Battle of leyte gulf

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Battle of Leyte Gulf Bew MWH - C

Transcript of Battle of leyte gulf

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Battle of Leyte Gulf

Bew MWH - C

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7 Battles in Pacific Ocean

http://quikmaps.com/site/238710

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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.

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Battle of Leyte GulfAir battle and sea battle between:

Japanese Imperial

Navy

Allied (U.S. 3rd and 7th

Fleets)

Vs.

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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.

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“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.

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Japanese divided into separated forces:

Vice Admiral Jisaburo Ozawa

Northern Force

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Japanese divided into separated forces:

Vice Admiral Shoji NishimuraVice Admiral Kiyohide Shima (two fleets formed one force)

Southern Force

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Japanese divided into separated forces:

Vice Admiral Takeo Kurita

Center Force

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Battles #2 = Battle of Sibuyan Sea

#3 = Battle of Surigao Strait#4 = Battle off Samar#5 = Battle of Cape Engano

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Battle of Cape Engaño

• October 25, 1944• Ozawa’s Northern Force vs. U.S.• Ozawa’s four carriers were sunk.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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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.

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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>.