511, Cutler, Thomas J., The Battle of Leyte Gulf: 23–26 October 1944, Naval Institute Press, 2001, p.52. Battle of Leyte Gulf: The Largest Sea Battle of the Second World War (Images of War) [2]:232,251, Meanwhile, on the western side of Leyte, the XXIV Corps received reinforcements on 7 December with the landing of the 77th Infantry Division under Maj. Gen. Andrew D. Bruce south of Ormoc City. [2]:35 On Dinagat and Homonhom, the Rangers proceeded to erect navigation lights for the amphibious transports to follow. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. 1st Cavalry Division troops reached the coast on 28 December[2]:295 as 24th Division units cleared the last enemy positions from the northwest corner of Leyte on the same day and two days later met patrols of the 32nd Division. Lieutenant General Walter Krueger, X Army Corps (Northern Landing Area) After days and nights of hard fighting and killing some 800 Japanese, the 19th and 34th Infantry Regiments expanded their beachhead and took control of the high ground commanding the entrance to the northern Leyte Valley. 11/29/1944 Hollandia, New Guinea Departed 11/29/1944 CTF-79 Secret despatch #280856 and CTU-76.4.7 secret movement order No. 日本語: レイテ湾海戦（ レイテ沖海戦 ）とは1944年10月23日から26日にかけて日本海軍とアメリカ海軍の … The Battle of Leyte Gulf cost the Imperial Japanese Navy heavily, effectively destroying it as an offensive force. Gen. Walter Krueger’s Sixth Army were ashore by the end of the first day, but the Japanese had already put in motion a plan that was designed to drive the U.S. from the Philippines and potentially turn the tide in the Pacific. Japanese losses in the campaign were heavy, with the army losing four divisions and several separate combat units, while the navy lost 26 major warships and 46 large transports and hundreds of merchant ships. The Japanese responded to the American landings with Sho-Go (Victory Operation), a plan to decoy the U.S. Third Fleet north, away from the San Bernardino Strait, while converging three forces on Leyte Gulf to attack the landing; the First Attack Force, under Vice Adm. Kurita Takeo, was to move from the north across the Sibuyan Sea through the San Bernardino Strait, with the Second Attack Force, under Vice Adm. Shima Kiyohide, and C Force, under Vice Adm. Nishimura Shōji, moving from the south across the Mindanao Sea through the Surigao Strait. The 21st RCT pulled out from the Panaon area to rejoin the 24th Division and were replaced by a battalion of the 32nd Infantry. The battle occurred in reaction to and defense of the Allied invasion of Leyte. The Battle of Leyte Gulf was fought from October 23-26 1944 and was the largest naval battle of World War II. Corrections? The battle cost the IJN most of its remaining warships, including 3 battleships, one of which was the huge Musashi, 6 heavy and 4 light cruisers, and 9 destroyers, in addition to its remaining carriers. Interpreting “the world wonders” as a stinging rebuke from the commander of the Pacific Fleet, an insulted Halsey at last dispatched an air strike to harass the already retiring Japanese central force. While Gen. Arnold moved closer to Ormoc, on 6 December, the Japanese made a surprise attack on the Buri Airfield with the 16th, combined with 250 paratroopers of the 2nd Raiding Brigade, the Takachiho Paratroopers. After five days of battling against seemingly impregnable hill positions and two nights of repulsing enemy counterattacks proved fruitless, Irving decided on a double envelopment of the enemy defenders. [2]:239,360 Supported by the newly arrived 306th Infantry Regiment, plus the 902nd and 305th Field Artillery Battalions, Gen. Bruce's troops pushed through and beyond Camp Downes on 9 Dec, and entered Ormoc City on 10 December. On 3 November, the 34th Infantry Regiment moved out from west of Carigara to sweep the rest of the northern coast before turning south into the mountains. Controlling it was vital for Japan's survival in World War II because it commanded sea routes to Borneo and Sumatra by which rubber and petroleum were shipped to Japan. [2]:232 The 11th Airborne Division, supported by the 149th Infantry, 38th Infantry Division, and the 382nd Infantry, 96th Infantry Division, plus hastily mustered groups of support and service troops, eventually contained the attack, and turned the tide by 9 Dec.[2]:230–231 With a few American supply dumps and aircraft on the ground destroyed and construction projects delayed, the enemy attacks on the airfields failed to have any effect on the overall Leyte Campaign. At 10:00 am Nimitz himself sent what would become one of the most famous radio messages of the entire war: “WHERE IS RPT WHERE IS TASK FORCE THIRTY FOUR RR THE WORLD WONDERS.” The last three words were meant to serve as meaningless padding to deter Japanese code breakers and should have been stripped from the final message, but they were included in the printout that was given to Halsey. Simultaneously two battalions each from the 381st Infantry Regiment and 383rd Infantry Regiments slowly advanced up opposite sides of Catmon Hill and battled the fierce Japanese resistance. [2]:147 Both battalions reached positions only about 1,000 yd (910 m) apart on opposite sides of the highway by 13 November despite strong opposition and heavy rains. [2]:182 On the night of 23 November the 32nd Infantry suddenly came under attack by the Japanese 26th Division along the Palanas River. A more serious danger to the US forces developed at sea. Browse. This plan had to overcome significant resistance from within the American high command, however. Early in the day, a 550-pound (220-kg) bomb from a Japanese dive-bomber penetrated the flight deck of the light carrier USS Princeton and ignited a series of fires on the decks below. Moreover, the seizure of Leyte would bypass and isolate Japanese forces on Mindanao. [2]:39 X Corps pushed across a 4 mi (6.4 km) stretch of beach between Tacloban airfield and the Palo River. But even that sector was secure enough by 13:30 to allow Gen. MacArthur to make a dramatic entrance[15] through the surf onto Red Beach[2]:47–48 and announce to the populace the beginning of their liberation: "People of the Philippines, I have returned! [2]:189 That night, the night of 24 November, Japanese attacks put four 105 mm (4.1 in) pieces of Battery B out of action. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Ernest J. A typhoon began on 8 November, and the heavy rain that followed for several days further impeded American progress. [citation needed], Gen. Krueger planned a giant pincer operation to clear Ormoc Valley, with X Corps forces moving south, and XXIV Corps units pushing north from Baybay. Kurita’s First Attack Force, having passed through the San Bernardino Strait, moved southward along the coast of Samar. Register. On their return trip, they would evacuate the casualties. MacArthur was given overall command of the Leyte operation, and Nimitz provided strong naval support from the U.S. Pacific Fleet. the Second Battle of the Philippine Sea) was fought in the Pacific Theater during World War II and was one of the largest naval battles in modern history. [18], Although poorly coordinated – only one battalion of the Japanese 26th Infantry Division reached the battlefield – the enemy attack yielded the seizure of some abandoned weapons which they managed to use against the Americans over the next four days. This final stage of the Battle of Leyte Gulf has been derisively termed “Bull’s Run.”. [2]:115 The fresh regiment, with the 19th Infantry's 3rd Battalion attached, immediately ran into strong defenses of the newly arrived Japanese 1st Division, aligned from east to west across the road and anchored on a network of fighting positions built of heavy logs and interconnecting trench lines and countless spider holes, which became known as "Breakneck Ridge" to the Americans, or the "Yamashita Line" to the Japanese. He repeatedly stated that it was a moral obligation of the U.S. to liberate the Philippines as soon as possible. [2]:233 The 77th Division's 305th and 307th Infantry Regiments came ashore at 0700 unopposed, supported by a company from the 776th Amphibian Tank Battalion. The 727th Amphibian Tractor Battalion made daily, often multiple, trips with ammunition and rations between Capoocan and Calubian. The Battle for Leyte Gulf was the greatest naval battle of the Second World War. On 24 October, some 200 enemy aircraft approached American beachheads and shipping from the north. Battle of Leyte Gulf, (October 23–26, 1944), decisive air and sea battle of World War II that crippled the Japanese Combined Fleet, permitted U.S. invasion of the Philippines, and reinforced the Allies’ control of the Pacific. S01:E09 - Battle of Leyte Gulf Fought in the seas surround the island of Leyte in the Philippines from 23 October to 26 October 1944, this battle cut Japan off from her Southeast Asian colonies and therefore all of Japan's oil. With little more than a token combat air patrol to defend it, the Japanese fleet quickly became prey to U.S. bombs and torpedoes. [2]:242 With Ormoc City captured, the XXIV Corps and X Corps were only 16 mi (26 km) apart. Ronald Spector: Eagle Against the Sun pg. The operation, codenamed King Two,[11] launched the Philippines campaign of 1944–45 for the recapture and liberation of the entire Philippine Archipelago and to end almost three years of Japanese occupation. [2]:226–228 At the time, the 11th Airborne Division, commanded by General Joseph May Swing defended the Burauen area. Contact between patrols of the 12th Cavalry and the 77th Division's 306th Infantry on 21 December marked the juncture of the US X and XXIV Corps and the closing of the Sixth Army's pincer maneuver against Ormoc Valley. When dawn broke, the submarines made visual contact with the lead elements of the Japanese force and launched torpedoes. Clifford's outfit suffered 26 killed, 101 wounded and two missing, in contrast to 900 Japanese dead. Japan’s total losses in the Battle of Leyte Gulf amounted to 3 battleships, 1 large carrier, 3 light carriers, 6 heavy cruisers, 4 light cruisers, and 11 destroyers. Hand-to-hand combat and the inspiring leadership of Medal of Honor awardee Captain Robert B. Nett cleared the enemy from the blockhouse area, while the leading Company, E, of the 2nd Battalion, 305th Infantry moved forward through intense fire and killed several Japanese soldiers. [2]:54, General Makino spent the day moving his command post from Tacloban, 10 mi (16 km) inland to the town of Dagami. The secret "Ultra" estimates were not available to the Soviets, but were given to them by members of Australian Foreign Minister Evatt’s staff.[19].