Admiral Bull Halsey leading a carrier task force 38 was lured by the Japanese decoy ploy due to his personality and extreme determination to avenge Pearl Harbor by sinking the remaining infamous Japanesse carrier that participated on the Pearl Harbor strike. Unlike Admeiral Spruance Bull Hullsy was gutsy and blood thirsty so much so that he abandoned the invasion force he was supposed to protect in order to hunt down the inviting target of the last six remaining aircraft carriers in the Imperial Japanese Navy. His move turned to be a great success as he ripped apart the carriers, how ever he did make a mistake by taking the Japanese bait attacking the virtually empty and non threatening carriers while leaving the American force completely vealnrabile.[1] The Japanese super battleships and the entire center force that was thought to have disengaged swung around and surprise attacked the naval landing operation of Layte virtually unopposed. Small destroyers and heavy cruisers were the only protection of the helpless landing troops against the largest and most powerful battleship in the world with its 18inch guns. Thanks to the extremely vailiant efforts by Lt commander E.E. Evans who against all odds bravely charged the entire Japanese armada with his destroyer giving them all he got until he got within torpedo range. When he got within the desired five miles he unleashed his torpedo’s successfully sinking Japanese cruisers. Lt Commander Evans’ outstanding bravery inspired other American cruisers and destroyers as they joined him in the pearolous engagement in which every sailor on board was in all essence suicidial due to the extreme amount of firepower bearing down on them from the far superior Japanese ships.

First American strike from 17 carriers was a massive force of 1,100 airplanes with orders to eradicate Japanese airbases in the Philippines minimizing the ever so shrinking Japanese air arm down to a meager two hundred planes.[2]

Admiral Toyoda of the combined fleet Operation Sho Go or victory to through all he had which on the carrier side was virtually nothing useful except as bait but on the other end of the spectrum he used an impressive fleet of battleships and capital ships including the most powerful powerful battleships in the word sporting the 18inch guns one of which American naval planes took down with torpedo and bomb hits.[3]

Dan Ver Vat 348.

Battle of San Bernardino strait Clifton SPraugu’es Taffy 3 force were being battered without carrier protection.[4]

Kamakazi special attack units were used extensively in against American carriers quite effectively in the battle of Leyte Gulf.[5]

Ozawa commanded the Japanese navel force of 6 carriers which he used as decoys to lure the Americans and a very strong collection of the worlds best battleships an extremely formidable force that almost obliberated the entire American landing operation at Leyte had he not withdrawn from fear of attack by the returning American carrier aircraft, and the gutsy stand by Lt. Commander Evans and the warships that bravely defended the veunrable landing fleet from certain destruction.

Rear Admiral Thomas Kinkaid on the Enterprise lost six out of nineteen planes downig only two Japanese Zero’s over the Santa Cruz islands.[6]

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[1] Keegan,149.

[2] Keegan,148.

[3] Dan der Vat, 348.

[4] Dan van der Vat, 357.

[5] Dan van der Vat

[6] Dan van der Vat, 231.