THE NEW YORK TIMES, October 29, 1944

• Battle of Leyte Gulf VICTORY
• Philippines Sea - William Halsey
• World War II - WWII Pacific theater

The front page has a banner headline: "HIGHER JAPANESE FLEET'S LOSSES CONFIRMED" with subheads. (see images)
Complete 1st section only with all 46 pages, rag edition in great condition.

Background: The landmark Allied victory at the Battle of Leyte Gulf—fought primarily from October 23 to 26, 1944—stands as the largest naval battle in human history by combined tonnage and total ships involved, making primary accounts and press communiqués reporting its confirmation around October 28, 1944, highly prized military artifacts. The sheer scale of the engagement makes items confirming the outcome historically significant: the Allied force deployed over 800 ships and 1,500 aircraft against a Japanese combined fleet that committed 67 major combatants in a desperate four-part strategy (Sho-Go 1) to thwart General Douglas MacArthur's liberation of the Philippines. By the time naval task forces finished pursuing retreating elements, the Imperial Japanese Navy had suffered a catastrophic loss of 28 warships—including four aircraft carriers, three battleships, and ten cruisers—effectively ending Japan's ability to wage organized fleet operations for the rest of World War II. Consequently, original historical assets from late October 1944 documenting the official confirmation of the victory (such as press photos, war correspondent wire printouts, official U.S. Navy action reports, or headline newspapers) possess immense historical resonance. Because survivor accounts and official military communiqués trickled into print media over those critical days following the battle's tactical conclusion on October 26, contemporary print records and archival documents detailing this pivotal turning point remain highly sought-after, rare items among World War II collectors, naval history archivists, and maritime museums.