The Battles of Leyte Gulf
There were four battles in the Battle of Leyte Gulf.
- The Battle of the Sibuyan Sea
- The Battle of Surigao Strait
- The Battle off Samar
- The Battle of Cape Engano
"When Halsey got word of the fast-approaching Japanese fleet, he launched his Hellcat fighters against it in what turned into a furious, day-long air battle. The Japanese got the worst of it. One of their land-based bombers destroyed the light carrier Princeton, but Kurita lost the massive Musashi, which was ripped apart by nineteen torpedo and seventeen bomb hits and finally rolled over and sank, taking with her half her crew of 2,300 men." - D-Days of the Pacific by Donald L. Miller
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"About 3:00 A.M. on the 25th, Rear Admiral Oldendorf, commander of Kinkaid's six battleships, ordered "Commence firing!" The destroyers steamed toward the enemy ships and fired their torpedos. Incandescent flashes lighted Surigao Strait as the torpedos struck home. The crusiers, ranged on opposite sides of the trap, opened fire on the Japanese caught between them." - D-Days of the Pacific by Donald L. Miller
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"... I heard what seemed like a big bore rifle shot next to my left ear. I looked and saw a salvo of heavy calibre stuff splashing alongside the USS White Plains. Until that instant, I had no idea the enemy was so near!" -Captain Edward J. Huxtable
"Heavy Japanese crusiers sank one American escort carrier and hit others with crushing fire, while battleships put down two destroyers and one destroyer escort. But just as Kurita seemed on the brink of victory he turned and headed back toward San Bernardino Strat after losing his third heavy crusier from air and destroyer attacks." - D-Days of the Pacific by Donald L. Miller
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"At 0800 according to the pilots, 0830 according to Ozawa, the strike came in. Helldivers first, fighter planes next as they overshot, and Avengers last, releasing their torpedos from 700 to 1000 feet, at ranges from 1400 to 1600 yards." - Leyte by Samuel Eliot Morison
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