During WWII both sides made numerous costly blunders. For instance, the Japanese should have attacked oil storage facilities at Pearl Harbor and pressed the attack on Pearl Harbor until they out of ammunition and aviation fuel. There was more petroleum at Pearl Harbor on December 8, 1941 than in Japan.
Japanese incompetence in the field of cyphers was criminal.
The truly unnecessary attack was the Phillipines, which advanced absolutely no strategic purpose, rather it allowed MacAuthur to claim a public relations victory by redeeming his pledge to return.
An interesting point. Why blame MacArthur? We invaded the Phillipines because FDR, Stimson, Marshall and King wanted to. MacArthur was just in charge of SWPA.
How?
It is my understanding that the vast quantities of fuel at Pearl are primarily stored in huge underground caverns, far below the ground.
"The truly unnecessary attack was the Phillipines, which advanced absolutely no strategic purpose, rather it allowed MacAuthur to claim a public relations victory by redeeming his pledge to return."
While it is not a strategic mission, I think we were duty bound to invade the Philipines to liberate U.S. POW's being held there since 1942 and to liberate Phillipinos, who were citizens of a U.S. territory and were actively resisting the Japanese.
I kinda liked the liberation of the Philippines. My mother and father were freed from Los Banos the same day the flag was raised on Suribachi. Two weeks earlier my grandfather and uncle were liberated from Bilibid and my grandmother, aunt, uncle, and cousin were liberated from Santo Tomas.
I say "Thanks Doug!"
Side note: Few people today know that General Custer was a key part in defeating Pickett's charge.