That Battle was possibly due to the use of SIGINT that means Signal inteligence by American forces, they discovered the Japanese navy using CXAM radiolocation. This action of navy force flotillas was fought principally by air from aircraft vehicles.
The American foremost plan to attack Japan was to island-hop around Japan, not to hit their country undeviatingly yet to get over all the islands around it and encircle them and probably kill them to quit.
It was led by General MacArthur and including Admiral Chester Nimitz.
