Leyte Gulf - USS Natoma Bay CVE-62

Fortunately for us, we were in the middle group. The group
to our north was caught at dawn by the enemy and had no time
to launch a properly armed defensive force of planes. The
group to our south was too far away to enjoy the doubtful
pleasure of getting shot at by the Jap battleships and
cruisers. We were in just the right spot, far enough away at
dawn to organize a striking force of planes, yet near enough
to get shot at.
We could tell by the evening of October 23d that a fleet
engagement was in the making, that the Jap navy was not
going to take the invasion of the Philippines lying down.
Dispatches indicated that the Japs were sending a powerful
force, which they called the Southern Diversionary Attack
Force up from Singapore, by way of Jesselton and Brunei
Bay. This outfit was the one that tried to force and
entrance into Leyte Gulf from the south, by way of Surigao
Strait. A second force, coming from Camrahn Bay and Cape St.
Jagues, by way of Manila, was heading toward San Bernardino
Strait. This one the Japs called the main body. The third
prong of the enemy thrust was the Imperial Carrier Task
Force, coming down from the home islands. Apparently they
were all to converge on the Leyte area about October 25th.
According to the Jap's plan, the Carrier Force was to serve
as bait, to lure away the fast carrier task forces of the
United States, so as to give the main body a clear run and a
green light into Leyte Gulf. So much for grand strategy.
On the afternoon of October 24th Halsey's planes
gave the main body a good going over in the Visayan
Sea. They beat up one of the Jap's two super-battleships,
the Musashi, so badly that she headed back for
Manila and sank on the way. They did a lot of other
damage too, but apparently Halsey's air observer overestimated
the damage for we got a message saying that
when last seen the enemy was milling around aimlessly
on course 270. It did not occur to us until later that
it is pretty difficult to mill around aimlessly on a
course due west. Halsey must have thought that the
main body was through for the present, a premise that
I can personally testify as being in some degree of
error. At any rate, Halsey sent a message that he was
42 Leyte Gulf