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Yes, I realise that it has been done to death, but I have often thought that it would be an interesting excercise to speculate as to what would have happened at Leyte if the IJN had made some modifications to their post 1930 Circle 1 to Circle 4 plan construction plans, even within their existing budgets plus had not pursued so many worthless rebuilds during the period of the war itself. A more productive outcome would have been many more escorts being built, but, aside from this, which is an impossibility before the war due to the personalites and attitudes of the IJN. Taking these changes into account:

Shinano complted as a BB with no slow down in production
4th Yamato class never laid-second Tahio class CV bult instead
No 4th Katori class training cruiser or Ibuki class CA's laid down. Instead 4th Agano class laid much earlier and 2nd Oyodo class laid and completed.
Instead of rebuilding the Ise class BB's use the resources to lay down much earlier 4 more Atkizuki class DD's that should be ready by October 1944.

Change the disposition of forces with Shima's fleet deployed in it's entirety in the operation, adding 1 CA, 3 CL and 4DD's to the order of battle, using some of the CVL's in place of these ships for transport duties.

REvised order of battle would then be:

Nirishima/Shima:

Add Ise, Hyuga, Aoba, 3CL and 4DD.

Ozawa:

Deduct Chitose, Chiyoda, add Amagi, Unryu.

Kurita:

Add Shinano as a BB:eek:, a Tahio class CV with a scraped up air group(this would have attracted more air attacks than Musashi which may be afloat for the next combat with this CV sunk instead), 1 Agano class CL and 4 Atkizuki class DD.

Of course to add more interest again, you would need would need a less timid and more together commander than Kurita was. It still results in an IJN defeat, as this is inevitable, but would these force changes allow the IJn forces to eliminate and break through Taffy 3 and at least get near the transports(themselves well guardded by DD divisions). This by itself would have finished Bull Halseys career.

Of course this scenario may well have involved the elimination of most of Kiuritas fleet at the hands of both the fast carriers and the fast battleships of "Ching" Lee. :D
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