Ramp-Rat
Monthly Donor
In a previous post I alluded that it was my opinion that the American establishment both political and military were criminally incompetent, for not making adequate plans for the war in the Atlantic. I would like to explain my position and the reasoning behind it, while we await the next instalment by our author of the conflict in the Far East, and the role of tanks in it. During the inter war years the Joint Planning Committee, engaged in the preparation of a number of war plans, which were colour coded, with orange referring to war against Japan and red to war against Britain. While the USN put a lot of effort into WP Orange, running numerous extensive war games at its Staff College in the Pringal Hall facility. A smaller number of such War Games were also run, mostly in the War Game Red series, as at the time Britain was the only other potential naval opponent. While the JPC, might have set a few junior officers to update War Plan Black, Germanys military weakness up until the ascension of Hitler and his gang, was guaranteed by the Treaty of Versailles. However once Hitler got in, and especially after the Anglo German Navel Agreement of 1935, someone should have been regularly updating War Plan Black, and a number of war games run, based on a conflict with Germany. In fact there should have been multiple games run, such as war with Germany, were Britain is involved alongside America, war with Germany were Germany is linked to Japan, etc etc. And given the prolific words of a former head of the USN in 1919, warning about a German submarine campaign against the American East Coast, some very basic preparations should have been made.
Instead the American establishment, political and military, instead ignored events in Europe, and only concentrated on the Pacific. Once the European war started, instead of examining what was happening and sending numerous observers, the Americans essentially went to sleep. By mid 1940, the Americans should have been preparing and putting in place measures to deal with a submarine campaign or the East Coast and in the Caribbean. Ready to be implemented in short order, such as the British had in the years leading up to WWII. Instead they were dismissive of the advice they received from the British, and while concentrating on the Pacific, failed to make any preparations, for what was obvious to anyone other than a blind fool, America was going to be involved in the war like it or not. Throughout 1941 FDR, as he did in the Pacific, turned the screws on the Germans in the Atlantic. But still no significant preparations were made, and even once war broke out, the Americans resisted all efforts by the British to implement a combined approach to the Atlantic campaign. The Atlantic was the only major theatre of WWII, that didn’t have a Supreme Allied Commander appointed, mostly because the Americans were insistent that he was to be an American. While the British were not going to have their vital life line under American control, and an American in charge of the Home Fleet. Do I see there being any major changes ITTL compared to ours, no, the same fools and idiots will be in charge. There will however be minor changes, with the British not having to support a major campaign in North Africa, and hopefully Singapore remaining in British hands, there will be slightly more escort vessels available for the Atlantic. But the Germans will as they did engage in a submarine campaign on the East Coast and Caribbean. There are going to be tough times ahead, and this will be even more a bone of contention between the British and Americans. But after a miserable 1942, I would expect that early in 43, about six months earlier the Battle of the Atlantic, will effectively be over.
RR.
Instead the American establishment, political and military, instead ignored events in Europe, and only concentrated on the Pacific. Once the European war started, instead of examining what was happening and sending numerous observers, the Americans essentially went to sleep. By mid 1940, the Americans should have been preparing and putting in place measures to deal with a submarine campaign or the East Coast and in the Caribbean. Ready to be implemented in short order, such as the British had in the years leading up to WWII. Instead they were dismissive of the advice they received from the British, and while concentrating on the Pacific, failed to make any preparations, for what was obvious to anyone other than a blind fool, America was going to be involved in the war like it or not. Throughout 1941 FDR, as he did in the Pacific, turned the screws on the Germans in the Atlantic. But still no significant preparations were made, and even once war broke out, the Americans resisted all efforts by the British to implement a combined approach to the Atlantic campaign. The Atlantic was the only major theatre of WWII, that didn’t have a Supreme Allied Commander appointed, mostly because the Americans were insistent that he was to be an American. While the British were not going to have their vital life line under American control, and an American in charge of the Home Fleet. Do I see there being any major changes ITTL compared to ours, no, the same fools and idiots will be in charge. There will however be minor changes, with the British not having to support a major campaign in North Africa, and hopefully Singapore remaining in British hands, there will be slightly more escort vessels available for the Atlantic. But the Germans will as they did engage in a submarine campaign on the East Coast and Caribbean. There are going to be tough times ahead, and this will be even more a bone of contention between the British and Americans. But after a miserable 1942, I would expect that early in 43, about six months earlier the Battle of the Atlantic, will effectively be over.
RR.