Battle of Leyte Gulf, Philippines: 37 ships sunk (30 Japanese and 7 American), 10,000 Japanese soldiers lost their lives, 2,800 Americans; the largest naval battle of all time; kamikazes appear for the first time; the Yamato, the largest battleship in the world (later sunk), fires monstrous 2-meter-long shells; the American Admiral Marc Andrew Mitscher, a living legend for his ruthlessness, and the Japanese Admiral Ozawa face off; Task Force 38 commanded by Mitscher – composed of 17 aircraft carriers, 6 battleships, 13 cruisers, 60 destroyers – from 29 January to 27 October 1944 sinks 795 Japanese ships and destroys 4,400 Japanese aircraft.
