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The Battle of Leyte Gulf: The Death Knell of the Japanese Fleet
In October 1944, the Imperial Japanese Navy, driven to desperation, set out to surprise and annihilate the American forces that had just landed on the central Philippine island of Leyte. Instead, they suffered a crushing loss that broke the back of the Japanese navy and ensured that Japan would lose the war. This is the blazing hour-by-hour account of that brutal battle.
375 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1972
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About the author
Edwin P. Hoyt
237 books30 followersEdwin P. Hoyt was a prolific American writer who specialized in military history. He was born in Portland, Oregon to the publisher Edwin Palmer Hoyt (1897–1979) and his wife, the former Cecile DeVore (1901–1970). A younger brother, Charles Richard, was born in 1928. Hoyt attended the University of Oregon from 1940 to 1943.
In 1943, Hoyt's father, then the editor and publisher of The Oregonian, was appointed by President Franklin Roosevelt as the director of the Domestic Branch, Office of War Information. The younger Hoyt served with the Office of War Information during World War II, from 1943 to 1945. In 1945 and 1946, he served as a foreign correspondent for The Denver Post (of which his father became editor and publisher in 1946) and the United Press, reporting from locations in China, Thailand, Burma, India, the Middle East, Europe, North Africa, and Korea.
Edwin Hoyt subsequently worked as an ABC broadcaster, covering the 1948 revolution in Czechoslovakia and the Arab-Israeli conflict. From 1949 to 1951, he was the editor of the editorial page at The Denver Post. He was the editor and publisher of the Colorado Springs Free Press from 1951 to 1955, and an associate editor of Collier's Weekly in New York from 1955 to 1956. In 1957 he was a television producer and writer-director at CBS, and in 1958 he was an assistant publisher of American Heritage magazine in New York.
Starting in 1958, Hoyt became a writer full-time, and for a few years (1976 to 1980) served as a part-time lecturer at the University of Hawaii. In the 40 years since his first publication in 1960, he produced nearly 200 published works.
While Hoyt wrote about 20 novels (many published under pseudonyms Christopher Martin and Cabot L. Forbes) the vast majority of his works are biographies and other forms of non-fiction, with a heavy emphasis on World War II military history.
Hoyt died in Tokyo, Japan on July 29, 2005, after a prolonged illness. He was survived by his wife Hiroko, of Tokyo, and three children, Diana, Helga, and Christopher, all residing in the U.S.
In 1943, Hoyt's father, then the editor and publisher of The Oregonian, was appointed by President Franklin Roosevelt as the director of the Domestic Branch, Office of War Information. The younger Hoyt served with the Office of War Information during World War II, from 1943 to 1945. In 1945 and 1946, he served as a foreign correspondent for The Denver Post (of which his father became editor and publisher in 1946) and the United Press, reporting from locations in China, Thailand, Burma, India, the Middle East, Europe, North Africa, and Korea.
Edwin Hoyt subsequently worked as an ABC broadcaster, covering the 1948 revolution in Czechoslovakia and the Arab-Israeli conflict. From 1949 to 1951, he was the editor of the editorial page at The Denver Post. He was the editor and publisher of the Colorado Springs Free Press from 1951 to 1955, and an associate editor of Collier's Weekly in New York from 1955 to 1956. In 1957 he was a television producer and writer-director at CBS, and in 1958 he was an assistant publisher of American Heritage magazine in New York.
Starting in 1958, Hoyt became a writer full-time, and for a few years (1976 to 1980) served as a part-time lecturer at the University of Hawaii. In the 40 years since his first publication in 1960, he produced nearly 200 published works.
While Hoyt wrote about 20 novels (many published under pseudonyms Christopher Martin and Cabot L. Forbes) the vast majority of his works are biographies and other forms of non-fiction, with a heavy emphasis on World War II military history.
Hoyt died in Tokyo, Japan on July 29, 2005, after a prolonged illness. He was survived by his wife Hiroko, of Tokyo, and three children, Diana, Helga, and Christopher, all residing in the U.S.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 30, 2014
The account of the battle that could have ended in disaster for the US Navy, but for the courage of a small task force of small escort carriers and destroyers and destroyer escorts. Harrowing and remarkable. There are some events in world history where one could swear there was divine intervention. This was one such event.
October 17, 2019
Written in a style unlike what you’ll find today. Obviously American, yet simultaneously objective and critical of both sides. All it needs are some maps!
December 28, 2021
When I first saw this title, I assumed I was looking at a 30-hour book. It’s less than half that. Yet it packs lots of fascinating information into its 13 hours. I read the book primarily because my dad was in the thick of the battle, and I wanted to see whether his battleship got referenced. It did, but sadly only in about four sentences. One of those was disparaging regarding the ship’s aged equipment. At least he wasn’t negative on the sailors.
This is a well-constructed even-handed look at the battle. He references mistakes both sides made and the constant plague of communication failures that dogged both sides. Hoyt sees the battle as the final nail in the coffin of the Japanese navy, and indeed it probably was.
My only criticism was one directed more to me. Than to the author. There are so many Japanese names here it was hard for me to keep track of which ship accomplished what destruction or which ship died at the hands of the U.S. That’s not the author’s fault; it’s my struggle with processing dense amounts of information rapidly, as was necessary in this relatively short military history.
This is a well-constructed even-handed look at the battle. He references mistakes both sides made and the constant plague of communication failures that dogged both sides. Hoyt sees the battle as the final nail in the coffin of the Japanese navy, and indeed it probably was.
My only criticism was one directed more to me. Than to the author. There are so many Japanese names here it was hard for me to keep track of which ship accomplished what destruction or which ship died at the hands of the U.S. That’s not the author’s fault; it’s my struggle with processing dense amounts of information rapidly, as was necessary in this relatively short military history.
December 26, 2014
This is another good account of the Battle of Leyte Gulf
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews