Japan’s terrifying new weapon, the Divine Wind, was a brutal shock to the Allies 7th and 3rd Fleets. Intelligence reports had warned of the formation under Vice Admiral Ōnishi of a Special Attack Force, but it’s appearance earlier than expected as the Allies first landed at Leyte caught USN Intelligence off guard. While the assault fleet was untouched and Kincaid’s escort carriers suffered only light damage, the escorting destroyers were mauled. Four days later, on October 24th, Halsey’s TG38.3 under RAdm Sherman also faced a ferocious onslaught. Planned offense operations against the Japanese “Centre Force” were aborted as the Hellcat pilots of the Essex and Lexington attempted to fend off waves of suicidal Zeke pilots. That no ships were lost can only be attributed the herculean efforts of the USN damage control parties. At the end of the day all of the TG 38.3 fleet carriers and the battleships Massachusetts and South Dakota had been hit and were barely able to make steerage. Reluctantly, Halsey ordered their withdrawal towards Ulithi.
While considering the risk posed by the Kurita’s Centre Force of five battleships (Yamamoto, Musashi, Nagato, Kongo and Haruna ) and six heavy cruisers to the Leyte landings and how best to deal with them, a report from a PBY reconnaissance aircraft shortly before sunset electrified Halsey and his staff, “Japanese Carriers, 190 miles north!”
The Japanese battleships were a threat, but to Halsey the IJN carriers were the prize. He ordered his fleet north at speed. TG38.2 (RAdm Bogan with the CV Intrepid, and CVLs Independence and Cabot) took the west flank, TG38.4 (RAdm Davison with CVs Franklin, Enterprise and CVLs San Jocinto and Belleau Wood) took the east flank, while VAdm Lee took the van with the four remaining battleships, included the New Jersey with Adm Halsey embarked. He would launch his air groups at dawn on October 25th.
To the north, the Japanese commander, VAdm Ozawa was pleased that the Imperial Naval Staff’s plan Sho-go appeared to be working. His decoy fleet, the fleet carrier Zuikaku and three light carriers, and their nearly skeletal air groups were drawing the American Fleet Carriers away from the invasion beaches. If he could get word of this success to RAdm Kurita and his “Centre Force” they would be free to sail through the San Bernardino Strait and to wreak havoc on the Allied invasion fleet at Leyte with minimal risk of air attack. However, having succeeded in his decoy mission Ozawa now faced a numerically and technologically superior enemy force. It was time for a fighting retreat. Could the “Divine Wind” protect his carriers…
Planning map below. Radar ranges set at 30 miles
Plane setIJN - basing on CV and ashore as per the planning map
3 x A6M5a
2 x B5N, 1 x D3A (one AI wingman)
Kamikazes
USN
3 x F6F-5
2 x TBF-1C, 1 x SBD, (one AI wingman)
Specific objectives to be posted in the Allied and Axis forums. In general, sink the enemy's ships and don't let your ships get sunk!
Muzz
