America's Planned War On Britain: Revealed

For those of you who get this channel, there is a documentary on tomorrow (Tuesday 20th) at 20:00 called "America's Planned War On Britain: Revealed"

No details are available on their website but an advert yesterday indicated that its set during the 1930's and not something left over from 1812 or the ACW.

I intend to watch it, if nothing else then its bound be to a good laugh.
 
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For those of you who get this channel, there is a documentary on tomorrow (Tuesday 20th) at 20:00 called "America's Planned War On Britain: Revealed"

No details are available on their website but an advert yesterday indicated that its set during the 1930's and not something left over from 1812 or the ACW.

I intend to watch it, if nothing else then its bound be to a good laugh.

I've heard about this one as well - it's about War Plan Red or something like that. I know that every war office in every country has plans drawn up just in case something whacky happens, but I think that a War Plan Red was a leetle bit paranoid at the time.
 
I've heard about this one as well - it's about War Plan Red or something like that. I know that every war office in every country has plans drawn up just in case something whacky happens, but I think that a War Plan Red was a leetle bit paranoid at the time.

Is it really about being prepared and not about the exercise?
 
from what I've gathered war plan red was never intended to be a serious military plan and was more of a exercise in testing officers abilities to think up strategy. War plan Orange and Black (Japan and Germany respectively) were however taken seriously due to the high chances of war.
 
It was never taken seriously as a plan, it was just for training. Really, it would only be a big deal in some tabloid or something.
 
There were a number of "color" plans that the US began to develop prior to WWI - red was UK, black was Germany, Orange Japan & so forth, including plans for Mexico, occupying Cuba & others. Most never went very far and after WWI the only plan seriously examined was Orange (Japan) - Germany was a non-factor in 1919. In the late 30's the plans were redone as Rainbow 1 through 5, which considered war with Japan and/or Germany and various combinations of US Allies from none to France & UK, and strategies from solo defense of the Western Hemisphere to moving forward. In the end Rainbow-5 was the plan used.
 
Necessary...

In planning for war, it would be criminally irresponsible to assume that anyone was not a threat. Even friendly nations can turn hostile in a hurry--and the more powerful another nation is, the more it needs to be planned for. In short, plan for what your neighbor CAN do, rather than assume he won't.

Then, if things do start to go downhill, you have at least a framework to use.
 
Defence Scheme No. 1. I really don't understand why people find it hard to read the entire thread though. Excerpts of it can be found here.

Keep in mind I said British not Canadian. I am well aware of Defence Scheme No. 1. but to my knowledge that was a Dominion level scheme not an Imperial one, and the program on this topic alluded to British plans regarding a war with the United States which did not follow Defence Scheme No. 1 e.g. the statement that in the event of war Britain was not planning to engage in a major land war in North America etc.. Have I made myself sufficiently clear? :rolleyes:
 
the program on this topic alluded to British plans regarding a war with the United States which did not follow Defence Scheme No. 1 e.g. the statement that in the event of war Britain was not planning to engage in a major land war in North America etc.. Have I made myself sufficiently clear? :rolleyes:

Heh, sorry.

Then no. War Plan Red (and various colour plans) came about because planning against more likely enemies such as Germany (Black, but work was stopped on it) was politically difficult. Defence Scheme No. 1 was indeed a Canadian plan alone.

The British as far as I know stopped all major war planning against the USA once the Venezuela crisis was resolved in 1899 (or at least by WWI) and the UK made the strategic choice that war with the USA was both incredibly unlikely and impossible to win. (The UK might have had such a plan but I doubt it was ever beyond a sketch stage, they had more real enemies to plan against.)

US planners in War Plan Red did consider an invasion of the West Coast, and invasion of the Philippine's & Samoa & Guam before the USN could be expanded enough to take back/defend those territories and invade stuff like Bermuda.
 
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