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Battle of Leyte Gulf, 1944 — historical photograph 10.5°N 125.5°E Pacific
1944 · 10.5°N 125.5°E

Battle of Leyte Gulf

Philippines · battle · Pacific

Briefing

Fought between 23 and 26 October 1944 across four separate engagements, Leyte Gulf was the largest naval battle in history and saw the first organised kamikaze attacks. The Imperial Japanese Navy committed nearly its entire remaining strength and was finished as a fighting force.

Books Covering This Event (9)

Popular History

Eagle Against the Sun cover
Eagle Against the Sun Ronald Spector · 1985

The classic single-volume history of the American war against Japan.

Intermediate
In Harm's Way cover
In Harm's Way Doug Stanton · 2001

The sinking of the USS Indianapolis and the five days her crew spent in shark-infested waters.

Accessible
The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors cover
The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors James Hornfischer · 2004

The story of a small American escort carrier group that took on the main Japanese fleet at the Battle off.

Accessible
Retribution: The Battle for Japan, 1944-45 cover
Retribution: The Battle for Japan, 1944-45 Max Hastings · 2007

The brutal final year of the Pacific War, from the Philippines to the atomic bombings.

Intermediate
The Conquering Tide cover
The Conquering Tide Ian Toll · 2015

The second volume of Toll's Pacific War Trilogy, covering the brutal middle years from Guadalcanal to the Marianas.

Intermediate
The Fleet at Flood Tide cover
The Fleet at Flood Tide James Hornfischer · 2016

America's war of annihilation in the Pacific, 1944-45 — Saipan, the Marianas Turkey Shoot, and the road to the bomb.

Intermediate
Twilight of the Gods cover
Twilight of the Gods Ian Toll · 2020

The final volume of the Pacific War Trilogy: Leyte Gulf, the kamikazes, Iwo Jima, Okinawa, and the bomb.

Intermediate

Historical Fiction

The Caine Mutiny cover
The Caine Mutiny Herman Wouk · 1951

Officers of a Pacific minesweeper relieve their unstable captain during a typhoon — and face court-martial for it.

Accessible
War and Remembrance cover
War and Remembrance Herman Wouk · 1978

The sequel to The Winds of War carries the Henry family from Pearl Harbor through Midway, Leyte Gulf, and Auschwitz.

Intermediate

Timeline Position

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