battle of leyte gulf

In the end, it would be Gen. Douglas MacArthur who prevailed. [citation needed]. [2]:148–149, It took Clifford's men two weeks of struggle through mud and rain—often dangerously close to friendly mortar and artillery fire—to root the Japanese out of fighting positions on the way up Kilay Ridge. At the end of the strait, the USS California, USS Maryland, USS Mississippi, USS Pennsylvania, USS Tennessee, and USS West Virginia were arrayed in a line of battle under the command of Rear Adm. Jesse Oldendorf. [2]:8–9, Over the summer of 1944, planes from the aircraft carriers of the U.S. 3rd Fleet under Admiral William F. Halsey carried out several successful missions over the Philippines and found Japanese resistance lacking. A Japanese army was equivalent to a Euro-American corps. 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. [2]:96, With 432,000 Japanese soldiers in the Philippines, General Yamashita decided to make Leyte the main effort of the Japanese defense, and on 21 October, ordered the 35th Army to coordinate a decisive battle with the Imperial Japanese Navy. King advocated bypassing the Philippines and attacking Formosa directly, while other naval officers, such as Adm. Chester Nimitz, favoured limited operations in the Philippines as a prelude to the Formosa offensive. Nishimura went down with his flagship, the battleship Yamashiro, and the cruiser Mogami was seriously damaged. Simultaneously two battalions each from the 381st Infantry Regiment and 383rd Infantry Regiments slowly advanced up opposite sides of Catmon Hill and battled the fierce Japanese resistance. The series of battles that historians now label as the Battle of Leyte Gulf took place between October 23rd-26th, 1944. Although delayed by a storm, the Rangers were on Suluan and Dinagat islands by 0805. [2]:226–228 At the time, the 11th Airborne Division, commanded by General Joseph May Swing defended the Burauen area. [2]:46 The initial fighting was won at a cost of 49 killed, 192 wounded, and six missing. Finn. Gen. Douglas MacArthur (centre) and others arriving ashore during the initial U.S. landings at Leyte, Philippines, October 20, 1944. Japanese losses in the campaign were heavy, with the army losing four divisions and several separate combat units, while the navy lost 26 major warships and 46 large transports and hundreds of merchant ships. Americans and Japanese came away from the battle of Leyte Gulf with extremely divergent views of what had occurred. [2]:54, General Makino spent the day moving his command post from Tacloban, 10 mi (16 km) inland to the town of Dagami. [2]:39 X Corps pushed across a 4 mi (6.4 km) stretch of beach between Tacloban airfield and the Palo River. Seventh Fleet and the cruisers and destroyers of the Royal Australian Navy’s Task Force 74. [2]:10–11 The other, Ormoc Valley, situated on the west side, was connected to Leyte Valley by a roundabout and winding road, Highway 2; it ran from Palo town on the east coast, then west and northwest through Leyte Valley to the north coast, it then turned south and wound through a mountainous neck to enter the northern Ormoc Valley. The Battle of Leyte Gulf was the largest naval engagement of World War II. Battle of Leyte Gulf. The battle was part of World War II, and happened in the seas near the Philippines island of Leyte. Omissions? 511, Cutler, Thomas J., The Battle of Leyte Gulf: 23–26 October 1944, Naval Institute Press, 2001, p.52. This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Army Center of Military History document: "The Leyte Campaign". [2]:34–35,39 On Suluan, they dispersed a small group of Japanese defenders and destroyed a radio station, while they found Dinagat unoccupied. The 1st Cavalry Division of Maj. Gen. Verne D. Mudge secured the provincial capital, Tacloban, on 21 October, and Hill 215 the next. [2]:232 The 11th Airborne Division, supported by the 149th Infantry, 38th Infantry Division, and the 382nd Infantry, 96th Infantry Division, plus hastily mustered groups of support and service troops, eventually contained the attack, and turned the tide by 9 Dec.[2]:230–231 With a few American supply dumps and aircraft on the ground destroyed and construction projects delayed, the enemy attacks on the airfields failed to have any effect on the overall Leyte Campaign. This amphibious maneuver was made in eighteen LVTs of the 727th Amphibian Tractor Battalion. The invasion timetable was revised, and preparations were made for an amphibious assault on Leyte Island in the central Philippines on October 20. The Battle for Leyte Gulf was the greatest naval battle of the Second World War. As their air strength diminished, the Japanese resorted to the deadly kamikazes,[2]:71 a corps of suicide pilots who crashed their bomb-laden planes directly into US ships. Journal, 727th Amphibian Tractor Battalion, 6 November 1944 to 10 November 1944, 77th Infantry "Statue of Liberty" Division, Military history of the Philippines during World War II, Military history of the United States during World War II, "Biography of Lieutenant-General Shiro Makino", "Biography of Major-General Yoshimi Adachi – (安達由巳) – (あだち よしみ) – (Adachi Yoshiki) – (安達由己) – (あだち よしき) (1883–1944), Japan", THE HISTORY OF BATTLES OF IMPERIAL JAPANESE TANKS, American Historical Association: Lessons from Iwo Jima, https://history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/cbtchron/cc/007id.htm, https://history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/cbtchron/cc/096id.htm, United States Army Center of Military History, Twilight of the Gods: War in the Western Pacific, 1944–1945, Ibiblio.Org: U.S. Army Campaigns of World War II, Leyte, Soldiers of the 184th Infantry, 7th ID in the Pacific, 1943–1945, U.S. Intelligence Report on Japanese Use of Mines on Leyte, MacArthur Landing Memorial Park (Red Beach, Palo, Leyte, Philippines), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Battle_of_Leyte&oldid=1015095642, Battles and operations of World War II involving the Philippines, Battles of World War II involving the United States, Articles with unsourced statements from October 2017, Articles with unsourced statements from April 2020, Articles with unsourced statements from October 2018, Articles with unsourced statements from August 2018, Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the United States Army Center of Military History, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, 17 October – 26 December 1944 (initial phase involving Sixth Army), This page was last edited on 30 March 2021, at 16:22. [2]:7, For the U.S., capturing the Philippines was a key strategic step in isolating Imperial Japan's military holdings in China and the Pacific theater. On their return trip, they would evacuate the casualties. It the largest engagement ever fought on the high seas. [2]:65–69, On the left of XXIV Corps, the 7th Infantry Division under Maj. Gen. Archibald V. Arnold moved inland against the Japanese airfields of San Pablo 1 and 2, Bayug, and Buri, using "flying wedges" of American tanks, the 767th Tank Battalion, which cleared the way for the infantrymen. Controlling it was vital for Japan's survival in World War II because it commanded sea routes to Borneo and Sumatra by which rubber and petroleum were shipped to Japan. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. As the Sixth Army pushed deeper into Leyte, the Japanese struck back in the air and at sea. The only Japanese carriers involved in the battle were in the northern decoy force. Japanese offensives are represented by black arrows, and American offensives are represented by white arrows. [2]:1, Southwest Pacific Area[12] The battle marked the first significant use of kamikaze aircraft in combat. The escort carrier USS Gambier Bay was sunk, becoming the only U.S. aircraft carrier of the war to be lost to naval gunfire, and the escort carrier USS St. Historical Map of East Asia and the Western Pacific (23 October 1944 - Battle of Leyte Gulf: From the Marianas and New Guinea, the Allies now converged on the Philippines, landing on Leyte in October. At 10:00 am Nimitz himself sent what would become one of the most famous radio messages of the entire war: “WHERE IS RPT WHERE IS TASK FORCE THIRTY FOUR RR THE WORLD WONDERS.” The last three words were meant to serve as meaningless padding to deter Japanese code breakers and should have been stripped from the final message, but they were included in the printout that was given to Halsey. Lo would be the first U.S. ship to be sunk by a kamikaze attack. The Japanese Navy’s “Victory Operation” not only failed to disrupt the Leyte landings, it resulted in serious losses to what remained of Japan’s surface fleet. The Allied offensive in the Pacific in 1944 was to climax with the Allied invasion of the Philippines. [2]:233 Gen. Suzuki ordered a retreat so he could deal with the American landing at Ormac, but with only 200 men returning, the 16th Division ceased to exist. On 23 October, the approach of the enemy surface vessels was detected. Gen. Arnold finally began his advance toward Ormoc with a novel tactic. [2]:201 On 5 Dec, the tanks moved to within 200 yd (180 m) of the shore and fired into the hills in front of the advancing 17th and 184th Infantry. Interpreting “the world wonders” as a stinging rebuke from the commander of the Pacific Fleet, an insulted Halsey at last dispatched an air strike to harass the already retiring Japanese central force. [2]:121 Plus, Krueger had access to the 32nd and 77th Infantry Divisions, and the 11th Airborne Division, which MacArthur was staging in Leyte in preparation of the Luzon invasion.[2]:133. Hand-to-hand combat and the inspiring leadership of Medal of Honor awardee Captain Robert B. Nett cleared the enemy from the blockhouse area, while the leading Company, E, of the 2nd Battalion, 305th Infantry moved forward through intense fire and killed several Japanese soldiers. The struggle also reduced Japanese land-based air capability in the Philippines by more than 50%. Moreover, the seizure of Leyte would bypass and isolate Japanese forces on Mindanao. On October 24 Third Fleet carrier planes located and attacked the central force in the Sibuyan Sea and the southern force in the Sulu Sea. [2]:189 That night, the night of 24 November, Japanese attacks put four 105 mm (4.1 in) pieces of Battery B out of action. battle, naval battle, air battle. Having been battered by U.S. aircraft and submarines, Kurita initially appeared to be retiring to the west, but he soon resumed course, and the Japanese central force pushed doggedly onward toward the San Bernardino Strait and Leyte. [2]:133–140 On the west, Irving sent the 34th Infantry's 1st Battalion under Lt. Col. Thomas E. Clifford, over water from the Carigara area to a point 2 mi (3.2 km) west of the southward turn of Highway 2, and moved it inland. They chose the large American transport and escort fleet that had gathered in Leyte Gulf on A-day as their first target and sank one escort carrier and badly damaged many other vessels. 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 American Joint Chiefs of Staff, acting with necessary haste, moved to capitalize on the situation. [2]:142,152 It was not until 14 December that the 32nd Division finally cleared the Breakneck–Kilay Ridge area, and linked up with the 1st Cavalry Division on 19 Dec, placing the most heavily defended portions of Highway 2 between Carigara Bay and the Ormoc Valley under X Corps control. Although the Darter ran aground and was eventually destroyed by Japanese aircraft after its crew had safely transferred to the Dace, the two submarines had inflicted serious damage on the Japanese fleet as well as robbing it of the element of surprise. 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. The 727th Amphibian Tractor Battalion made daily, often multiple, trips with ammunition and rations between Capoocan and Calubian. [2]:200 This tactic proved effective, greatly disorganizing the defenders, except where ground troops encountered enemy pockets on reverse slopes inland, shielded from the offshore tank fire. Halsey, however, had never actually formed Task Force 34; he opted instead to take all of those ships with him to sail against Ozawa. [2]:47 In the X Corps sector, the 1st Cavalry Division held Tacloban airfield,[2]:40 and the 24th Infantry Division had taken the high ground on Hill 522 commanding its beachheads. Those relief forces were non-existent;[2]:22 Roosevelt's true intentions in ordering MacArthur to flee the Philippines had been to prevent his capture by the Japanese. [2]:111 To overcome the expected increased resistance, especially in the mountain barrier to the north, Krueger mobilized his reserve forces, the 32nd and 77th Infantry Divisions, while MacArthur activated the 11th Airborne Division. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. In its opening salvo the Darter sank the Japanese heavy cruiser Atago, Kurita’s flagship, and proceeded to seriously damage the cruiser Takao. [2]:75 On 23 October, Gen. MacArthur presided over a ceremony to restore civil government to Leyte. On September 21 Manila was struck by U.S. carrier planes for the first time, and Luzon was hit the following day. Rescue and repair efforts continued throughout the day. The Battle of Leyte Gulf cost the Imperial Japanese Navy heavily, effectively destroying it as an offensive force. [2]:26,37 Although delayed by a storm, the Rangers were on Suluan and Dinagat islands by 0805. The Battle of Leyte Gulf was fought from October 23-26 1944 and was the largest naval battle of World War II. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Ernest J. In other words, the last great battleship engagement of World War II, and in all of history, was staged in five parts, each bearing its own name: As Kurita sailed his mighty force northward, he was suddenly ambushed by an array of undetected torpedoes. [2]:343 The Japanese counterattacked the 24th Infantry Division on Red Beach through the night, unsuccessfully. I do not own, nor do I or intend to profit from this content whatsoever. The Battle of Leyte (Filipino: Labanan sa Leyte; Waray: Gubat ha Leyte; Japanese: レイテの戦い) in the Pacific campaign of World War II was the amphibious invasion of the island of Leyte in the Philippines by American forces and Filipino guerrillas under the overall command of General Douglas MacArthur, who fought against the Imperial Japanese Army in the Philippines led by General Tomoyuki Yamashita. Tokyo decided to roll the iron dice and the battle did not go in its favor, resulting in the loss of the war and its empire. To restore momentum, Gen. Bruce put the 1st Battalion, 305th Infantry, on Navy landing craft and dispatched it from the port of Ormoc to Palompon. Japan’s total losses in the Battle of Leyte Gulf amounted to 3 battleships, 1 large carrier, 3 light carriers, 6 heavy cruisers, 4 light cruisers, and 11 destroyers. A more serious danger to the US forces developed at sea. Oldendorf “crossed the T” on Nishimura’s formation, meaning that his ships were able to deliver a full broadsides attack with all of their big guns while Nishimura could only employ his forward weapons. The operation, codenamed King Two,[11] launched the Philippines campaign of 1944–45 for the recapture and liberation of the entire Philippine Archipelago and to end almost three years of Japanese occupation. 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. The Battle of Leyte Gulf (October 23-26, 1944) was the largest naval battle in world history and the last major sea battle of World War Two.It was fought between the Imperial Japanese Navy and Allied naval forces in the seas around and to the east of the Philippine Islands. The Battle of Leyte Gulf (a.k.a. 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. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. On Dinagat and Homonhom, the Ran… After a three-day fight, the 382nd Infantry Regiment took a key Japanese supply base at Tabontabon, 5 mi (8.0 km) inland, and killed some 350 Japanese on 28 October. Descending Japanese paratroopers were "cut to shreds by the antiaircraft and field artillery units," according to one American artillery officer. [2]:64 Battalions from the 55th and 57th Independent Mixed Brigades were on Leyte by 25 Oct.[2]:73. 15 mi (24 km) to the south, XXIV Corps units came ashore across a 3 mi (4.8 km) strand between San José and the Daguitan River. [2]:147,162 Clifford and Spragins both received the Distinguished Service Cross for their actions. [2]:64,73 The 16th Division was to be reinforced by the 30th Infantry Division from Mindanao, landing on Ormoc Bay. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. The United States lost 1 light carrier, 2 escort carriers, and several other vessels. On 24 October, some 200 enemy aircraft approached American beachheads and shipping from the north. The goals of this operation were threefold: (1) to win positions that would allow the Allies to sever Japan’s supply lines to the East Indies, (2) to make possible an invasion or neutralization of Formosa [Taiwan] and the east China coast, and (3) to provide bases for an attack on the Japanese home islands. When dawn broke, the submarines made visual contact with the lead elements of the Japanese force and launched torpedoes. Lieutenant General Walter Krueger, X Army Corps (Northern Landing Area) …forces seized offshore islets in Leyte Gulf, and on October 20 they landed four divisions on the east coast of Leyte.…. With blocking positions established south of Leyte Valley on 22–24 November, the 511th Parachute Infantry Regiment pushed farther west into the mountains on the 25 November. It was also a personal matter of pride for MacArthur. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. [18], Although poorly coordinated – only one battalion of the Japanese 26th Infantry Division reached the battlefield – the enemy attack yielded the seizure of some abandoned weapons which they managed to use against the Americans over the next four days. [2]:70 Fifty American land-based aircraft rose to intercept them, and claimed to have shot down between 66[2]:70 and 84 of the attackers. Under cover of incessant artillery and naval gunfire, Bradley's troops made their way through the swamps south and west of the high ground at Labiranan Head. 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. [2]:162 For their arduous efforts against Kilay Ridge and adjacent areas, both flanking battalions received Presidential Unit Citations. The roads and lowlands extending inland from Highway 1, that ran for 40 mi (64 km) along the east coast between Abuyog town to the north and the San Juanico Strait between Leyte and Samar Islands, provided avenues for tank-infantry operations, as well as suitable ground for airfield construction. [2]:233 The 77th Division's 305th and 307th Infantry Regiments came ashore at 0700 unopposed, supported by a company from the 776th Amphibian Tank Battalion. The Battle of Leyte Gulf, also called the Battles for Leyte Gulf, and formerly known as the Second Battle of the Philippine Sea, is generally considered to be the largest naval battle of World War II and, by some criteria, possibly the largest naval battle in history.. All information from Morison 1958 or Chun 2015 unless otherwise noted. [2]:199 During their failed attacks of the previous days, the Japanese under the command of Col. Saito had committed six infantry battalions.[2]:199. [2]:192 The 2nd Battalion, 184th Infantry was then released by Gen. Arnold to Col. On the X Corps left, the 24th Infantry Division under Maj. Gen. Frederick A. Irving, drove inland into heavy enemy resistance. Showing no desire to fall into the same trap that had decimated C Force, Shima reversed course and withdrew. The Battle of Leyte Gulf was fought from October 23-26 1944 and was the largest naval battle of World War II. [2]:257 On 14 December, the 305th Infantry closed on the stronghold, aided by heavy artillery barrages and employing flamethrowers and armored bulldozers. 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. 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. Kurita’s First Attack Force, having passed through the San Bernardino Strait, moved southward along the coast of Samar. 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. Leyte had a free undefended approach from the east and adequate anchorages, as well as good access to the other islands in the archipelago. The Americans seized the approaches to Hill 1525 2 mi (3.2 km) to the east, enabling Irving to stretch out the enemy defenses further across a 4 mi (6.4 km) front along Highway 2. From Singapore, Formosa, and Japan the Imperial Japanese Navy set forth: 9 battleships, 4 carriers, 14 heavy cruisers, 6 light cruisers, 33 destroyers — all bound for victory or death in the waters of Leyte Gulf. [2]:274 That same day, Gen. Sibert ordered the 1st Cavalry Division to complete the drive south. If the decoy was successful, the other two groups, consisting primarily of heavy surface combatants, would enter the gulf from the west and attack the American transports. North of Ormoc Valley, the 32nd Division had met determined opposition from the defending Japanese 1st Division along Highway 2, after moving south past Kilay Ridge and entering a heavy rain forest, which limited visibility and concealed the enemy. 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. One, which included four aircraft carriers with few aircraft aboard, was to act as a decoy, luring the US 3rd Fleet north away from Leyte Gulf. Vice Admiral Thomas C. Kinkaid in amphibious command ship Wasatch, Allied Air Forces The battle of Leyte Gulf secured the beachheads of the U.S. Sixth Army on Leyte against attack from the sea. Just after midnight on October 23, Kurita’s First Attack Force was discovered off Palawan by the U.S. submarines Darter and Dace. This continued south to the port of Ormoc City, then along the western shore to Baybay town. Marked the first and most decisive operation in the Battle, the reinforcement... From U.S. PT boats and destroyers of the Allied invasion of Leyte Gulf: 23–26 October 1944 the Japanese... Japanese aircraft on October 23, Kurita ’ s deployments shows the ship went Leyte... The west coast—under Japanese control レイテ湾海戦（ レイテ沖海戦 ）とは1944年10月23日から26日にかけて日本海軍とアメリカ海軍の … the Battle of Leyte Gulf and. 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