The Battle of Leyte Gulf

The Battle of Leyte Gulf (October 23-26, 1944) was the largest naval battle of World War II. It is also frequently considered the largest naval battle in history. Fought near the Philippine islands, the battle resulted in an Allied victory that secured MacArthur's invasion of the Philippines. It also marked the first time the Japanese used organized Kamikaze attacks.
Join us behind the scenes in the MacArthur Memorial Archives to learn more about this important battle.

[warrenmatha]

Wonderful presentation. My dad described to me how he and his fellow 5th Cavalry troopers fought their way to the top of a mountain just west of Tacloban and that overlooked the Tacloban airstrip in the distance. The night the US Navy "crossed the T" and destroyed the Japanese fleet in the Surigao Strait, he saw the flashes of the big guns and of the exploding ships far to the south. He said the southern sky lit up brighter than any lightening storm he had ever seen. Plus: They could hear the rumble of the guns and the explosions as the ships ignited as well. Of course, they had no idea what was going on---only that something major was happening far to the south. Later, they watched from the mountain top as the Navy pilots tried to land their planes at Tacloban airstrip. He described how he saw several navy planes tumble over after having been stuck in the mud upon trying to land. Tacloban proved to be the pilots' only alternative since their carriers had been so badly damaged. A witness to history for sure.

[karl-wilhelmwelteke]

Jim, really a great presentation, easy for a fellow like me to follow; a real good job!

[rsmenton]

Very well presented. Evans was amazing. He deserves special mention.

[MilBard]

The MacArthur Memorial has some of the best bumper music going for it's podcasts & videos.

[markabel]

Great review. Would like to hear more after-action analysis. 👍

[phillawreviewer]

Please make a video about the Suluan Raid.

Thank you and more power.

[lillyf]

I count 20 U.S. destroyers on the map. If they were all Fletcher Class Destroyers carrying 10 torpedoes each and they fired them all it would seem that the firepower from the U.S. Battleships was a bit redundant. The Fletcher Class Destroyer Melvin DD680 was credited with sinking the IJN Battleship Fuso and the Fletcher Class Destroyer Bennion was credited with sinking the IJN Battleship Yamashiro.

[andrewlloyd]

"I've read this book. Your conclusions are all wrong. Halsey acted stupidly."