The U.S. Naval Institute on 11 September presented “Leyte Gulf at 80,” the most recent of its trademark panel events assembling world-class experts to address current issues facing the Sea Services and to explore the latest naval historical scholarship. With an audience populated by a number of “war-at-sea” scholars in their own rights, plus an even larger offsite audience logged in to attend virtually, the lineup on stage for the proceedings did not disappoint.
Opening remarks from retired Rear Admiral Ray Spicer, the Naval Institute’s CEO, set the tone. He noted that the venue for the event, the Jack C. Taylor Conference Center, was named for an individual who had his own connection to Leyte Gulf. During the battle, Taylor had strafed the decks of Japanese warships in an F6F Hellcat and later recalled it as “the scariest day of my life.”
The panel moderator was naval historian Alex Pocklington, also known as the celebrated YouTuber Drachininfel. He was joined on stage by:
• Thomas J. Cutler, author of The Battle of Leyte Gulf, 23–26 October 1944 (HarperCollins, 1994) and the Naval Institute Press books Brown Water, Black Berets, A Sailor’s History of the U.S. Navy, and the latest edition of The Bluejackets’ Manual.
• Trent Hone, author of numerous Naval Institute Press books, most on World War II, including Mastering the Art of Command: Admiral Chester Nimitz and Victory in the Pacific.
• Paul Stillwell, author of acclaimed battleship histories as well as Battleship Commander, the biography of Vice Admiral Willis A. Lee Jr. (who played a crucial role at Leyte) and other works.
Led by Drachininfel’s discussion-generating questions, the panel explored the many facets, controversies, and what-ifs of the epic naval battle of the Pacific war and also delved into how the ongoing scholarship on Leyte has evolved—and continues to do so.
—Fred Schultz