Takeo Kurita and the Battle of Leyte Gulf

Takeo Kurita (栗田 健男) was born on April 28, 1889, in Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. He graduated from the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy in 1910 and quickly rose through the ranks of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN). By the time World War II began, Kurita had already established himself as a seasoned naval officer, having participated in various significant naval operations, including the Battle of Midway and the Guadalcanal campaign.