, 1944, stands as the largest naval battle in history and a pivotal moment in World War II. This massive engagement between the Allied and Japanese navies marked the virtual end of Japan’s ability to wage large-scale naval warfare and secured the U.S. foothold in the Philippines, accelerating the collapse of Japanese control in the Pacific.

Strategic Context

The battle was triggered by the American invasion of Leyte Island in the central Philippines, part of General Douglas MacArthur’s campaign to liberate the archipelago. Recognizing the strategic threat, the Imperial Japanese Navy launched Operation Sho-Go, a complex plan involving four separate naval forces converging on Leyte Gulf to destroy the U.S. landing fleet and halt the invasion.

The Japanese plan relied on deception and coordination. Admiral Jisaburō Ozawa’s Northern Force, centered around four aircraft carriers, was intended to lure Admiral William Halsey’s powerful U.S. Third Fleet northward. Meanwhile, two surface forces—the Center Force under Vice Admiral Takeo Kurita and the Southern Force under Vice Admirals Shōji Nishimura and Kiyohide Shima—would converge from the west and south to attack the vulnerable American landing forces.

The Battle Unfolds

October 23: Submarine Ambush in the Palawan Passage

The battle began with a devastating blow to the Japanese Center Force. As Kurita’s fleet transited the Palawan Passage, it was ambushed by American submarines USS Darter and USS Dace. The heavy cruiser Atago (Kurita’s flagship) and Maya were sunk, and Takao was severely damaged and forced to withdraw. Despite the losses, Kurita pressed on toward the Sibuyan Sea.

October 24: The Sibuyan Sea and the Decoy

On October 24, American carrier aircraft from Admiral Halsey’s Third Fleet launched repeated attacks on Kurita’s Center Force in the Sibuyan Sea. The battleship Musashi, one of the largest and most heavily armed warships ever built, was sunk after enduring over a dozen bomb and torpedo hits. Other ships, including Yamato and Nagato, were damaged. Believing Kurita’s force had been neutralized, Halsey turned his fleet north to pursue Ozawa’s decoy carriers off Cape Engaño.

That same day, Nishimura’s Southern Force attempted to pass through the Surigao Strait. In a textbook naval engagement, U.S. Seventh Fleet forces under Rear Admiral Jesse Oldendorf executed a classic “crossing the T” maneuver. Using battleships, cruisers, destroyers, and PT boats, the Americans annihilated Nishimura’s force. The battleships Yamashiro and Fusō, cruiser Mogami, and destroyers Asagumo, Michishio, and Yamagumo were sunk. Shima’s force, arriving late, turned back after a brief and confused engagement.

October 25: Battle off Samar

With Halsey’s fleet chasing Ozawa’s decoy carriers, Kurita’s battered but still formidable Center Force emerged from the San Bernardino Strait and surprised the lightly defended American escort carriers and destroyers of Task Unit 77.4.3—nicknamed “Taffy 3”—off the coast of Samar.

In one of the most heroic actions of the war, the outgunned American force, consisting of six escort carriers, three destroyers, and four destroyer escorts, fought back with ferocity. The destroyers Johnston, Hoel, and Samuel B. Roberts launched torpedo attacks and laid smoke screens to protect the carriers. All three were sunk, but their actions, combined with relentless air attacks and confusion among Japanese commanders, caused Kurita to withdraw.

Despite having the opportunity to strike a decisive blow against the American invasion fleet, Kurita’s retreat marked the collapse of Japan’s last major naval offensive.

October 25: Battle off Cape Engaño

Meanwhile, to the north, Halsey’s Third Fleet engaged Ozawa’s Northern Force in the Battle off Cape Engaño. Though the Japanese carriers had few aircraft left, they succeeded in drawing Halsey away from Leyte. American carrier aircraft and surface ships sank four Japanese carriers: Zuikaku (the last surviving carrier from the Pearl Harbor attack), Zuihō, Chitose, and Chiyoda, along with the destroyer Akizuki.

Aftermath and Significance

The Battle of Leyte Gulf was a catastrophic defeat for the Imperial Japanese Navy. In total, Japan lost four aircraft carriers, three battleships, ten cruisers, and eleven destroyers. Thousands of sailors perished, and the loss of experienced personnel and irreplaceable ships crippled Japan’s naval capabilities.

Key Japanese warships sunk during the battle included:

• Aircraft Carriers: Zuikaku, Zuihō, Chitose, Chiyoda

• Battleships: Musashi, Yamashiro, Fusō

• Heavy Cruisers: Atago, Maya, Chikuma, Suzuya

• Light Cruisers: Noshiro, Kumano, Mogami

• Destroyers: Akizuki, Asagumo, Michishio, Yamagumo, among others

On the American side, the U.S. Navy lost six ships, including the escort carriers Gambier Bay and St. Lo (the latter sunk by a kamikaze attack), and destroyers Johnston, Hoel, and Samuel B. Roberts. Despite these losses, the strategic victory was overwhelming.

The battle also marked the first organized use of kamikaze attacks by Japan, signaling a shift in tactics born of desperation.

Legacy

The Battle of Leyte Gulf ensured the success of the Allied landings in the Philippines and effectively eliminated Japan’s ability to conduct large-scale naval operations. It was the last major naval engagement of the war and the final time battleships would face off in combat.

The courage displayed by American sailors—particularly the outnumbered crews of “Taffy 3”—remains one of the most celebrated episodes in U.S. naval history. Their actions helped secure a decisive victory that hastened the end of World War II in the Pacific.