Mark E. Stille, Leyte Gulf (Osprey, 2025)
The Battle of Leyte Gulf, fought in October 1944, was the largest sea battle in history, involving hundreds of ships and nearly 2,000 aircraft, though most of them on the US side. The scene was the Philippines, which the US intended to invade, and the Japanese had to defend at all costs. Stille points out that the battle consisted of a series of engagements over three days, and the outcome was decided by mistakes on both sides. The US split their fleet, which led to a communications breakdown, but the Japanese erred much more by joining battle in the first place, which was tantamount to a suicide mission. The resulting Japanese debacle left the US in charge of the Pacific. But, Stille notes, the battle is still controversial and obscured by myths. To dispel those myths is the purpose of his book.
Stille takes on the challenge of the purpose of the Japanese battle plan, which they thought they could win when every indicator was against them. The second myth is the role of Halsey in what some argue was an American military defeat – it was certainly not, argues Stille. Halsey famously broke off the main fleet to pursue a Japanese force to the north with his fleet. Many see that as foolish or an act of braggadocio, but Stille argues otherwise even though Halsey performed poorly in the battle that ensued. The third myth Stille explores is that the Japanese should have destroyed the US force known as Taffy 3 at the Battle of Samar, one of the Leyte Gulf engagements. Stille sees that as unreasonable. The Japanese commander at Samar, Kurita, should have then attacked into the gulf where the main invasion force lay, goes the next myth. Again, Stille argues in favour of Kurita. Moreover, Stille contends that even if Kurita had done so, it would not have impacted the American progress in the Philippines to any tangible effect. Stille highlights the engagement off Formosa as the preamble to Leyte Gulf and proposes that the Japanese defeat there made US victory at Leyte Gulf almost inevitable; a ‘maritime execution’, in Stille’s words, in which Japanese sailors ‘paid an appalling price for the vanity of their leaders’.
This is the paperback edition of Mark Stille’s analysis of the Battle of Leyte Gulf fought in October 1944. Stille takes a thematic approach, analysing the myths in turn. He goes into considerable detail on the significant engagements, and his willingness to take on the myths surrounding this battle sets up enough argument to keep any reader of the Pacific War on their toes. Stille has written an engaging text that will appeal to the novice and specialist alike.
