Battle Of Leyte Gulf Turning Point

Following World War I which ended in 1918, the world entered into a second world war after Germany launched an unprovoked attack on Poland in 1939. It was Britain who was first to declare war on Germany later France would follow Britain’s lead. On December 7, 1941, the Japanese, an Axis power, attacked Pearl Harbor, part of the United States who had been neutral up until the attack. The United States then joined the Allies in the second world war to defeat Japan, Germany, and Italy. U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt made the decision to recapture the Philippines from the Japanese following the conquest of the Mariana Islands in which the US succeeded in defeating the Japanese on June 20, 1944. The goal was to cut Japan access to oil from the Netherlands East Indies and to free the Philippines from the Japanese. In addition, the vital location would allow the Allies to continue to defeat Japanese forces. The Battle of Leyte Gulf was a key turning point for the Allies in World War II; not only did it give the US a crucial strategic location, but it also tremendously weakened the Japanese fleet and liberated the Philippines. Japan needed oil to fuel their mechanized
At the conclusion of this battle, which actually consisted of 4 smaller battles, the Allies had gained territory and the dynamic in the Pacific had shifted. Japan needed possession of the Philippines to have access to oil and other natural resources, while the United States wished to prevent this because it would make Japan a stronger opponent. Ultimately, the U.S was successful, moving them a step closer to the control of the Pacific Ocean. This victory was crucial to the Allies as it pushed Japan towards its final collapse by cutting Japan off of its conquered lands, therefore forcing Japan to scramble for access to the natural resources that it desperately needed to stay a major power in World War