The Battle of Leyte Gulf began 75 years ago today...

The last great naval battle in history just also happened to be the largest naval battle in recorded history. The Imperial Japanese Fleet, in a desperate gamble to destroy the U.S. fleet and stop the U.S. invasion of the Philippines, attacked off Leyte Island from October 23-26, 1944. The battle involved nearly 400 total warships and over 200,000 naval personnel and had a little bit of everything: carrier operations, submarine warfare, kamikaze suicide attacks, as well as battleship v. battleship action.

In the end, despite some questionable tactical decisions by Admiral "Bull" Halsey, the United States and her Allies emerged victorious in the Battle of Leyte Gulf. The Japanese fleet was virtually destroyed, losing a fleet carrier, three light carriers, three battleships, 10 cruisers, and 11 destroyers. The U.S., by comparison, lost a light carrier, two escort carriers, two destroyers, and a destroyer escort.

Battleship Yamato after being hit by an aerial bomb


Battleship Musashi under aerial attack


USS Princeton explodes


USS West Virginia fires on the Japanese fleet in a night action


St. Lo explodes after kamikaze strike


Japanese carriers dodge bombs during a U.S. dive bombing run