Last Epic Naval Battle

By October, 1944, Japan’s once-mighty naval power was almost extinguished. But during the American invasion of the Phillipines, the Japanese gathered and combined their forces in one last desperate bid for victory. Against them stood the Pacific Fleet of the United States Navy.

With more ships engaged than there were even in the gargantuan World War I Battle of Jutland-and 200,000 men fighting on the sea and in the air- the Battle of Leyte Gulf was a hellish cacophony of cannon fire, murderous strafing airplanes, and deadly explosions. By no means was a victory certain, with the Japanese devising and executing a daring strategy that nearly pierced the heart of America’s war machine until they were finally defeated by their relentless and determined foe.

Here, in the words of the men who were there, are the dramatic accounts of what really happened at Leyte. Though often overshadowed by other Pacific War engagements, such as Midway or Guadalcanal, the Battle of Leyte Gulf was, and remains, the largest battle in the history of naval warfare. 258 pages PB