Capt. Rick Jacobs talks on the Battle of Leyte Gulf at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, May 3 at the East Bank Regional Library, 4747 W. Napoleon, Metairie. The decisive air and sea battle (October 23–26, 1944) crippled the Japanese Combined Fleet, permitted the U.S. invasion of the Philippines, and reinforced the Allies’ control of the Pacific. The World War II Discussion Group, headed by local teacher and historian Brian Altobello, occurs the first Thursday of every month. Members discuss the events of the 1930s and 1940s.