PC/WI UK "Urgent Fury" against Grenada

WILDGEESE

Gone Fishin'
In 1983 US forces invaded the island of Grenada in response to a Cuban backed or inspired "coup de etat" despite Grenada being a Crown Colony and the US President telling the UK premier that they wouldn't be invading.

Despite this many Western nations rebucked this, incredibly so to the UK.

What if, fresh from her victory against Argentina in 1982, the UK was told of plans for a possible invasion by the US and as a consequence told the US govt that the UK would do it herself by sailing a Task Force to the island in the same way as she did in 1982.

Would this be possible?, especially with the UK's capability?

Would this violate the US's "Monroe Doctrine"?

What if Cuba seeing this as an entirely UK operation without US help fancied their chances and decided to contest the landings and try to fully take control of the island?

Would basing UK military assets in Belize (Phantoms, Jaguars, Buccaneers, Harrier GR-3's with Tankers) help the operation and if so how would Guatamala behave?, would they side with Cuba expanding the conflict?

How would the USSR react, seeing one of her friendly nations go to war with a NATO member?

Cheers filers
 
Would this violate the US's "Monroe Doctrine"?

Well, technically. But(and I am not an expert on these things) I would imagine that during the Reagan years, the Monroe Doctrine was very much interpreted in an anti-Communist light, and that the ousting of a perceived Communist regime by the US' closest European ally, with no risk to American soldiers' lives, would be regarded with general favour by the White House and probably the State Department.

If they had to, they could probably even convince themselves that Grenada, being formally governed by the Windsors, counts as a pre-Monroe British colony, and hence outside the purview of the Doctrine.

I could maybe see an ideological anti-Brit like Jeanne Kirkpatrick or a professional Irishman like Pat Buchanan raising objections, but I don't think they'd have much influence on things. Push comes to shove, Kirkpatrick MIGHT resign from her UN gig, but she'd quickly be replaced by someone more in line with the program.
 
SBS, SAS, MI5, etc. would all spend their annual vacations on Grenada. Postcards, plus American satellite data would produce far more accurate analysis of locations and strengths of communist construction crews.
RAF would forward-deploy a variety of aircraft to former colonies on Carribbean Islands. The Royal Navy would conduct "good will tours" of Carribbean ports.
The US Navy would "forget" millions of to a of POL, rations, etc. at former British colonies.
The Governor would quietly relocate before communists knew an invasion was imminent.
The final result would be a quicker "liberation" with fewer British casualties.

Late in the process, the USAF would repatriate the beleaguered medical students.
 
indeed, I can't help but think that the UK would have handled it better... mainly by better recon and assigning fewer units. The USA assigned waaaay too many units from different branches who all seemed to get in each others' way. Plus, their initial recon was really bad. The US was going into it's first major action since Vietnam, and it showed...
 
indeed, I can't help but think that the UK would have handled it better... mainly by better recon and assigning fewer units. The USA assigned waaaay too many units from different branches who all seemed to get in each others' way. Plus, their initial recon was really bad. The US was going into it's first major action since Vietnam, and it showed...

I can imagine a more subtle approach - UK SF team takes control of the new and yet to be named "Maurice Bishop" airport in a 'polite but firm manner' in time for a Battalion of Paras (1 Para as they missed out the previous year) to turn up in 16 C-130s

HMS Ambuscade (West Indies Guardship) Trails her coat up and down the West coast.

By day break a Battalion of Paras has taken control of the area and is digging its mortars in to a new FOB on Mont Tout in order to cover the main road and approaches to the airport.

Over the course of a day the Hercs deliver more support elements (Royal Engineers, MP, etc) more vehicles as well as units of the CPF

While this is going on the British in the form of Governor General Paul Scoon invites the ruling party under Hudsen Austin to 'have a chat'
 

WILDGEESE

Gone Fishin'
I can imagine a more subtle approach - UK SF team takes control of the new and yet to be named "Maurice Bishop" airport in a 'polite but firm manner' in time for a Battalion of Paras (1 Para as they missed out the previous year) to turn up in 16 C-130s

HMS Ambuscade (West Indies Guardship) Trails her coat up and down the West coast.

By day break a Battalion of Paras has taken control of the area and is digging its mortars in to a new FOB on Mont Tout in order to cover the main road and approaches to the airport.

Over the course of a day the Hercs deliver more support elements (Royal Engineers, MP, etc) more vehicles as well as units of the CPF

While this is going on the British in the form of Governor General Paul Scoon invites the ruling party under Hudsen Austin to 'have a chat'

How plausible would it be for the Cuban's to say "Screw this, I'm not having them Gringo's on my doorstep" and back-up their forces by airlifting in more troops and supplies courtesy of the USSR?

Could the Cuban's also fly in Fighter/Attack aircraft to the airport to back them up?

According to Duinnigan's 'How to make war', it states that at the time Cuba had in the region of 210 combat aircraft but says nothing about transport aircraft or navy forces.

Regards filers
 
How plausible would it be for the Cuban's to say "Screw this, I'm not having them Gringo's on my doorstep" and back-up their forces by airlifting in more troops and supplies courtesy of the USSR?

Could the Cuban's also fly in Fighter/Attack aircraft to the airport to back them up?

According to Duinnigan's 'How to make war', it states that at the time Cuba had in the region of 210 combat aircraft but says nothing about transport aircraft or navy forces.

Regards filers

I just wrote a really good answer but I some how managed to mash a combination of keys that I couldn't replicate if I tried and lost the lot

But basically no - the new airport is in British/CPF hands - the British have airpower from Barbados - a gert great battleship (okay a small frigate with a 4.5" gun on the front) and a 1000 Hairy Paras.

Cuba has nothing to gain by getting into a scrap with Britain or its CPF neighbours - it has enough problems with its big angry neighbour to the North.
 
Just for the record, Grenada in 1983 was not a Crown Colony. It was a member of the British Commonwealth, but it had been independent since 1974. The first PM was Sir Eric Gairy, who had a reputation as a weirdo. [He publicly declared he believed in UFOs] Maurice Bishop took over in the early '80s.
If Cuba was stupid enough to send in major units to challenge the British, they would get their asses handed to them on a plate, either by the Brits, or by the US. No way is Castro getting away with this, no matter what the Soviets might threaten to do. Besides, Cuba's influence in the British Caribbean was on the wane; they had 'lost' Jamaica when the Manley govt. got defeated by the JLP in 1980. Castro must have been really pissed about this.
 
Just for the record, Grenada in 1983 was not a Crown Colony. It was a member of the British Commonwealth, but it had been independent since 1974. The first PM was Sir Eric Gairy, who had a reputation as a weirdo. [He publicly declared he believed in UFOs] Maurice Bishop took over in the early '80s.

I know it wasn't a Crown Colony, but its "British" status was more than just as a member of the Commonwealth(which in and of itself would not preclude a republic). It was(and is) a constitutional monarchy, with Queen Elizabeth II as its head of state.

In my scenario, the US administration had to "convince itself" that Grenada counted as a colony. What I meant was that they'd probably realize that the arguments were BS('cuz they'd never dream of applying the same logic to Canada), but just fall back on them in case someone raised Monroe-objections to a British invasion.
 
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