Is it even possible to successfully invade the United States?

The invasion is feasible, certainly. However, a concerted campaign of espionage and subversion must cause inter-ethnic strife before an invasion force can land. The ubiquitous presence of firearms in the populace helps, as it would be easy to instigate bloodshed. No matter its size or technological level, an army will fall to defeat if its homeland is in a state of civil war or such.
 

Saphroneth

Banned
The invasion is feasible, certainly. However, a concerted campaign of espionage and subversion must cause inter-ethnic strife before an invasion force can land. The ubiquitous presence of firearms in the populace helps, as it would be easy to instigate bloodshed. No matter its size or technological level, an army will fall to defeat if its homeland is in a state of civil war or such.
Aha, of course! What we're seeing right now in the US is part of a plan of disinformation to confuse issues so much that half the country wouldn't believe an invading soldier arresting them as proof of an invasion!


...to avoid getting too into modern politics, assume I am talking about how Game of Thrones is preparing us all for when the dragons take over.
 
You do not invade another nation's mainland if you do not want to poison relations. Say, somehow Britain gains a foothold somewhere along the eastern coast.
What to do afterwards ?
Expand and try to gain some objectives that move you towards victory? This option requires a long and hard slog that will not end in a single campaign season and would require a bucket-load of resources to finish. Why would the invading army believe that in a long war the defender would not seek to use its local supremacy of logistics and manpower to beat them ?

If you suppose the war is going to be so insignificant that a negotiated end is possible, then why launch an invasion in the first place ?
Once you invade, you do not get to say where the finish line is, the Americans could simply refuse because you have not caused them such an injury that they should seek a conclusion to the war.
What would be the peace treaty in such a war anyway ? No American government would ever squander away its home advantage to accept such a loss, and the hypothetical government that did so would be voted out and a belligerent one brought in.
If a war was over small issues then it is bound to be colonial, and a colonial war does not require a response that could bankrupt the invading nation.

What about the long term prospects of relations ? US is not going anywhere and neither is Canada (here it is assumed that GB invades).

I don't buy that America would always fight to the bitter end. If the war is over Cuba and the American navy is swept from the seas and Germany occupies the Florida Keys, what does America gain spending all that time, blood and treasure driving the Germans from the field when they know the Germans will leave once peace is declared? Ditto with Britain, would it not make more sense to make peace and either let relations normalize or strike when they're occupied elsewhere than fight an escalating series of battles that cost significant time, blood and treasure while your economy is devastated by a blockade? America could win for sure, but after a proper build-up they could win faster, cheaper and with a smaller loss of life. I don't think America will finish the war and launch attacks with tens of thousands of casualties over Plattsburgh or Sackets Harbor.
 

Saphroneth

Banned
It is hard to imagine the politics of this but a German UK ALLIANCE could have control of the Sea and an efficient army
The vulnerability of the US pre-WW2 has always been the state the US armed forces get into during peacetime. Amazingly it's into the 20th century before US ports have defences that would stop an 1860s ironclad.
 
I don't buy that America would always fight to the bitter end. If the war is over Cuba and the American navy is swept from the seas and Germany occupies the Florida Keys, what does America gain spending all that time, blood and treasure driving the Germans from the field when they know the Germans will leave once peace is declared? Ditto with Britain, would it not make more sense to make peace and either let relations normalize or strike when they're occupied elsewhere than fight an escalating series of battles that cost significant time, blood and treasure while your economy is devastated by a blockade? America could win for sure, but after a proper build-up they could win faster, cheaper and with a smaller loss of life. I don't think America will finish the war and launch attacks with tens of thousands of casualties over Plattsburgh or Sackets Harbor.


That's what Tojo thought. If they just defeated the Pacific Fleet and occupied the Philippines, the US would cut their loses.
 
I agree wholeheartedly. I think the only way this scenario works is if
A) the war is colonial in nature
B) the 'invasion' is small.

The best candidate is Britain, but there's really no reason for them to be at war. Having said that, I think if the circumstances were such that war was declared Britain could do it. The other is Germany. If for some bizarre reason they join Spain in their war with America I could maybe see an occupation of the Florida Keys after America loses a naval battle in the Caribbean.

The whole 'occupy the USA from New York to New Orleans' is very unlikely thought.

GB has no reason to expect a "small invasion" won't wind up in a large one very, very quickly . A small invasion can be pushed out fairly quickly and easily. A large one would be detected long before it could be brought to bear and the US would train troops fairly quickly. Within months the British Expeditionary force would be heavily outnumbered as you can't support that many troops out of lightly populated Canada who would strongly object in the first place. The Canadians aren't stupid and can count noses as easily as anyone else and were well aware on who would be target #1 in any US counteroffensive.
 
Wasn't racism in the US so bad that some minorities were migrating to the freaking USSR?

That might be a useful tool.
There was an old Soviet propaganda film about that. It had a black man from a foreign country staying in a hotel an American businessman was staying in, and the businessman threw a fit about it, and about not being able to use his money to get around it.
 
Top