In doing so, he had left the American amphibious forces on Leyte woefully unprotected. 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. Fusō was hit on the starboard side by two or possibly three torpedoes. What the hell's the matter with you? Rear Admiral Ralph E. Davison of TG 38.4 was to be in overall command of the supporting carrier groups.[32]. Fast battleships and support by air strikes may be able to keep enemy from destroying CVES and entering Leyte." More than 130,000 men of Lieut. Among the ships in the decoy fleet was the Zuikaku, the last surviving carrier to have participated in the Pearl Harbor attack. As Woodward wrote: "Everything was pulled out from San Bernardino Strait. The largest effort of the Sibuyan Sea attack was directed against just one battleship, Musashi, which was sunk, and the cruiser Myōkō was also crippled by an aerial torpedo. Returning to the Philippines, Allied forces began landing on Leyte on October 20. [33][page needed][38][page needed] Shima's ships did survive the Battle of Surigao Strait, but they were sunk in further engagements around Leyte. The Japanese Side. The battle consisted of four main separate engagements: the Battle of the Sibuyan Sea, the Battle of Surigao Strait, the Battle off Cape Engaño and the Battle off Samar, as well as lesser actions.[7]. 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. He also took the fast battleships USS New Jersey (Halsey’s flagship) and USS Iowa, along with three light cruisers and eight destroyers, on a futile pursuit of Kurita’s long gone fleet. On Suluan, they dispersed a small group of Japanese defenders and destroyed a radio station, while they found Dinagat unoccupied. 1948-Went to General Quarters and set readiness condition one easy. Meanwhile, the Australian Army, spread thin by engagements in the Solomon Islands, New Guinea, the Dutch East Indies and various other Pacific islands, would not have been able to spare any troops for such an operation. On 22 October, Halsey had detached two of his carrier groups to the fleet base at Ulithi to provision and rearm. 25 October 1944. Commodore Arleigh Burke and Commander James H. Flatley of Vice Admiral Marc Mitscher's staff had come to the same conclusion. The island of Leyte is west of the Gulf. Halsey's original plan for TF 34 was for four, not all six, of the 3rd Fleet's battleships. As a result, an invasion of Formosa or any operation requiring much larger ground forces than were available in the Pacific in late 1944, would be delayed until the defeat of Germany freed the necessary manpower.[11]. [24] Atago sank so rapidly that Kurita was forced to swim to survive. When Admiral Ozawa was questioned... after the war he replied 'After this battle the surface forces became strictly auxiliary, so that we relied on land forces, special [Kamikaze] attack, and air power... there was no further use assigned to surface vessels, with the exception of some special ships. The effect was devastating. With the bulk of the Seventh Fleet engaged with Nishimura at Surigao Strait, all that stood between Kurita and the landing beaches were the ships of Taffy 3—a naval task force that consisted of just six escort carriers, three destroyers, and four destroyer escorts under the command of Rear Adm. Clifton Sprague. As a result of a momentous decision taken by Admiral Halsey and some unclear communication of his plans, Kurita was able to proceed through the San Bernardino Strait during the night to make an unexpected and dramatic appearance off the coast of Samar the following morning, directly threatening the Leyte landings. With little more than a token combat air patrol to defend it, the Japanese fleet quickly became prey to U.S. bombs and torpedoes. U.S. troops landing on Leyte Island in the Philippines during World War II. gun per carrier. They were sufficiently worried about the situation to wake Mitscher, who asked, "Does Admiral Halsey have that report?" Halsey assumed that this retreat signified that his threat was dealt with for the time being. Kurita’s First Attack Force, having passed through the San Bernardino Strait, moved southward along the coast of Samar. After the nominal end of the battle, several damaged ships were faced with the option of either making their way to Singapore, close to Japan's oil supplies but where comprehensive repairs could not be undertaken, or making their way back to Japan, where there were better repair facilities but scant oil. [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. "[41]Shigure turned and fled but lost steering and stopped dead. 0001-On course 090 in battle disposition, this vessel leading the battle line. Her captain promptly made visual contact. Halsey's chief of staff, Rear Admiral Robert "Mick" Carney, was also wholeheartedly in favor of taking all of 3rd Fleet's available forces northwards to attack the Japanese carriers. 1948-Went to General Quarters and set readiness condition one easy. On their return to their bases, only Yamato and Haruna remained battleworthy. Carrier aircraft and naval gunnery also claimed several destroyers and escort ships throughout the morning and early afternoon, but Halsey soon became aware of the drama unfolding some 400 miles (over 640 km) to his south. A few Japanese planes survived and made their way to land bases on Luzon. [33][page needed][38][page needed], The other three U.S. battleships also had difficulty, equipped with less advanced gunnery radar. Halsey intended Mitscher to make air strikes followed by the heavy gunfire of Lee's battleships. Takao turned back to Brunei, escorted by two destroyers, and was followed by the two submarines. CTG 38.4 CONDUCT CARRIERS OF TG 38.2 AND TG 38.4 CLEAR OF SURFACE FIGHTING. The first use of kamikaze aircraft took place following the Leyte landings. Some 1,200 survivors of USS Gambier Bay (CVE-73), USS Hoel (DD-533), USS Johnston (DD-557), and USS Samuel B. Roberts (DE-413) were rescued during the days following the action (SC 278010). It had over 200,000 naval personnel involved. The Japanese command, therefore, put Shō-Gō 2 into action, launching waves of air attacks against Third Fleet's carriers. battle of leyte gulf casualties The goals of this operation were threefold: (1) to win positions that would allow the Allies to sever After supporting the American landings in the western 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. (about) BB's formed column. Leyte Gulf was decisive in that it destroyed much of the remaining Japanese surface fleet while virtually ending Japans ability to move resources from Southeast Asia to the home islands. However, at 20:00, IJN Combined Fleet Admiral Soemu Toyoda ordered all his forces to attack "counting on divine assistance." The cruiser Kumano and battleship Kongō were sunk retreating to Japan. 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." Takao retired to Singapore, being joined in January 1945 by Myōkō, as the Japanese deemed both crippled cruisers irreparable and left them moored in the harbor as floating anti-aircraft batteries. All efforts to get her off failed, she was abandoned; and her entire crew was rescued by Dace. Shima's run was initially thrown into confusion by his force nearly running aground on Panaon Island after failing to factor the outgoing tide into their approach. [4][page needed][5] It was fought in waters near the Philippine islands of Leyte, Samar, and Luzon, from 23 to 26 October 1944, between combined American and Australian forces and the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN), as part of the invasion of Leyte, which aimed to isolate Japan from the countries it had occupied in Southeast Asia which were a vital source of industrial and oil supplies. USS Princeton was the largest American ship lost during the battles around Leyte Gulf, and the only Independence-class fast carrier sunk in combat during the war. The ensuing engagement reflected the dramatic imbalance in power that now existed between U.S. and Japanese naval strength, and the result was so lopsided that it was almost an anticlimax when measured against the action which was taking place simultaneously at Samar. Bosun Mate 1st Class John E. Brandau hoisting the American flag on Leyte Island during the invasion of the Philippines, October 20, 1944. Halsey's Decision: The following is quoted from the US Navy official history - "History of US Naval Operations in World War II" by Samuel Eliot Morison - Volume XII "Leyte," pages 193-7. The action at Surigao Strait was one of the few naval battles of the Pacific War in which aircraft did not play a significant role. Almost all of Kurita's surviving force escaped. At about 23:10, the American submarine Jallao torpedoed and sank the light cruiser Tama of Ozawa's force. 25 October 1944. In the end, it would be Gen. Douglas MacArthur who prevailed. 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. As she withdrew, listing to port, a third wave from Enterprise and Franklin hit her with an additional 11 bombs and eight torpedoes. Fought in the seas surround the island of Leyte in the Philippines from 23 October to 26 October 1944, this battle cut Japan off from her Southeast Asian colonies and therefore all of Japan's oil. ', And Admiral Yonai, the Navy Minister, said he realised the defeat at Leyte 'was tantamount to the loss of the Philippines. A meeting between MacArthur, Nimitz, and President Roosevelt helped confirm the Philippines as a strategic target but did not reach a decision, and the debate continued for two months. The Japanese lost 26 ships during the Battle. Lo was struck by a kamikaze and sank shortly after the main engagement had ended. 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. 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. 0001-On course 090 in battle disposition, this vessel leading the battle line. The cruisers that had the latest radar equipment fired well over 2,000 rounds of armor-piercing 6-inch and 8-inch shells. On 12 October 1944, Halsey began a series of carrier raids against Formosa and the Ryukyu Islands with a view to ensuring that the aircraft based there could not intervene in the Leyte landings. [33][page needed]. Many lives were lost. The Seventh Fleet at this time contained units of the U.S. Navy and the Royal Australian Navy. Pull yourself together. Kurita had begun the battle with five battleships. The Japanese C Force entered the Surigao Strait in the early hours of October 25 and was annihilated in a night engagement with destroyers and battleships of the U.S. Casualties and Deaths: America 3,504 killed and 12,080 wounded. [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). King, other members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Admiral Nimitz favored blockading Japanese forces in the Philippines and invading Formosa (Taiwan), while U.S. Army General Douglas MacArthur, wanting to make good on his famous 1942 promise "I shall return", championed an invasion of the Philippines. Americans and Japanese came away from the battle of Leyte Gulf with extremely divergent views of what had occurred. The American submarines Darter and Dace were positioned together on the surface close by. It also contrasts with the 527 sorties flown by 3rd Fleet against Ozawa's much weaker carrier decoy Northern Force on the following day. Halsey, however, when reading the message, thought that the last words—"THE WORLD WONDERS"—were a biting piece of criticism from Nimitz, threw his cap to the deck and broke into "sobs of rage". Preliminary operations for the Leyte invasion began at dawn on 17 October 1944, with minesweeping tasks and the movement of the 6th Rangers toward three small islands in Leyte Gulf. Leyte Gulf was the greatest naval battle of the modern era, involving some 370 ships and over 200,000 personnel, primarily from the United States and Japan. After expending all of its torpedoes, Johnston continued to fight with its 5-inch guns, until it was sunk by a group of Japanese destroyers. Consequently, the air counterattacks were almost unceasing, and some, especially several of the strikes launched from Felix Stump's Task Unit 77.4.2 (Taffy 2), were heavy. The 3rd Fleet's aircraft failed to locate Ozawa's Northern Force until 16:40 on 24 October. The St. Halsey and the 3rd Fleet battleships returned too late to cut him off. The U.S. air strikes continued until the evening, by which time TF 38 had flown 527 sorties against the Northern Force, sinking Zuikaku, the light carriers Chitose and Zuihō, and the destroyer Akizuki, all with heavy loss of life. [4][page needed][9][page needed][33][page needed] In fact, the 7th Fleet's battleships were not as short of ammunition as Kinkaid's signal implied,[33][page needed] but Halsey did not know that. 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. The Battle of Leyte Gulf (Filipino: Labanan sa Look ng Leyte) is considered to have been the largest naval battle of World War II and, by some criteria, possibly the largest naval battle in history, with over 200,000 naval personnel involved. The Japanese lost 12,500 naval soldiers while the Allied forces suffered around 2,800 casualties in a battle where the latter claimed victory. When Halsey turned TF 34 southwards at 11:15, he detached a task group of four of its cruisers and nine of its destroyers under Rear Admiral DuBose, and reassigned this group to TF 38. Battle of Leyte Gulf, (October 23–26, 1944), decisive air and sea battle of World War II that crippled the Japanese Combined Fleet, permitted U.S. invasion of the Philippines, and reinforced the Allies’ control of the Pacific. 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. Both were aboard the heavy cruiser HMAS Shropshire during the night battle. All efforts to save Princeton failed, and after the remaining crew members were evacuated, she was finally scuttled—torpedoed by the light cruiser Reno—at 17:50. The losses in the battle of Leyte Gulf were not evenly distributed throughout all forces. Vice Admiral Lee, who had correctly deduced that Ozawa's force was on a decoy mission and indicated this in a blinker message to Halsey's flagship, was similarly rebuffed. 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