War Plan Red
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War Plan Red was a theoretical military document outlining a possible war between the United States and the British Empire (the "Red" forces). It was developed by the United States Army during the mid 1920s, and was officially withdrawn in 1939, when it and others like it were replaced by the five "Rainbow" plans created to deal with the Axis threat.
There is some debate over whether the plan was actually meant to be put into action. Although an Anglo-American war had been a real possiblity during the 19th century, the likelihood of this declined substantially following the turn of the century. The amicable negotiations of the tense Venezuela-British Guiana border dispute, the Hay-Paunceforte Treaty, the establishment of the International Joint Commission, and the Washington Naval Treaty are examples of the increasing detente during this period. War Plan Red is notably generalized and lacking in detail, indicating its low priority in the planners' eyes.
War Plan Red is only one of a number of U.S. Color-coded War Plans developed at this time. Many of these plans address highly speculative scenarios, since heavily focusing plans on specific countries like Germany would have appeared militaristic and aroused domestic opposition.
War Plan Red was declassified in 1974, and caused a stir in American-Canadian relations; Canada, named "Crimson" in the plans, was to have been the principal target of American forces. It is generally little-known that a Canadian military officer, Colonel James Sutherland Brown developed a counterpart to WPR called Defence Scheme 1. Maintaining the best defence was a good offence, "Buster" Brown planned for rapid deployment of "flying air columns" to occupy Seattle, Portland (Oregon), Minneapolis and St. Paul. Simultaneous troop movements to converge on Albany, naval assault on Maine and bridgeheads along Niagara and Detroit. With no hope of actually maintaining an invasion force - the reasoning was to divert USA troops to the flanks and away from Canada - hopefully long enough for Commonwealth allies to arrive with reinforcements. DS1 was denounced as impractical and unlikely, and withdrawn in 1931.
The war plan did not go into detail regarding offensive or defensive naval campaigns against Great Britain, at that time still the world's dominant naval power. It primarily set out a description of Canada's geography, military and economic resources, and transportation, and then proceeded to discuss a series of possible campaigns aimed at occupying key ports and railroad lines before British troops could reinforce Canada. This would prevent Britain from using Canadian resources, ports, or airbases against the United States.
The main zones of operation discussed in the plan are:
- Nova Scotia and New Brunswick
- Occupying Halifax would deny Britain a major naval base and cut links between Britain and Canada.
- The plan considers several land and sea options for the attack and concludes that a landing at an undeveloped bay near Halifax would be superior to a direct assault or the longer overland route.
- Failing to take Halifax, the U.S. could occupy New Brunswick by land to cut Nova Scotia off from the rest of Canada.
- Quebec and the valley of the Saint Lawrence River
- Occupying Montreal and Quebec City would cut the remainder of Canada off from the Eastern seaboard, preventing the movement of soldiers and resources in both directions
- The routes from northern New York to Montreal and from Vermont to Quebec are both found satisfactory for an offensive, with Quebec being the more critical target.
- Ontario and the Great Lakes area
- Occupying this region gains control of most of Canada's industry, and prevents Britain and Canada from using it for air or land attacks against the U.S. industrial heartland in the Midwest.
- The plan proposes simultaneous offensives from Buffalo across Niagara Falls, from Detroit into Ontario, and from Sault Ste. Marie into Sudbury. Controlling the Great Lakes for U.S. transport is considered logistically necessary for a continued invasion.
- Winnipeg
- Winnipeg is a central nexus of the Canadian rail system for connecting the country.
- The plan sees no major obstacles to an offensive from Grand Forks, North Dakota, to Winnipeg.
- Vancouver and Victoria
- Although Vancouver's distance from Europe reduces its importance, occupying it would deny Britain a naval base and cut Canada off from the Pacific Ocean.
- Vancouver could be easily attacked overland from Bellingham, Washington, and Vancouver Island could be attacked by sea from Port Angeles, Washington.
- The British Columbia port Prince Rupert has a rail connection to the rest of Canada, but a naval blockade is viewed as easy if Vancouver were taken.
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