The Need for Organisational Resilience - Chapter 4

The landings, to be commenced on 17 th November, were supported by the amphibious and

surface forces of 7th Fleet, commanded by Vice Admiral Thomas C. Kinkaid. The 3rd US Fleet, with

its newest Iowa-class battleship and Essex-class carriers, provided mobile support to counter any

threat from the Japanese navy. In charge of this fleet was Admiral William F. Halsey (Jr). The overall

objectives were to succeed in the invasion of Leyte, and also to destroy any remaining surface forces

that might enter into Leyte Gulf.

Of great significance was the extent to which these commanders received and established their

autonomy. Kinkaid reported to MacArthur, whereas Halsey answered to the Commander in Chief,

Pacific Ocean Areas, Chester Nimitz − a complex hierarchical structure that later led to delays and

ambiguity in communication.

The Japanese were out for a decisive battle, staking their remaining forces on dealing a final blow

to the American Navy. Steaming down the South China Sea, they would venture into Leyte Gulf. They

would take out the protective forces covering the invasion, and then bear down on the relatively

unprotected landing forces. Their plan included a complex three-pronged attack to enter Leyte Gulf.

From the north, Ozawa’s depleted carrier fleet – with very few planes and largely untrained pilots −

would lure away any American carrier force or battleship group that may jeopardise the successful

entry into Leyte Gulf. In the south, Admiral Nishimura’s and Admiral Shima’s surface fleet, consisting

of battleships Fusō and Yamashiro as well as four cruisers and eleven destroyers, steamed through

the Surigao Strait. The ‘Center Force’, which was to sail through the San Bernadino Strait, was

commanded by Vice Admiral Takeo Kurita, comprising the 64,000t super-battleships Yamato and

Musashi, as well as the Nagato, Kongō, and Haruna, supported by ten cruisers and thirteen

destroyers.

On 17 th October, the largest fleet of naval vessels ever assembled entered Leyte Gulf. The

beaches and rear areas had suffered two days of continuous ship- and plane-based bombardment by

Kinkaid’s invasion fleet. The opposition to the first waves of landings was light, and a beachhead was

widened and secured quickly. MacArthur, following the first assault wave, waded ashore and

announced the liberation of the Philippines in his distinctive fashion:

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