Battle of Leyte Gulf — Largest Naval Battle in History

The Battle of Leyte Gulf was the largest naval battle in history, involving 367 ships, nearly 200,000 sailors, and 1,996 aircraft across four interconnected engagements over four days. Japan deployed virtually its entire remaining fleet in a desperate attempt to repel the US invasion of the Philippines, losing 3 battleships, 4 aircraft carriers, 10 cruisers, and 9 destroyers. Japan's carrier force was effectively destroyed and the Imperial Japanese Navy never again operated as a strategic force. The battle also saw the first organized use of kamikaze suicide aircraft attacks.