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Often overshadowed by other Pacific War
engagements such as Midway or Guadalcanal, the Battle of Leyte Gulf
was characterized by some of the most gallant hours in seagoing history:
the U.S. Navy's defeat of the combined Japanese fleet during the invasion
of the Philippines in October 1944. Involving more ships than even the
gargantuan First World War Battle of Jutland and two hundred thousand men,
it was the biggest naval battle in world history. It was the last time that huge capital ships fought
within sight and sound of each other. Using the personal accounts of the
men who were there, Sears tells this mammoth and compelling story.
The Battle of Leyte Gulf could have been the
Pacific War's Battle of the Bulge. In a space of twelve hours, Japan, a
beaten, cornered enemy, was able to devise and execute a strategy that
very nearly pierced the heart of America's war machine. The real margin of
victory would come from surprising quarters: from aging ships risen from
the graveyard of the war's infamous first day; from small, hastily
constructed ships with largely untested reserve crews; from fragile
support ships never intended to be anywhere near battles of this scale;
and from combat aircraft piloted by teenagers.
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Galleries - We've organized information concerning
the ships, units, sailors and airmen involved into separate web pages
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U.S. ships and air squadrons
- links to gallery pages for individual units. Each gallery contains a
profile of a ship or unit (or an excerpt from the book) along with photo images supplied by veterans and
family members.
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Honors
- Honors is a series of galleries, organized by type of award (e.g.
Silver Star, Bronze Star etc.) which profile award recipients. These galleries include
recipient photos as well as excerpts from the citations accompanying the
award.
Follow this link to the Honors main page and then link to individual
Honors pages.
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Taps - The Taps gallery honors
recently departed veterans who participated in the engagements and battles
covered by our books.
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