• View
• Edit
• History
• Print

Battle Of Leyte Gulf

The Battle of Leyte Gulf (October 1944) was a naval battle fought during World War II off the Philippines. It is the largest naval battle in history.

The Japanese objective was to prevent the American liberation of the Philippines. In order to do this, they sent a decoy force to draw off the American fleet. Under William "Bull" Halsey, the Americans took the bait, but the main Japanese attackers failed to capitalize and attack the invasion transports. It was an overwhelming American victory, with the Japanese battleship Musashi being sunk.

Leyte Gulf was also notable for being the first time the Japanese used kamikazes.