Okay, now I'm FDR

Remember I said that I would be conducting a historical cabinet simulation of the Pacific War? Well, that's been changed, and now I am FDR conducting the Pacific War.

It is December 8, 1941. The U.S. is at war with Japan (I believe), but not with the full Axis yet.

Is there anything I should do differently from OTL, other than nothing and just sitting back and watching the engines of economy grind them away?

Strategically, tactically, diplomatically, and so on.
 
When the time comes, advocate an expanded Italian campaign, with landings along the Dalmatian and Albanian coast and a push through the Straits of Ljubljana to Austria. If you believe in this plan and push for matching changes in the Yalta negotiations, this should land you a neutral Albania, neutral Slovenia & Croatia, and NATO Austria. That makes the Cold War a bit easier.
 
Sorry, I'm only responsible for the Pacific War, I think. Though I probably could push for a declaration of war with the Axis. But what could I do if they don't declare war on me first?
 
Strategos' Risk said:
Sorry, I'm only responsible for the Pacific War, I think. Though I probably could push for a declaration of war with the Axis. But what could I do if they don't declare war on me first?

Put bigger ships in harm's way. Sorry, but that's the burden of the presidency. Send a few hundred (or thousand) boys to their deaths at the hands of the U-boats until the public is incensed enough.

Of course, if this game is run on the assumption that Hitler is *not* nuts, Stalin will be having trouble right now and your European strategy might well be screwed seven ways from Friday anyway. But you can at least try.
 

Superdude

Banned
Hmm....once you reach the Philippines, invade China and Taiwan, instead of going for Okinawa and Japan.
 
I dont think it would be possible to invade mainland china 2 million or something japanesse troops in china
 
Let's see . . .

Adolf is going to think he's done for Stalin, so he won't feel any compunction about declaring war on the U.S. on the eleventh. So there's that.

Order Ernie King to start coastal convoys. If he doesn't, make him commander of the coastal defense of Wyoming.

Hold off on relieving Husband Kimmel until after Wake is reinforced. Have one of my well-to-do friends give him a pension to make up for what he loses by having to retire at a lower rank. Short, on the other hand, should be busted to Second Lieutenant and assigned to the latrine detail in Alaska.

Propose to WSC that MacArthur be made C-in-C ABDA land forces. So he will have to leave the Philippines for first Java, then Australia. Butter up Mac's ego and he won't be talking with untrustworthy people like Wood and Lindbergh.

Put Bill Donovan in charge of the Army Special Forces and restructure the Office of the Coordinator of Information into a real espionage outfit, not a Captain Midnight bang and boom bunch.

In 1942 we say "Unconditional Surrender for the Nazis, Fascists, and General Tojo's gang. We are not the enemies of the German, Italian, and Japanese people, but their leaders are driving them to death and destruction."

Stalin was doing that, after all.

Oh, and speaking of Stalin, ask J. Edgar to look into some dubious characters who slid into the government through the New Deal agencies. This fellow from the Nye Commission, or that assistant at Treasury who wants to devastate Germany . . .

By now butterflies should be making all the campaigns go differently, but we'll assume that it's 1943 and we're meeting with WSC to plan the liberation of mainland Europe. It would be nice if it were this year but no can do.

"Winnie, General Eisenhower thinks the world of your General Alexander. He seems to get along with everybody, even George Patton. I think he would be the best British Liberation Army commander we can have."

Thus relegating Montgomery to the Italian campaign, where he can make fewer people mad at him.

It's July 1944. Perhaps things have changed, but if Adolf is dead, then the Nazis are going to be tearing each other apart. If Fat Herman or True Heinrich gets into authority, he still won't have the gravitas the Führer had, and while the Krauts are clawing each other we can push our way forward. And if the bomb-planters succeed . . . they at least know they're whipped.

But by now I know my time is up. In December, I say, "I appreciate the endorsement of the American People but my doctors say I cannot function properly for the end of the war against Nazi and Japanese tyranny. Therefore, I request that the electors of the Democratic Party, pledged to me, to vote for Senator Truman for President and Judge Byrnes as Vice-President. These fine Democrats have committed themselves to winning the war and to extending and completing the work of the New Deal, policies that all Americans, whatever their party, can wholeheartedly support. Far better for an orderly transition of power than a sudden one. May God bless America."

Then off to Warm Springs to live and perhaps die in Lucy Mercer's er Eleanor's arms . . .
 
You could...

-Find a better use for American soldiers than holding Japanese-Americans in internment camps when the war intensifies...

-Integrate (desegregate) the Army to hopefully leave the nation on a better footing after the war...

-Propose changing Lend-lease to allow for U.S. occupation of British Guiana and British Honduras.
 
Tell the Navy Labs to get off the keister and fix the torps,

Cut out all new battleship construstion except what is on the Ways rite now, and transfer the money, to other ships. protecting the conveys, is more important than Big fancy toys.

Come up with a plan for Post war Asia,
Regonize Ho chi mein as a patriot, and leader of Indepentant Veitman, France will Yell, but whe don't care about Vichy France, and the Free French can't do anything,
 
DuQuense said:
Regonize Ho chi mein as a patriot, and leader of Indepentant Veitman, France will Yell, but whe don't care about Vichy France, and the Free French can't do anything,

Yet, but you just ensured that De Gaulle will ally with Stalin in 44-45. Nice one.

OTOH, in early 42, De Gaulle was enthousistic about US; It really took quite a lot of snubs and slights by US to change this. If you just endeavour to treat De Gaulle as an ally instead of thinking him a dictator in the making and trying your outmost to screw France, you will ensure USA a loyal ally for decades. That would change a few things....
 
Nothing would have more of an immediate effect than fixing the torpedos and ordering the fleet boats into the most critical choke-point, the Taiwan Straits.

It is too late to save the Philippines, much gruesomeness awaits there.

On the larger scale, see that victory will come when we can get B-29s in range of Japan. The fastest way to do that is to take the Northern Route. When we land on a minor Home Island in (say) the summer of '42, the IJN will be forced to come out to do battle. In addition, we would then be blocking the Soviets from walking into Japan, a major postwar plus.
 
Paul in Saudi said:
Nothing would have more of an immediate effect than fixing the torpedos and ordering the fleet boats into the most critical choke-point, the Taiwan Straits.

It is too late to save the Philippines, much gruesomeness awaits there.

On the larger scale, see that victory will come when we can get B-29s in range of Japan. The fastest way to do that is to take the Northern Route. When we land on a minor Home Island in (say) the summer of '42, the IJN will be forced to come out to do battle. In addition, we would then be blocking the Soviets from walking into Japan, a major postwar plus.

Paul

If you mean via the Aleutians and Kurils I'm not sure how practical that would be. The terrain and climate up that way is pretty extreme and logistics for pushing more than a token force through it. You could possibly occupy them with some difficulty but supporting the large establishment required for a B-29 campaign, let alone the necessary supplies would be very difficult. The weather alone would greatly increase losses from accidents.

Steve
 
fhaessig said:
Yet, but you just ensured that De Gaulle will ally with Stalin in 44-45. Nice one.

OTOH, in early 42, De Gaulle was enthousistic about US; It really took quite a lot of snubs and slights by US to change this. If you just endeavour to treat De Gaulle as an ally instead of thinking him a dictator in the making and trying your outmost to screw France, you will ensure USA a loyal ally for decades. That would change a few things....
I really really doubt that De Gaulle is going to ally with the Soviets. But if there is a chance, amybe promise US support in holding Algeria in excange for a pullout of Indochina?
 

Superdude

Banned
Prevent the Soviets from enetring the Pacific war-Give them domain over southrn and Eastern Europe in exchange for Japan, Korea, and China.
 
Superdude said:
Prevent the Soviets from enetring the Pacific war-Give them domain over southrn and Eastern Europe in exchange for Japan, Korea, and China.
Why not just quicken the Manhattan Project as soon as possible and threaten to nuke them if they move beyone the pre-Barbarossa borders?
 

Superdude

Banned
That would be problematic, since the USA would only have a few left over anyways- the Soviet Union could likely take a few nuclear strikes.
 
Still, we don't want the Soviets expanding pretty much at all, whether it be in Eastern Europe or Eastern Asia.
 
luakel said:
Why not just quicken the Manhattan Project as soon as possible and threaten to nuke them if they move beyone the pre-Barbarossa borders?
How about just making sure that Ike beats the Russians to the Oder, or even the Vistula if it can be done?
 
luakel said:
I really really doubt that De Gaulle is going to ally with the Soviets.

He actually threatened to OTL, when US encrochments and intentions to dismentle the empire becaume too obvious.

Obviously, he's going to keep most of the free french for coming back to France. So, in 42 to mid 44, there's little he can do in a military terms. Diplomatically this is something else. OTL, Stalin gave more consideration to free french than Roosevelt.

OTOH, even militarily speaking, De Gaulles could send more free french to the East front than just Normandy-Niemen squadron. It's not like he had any great use for the expedition in Italy, so there are troops available in 43.

Leclerc, Hero of the Soviet Union?:D :D :D

From mid 44 to 46 and beyond, a formal alliance between De Gaulle and the Communists could have some interesting results, especially if the french sector of Germany runs from the french border to the soviet zone. That would definitely change post war politics.



luakel said:
But if there is a chance, amybe promise US support in holding Algeria in excange for a pullout of Indochina?


Actually, getting a peacefull pullout of Indochina is quite easy. Just off the most vocal and intrensigant colonists so that Leclerc isn't murdered. ( and ensure the later if you can ). He was getting it by negociating with Ho. This would leave an independant Indochina as part of the french Union, but we all know how this ended.

As for ALgeria, I doubt you can get the french to hold it ( if they even see a problem in 42 ). The problems were in basic french politics ( as in citizenship ) and would have required some efforts on the part of the french to correct, I'm not sure the political will is there to do this. You could ensure that the parting is less messy, but I think that's all.

Off course, if the US is not doing it's outmost to sink the french colonial empire during WWII, the end of it will be much less messy overall - though not long delayed, I think -.
 
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