September | 2026 | The History of the Twentieth Century

Explosion on the deck of escort carrier USS St. Lo following a kamikaze attack.

The Japanese Navy sent the best ships it had left in an effort to cut off American ground forces on Leyte, in the Philippines.

The Battle of Leyte Gulf was the largest naval battle of the Second World War, and the greatest Japanese defeat, measured by numbers of ships lost.

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Fanfare

Opening War Theme

“Anchors Aweigh”
Composed in 1906 by Charles Zimmerman. Public domain.
Performed by the United States Navy Band. Public domain recording. Source.

Closing War Theme

Except when otherwise indicated, the contents of this podcast are © and ℗ 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026 by Mark Painter, all rights reserved. Some music and sound effects used by arrangement with Pond 5.

In the photo-op of a lifetime, Douglas MacArthur wades ashore on the island of Leyte.

After Japanese air defenses in the Philippines proved to be weaker than anticipated, the Americans moved up the target date for the invasion of the archipelago by two months.

On October 20, 1944, Douglas MacArthur made good on his promise as four US Army and Marine divisions assaulted the island of Leyte.