The Battle of Leyte in the Pacific campaign of World War II was the invasion and conquest of Leyte in the Philippines by the United States and Australian forces and allied Filipino guerrillas under the command of General Douglas MacArthur and waged against the Imperial Japanese Army in the Philippines led by General Tomoyuki Yamashita from 17 October 1944 to 31 July 1945. The battle launched the Philippines campaign of 1944-45 for the recapture and liberation of the entire Philippine Archipelago and to end almost three years of Japanese occupation.