Battle off Cape Engano
(October 25, 1944)

Meanwhile, to the north, Admiral Ozawa played out his role to the fullest. Knowing that he and his force would be sacrificed if need be to lure the American heavy units away from the beaches, Ozawa bravely set forth to drag his coattails in front of Halsey. His force of carriers and two hybrid battleship-carriers counted only 108 aircraft between them, a pitiful comment on how far Japan's naval air arm had fallen. He wasn't attacked until relatively late in the fight, however. Having received word that Kurita was retiring, Ozawa also turned north for home, but was countermanded by Admiral Toyoda, Commander in Chief of Combined Fleet. Dutifully, Ozawa complied, launching almost all of his planes against Halsey's TF 38, which was approaching from the south. He kept 13 planes aloft as a combat air patrol, against which the Americans sent several hundred aircraft. The outcome was predictable.

In a day long series of attacks, Halsey destroyed Ozawa's force, first with aircraft, and then with surface warships sent in to pick off the cripples. Ozawa's own aircraft did precious little damage in return, most of them being destroyed by the Americans CAP, and the murderous anti-aircraft Gun Line strung out once again in front of TF 38. What few planes did manage to survive and attack found their way to bases in the Phillipines. This battle is also notable in that the Japanese lost the last of their veteran carriers from Pearl Harbor - Zuikaku (one of my all-time favorites, sniff sniffle). The force Ozawa brought home to Japan in no way resembled the Kido Butai of old. Japan's carrier air arm was finished.

Battle of Cape EnganoJapanAllied
Starting Forces x1
x3
x2
x3
x8
x108 		x9
x8
x6
x4
x9
x57
x1100 (approx.)
Losses x1 sunk (Zuikaku)
x3 sunk (Chitose, Chiyoda, Zuiho)
x1 damaged (Ise)
x1 sunk (Tama)
x1 damaged (Oyodo)
x2 sunk (Akizuki, Hatsuzuki) 		x? destroyed

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