Couple of things: No boosting needed, if missiles are removed.
While ALL USAF and USN (thank you F-4...) fighters carry a gun pod, contrary to old WW2 planes, they dont' have that many SHOTS (remember, 330 rounds when your gun spits OUT 10+ rounds per pull?) Eyeball to Eyeball shooting, means generally, at BEST, they'll get maybe 10-12 shots on target. While the average 20mm that modern birds means, 1 shot will off any WW2 fighter... Problem is, OUTSIDE the A-10, everything the US (and rest!) have, generally will die as well if a WW2 fighter gets a shot in, because they're just about as fragile as a WW2 bird.
It's WORSE. Modern fighters, again outside the A-10 and now the F-22 plus the AVB-8 (Harrier!) But NOT the F-35 to the same extent(*bloody JSF II*), handle compared to the prop jets... like PIGS, big time. So, in actual VR range combat? it'd be like a Lighitng (P-38) trying to dogfight a Zero. Didn't work too well. (Which leads to a tatic, really, for the US, fly all jet fighters LIKE the P-38, zoom and boom tatics, don't try to fight, be interceptors) (Talk to real pilots. Jets handle well, even the late generation F-15/16, but the Raptor and similar vectored thrust birds (very complex and electronic pieces of kit, are the ones that FINALLY attain equal MANUERABLITY to the P-51, A6M/A7M, etc. ALL the airforces went with "speed over turning" as their rule)
Add in, that the Abbies can spam their warbirds, and you have a real issue. We only HAVE about active duty, figure oh, 3000-4000 total fighter aircraft. Figure at least 20% died in the first month by their training being completely wrong for what they faced.
To defend the US, Mexico, ALL of Central America, and most of South AM?
No boosting needed. Just take missiles out of play, and MAJOR problem.
As long as the Abbies are willing to expend 6 to 1, they'll keep the USAF AND USN and USMC trimmed to size.
Even with 'updated' tatics turning most Jets into interceptors... yeah. I can see how it's going.
Now: For the overall battles that most people lump as the Battle of Leyte Gulf. (I did this in other threads, I think GG, about Hasely's undeserved bashing)
I've mentioned this before: IT ISN"T ALL HASELY'S fault.
In fact, the Japanese were VERY brilliant, and acutally did a awesome job predicting AND planning the battle. The other side plays to win, guys.
However: Three issues, all in Setup.
1: Battle of the Phil. Sea (aka the Turkey shoot). Spurance got reamed politely for letting Turkey chan and most of her fleet to escape, responded with he was given TWO 'missions of equal weight' and had to judge (I agree with him, btw, but I'm Army so..) which was more important, and chose to cover his landings (he was right, that WAS the Japanese objective)
This lead Nimtz to _EXPLICTLY_ order Hasely: "Go for the Enemy Fleet FIRST, as your utmost priority"
2: Contrary to views of FADM Hasely, he was a smart man, and had a good idea how the Japanese were trained and how they SHOULD think. And did a generally GOOD job (he defended Spruance over Phil. Sea), on guessing what they'd do. (Since in a lot of ways they WERE what He'd do in their shoes. Simliar training)
3: Japan threw out the rulebook and chose to expend assets that Hasely and most other American combat commanders WOULD NOT DO. Not only did they violate the Mahan doctrinces, that both sides used, they violated the basic rules of war, by inviting defeat in detail (which is what happened, if you think "They didn't do their mission") nor did Hasely and others REALLY realize how badly wrecked the Japanese industry was, nor how few ships were left, nor what situation the Japanese REALLY were in. (For all of ONI's successes in the war, missing this was a _big_ one.. but frankly, given how insane the Japanese military WAS, and how little anyone talked to each other? Yeah. Understandable)
So. In the leadup? Japan got brilliant. And played their pair of two's... about as perfectly as you could have for their mission. To be frank, Japan deserves the kudos here. The Plan was about as brilliant as it could be, all things considered, and since this was the spot BOTH sides had in mind for "THE Desicive battle" per Mahan theories, go all out.
Now, in Battle two things:
1: Kinkiad wipes out Southern force in the classic crossing the T. Hasely knows this, thinks the Japanese forces are done, goes after the remaining Naval carriers to finish the job, thinking (correctly, as Kinkaid was doing so, btw) that Kinkaid would get BACK to cover Taffies. However, Hasely was misinformed of EXCATLY where he was, and how fast he was going.
2: Given the training both sides had, Hasely had NO reason to expect or belive that the Japanese would split up their battle line. Even if they DID, he figured some would remain with the carriers to protect them (The fact the Japanese did NOT do a similar FCTF concept is one of the hilarious facts, nor that they never developed the battlegroup concept)
Therefore with everything HE KNEW, he was RIGHT to go after them.
Caveats:
"He should have left some behind!" Again, see above. CONCENTRATION of Forces is a universal military doctrine. Don't split up, don't invite defeat in detail.
"He should have double checked where Kinkaid was!" ... Yeah, this one's harder, but he generally trusted his staff to do so, and Kinkaid's people were usually on the ball.
"He should have KNOWN they'd do this!" Um, why? He knew their dotrince, their basic stragetic assumptions, he had fought them repeatedly.
THEY THREW OUT THE RULE BOOK COMPLETELY, threw OUT EVERYTHING.
For the first time in IJN history, they tried something that was completely OUT the box they operated in, and.. .it WORKED.
While BASHING Hasely (feel free, I don't like him ethier), is fine and good, please do give credit to the Japanese who came up with one out of the box solution, that only because Center force got completely delayed and disorganized by Taffy 3, would have at least destroyed a decent amount of the landing forces and severely set back if not stopped for at least a month, the invasion of Luzon, and might have severely delayed the taking of the other objectives on the various command's part.
As for his fueling, Destroyers EAT lots of fuel in 33 knot dashing, and he was going to do so, that's why he refueled, someone mentioned fuel states, and the fear of running OUT.
Jersey's free to hate Hasely for it, emotions aren't logical, she knew the ships left to die, and well, there's "I wasn't THERE to protect them!". There are arugements ethier way, but it's all hindsight. (Plus, part of it might simply be black shoes hating brown shoes)
Perfectly fine. She fought there, she gets that right
We weren't, we don't. We have to look at as a whole.
And that's taking in the OTHER side's existence, plus factors BEYOUND the immediate battle.
