Right: Japanese plane shot down during the Battle of the Philippine Sea, 1944. Photograph licensed to War History Network.

Books: There have been many noteworthy books on the War at sea. Two recent and epic works which put the Battle of the Philippine Sea into context of the Second World War include The War for the Seas: A Maritime History of World War II by Evan Mawdsley (Yale University Press, 2019); and World War II at Sea: A Global History by Craig L. Symonds (Oxford University Press, 2018). Both are highly recommended.

 Left: U.S. Navy F6F-3 landing aboard USS Lexington during the Battle of the Philippine Sea. The USS Lexington was the flagship of Task Force 58, led by U.S. Navy Admiral Raymond Spruance. Photograph in the Public Domain.

The sea battle was a decisive victory for the U.S. Navy and the largest carrier battle of the war, involving 24 carriers from the U.S. and Japan. The loss decimated Japan's naval effort for the remainder of the war, as they lost 3 carriers, 2 oilers, and between 550-645 aircraft during the battle. In contrast, the U.S. Navy suffered just 1 battleship damaged and 123 aircraft lost (source: Shores, Christopher (1985), Duel for the Sky: Ten Crucial Battles of World War II, London: Grub Street, ISBN 978-0-7137-1601-6).