65th Anniversary of the the battle for Leyte Gulf in the Philippines

[PJABBER]

Today marks the 65th Anniversary of the the battle for Leyte Gulf in the Philippines. It was the biggest naval battle ever fought.

It is really too early in the day for me to be raising a toast, but I want to take a moment to thank all the veterans out there and to remind everyone that the freedoms we have to argue and to debate have been paid for by someone else's blood.

In the fighting at Leyte Gulf, the Japanese lost 4 aircraft carriers, 3 battleships, 8 cruisers, and 12 destroyers, as well as 10,000+ killed. Allied losses were much lighter and included 1,500 killed as well as 1 light aircraft carrier, 2 escort carriers, 2 destroyers, 1 destroyer escort sunk. Crippled by their losses, the Battle of Leyte Gulf marked the last time the Imperial Japanese Navy would conduct large-scale operations during the war. The Allied victory secured the beachhead on Leyte and opened the door for the liberation of the Philippines.

Every facet of naval warfare was involved in the struggle that engaged some two hundred thousand men and 282 American, Japanese, and Australian ships over more than a hundred thousand square miles of sea.

65 years later many of us are able to sit here in the comforts of our homes in the U.S., Asia and Europe because others, thankfully, did not.

A good summary

A Concise History

The following video has some powerful images, mostly of the land battle.

Battle of Leyte Gulf Video

 

[blackangst1]

Ive actually been there a few times and have seen the memorials and first person accounts of the battle. :beer: for the victory for a country I love.

 

[bloodugly]

Yeah, that totally looked like much less than a good time. Wow.

 

[blackangst1]

Originally posted by: bloodugly
Yeah, that totally looked like much less than a good time. Wow.

If it interests you, you can also read up on the Bataan death march and McArthur's intervention. Pretty good story.

 

[ElFenix]

and it was a giant fustercluck on each side. finished this book a couple months ago

 

[Lemon law]

Ironically, the Japanese strategy should have worked as Halsey took the bait. And even after suffering loses, The Kurita position was still overwhelming. Had Kurita not wimped out, he was in a perfect position to decimate the Philippine landing forces which would have prolonged the pacific battles of WW2 for many more months while inflicting super heavy allied causalities.

But even then, the Japanese already knew they had lost the Yamamota gamble and the war. The giant boiler had been lit and was developing the immense power that cranked out war material while the Japanese could no longer secure the oil to run their warships. All in all, the USA was very lucky in the battle of Midway that was the beginning of the Japanese end and doubly lucky at the battle of Leyte Gulf that marked the end of Japanese Naval Power.

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: Lemon law
Ironically, the Japanese strategy should have worked as Halsey took the bait. And even after suffering loses, The Kurita position was still overwhelming. Had Kurita not wimped out, he was in a perfect position to decimate the Philippine landing forces which would have prolonged the pacific battles of WW2 for many more months while inflicting super heavy allied causalities.

But even then, the Japanese already knew they had lost the Yamamota gamble and the war. The giant boiler had been lit and was developing the immense power that cranked out war material while the Japanese could no longer secure the oil to run their warships. All in all, the USA was very lucky in the battle of Midway that was the beginning of the Japanese end and doubly lucky at the battle of Leyte Gulf that marked the end of Japanese Naval Power.

uh, halsey took the bait. nimitz was in hawaii.


sinking a bunch of empty transports in leyte wouldn't have done much of anything. and if they'd have actually gone into leyte gulf they'd have been sunk by kinkaid's forces.

 

[Ausm]

Originally posted by: ElFenix

Originally posted by: Lemon law
Ironically, the Japanese strategy should have worked as Halsey took the bait. And even after suffering loses, The Kurita position was still overwhelming. Had Kurita not wimped out, he was in a perfect position to decimate the Philippine landing forces which would have prolonged the pacific battles of WW2 for many more months while inflicting super heavy allied causalities.

But even then, the Japanese already knew they had lost the Yamamota gamble and the war. The giant boiler had been lit and was developing the immense power that cranked out war material while the Japanese could no longer secure the oil to run their warships. All in all, the USA was very lucky in the battle of Midway that was the beginning of the Japanese end and doubly lucky at the battle of Leyte Gulf that marked the end of Japanese Naval Power.

uh, halsey took the bait. nimitz was in hawaii.


sinking a bunch of empty transports in leyte wouldn't have done much of anything. and if they'd have actually gone into leyte gulf they'd have been sunk by kinkaid's forces.

Great book

Great book to read on this subject too.

 

[PJABBER]

Originally posted by: Ausm

Originally posted by: ElFenix

Originally posted by: Lemon law
Ironically, the Japanese strategy should have worked as Halsey took the bait. And even after suffering loses, The Kurita position was still overwhelming. Had Kurita not wimped out, he was in a perfect position to decimate the Philippine landing forces which would have prolonged the pacific battles of WW2 for many more months while inflicting super heavy allied causalities.

But even then, the Japanese already knew they had lost the Yamamota gamble and the war. The giant boiler had been lit and was developing the immense power that cranked out war material while the Japanese could no longer secure the oil to run their warships. All in all, the USA was very lucky in the battle of Midway that was the beginning of the Japanese end and doubly lucky at the battle of Leyte Gulf that marked the end of Japanese Naval Power.

uh, halsey took the bait. nimitz was in hawaii.


sinking a bunch of empty transports in leyte wouldn't have done much of anything. and if they'd have actually gone into leyte gulf they'd have been sunk by kinkaid's forces.

http://www.amazon.com/Last-Sta...3381482/ref=pd_sim_b_1">Great book</a>

Great book to read on this subject too.

I'm going to put that one on my reading list, thanks for the recommendation.

I think your link is a bit screwed up, though. Here is a better one -

The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors: The Extraordinary World War II Story of the U.S. Navy's Finest Hour (Paperback)

 

[Lemon law]

If you noticed, I almost immediately correct the Nimitz mistake, posted a 2:31, edit finished at 2:33. But yes, somehow I was thinking about the body of my post while my mind was not watching.

Its also somewhat ironic, in terms of the numerous US aircraft carries of the bay flat top type that came under the Japanese guns of Kurita, they were so lightly armored, that the Japanese shells went through both sides without causing the shell to detonate. Must have shocked the hell out of Kurita to see them still floating after being hit multiple times. But had Kurita pressed his attack home, the loss of invasion supplies if nothing else would have forced the cancellation of the Philippine landing.

But agreed, the US Destroyers preformed brilliantly, except for the fact destroyers are not supposed to be expected to take on battleships. But that gallant bunch did and somehow saved the day.