I'm tempted to write about the "part of the WW II Allied Invasion of Europe that you Never Hear About", the stalled Allied invasion of Italy.

War itself is often a bad idea. It is probably far more effective to have a strong economy and do holding actions, waiting to starve out the enemy. But I guess this only works if you have a strong military behind you, and if you never use that military the enemy begins to question your strength and attack, making war inevitable.

How many times also does "bombardment to soften up the enemy" not work? (like prior to Pickett's charge and notably at Iwo Jima). Iwo Jima was particularly bad since so many lost their lives in the ensuing landings/attacks, and the island proved to be of little value in the long run.