The initial gunfire of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) during the Battle off Samar in October 1944 was relatively ineffective compared to the German warships' gunfire during their 1940 battles, such as the sinking of HMS *Glorious* and its escorts, for several key reasons related to differences in tactics, conditions, and ship designs.
At the Battle off Samar, the IJN’s primary opponents were the small, lightly armed escort carriers and destroyers of the U.S. Seventh Fleet. The Japanese battleships and cruisers, including *Yamato*, *Kongo*, and *Nagato*, engaged in long-range bombardments against these smaller ships. However, their initial fire was often ineffective because of the vast distance involved—over 20,000 yards. Long-range gunnery in such a scenario was highly challenging, especially given the relatively low visibility and rough sea conditions that hampered accurate targeting. Additionally, the IJN was dealing with ships that were smaller and less easily targeted than larger capital ships. The U.S. ships, though outgunned, employed evasive tactics that further disrupted the accuracy of Japanese fire.
In contrast, the German warships, particularly during the 1940 Battle of the Norway campaign, faced larger British ships like HMS *Glorious* and its escorts, which were easier to target. The German battleships, such as *Scharnhorst* and *Gneisenau*, had more favorable conditions for close-range gunnery and were able to engage their targets more effectively. The relatively calm seas and shorter ranges of engagement allowed for more accurate fire. Moreover, the Germans had refined their targeting and fire control systems, making their gunfire more effective, especially when engaging the British carriers and their escorts.
Thus, the initial ineffectiveness of the IJN gunfire at the Battle off Samar can be attributed to a combination of factors: long-range engagement, challenging conditions, the smaller size of the U.S. ships, and less refined fire control technology compared to the Germans’ more effective use of close-range fire during the 1940 campaigns.