All summer long the Japanese naval high command, reshuffled after the smashing defeat in the First Battle of the Philippine Sea, had planned for the next inevitable meeting with the U.S. Fleet. The blow must be struck when the U.S. amphibious forces entered the last island defense line, Japan-Ryukyus-Formosa-Philip-pines. So for the three top-ranking taisho* there was not a wide choice of time. But the taisho could still pick the specific moment: it would be in the first confused days of the beachhead. They devised an ingenious Japanese plan, last week snapped it...
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