re: 73 Years ago today: Battle of Stalingrad ends with the surrender of 6th Army

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I read this book called "The Prize" about the history of drilling for oil and in it they alluded to this. Germany wanted Japan to attack Russia from the east, but Japan wanted the oil rich lands of the Philippines. Japan f*cked up majorly attacking Pearl Harbor, but they did so only to ensure that the U.S. Would not flank them while holding onto these islands. If Japan attacks Russia instead of the U.S. It would have affected the outcome of the war and history as we know it.

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The Japanese had two choices in 1941. They could withdraw from China and resume getting imports of vital materials like rubber, scrap iron, and most importantly oil. Or they could stay in China and go to war with the U.S. before their current stocks of these items ran out. They chose to go to war and hope to secure the supplies of these items by seizing the Philippines and more importantly the Dutch East Indies. They chose war and thus sealed their ultimate fate.