Battle of the Sibuyan Sea
Carrier aircraft repeatedly attack the Center Force and sink Musashi while Toyoda continues the Sho-1 operation.
Permanent historical records · Updated 2026-11-03
1944 in Japan — Page 2
Explore 94 historical events and records for Japan in 1944.
Historical records for Japan in 1944
Sorted by month and day. Records with no month are shown last. Showing 40 of 94 unique records.
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October
Loss of Musashi
Inoguchi commands Musashi through repeated bomb and torpedo attacks and goes down with the battleship after ordering the crew to abandon ship.
Northern Decoy Force
Ozawa leads the carrier force intended to draw the American Third Fleet north and away from Leyte Gulf.
Sho-1 Operations
Hirohito receives reports as Imperial General Headquarters commits major Japanese naval forces to the Sho-1 operation around Leyte.
Yamato in the Sibuyan Sea
Morishita commands Yamato as the battleship survives American carrier strikes against Kurita's Center Force.
Battle of Phillipines
Defeated by superior US naval forces
Battle of Surigao Strait
Nishimura leads the Southern Force through Surigao Strait, where most of his ships are destroyed by the American Seventh Fleet.
Battle of Surigao Strait
Nishimura presses into Surigao Strait, where his force is shattered by the waiting Allied battle line.
Battle off Cape Engano
Ozawa's carrier force functions as the decoy and suffers severe losses to American carrier aircraft off Cape Engano.
Battle off Samar
Kurita's Center Force attacks American escort carriers off Samar before he orders the force to withdraw.
Battle off Samar
Kurita's battleships and cruisers surprise American escort carriers off Samar after passing through San Bernardino Strait.
Battleship Division One at Samar
Ugaki commands Battleship Division One, including Yamato and Nagato, during the Battle off Samar.
Battleship Division Three at Samar
Suzuki commands Battleship Division Three, including Kongo and Haruna, during the Battle off Samar.
Carrier Division Four at Cape Engano
Matsuda commands Carrier Division Four, built around the hybrid battleships Ise and Hyuga, in Ozawa's decoy force.
Cruiser Division Five at Samar
Hashimoto commands Cruiser Division Five, including Haguro, during the Center Force attack off Samar.
Cruiser Division Seven at Samar
Shiraishi commands Cruiser Division Seven as its cruisers engage American forces off Samar.
Death of Shoji Nishimura
Nishimura is killed during the destruction of his force in the Battle of Surigao Strait.
Destroyer Division Four at Surigao
Takahashi commands Destroyer Division Four within Nishimura's Southern Force during the advance through Surigao Strait.
Destroyer Division Sixty-One
Amano commands Destroyer Division Sixty-One in the screen of Ozawa's Northern Force during the Cape Engano battle.
Destroyer Squadron One at Surigao
Kimura commands Destroyer Squadron One within Shima's Second Striking Force during the Surigao operation.
Destroyer Squadron Ten Attack
Kimura commands Destroyer Squadron Ten during the late Japanese destroyer attack against Taffy 3 off Samar.
Destroyer Squadron Two at Samar
Hayakawa commands Destroyer Squadron Two during the Center Force action against American escort carriers off Samar.
Entry into Surigao Strait
Shima enters Surigao Strait after Nishimura's force has already been shattered and soon orders a withdrawal.
Entry into Surigao Strait
Shima enters Surigao Strait behind Nishimura, encounters wreckage and resistance, and withdraws his surviving force.
First Organized Kamikaze Attacks
Onishi's special-attack units carry out the first successful organized kamikaze strikes against American naval forces during the Leyte campaign.
Ise at Cape Engano
Nakase commands the hybrid battleship Ise, which survives repeated American air attacks during the Cape Engano action.
Kamikaze Attack off Samar
Seki leads a special-attack flight against American escort carriers and is killed during the mission.
Kikusui Special Attack Mission
Miyagawa flies with a special-attack unit during the opening wave of organized kamikaze operations in the Philippines.
Last Fight of Hatsuzuki
Hashimoto commands Hatsuzuki during her final action against American surface ships while covering the retreat of Ozawa's force.
Loss of Akizuki
Ogata commands Akizuki when the destroyer is sunk during American attacks on Ozawa's Northern Force.
Loss of Chitose
Kishi commands the light carrier Chitose when American carrier aircraft sink her off Cape Engano.
Loss of Chiyoda
Jyo commands the light carrier Chiyoda, which is crippled by air attack and later sunk by American surface ships.
Loss of Zuiho
Sugiura commands the light carrier Zuiho when she is sunk by American carrier aircraft during the battle off Cape Engano.
Loss of Zuikaku
Kaizuka commands the carrier Zuikaku when American carrier aircraft sink her during the battle off Cape Engano.
Loss of Zuikaku
Ozawa loses his flagship Zuikaku and other carriers to American air attacks off Cape Engano.
Northern Force Screen
Edo commands the screening force protecting elements of Ozawa's Northern Force during the battle off Cape Engano.
Oyodo at Cape Engano
Mutaguchi commands the light cruiser Oyodo as it operates with Ozawa's Northern Force off Cape Engano.
Shikishima Special Attack
Seki leads the Shikishima unit in the first successful organized kamikaze attack against American escort carriers.
Withdrawal from Samar
Kurita breaks off the attack off Samar and withdraws instead of continuing toward the Leyte transport anchorage.
Yamato off Samar
Morishita commands Yamato when the battleship engages American escort-carrier forces during the Battle off Samar.
How these records were prepared
Generated from the World History Database historical_events table. Identical display records are collapsed; descriptions otherwise retain the stored text. Coverage and source quality vary. Check primary and specialist sources before citing individual historical claims.