The battle of Leyte Gulf : the last fleet action / H.P. Willmott.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Willmott, H. P.

Series:

Twentieth-century battles

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Leyte Gulf, Battle of, Philippines, 1944.

Physical Description:

xii, 398 pages : illustrations, maps ; 25 cm.

Place of Publication:

Bloomington : Indiana University Press, [2005]

Summary:

The battle of Leyte Gulf was the greatest naval battle in modern history. This book is a detailed and comprehensive account of the fighting from both sides on 24-25 October 1944. It provides the context of the battle, most obviously in terms of Japanese calculations and the search for "a fitting place to die" and "the chance to bloom as flowers of death," as well as a comprehensive discussion of the events leading up to and following the battle.

Using Japanese material never previously noted in Western accounts, H. P. Willmott provides new perspectives on the unfolding of the battle and deliberately seeks to give readers a proper understanding of the importance of this battle for American naval operations in the following month. The book also deals with such vexed questions as the conduct and decisions of the two fleet commanders, Halsey and Kurita, during this battle and raises questions that are certain to provoke controversy.

By any standard, the battle of Leyte Gulf was an enormous undertaking. The battle was in fact four separate actions, none of which was fought in the Gulf itself. There were more units giving battle than any naval engagement in history with the possible exception of Jutland. The area of deployment was immense, covering an area greater than France, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, and Austria combined; the area of operations was only slightly smaller than the British Isles. Though the battle was fought after the issue of victory and defeat at sea had been decided, it was nevertheless an overwhelming victory for the American naval forces. So devastating was the Japanese defeat that in the following month the American forces sank more warships and three times the service and merchant shipping than during the battle itself.

For naval historians both professional and amateur, The Battle of Leyte Gulf will serve as a careful interrogation of the accounts of "the last fleet action" and a significant contribution to the naval history of the Second World War.

Contents:

The nature of war and of victory

The option of difficulties: the American situation in the aftermath of the victory in the Philippine Sea

The search for solutions

Preliminaries, 6-18 october 1944

Advance and contact, 18-24 october 1944

The great day of wrath, 25 october 1944

The naval battle for the Philippines

To pause and consider.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [373]-381) and index.

ISBN:

0253345286

OCLC:

57434383