“Halsey, itching for a fight, taking the bait,”
Leyte Gulf, went exactly as planned for the Japanese.
Had Kurita “Damned the Torpedoes” and pressed his advantage, bought at such a high price, he could have devastated the landing forces, and bought Japan another 6 months of open supply routes to the south. (Oil going north, ammo and supplies going south, raw materials from China).
It is just one of those twists in the fog of war. If Kurita had pressed...IF Taffy 3 had not attacked so ferociously...IF...IF...
It could have gone sideways in soooo many directions.