The Battle of Leyte Gulf was the largest naval battle in history that took place throughout the Philippine Islands by air, water, and land in October 1944. US commanders Admiral William Halsey, Admiral Chester Nimitz, and General Douglas MacArthur worked together to defeat the Japanese. MacArthur famously returned to the Philippines and announced to the Filipino people "I have returned." The US launched one of the largest invasions of all time, landing troops on Leyte, with hundreds of ships and thousands of men involved over an area of thousands of square miles. It was the first and last major use of kamikaze attacks by the Japanese planes deliberately crashing into US ships. The battle ultimately ended with a Japanese retreat
2. The Battle of Leyte Gulf, know as the greatest naval battle in history, takes
place throughout the Philippine Islands and on many fronts, including, air,
water, and land. In this battle some of the greatest commanders in US history
came together in this battle to conquer the Japanese; Admiral William F.
Halsey, Admiral Chester Nimitz, and of course General Douglas MacArthur.
Famous landing of Douglas Macarthur on
Philippine soil again where he announces,
“People of the Philippines, I have returned. By
the grace of Almighty God, our forces stand
again on Philippine soil.” Map of the Battle of Leyte Gulf
3. The Us
masses
hundreds of
ships and
thousands of
men for one
of the largest
invasions of
all time.
US troops land on Leyte for beginning of Battle formation of US ships.
attack.
(Right) Allied
force’s planes
and aircraft
flying towards
Leyte Gulf to
join the battle.
4. Ocean view of the Battle of Leyte Gulf, a battle
that was fought over some thousand-plus square
miles of ocean. Among other techniques, the Battle
of Leyte Gulf iwas the first and last
time that the Japanese used the
technique of Kamikaze, meaning
“Divine Wind” in Japanese.
Kamikaze was a technique where
the pilot would purposefully crash
into an enemy ship, killing
themselves but also inflicting major
damage. On the left is the kamikaze
flag, and top right is a Japanese
kamikaze plane.
5. Carriers exchanging fire and men going
to rescue them towards the ending of
The biggest naval battle of history, covering the battle.
over a thousand square miles, between
thousand of men and hundreds of ships
ended with the retreat of the Japanese and
the recapturing of the Philippines. Not a
widely recognized battle but a very
important nonetheless. Forever we will
remember that day.
6. Cutler, Thomas J. The Battle of Leyte Gulf, 23-26 October,
1944. New York, NY: HarperCollins, 1994. Print.
Appleby, Joyce Oldham. The American Vision: Modern
times. Columbus, OH: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, 2010. Print.
Google Scholar
Google Images
"Battle of Leyte Gulf Web Site." Battle of Leyte Gulf Web
Site. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2012.
Friedman, Kenneth I. Afternoon of the Rising Sun: The
Battle of Leyte Gulf. Novato, CA: Presidio, 2001. Print.
