Special: Battle of Leyte Gulf

FoxWMB · Oct 22, 2013

Special: Battle of Leyte Gulf | Announcements | World of Warplanes

Pilots,
This mid-week historical special is dedicated to the Battle of Leyte Gulf, probably the biggest naval battle of World War II. In October 1944, this massive clash in the Philippines between US and Japanese Empire forces largely determined the outcome of the war in the South Pacific. Today, we honour the memory of the brave men and women who fought and died in this encounter by telling you their story.
Log into the game and make full use of the following bonuses this week:

50% Discount on both credit and gold consumables
If you always thought that an Automatic Fire Extinguisher was nothing more than a gimmick for which you never quite had the cash, then now is your chance to try it out and see the error of your ways!

20% higher credit income on all Tier IV and V aircraft in the game
You wouldnâ€™t let your guns run out of bullets, would you? Do your wallet the same courtesy by keeping it loaded with shiny credits!

The special runs from Wednesday, October 23rd 08:00 CEST (GMT+2) until Saturday, October 26th 07:30 CEST.

After their initial success at Guadalcanal in 1942 and subsequent advance in the first Battle in the Philippines around the Northern Mariana Islands in the summer of 1944, the Americans had established a dominant position in the South Pacific. Having suffered painful losses, the Imperial Japanese Navy was largely depleted of capable ships, aircraft and pilots. It was forced to retreat and assume a defensive position, trying to save what little it had left. To add insult to injury, Japanese forces relied heavily on their established supply routes from captured territories on the Philippines and Taiwan. These became increasingly difficult to defend against the well-supplied U.S. forces.
Knowing they had their opponent on the ropes, President Roosevelt and his trusted military advisers decided to attack the weakest link in the Japanese defence line. General Douglas MacArthur was designated to lead the charge and overtake the Central Philippine Islands by launching an amphibious attack on Leyte Island. The landings were backed by the 7th Fleet under the command of Vice Admiral Thomas Kinkaid and the 3rd Fleet under the command of Admiral William Halsey. The Fleets were supposed to circle the gulf and provide air support with their prolific F4F and F4U fighters.
Although the Japanese leadership knew that their naval forces couldnâ€™t match the American juggernaut, they felt that they had no other choice but to try to repel the invasion. Retreating from the Philippines would have meant a slow but inevitable defeat. Blinded by propaganda about the strength of their own spirit, the Japanese hoped to overcome the numerical and technological odds and stop the Americans in their tracks. This would give them more favourable conditions to open the door for an honourable peace. So they mustered up all their available battleships, carriers, aircraft and military personnel and met the U.S. fleet in the Gulf of Leyte with full force.
The action began on October 23rd and lasted four days. There were four major battles, involving over 200 warships, thousands of planes and more than 200,000 sailors and airmen. The Japanese managed to sink a couple of U.S. ships â€“ mostly by using desperate kamikaze attacks, which were employed for the first time during this conflict. However, they failed to inflict enough damage to stop the American advance. Being severely outnumbered, the Japanese lost 4 aircraft carriers, 3 battleships, 8 cruisers, 12 destroyers, almost 400 planes, and 10,000 men. At the same time, Allied losses were much lighter â€“ 3 carriers, 3 destroyers and 200 planes, with a total of around 2,500 casualties.
The Battle of Leyte Gulf was the last straw for the once mighty Imperial Japanese Navy. After this third failed attempt to turn the course of the war in the South Pacific, it never sailed to sea again in comparable force. Most of what remained of the Japanese fleet, deprived of fuel, remained in its bases until the end of the war.

We hope you learn your lesson from the Japanese and donâ€™t kamikaze yourself in the game, Pilots!
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