Leyte Gulf - USS Natoma Bay CVE-62

THE BATTLE FOR LEYTE GULF
From the Naval Academy ILLUSTRATED HISTORY of the UNITED
STATES NAVY, by E. B. Potter, published by The Crowell
Co., Inc. Copyrighted in 1971 by the author. This excerpt
is published here for the exclusive use of the Natoma Bay
Association for its LOGBOOK. (Pages 232-245).
The Invasion of Leyte
The formerly starveling U.S. Seventh Fleet, by
temporarily absorbing a large part of the U.S. Pacific
Fleet, had suddenly become the largest in the world, with
738 ships in the attack forces. From Manus and from
Hollandia and other New Guinea bases, the main elements of
this armada sortied between October 10 and 15, 1944, for the
invasion of Leyte.
The minesweepers, leading the way, arrived at the
entrance to Leyte Gulf early on the 17th and swept passages
to flanking islands, on which an attack group landed
Rangers. These commando-type troops were to seize or destroy
Japanese radar and radio installations that could detect and
report the approach of the invasion forces. The Rangers
succeeded, but not before the island lookouts had reported
to Admiral Toyoda, who guessed the meaning of these early
arrivals and set in motion an elaborate counterattack.
In the afternoon of the 18th, Admiral Oldendorf's
gunfire-support ships entered Leyte Gulf and began
bombarding the beaches, initially to cover the explorations
of underwater demolition teams, which found no mines or
underwater obstacles. Three escort carrier groups under Rear
Admiral Thomas L. Sprague patrolled outside the gulf,
supporting the assault by keeping local airfields pounded
down. Throughout the 19th the gunnery vessels fired almost
continuously at the shore. One destroyer was hit by coastdefense
guns.
On the morning of the 20th, Admiral Wilkinson's
Southern Attack Force led the way into the gulf and
anchored off Dulag, followed by Admiral Barbey's
Northern Attack Force, which anchored 17 miles to the
12 Leyte Gulf