Battle of Leyte
He led the planning for the Battle of Leyte, known as Operation King II, and predicted that the Japanese fleet would attempt to intervene, striking at the invasion force through the Surigao Strait. His warning that the Japanese fleet would sortie was discounted by MacArthur's chief intelligence officer, Brigadier General Charles A. Willoughby, but Tarbuck put his objection in writing. MacArthur would later commend him for an accurate prediction of the course of the Battle of Leyte Gulf.