The Battle of Leyte Gulf: The Last Fleet Action

H. P. Willmot

Society for Military History Distinguished Book Award

Narrated by Jim Seitz

Available from Audible

Book published by Indiana University Press

The Battle of Leyte Gulf was the greatest naval engagement in history. The battle was four separate actions, none of which were fought in the Gulf itself, and the result was the destruction of Japanese naval power in the Pacific. This book is a detailed and comprehensive account of the fighting from both sides. It provides the context of the battle, most obviously in terms of Japanese calculations and the search for "a fitting place to die" and "the chance to bloom as flowers of death." Using Japanese material never previously noted in western accounts, H. P. Willmott provides new perspectives on the unfolding of the battle and very deliberately seeks to give readers a proper understanding of the importance of this battle for American naval operations in the following month. This careful interrogation of the accounts of "the last fleet action" is a significant contribution to military history.

REVIEWS:

“Deliciously provocative interpretation of the nature of the conflict and the reasons for American victory.”

—International Journal of Maritime History

“An outstanding book which can be appreciated by naval historians and those who have a general interest in the subject.”

—Journal of Military History

“An outstanding contribution to the military and naval history of our times.”

—Lisle A. Rose, World War II Quarterly

“The Battle of Leyte Gulf is an outstanding addition to a Pacific library.”

—Paper Wars

“These pages provide the reader a veritable wealth of information. The book is a valuable addition in the historiography of the Battle of Leyte Gulf specifically and to naval history and World War Two in general. It will certainly become a classic.”

—Canadian Naval Review