The Battle for Leyte Gulf
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October, 1944; two U.S. fleets head for the Philippines.
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A map and a guy explaining what they plan to do when they attack the Philippines.
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The Japanese Navy plan is to use three forces to attack the U.S. troops at Leyte.
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The Japanese know that if the U.S. takes the Philippines, it will cut off the flow of oil and other supplies to Japan. Note the chrysanthemum at the bow of the ship.
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The sailors are quizzed on American ships.
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Two U.S. subs spot the Japanese forces. They sink a couple of ships, and one of the subs is lost, but they relay the position of the Japanese forces to command.
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One of the Japanese groups is pinpointed and planes are sent to attack.
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The Japanese ships will not have any air cover, so they hope their own antiaircraft will drive off the U.S. planes.
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It's a technique that doesn't work.
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The giant battleship Musashi is destroyed.
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Another Japanese force is headed for the Surigao Strait.
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PT boats will be used in this battle.
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This is a night battle.
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Four of the battleships that had been sunk at Pearl Harbor but have been fixed take part in the battle. The Japanese are first attacked by the PT boats, then by groups of destroyers, cruisers and battleships.
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In the daytime the damage to the Japanese force is visible.
The Japanese southern force is destroyed. The central force, which had retreated, turns around to attack again.
The central force of 22 ships is again spotted. Only a light U.S. force is in position to try and stop them.
The central force includes the Yamato. They try to sink the U.S. carriers.
The U.S. destroyers attack the Japanese ships even though they are outnumbered and outgunned.
The Japanese decide to turn back again.
The Northern Force is spotted. Their purpose was to act as a decoy, to lure U.S. ships away from the Philippines so the Southern and Central Forces could attack at Leyte.
The Northern Force is attacked.
The U.S. ships are attacked by Japanese land-based planes.
By the time all the battles are done, the Japanese have lost 3 battleships, 1 large carrier, 3 light carriers, 6 heavy cruisers, 4 light cruisers, and 9 destroyers.
The basic result was the end of the Japanese Imperial Navy as an effective striking force.
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