Disaster at Clark Field: Air Raid Philippines 1941

Seth Paridon and Jon Parshall spend nearly two hours dissecting the Clark Field disaster — how MacArthur's air force was caught on the ground nine hours after Pearl Harbor, despite ample warning. The episode methodically traces the chain of failures from Brereton's requests to Sutherland's gatekeeping to MacArthur's paralysis, making a damning case that this was the most inexcusable American command failure of December 1941. Parshall, co-author of Shattered Sword, brings the same forensic approach to command accountability that made his Midway work essential. If you've ever wondered why MacArthur's reputation survived this debacle, this is the episode to queue up.