World War II in Leyte

American Hardware

BY contrast, the American invaders had everything going for them in terms of numbers, firepower and unified command. American forces deployed for the Leyte invasion proved too overwhelming as later events would show.

Assuming overall command of this force was Gen. MacArthur. He had under him able and experienced army, navy and air force commanders, all accustomed to serving him and to carrying out his orders. For this Leyte operation, MacArthur had the American Sixth Army, the Seventh Fleet and the Far East Air Forces.

The Sixth Army was commanded by Lt. Gen. Walter Krueger, A German-born American who was a veteran of the war in the Southwest Pacific. He had acquired his commissions in the Philippines during the Sakdal movement and various other insurrections. He was therefore familiar with the terrain and the people.

Under Krueger were two corps led by Maj. Generals Frank C. Sibert and John R. Hodge, both seasoned leaders. Sibert's X Corps included the 1st Cavalry and the 24th Inf. Division. Hodge had the XXIV Corps and the 7th and 96th Inf. Divisions. In addition, Krueger had the 32nd and 77th Inf. Division and the 6th Ranger Battalion as reserves.

The Sixth Army alone was over 200,000 men, twice the size of the entire Japanese Thirty-fifth Army and two-thirds as many as the total number of Japanese troops in the country that October.

The task of transporting such a huge force, landing and giving them support fell on the 7th Fleet, more popularly known as "MacArthur's Navy". Overseeing this force was Vice-Admiral Thomas C. Kinkaid who looked more like a college professor than a navy commander.

His fleet was divided into three elements: Task Force 77, which was directly under his command; Task Forces 78 and 79, under Rear Admiral Daniel E. Barbey; and the Southern and Northern Attack Forces under Vice-Admiral Theodore S. Wilkinson.

The fleet's combat elements included no less than six battleships, 18 escort carriers with about 500 planes, four heavy and four light cruisers, 30 destroyers, 12 destroyer escorts and 39 motor torpedo boats. In addition, it had hundreds of troopships, command ships, landing ships, minesweepers, tankers and supply vessels.

The Armada also included a handful of Australian vessels and one British ship.

As if the planes of the 7th Fleet were not enough, General Kenney's Far East Air Forces had more than 2,500 front-line combat aircraft. These included some 1,000 bombers and over 1,400 fighters of all types, more than than enough to handle anything the Japanese had.

In the role of supporting cast was Admiral Halsey's Third Fleet operating under Admiral Nimitz's command. Considered one of the most formidable naval striking force ever assembled, the Third Fleet had nine fleet carriers and eight light carriers, with more than 1,000 planes, plus six new battleships, six heavy cruisers, nine light cruisers and 58 destroyers.

Halsey's mission was to hit central Philippines immediately before and during the amphibious assault and to provide strategic support to MacArthur's forces in case these were threatened.