Leyte Gulf, Battle of
Leyte Gulf, Battle of (1944).Leyte Gulf—23–25 October 1944—the largest naval battle in history, was precipitated by the U.S. invasion of the Philippines during World War II. Carrying out the landings at Leyte were the amphibious ships of the Seventh Fleet commanded by Vice Adm. Thomas C. Kinkaid; providing cover against the Japanese Imperial Navy were the fast carriers and battleships of the Third Fleet under Adm. William F. Halsey. This divided American command, with no common superior nearer than Washington, afforded the weaker Imperial Fleet an opportunity.
Operation Sho‐I, a typically complex Japanese plan, called for closely coordinated movements by four separate forces. To lure Halsey's Third Fleet away, the Japanese dangled far to the north four aircraft carriers, which had lost most of their planes in...
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