✦ History

Part of World War II, Pacific War

Battle of Leyte Gulf

October 23–26, 1944 · Leyte Gulf, Philippines

Result Allied victory

Naval battle fought 23–26 October 1944, the largest of World War II, involving over 200,000 naval personnel. With its fleet much weakened, Japan mobilized nearly all remaining major warships to repel the Allied invasion of the Philippines and deter an invasion of mainland Japan, but failed to achieve a strategic victory.

On the map Overview Contemporaries

Allies

Axis

United States
Australia
Japan
William Halsey Jr. military commander Thomas Cassin Kinkaid military commander Clifton Sprague military commander
Jisaburō Ozawa military commander Takeo Kurita military commander Soemu Toyoda military commander Shōji Nishimura military commander

Strength and losses

Aircraft
c. 1,500
Aircraft lost
255
Ships
c. 300
Ships lost
c. 2

Units

US Seventh Fleet off Vietnam United States Third Fleet Fast Carrier Task Force
Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service 5th Fleet (Imperial Japanese Navy) Combined Fleet First Mobile Fleet First Striking Force Yamato Japanese Third Fleet (1942) Kido Butai Japanese Second Fleet

Battles 1

Also involved 3