The Battle of the Philippine Sea, 19-20 June 1944, was the last of the major carrier aircraft battles of the Pacific War, a series of battles that started in the Coral Sea in 1942. It is sometimes called the "First" Battle of the Philippine Sea since the Battle for Leyte Gulf in October 1944 is sometimes called the Second Battle of the Philippine Sea.

The Battle of the Philippine Sea was the greatest carrier aircraft battle in history with the result that Japanese naval air power was destroyed. The losses of planes, and even more the loss of experienced pilots, were not recovered before the end of the war in August 1945. After the Battle of the Philippine Sea, and the surface fleet Battle of Leyte Gulf in October 1944, the American drive to recapture the Philippines and tighten the ring on the Japanese home islands could not be seriously challenged by the Japanese Imperial Navy, leaving their ground forces to fight with little support.