The Battle of Leyte Gulf - The Largest Naval Battle of WW II
From October 23-26, 1944 the U.S. and Japanese fleets fought what may be the largest naval battle in history near the Philippines - a final fatal blow for Japan. Jame's Hornfischer's "Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors" describes one of the heroic battles of the war...and how close Japan came to a victory. Tom Cutler's "The Battle of Leyte Gulf" is still the best overview book .
Top Recommendation for November
The Battle of Leyte Gulf, by Thomas Cutler (1994 - 343pp)
Possibly the largest naval battle in history. Japan came close, but ultimately lost 26 major surface ships and was never again a fighting navy. Lost was the great battleship Musashi and 4 aircraft carriers.