The Battle of Leyte Gulf: October, 1944

Japan's fleet has been decimated over the past two years by fighting in the Solomons, the losses at Midway, and the loss of their remaining naval air forces during the Battle of the Philippine Sea. During an October 18, 1944 Headquarters Liasion meeting, it was requested that "the fleet be given a suitable place to die." When the United States invades the Philippines, the Japanese launch their final naval assault - effectively a massive naval kamikaze attack. Virtually every remaining ship in the Japanese fleet sails in Operation SHO-1 in an attempt to destroy the US invasion fleet in the Leyte Gulf. See the Flash animation for more.