1944 : U.S. forces land at Leyte Island in the Philippines

On this day in 1944, more than 100,000 American soldiers land on Leyte Island, in the Philippines, as preparation for the major invasion by Gen. Douglas MacArthur. The ensuing battles of Leyte Island proved among the bloodiest of the war in the Pacific and signaled the beginning of the end for the Japanese.

The Japanese had held the Philippines since May 1942, when the awful defeat of American forces led to General MacArthur's departure and General Wainwright's capture. MacArthur was back, as he promised, but his invasion of Luzon required a softening up of the enemy. Thus, the amphibious landing of the American forces at Leyte and the concomitant goal of destroying the Japanese fleet in the gulf was undertaken.

The Japanese anticipated the American landing by launching Operation Sho-Go, an attempt to divert the U.S. 3rd Fleet north and away from the fighting on the island. The Japanese fleet assembled was the largest ocean task force assembled during the war, including seven battleships, 11 heavy cruisers, and 19 destroyers. American submarines and aircraft carriers met the Japanese fleet and the Battle of Leyte Gulf began on October 23.

Meanwhile on Leyte Island, the American troops took on the Japanese garrison, which was composed of 80,000 soldiers. It took 67 days to subdue the island, with extraordinary acts of physical bravery and courage demonstrated on both sides. Even after the Americans had taken control of the island, Japanese soldiers who had been hidden away continued to emerge and fight on, preferring to die than surrender. All told, the Japanese lost more than 55,000 soldiers during the two months of battle and approximately another 25,000 in mopping up operations in early 1945. The U.S. forces lost about 3,500-compared with the Japanese loss of 80,000 total.

The sea battle of Leyte Gulf was the same story. The loss of ships and sailors was horrendous for both sides. The sinking of the American carrier Princeton resulted in the drowning deaths of 500 men. When the Japanese battleship Musashi was destroyed by a massive American aerial attack, more than 1,000 sailors died, including the captain who stood on his bridge and literally went down with his ship. Three days of sea battle saw the destruction of 36 Japanese warships-compared with America's three. It also saw the introduction of the Japanese kamikaze-"divine wind"--suicide bombers. The St. Lo, an American aircraft carrier, was one of the first casualties, when one kamikaze pilot drove his plane straight into its flight deck.

More than 5,000 kamikaze pilots died in this gulf battle-taking down 34 ships. But when all was said and done, the Japanese had not been able to prevent the loss of their biggest and best warships, signaling the virtual end of the Japanese Imperial Fleet. The American victory on land and sea opened the door for General MacArthur's invasion and the recapture of the Philippines.

One of the most moving stories in the battle of Leyte Gulf involes the men of the small US Naval force known as "Taffy 3", which consisted of only a few destroyer escorts and smaller carriers that were left to protect the landing forces after Admiral Halsey was lured away in pursuit of another target. I watched this story reenacted on the History channel yesterday, and it actually brought tears of pride to my eyes... This tiny group of American vessels engaged in a "Davy and Goliath" battle with a much larger and superior Japanese Battle group which had large battleships with 18 inch guns against the 5 inch guns and torpedoes of the destroyer escorts. Initially it looked as if the American ships would have to run for it, until one brave US Navy commander, acting on his own, turned his destroyer 180 degrees and attacked the larger enemy fleet! Soon the rest of the Americans followed suit, sacrificing themselves to save the men who had invaded the beaches. There's alot more to this story then I am going to mention here, but if you're looking for a Veteran's Day story to research (or just to feel good about) you might consider the battle of Leyte Gulf. To me it's one of many cases in WWII where Americans in small groups took the initiative and ended up winning the day and sending the enemy home with his tail between his legs! \

Jim

Another gallant effort by the American forces!