European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 17, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                America rules the Waves Battle of Leyte Gulf turns Pacific into . Lake by Sid Moody i the associated press history s largest sea Battle was launched in desperation a by Japan. It was a it cataclysmic defeat a for Japan. The Battle of Leyte Culf in october 1944 was to have fulfilled japanese plans dating Back to 1907 to annihilate the american Navy in a climactic Battle. The Long standing plans were conditional. The Surprise attack on Pearl Harbor made War Between the two Pacific Powers a reality. Twice Japan tried to lure the . Fleet to its destruction. The first attempt in june 1942 at Midway was a disastrous defeat that Cost Japan four aircraft carriers and unappreciated at the time marked the High water Mark of japanese aggression in the Pacific. The second try it at the american invasion of Saipan in june 1944, became what the americans called the great Marianas Turkey shoot Japan lost two carriers and More than 400 planes and their irreplaceable pilots. Its Navy a dwindling Force the japanese gambled on a final try coincident with the . Invasion of the philippine Island of Leyte that october. Like the earlier japanese efforts the plan fatally divided the attacking Fleet Over too vast an expanse of Ocean and required almost Ballet like precision All but impossible under the conditions the japanese called it Sho go a operation Victory. Two fleets under vice admirals Shoji Nishimura and Kiyohide Shima were to sortie through sur Iago Strait South of Leyte. To the North a Fleet led by vice adm. Takeo Kurita would charge through san Bernardino Strait. Then the combined Force would descend like wolves on the fold  vulnerable invasion Fleet of Gen. Douglas Macarthur. Key to the operation was yet another Fleet the carriers of vice adm. Jisaburo Ozawa which was to lure the  3rd Fleet of adm. William f. Quot Bull Quot Halsey away from Leyte by mane vering hundreds of Miles to the North off the philippine Island of Luzon. Kurita s Force came  the world s two most powerful battleships Yamato and Musashi armed with unequalled 18-Inch guns. All that Ozawa had was what remained of his Navy s air Power four carriers with Only 12q planes. Adm. Chester Nimitz s Pacific command had upward of too carriers of All sizes. Ozawa was close to being a sacrificial Goat but the japanese Warrior code of Bushido put death before Dishonour. Macarthur in fulfilling his pledge to Quot return Quot to the Philippines which he had left in Ignominy Early in the War As the japanese overran Bataan had fought Long and hard up the new Guinea coast. His original Landing Point in the Philippines was. To have been the Southern Island of Mindanao. But a downed Pilot who had been rescued a told Halsey that Leyte was almost undefended. So on oct. 20,1944, four army divisions invaded Leyte and fought Inland against increasingly heavy enemy resistance in a rain soaked Jungle Battle that lasted Tor 1 months. A. A 1 the japanese army command was hardly on speaking terms with the Imperial Navy holding it responsible for failing to keep americans Island by Island Advance at Bay. \ without closely coordinating with the Navy the army changed its strategy of focusing on the defense of Luzon and began moving reinforcements to Leyte. Sho go As revised poured 70,000 men into Leyte. Only 5,000 survived. With fewer than 100 planes on hand vice adm. Takin Iraq onishi of the 1st air Fleet in the Philippines Felt there was Only one option. Quot conventional methods of warfare Are no longer adequate. Since death is the inevitable Fate of our Young eagles they should be allowed to die in the most worthwhile  by crashing their bomb Laden planes into Allied warships. Kamikazes. But the Battle of Leyte Gulf had already Macie Japan s cause desperate. Sho go began to come unglued on oct. 22, two nights after the Landing when . Submarines Darter and  Dace spotted Kurita sleet and Sank two w Wii cruisers. Kurita resigned in Advance to losing an expected Haff of his ships pressed on. The next Day american planes swarmed Over the battleship Musashi like locusts. Hit by 19, torpedoes and 17 bombs the supposedly unsinkable super dreadnought majestically turned Turtle and Sank with half its 2,400-Man Crew but Kurita still had four battleships eight cruisers and 11 destroyers. And Halsey had taken the bait. When scout planes spotted Ozawa s tempting flattops Halsey took off with his battleships and carriers. Quot i thought adm. Halsey was making one hell of a mistake Quot said rear adm. Gerald Bogan. A left to defend the Northern approach to the beachhead was rear adm. Clifton Quot Ziggy Quot Sprague s eggshell Taffy Iii task Force of six Small Quot jeep Quot carriers and seven shepherding destroyers. When Kurita appeared in the morning Mist Sprague decided his Only recourse was to attack. 50. Anniversary series Good to his word Gen doughs Macarthur Center fulfils his pledge and returns to the Philippines As he wades ashore Leyte Island in october 1944, shortly before the sea Battle was launched. The destroyers darted in and out of smoke screens at the enemy firing torpedoes As they came and in turn being battered by 14-Incb battleship shells Quot like a Puppy being hit by a  destroyer Johnston skippered by cmdr. Ernest e. Evans a Cherokee Indian kept coming until it was pummelled beneath the Waves. Luckily Sprague s ships were so thinly armoured the japanese shells crashed right through them before exploding. But two carriers St. To and Gambier Bay were less fortunate and were sunk. With Victory at hand and the defenceless transports just ahead Kurita his Battle line in disarray from the charging destroyers unaccountably faltered it then turned Tail possibly unaware Halsey had left Quot god Damn it boys they re getting away Quot shouted a cocky signalman of Sprague s cracked but still fighting Fleet. A a a a a to the South rear adm. Jesse Oldendorf had set a trap of his own at the Mouth of sur Iago Strait. It was Sweet revenge five of his six old battleships had risen from the mud of Pearl Harbor to fight again. Oldendorf tactical commander in adm. Thomas a Kinkaid s 7th Fleet knew the japanese were coming and lined up his warships across the Mouth of the Strait to bring his broadsides to Bear. As the enemy emerged from the Strait into Leyte Gulf they completed the classic naval Man Euver of Quot crossing the to Quot All Oldendorf s guns firing against Only the Forward guns of the japanese. Aided by Superior radar and carrying it boats the cruisers and the old ladies from Pearl Harbor destroyed the two successive japanese fleets. Halsey meanwhile was in the process of sinking four of Ozawa s carriers when he received an urgent command from Nimitz to return to Leyte. The message came coded with throwaway phrases fore and aft of the contents to throw off decoders Quot Turkey trots to water. Where repeat where is task Force 34? the world  thinking the last phrase a slur Halsey exploded. Nimitz later chewed out the encoder but he headed Back to Leyte at flank Speed his Chance to wipe out Ozawa lost. Quot i turned my Back on the Opportunity i had. Dreamed of since i was a Cadet. Quot but Quot Bull s run Quot As it became known and Oldendorf s t had finished the japanese Navy As an effective Force. The japanese had lost four carriers three battleships six cruisers and 12 destroyers compared with three . Light carriers and three destroyers. Japan s last remaining weapon at sea was the suicide plane and the kamikazes took a fearsome toll from Leyte Onward. But the Pacific Ocean had become an american Lake. Troops of the 1st cavalry div backed up by a tank begin driving the japanese from their coastal defences on Leyte Island on oct. 29, 1944. At left part of the american Armada that Defeated Japan s Navy sits off Luzon Island As . Navy planes keep a watch overhead. The veterans return world War ii veterans and government officials Are to return to Leyte Island on thursday for celebrations commemorating the oct. 20, 1944, Landing on the Island which began the liberation of the Philippines from the japanese. A a a a a. Top officials and diplomats from a dozen nations Are coming to Honor the sacrifice of americans filipinos and others during the fighting 50 years ago. Six . Navy ships carrying 4,164 sailors and marines will re enact the Landing. Defense Secretary William Perry is to head the american delegation Australia which had troops in the invasion will Send its defense minister. Among those to be honoured will be the filipinos who had a unique role during the War. The Philippines were both an asian land and an american territory a self governing us. Commonwealth. The presence of . Forces made the Philippines an Early Battle of Leyte Gulf target of Japan which invaded shortly after Pearl Harbor. Japanese troops Defeated a .-filipino Force in May 1942 in the Battles of Bataan and  tried to exploit the not always smooth relations Between the United states and its Colony where . Troops crushed a filipino Independence movement Early in the Century after seizing the islands from Spain in 1898. Japanese leaders told filipinos they had come to drive out westerners and establish an Quot Asia for  members of the filipino elite such As former president Corazon Aquino s father in Law benign Aquino sr., rallied to Japan s Standard. But Many More filipinos joined guerrilla forces at great personal risk and remained Loyal to Washington. They were convinced that despite Early defeats the americans would someday return. A the associated press oct. 23-25, 1944 from Japan series of events on oct. 23, two american submarines Lound the japanese 1st sinking Force near the Island of Palawan they attacked and Sank two heavy cruisers. On oct. 24, the americans attacked the 1st sinking Force with earner aircraft As it passed through the Ibuyan sea. Damage was sustained but the Lorce carried on. A o on oct. 25, the japanese Southern Force attempted to Lorce a Way. Through the Surigao Strait. Here it was met by a group of battleships cruisers destroyers and it boats which inflicted severe damage on the Southern Force. This. Action became known As the Battle of Surigao Strait. A next the Battle off Samar took place As the 1st striking Force cleared the san Bernadino Strait on the. Morning of the 25th and ran up against a far lighter american Force of escort carriers and destroyers. The american ships forced a japanese withdrawal losses to themselves. Though with heavy la the final action the Battle of Cape Engano took place to the North,.where the japanese Carrier Force was caught by american earner planes. Heavily damaged the japanese were saved from total annihilation when the battleships of task Force 34 were ordered Back to support the 7th Fleet source Allas of world War two  i of the stars and stripes monday october 17, 1994 the stars and stripes 17