1. Battle
of Leyte Gulf
Bew MWH - C

2. 7 Battles in Pacific Ocean
http://quikmaps.com/site/238710

3. Battle of Leyte Gulf
• “Second Battle of the Philippine Sea”.
• Time: October 23 – 26, 1944 during WWII.
• Location: Leyte Gulf in Philippines (East coast),
Philippine islands of Leyte, Samar, and Luzon.
• Largest naval battle in WWII.

4. Battle of Leyte Gulf
Air battle and sea battle between:
Japanese
Imperial Navy
Allied
(U.S. 3rd and 7th
Fleets)
Vs.

5. Battle of Leyte Gulf
• American planned to free Philippines from the
Japanese.
• It was also a part of Philippines campaign to isolate
Japanese from South East Asia.
• Japanese planned to hold on to Philippines.
• They mobilized their forces against American forces.
• Started the Battle of Leyte Gulf.

6. “Sho Go” Operation
• Admiral Soemu Toyoda, commander of the
Japanese Combined Fleet, demanded “Sho Go” to
block the invasion.
• “Sho Go” was Japanese’s military operation planned
to destroy American’s invasion fleet.

7. Japanese divided into
separated forces:
Vice Admiral Jisaburo Ozawa
Northern Force

8. Japanese divided into
separated forces:
Vice Admiral Shoji Nishimura
Vice Admiral Kiyohide Shima
(two fleets formed one force)
Southern
Force

9. Japanese divided into
separated forces:
Vice Admiral Takeo Kurita
Center Force

10. Battles
#2 = Battle of Sibuyan Sea
#3 = Battle of Surigao Strait
#4 = Battle off Samar
#5 = Battle of Cape Engano

11. Battle of the Sibuyan Sea
• October 24, 1944
• Kurita’s Center Force vs. U.S.
• Attacked by American
submarines.
• Kurita lost battleship and
two cruisers.
• Japanese retreated.

12. Battle of Surigao Strait
• October 24 -25, 1944
• Nishimura’s Southern Force vs.
U.S.
• Pushed north  Encountered 7th
Fleet Support Force led by Rear
Admiral Jesse Oldendorf.
• Oldendorf sanked Nishimura’s
two battleships and cruisers.
• Japanese retreated.

13. San Bernardino Strait
• Halsey moved to north to battle with Ozawa’s
Northern Force.
• Leaving San Bernardino Strait unprotected.
• He reported this to Admiral Kinkaid.
• Admiral Kinkaid wasn’t concern about this.
• He thought that Halsey left one carrier group to
guard the strait.

14. Battle of Cape Engaño
• October 25, 1944
• Ozawa’s Northern Force vs. U.S.
• Ozawa’s four carriers were sunk.

15. San Bernardino Strait Attacks
• Toyoda’s plan worked since Halsey left San
Bernardino Strait opened.
• Kurita’s Center Force attempted to pass and
break through the landings.
• Halsey quickly heading back.

16. Battle off Samar
• October 25, 1944
• Kurita’s force confronted the 7th Fleet’s escort
carriers and destroyers at Off Samar (North of
Leyte)  they fought one another.
• Kurita realized that this was not Halsey’s force,
so he retreated.
• Because he afraid that he would likely be
attacked by the American aircraft if he kept on
fighting with 7th Fleet’s escorts.
• Kurita’s retreat ended the battle.

17. Significance
Japanese forces were defeated by the US
in these four battles.
The U.S. victory in the Battle of Leyte Gulf
had an impact on Japanese fleet.
It also destroyed Japanese supply lines
and accesses.

18. Primary Document:
Yamato (Battleship, 1941-1945) --
in the Battle of Leyte Gulf, 22-26 October 1944
• Yamato, along with her sister ship Musashi, were the largest battleships ever built in history. Her design plans were based upon Japan's belief that a powerful navy
sporting big guns were the key to control the Pacific by intimidation. Based on this philosophy, naval designer Captain Kikuo Fujimoto gave the original 1934 design of
the Yamato nine 18.1 inch guns, and made the hull versatile enough to be re-armed for larger guns later. Her massive guns dwarfed all other guns used in naval
warfare, with each turret weighing as much as a typical American destroyer. Unlike the American battleships whose width were limited due to the Panama Canal
restriction, the Yamato had the freedom to be equipped with some of the thickest armor on her two sides for unsurpassed protection. Her bow was also of a special
design, allowing this heavy hulk of a ship to travel up little above 27 knots. When Naoyoshi Ishida, an officer who served aboard the Yamato, first saw her, he thought
"How huge it is!" He recalled:
• "When you walk inside, there are arrows telling you which direction is the front and which is the back—otherwise you can't tell. For a couple of days I didn't even know
how to get back to my own quarters. Everyone was like that.... I knew it was a very capable battleship. The guns were enormous. Back then I really wanted to engage in
battle with an American battleship in the Pacific."
• On 20 October 1944, U.S. Forces landed on the Island of Leyte, the first of the Japanese-held Philippine Islands to be invaded. In response, the Japanese Navy activated
the complex "Sho-Go" Operation, in which several different surface and air forces would converge on the Philippines to try and drive off the Americans. As part of Vice
Admiral Takeo Kurita's Center Force, Yamato moved up to Brunei Bay, Borneo, to refuel and then steamed toward the operational area in company with four other
battleships, ten heavy cruisers and numerous other warships. On 23 October, while west of the Philippines, the Center Force was attacked by the U.S.
submarines Darter (SS-227) and Dace (SS-247). Three heavy cruisers were torpedoed and two sunk, including Kurita's flagship,Atago. The Admiral then moved
to Yamato, which served as his flagship for the rest of the operation.
• In the morning of 25 October, while off Samar, Kurita's Center Force encountered a U.S. Navy escort aircraft carrier task group. In a long running battle, in
which Yamato fired her big guns at enemy ships for the only time in her career, one U.S. carrier and three destroyers were sunk. Fiercely opposed by the escort
carriers' planes and the destroyers' guns and torpedoes, Vice Admiral Kurita lost three heavy cruisers, and his nerve. Though the way was almost clear to move onward
to Leyte Gulf, where a climactic battleship gunnery duel would have certainly resulted, he ordered his force to withdraw and return to Brunei Bay. That endedYamato's
participation in the last great naval battle of World War II, and marked the end of the Japanese Fleet as a major threat to Allied offensive operations in the Western
Pacific.
• This page features all our images of the Japanese battleship Yamato during the October 1944 Battle of Leyte Gulf.
• http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-fornv/japan/japsh-xz/yamato-k.htm
• http://ww2db.com/ship_spec.php?ship_id=1

19. Primary Document Summary
After the U.S. Forces landed on Island of Leyte, the
Japanese mobilized their forces and started the battle
with the U.S. The operation is called “Sho Go”. Vice
Admiral Takeo Kurita’s Center Force was attacked by the
U.S. submarines Darter and Dace. It sunk two Japanese
cruisers. Kurita later used Yamato, Japanese battleship, to
continue the operation.
On October 24, 1944, the Battle of Sibuyan Sea
caused the Japanese to lost Musashi, battleship, yet
Yamato survived the damages. Kurita retreated and went
disguised near San Bernardino Strait. And on October 25,
1944, Kurita lost Yamato battleship in the Battle off Samar.
It marked the end of the Japanese forces.

20. References
• "Japanese Navy Ships--Yamato (Battleship, 1941-1945)." Japanese Navy
Ships--Yamato (Battleship, 1941-1945). N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2013.
<http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-fornv/japan/japsh-xz/yamato-
k.htm>.
• "Leyte Campaign | Nihon Kaigun." Leyte Campaign | Nihon Kaigun. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2013.
<http://www.combinedfleet.com/battles/Leyte_Campaign>.
• Thor. "Battle of Leyte Gulf." History Wars Weapons. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Apr.
2013. <http://historywarsweapons.com/battle-of-leyte-gulf/>.
• Hickman, Kennedy. "World War II: Battle of Leyte Gulf." About.com
Military History. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2013.
<http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/worldwari1/p/leytegulf.htm>.