Stuck at Home; Keeping myself sane

There was no ‘special friendship’ between the US and the UK before WW2. In fact, war between the two was not such a far-fetched idea – the US had its own empire ambitions, the problem was the UK ruled the world. The US decided that if they were to build an empire, they would have to remove the Royal Navy from the equation as they were deemed an obstacle to any future expansion plans. So, a conflict between the two was considered a possibility by those in the US government.

The most obvious way this would happen was the US coming up against Japan, who were expanding their empire in Asia, as Japan also had ambitions of further expansion. The US at the time were very anti-Japanese and it was likely that the US would come into conflict with Japan in Asia as both interests in the region were likely to clash. If this were to occur it would also in all probability bring to the US into conflict with Britain because at the time Britain in an alliance with Japan (Anglo-Japanese Alliance).

So, the likelihood was that the US would come into to conflict with both Japan and the British Empire at the same time. So, the US government decided they needed a plan for this very outcome. War Plan Red was developed by the War Department after the 1927 Geneva Naval Conference and approved in May 1930 by Secretary of War Patrick J. Hurley and Secretary of the Navy Charles Francis Adams III and updated in 1934–35. It was a routine hypothetical exercise and did not require presidential or congressional approval. Only the Congress has the power to declare war.

The war plan outlined actions that would be necessary if, for any reason, the US and Britain went to war with each other. The plan assumed that the British would initially have the upper hand by virtue of the strength of the Royal Navy. The plan further assumed that Britain would probably use its base in Canada as a springboard from which to initiate an invasion of the United States. The assumption was taken that at first, the US would fight a defensive battle against invading British forces, but the US would eventually defeat the British by blockading Canada’s ports and cutting off its food supplies. It is debated whether this would have been successful however and if the plan would have ultimately resulted in a stalemate.  That was the strategy employed by Britain against the US in the War of 1812.

The British military never prepared a formal plan for war with the United States during the first half of the 20th century. For instance, the government of David Lloyd George in 1919 restricted the Royal Navy from building more ships to compete with American naval growth and thereby preventing the plan’s development.

The British military generally believed that if war did occur, they could transport troops to Canada if asked, but nonetheless saw it as impossible to defend Canada against the much larger United States, so did not plan to render aid, as Canada’s loss would not be fatal to Britain. They believed that once the US blockaded the Canadian ports then Canada would be lost.

British military officers planned to, instead, attack the American fleet from a Western Hemisphere base, likely Bermuda, while other ships based in Canada and the West Indies would attack American shipping and protect Imperial trade. The British would also bombard coastal bases and make small amphibious assaults. India and Australia would help capture Manila to prevent American attacks on British trade in Asia and perhaps a conquest of Hong Kong. The officers hoped that such acts would result in a stalemate making continued war unpopular in the United States, followed by a negotiated peace.

Canadian Director of Military Operations and Intelligence Lieutenant Colonel James “Buster” Sutherland Brown planned for a Canadian pre-emptive attack against the United States in the event of an imminent conflict between the United States and the British Empire. The purpose of invading the US was to allow time for Canada to prepare its war effort and to receive aid from Britain.

Sutherland Brown along with other officers carried out reconnaissance for the plan, in civilian clothes during 1921-26. Some military officers thought the plan was so crazy that it might just work whilst others considered it suicidal.

This could make an interesting alternative history campaign using early WW2 miniatures, basing in either the North American theatre of war or a conflict based in Asia against both the British and Japanese, or fighting them separately. A couple of ideas could include an invasion of Japan or trying to capture Hong Kong from the British. At this time Japan was engaged in Korea and China, so one idea for the US could be to land troops in China and aid the Chinese against the Japanese. China would be one of the main targets for expansion by the US in Asia, simply because of the resources that would be available. If the US captures China, you could have an uprising by Chinese factions, or skirmishes along the border with Russia. Once the US ventures into Asia a conflict with Britain would be inevitable because of British interests in the region.