Leyte Gulf

A New History of the World's Largest Sea Battle

By: Mark E. Stille

Narrated by: John Chancer

Bloomsbury presents Leyte Gulf by Mark Stille, read by John Chancer.

A fascinating re-examination of the battle of Leyte Gulf, the largest naval encounter in history and probably the most decisive naval battle of the entire Pacific War, and one that saw the Imperial Japanese Navy eliminated as an effective fighting force and forced to resort to suicide tactics.

Leyte was a huge and complex action, actually consisting of four major battles, each of which are broken down in detail in this book, using original sources. The plans of both sides, and how they dictated the events that followed, are also examined critically.

So much of the accepted wisdom of the battle has developed from the many myths that surround it, myths that have become more firmly established over time. In this new study, Pacific War expert Mark Stille examines the key aspects of this complex battle with new and insightful analysis and dismantles the myths surrounding the respective actions and overall performances of the two most important commanders in the battle, and the “lost victory” of the Japanese advance into Leyte Gulf that never happened.

©2023 Mark Stille (P)2023 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Good history

A good review of the event and what lead to them. I learned something new and valuable

Excellent and precise telling of the story of the battle of Leyte Gulf

Very well written that follows a thematic line, which made it much easier to understand the different sub battles that comprise the entire battle. The author also takes time to technically and accurately refute many of the mythological statements and conclusions that arose after the battle and through the decades that followed. Special credit goes to the reader, John Chaucer, for his astute pronunciation of Japanese names and terms.

Exactly the details I wanted to hear.

Very informative report. Detailed account of a complex battle,

Didn’t go too deep into the personalities and backgrounds of the participants. I was five with that tack, as I knew the information from other sources .

Interesting Re-Appraisal of the battle

The writers prose is a very good. I would not recommend this for first time readers about the battle. But if you have some familiarity with it and understand to keep points of it than this book is a wonderful companion for a deeper understanding especially when it comes to the myths surrounding the action off Samar and Surigao Strait

A great listen.

An good review of the actions and the commanders decision and choices. Also the handy PDFs.