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Old 04-17-2018, 08:49 PM   #21
ericthered
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Default Re: Alternate History / Timeline: Invading the US

A while back we had a thread on a British/US war. You have to time it right to make it interesting, and you have to have politicians foolishly ramp up tensions, but its probably the biggest invasion threat the US has ever faced. Its a sea power with a foothold on the continent.

I favor staging the conflict instead of the great war, but that's just me looking for the biggest possible bang.
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Old 04-17-2018, 10:05 PM   #22
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Default Re: Alternate History / Timeline: Invading the US

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Originally Posted by mlangsdorf View Post
Minor quibble: the Panama Canal wasn't completed until 1914, and while I'm sure the admirals appreciated it, the US fleet mostly expected to have to go around South America at that point.
Make it "prevent the canal from becoming the world changing (and America empowering) card it might become." Neutralizing the canal was one of the major objectives of Operationsplan III, even while the ink was still drying on the law that would allow the US to buy out the French project.
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Old 04-18-2018, 03:43 AM   #23
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Originally Posted by Fred Brackin View Post
The Cuba assault has the _shortest_ supply lines but Florida is rich in Air Force bases and Naval Air stations. Major Navy/Marine installations all along the East and Gulf Coasts too....

Isn't there another problem with going through florida, it has at one point a rather narrow geographical access to the rest of the US which the US can concentrate forces in or on. And you have to take and occupy the peninsula or otherwise face US resupplying and building up any US forces left in it and risk having your forces trying to get into wider territory in the north facing attacks directly on their rear or supply lines.

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Originally Posted by ericthered View Post
A while back we had a thread on a British/US war. You have to time it right to make it interesting, and you have to have politicians foolishly ramp up tensions, but its probably the biggest invasion threat the US has ever faced. Its a sea power with a foothold on the continent.

I favor staging the conflict instead of the great war, but that's just me looking for the biggest possible bang.
That would be cool.

Last edited by Tomsdad; 04-18-2018 at 03:46 AM.
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Old 04-18-2018, 08:04 AM   #24
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Isn't there another problem with going through florida, it has at one point a rather narrow geographical access to the rest of the US which the US can concentrate forces in or on..
You mean I-95 or I-10? :)

Slightly more seriously you can't get conventional vehicles through the Everglades so you probably need to be making beachheads and landing fields north of that.

Even in the middle third of the state much of the land is low and wet. It's only in the upper third that you get "normal" terrain for armored vehicles if go off-road.

I do think that Staging Area Cuba is totally impractical and Comrade Canuck is the only semi-viable option.
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Old 04-18-2018, 10:59 AM   #25
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Default Re: Alternate History / Timeline: Invading the US

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Wasn't there a board wargame about Russia invading over the North Pole? Despite the challenges, it's still the shortest route (just as it is for missiles and bombers).
Yes there was, early to mid 1980s. I'm struggling to remember the title, but IIRC it had a small map, a simple rule book and a modicum of counters. Lots of sleds and hovercraft, and command post units. Sort of a Fallout setting, but pre Fallout.
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Old 04-18-2018, 11:39 AM   #26
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Default Re: Alternate History / Timeline: Invading the US

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Originally Posted by Luke Bunyip View Post
Yes there was, early to mid 1980s. I'm struggling to remember the title, but IIRC it had a small map, a simple rule book and a modicum of counters. Lots of sleds and hovercraft, and command post units.
Maybe the Ice War microgame? It certainly fits the trope.
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Old 04-18-2018, 12:42 PM   #27
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Default Re: Alternate History / Timeline: Invading the US

There was also "Jacksonville the Beaches of Doom" published in 1976. https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardg...e-beaches-doom It had a Soviet invasion of the USA 15 years after a ground war in Europe where the USSR pushed the USA out of Europe.
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Old 04-18-2018, 03:25 PM   #28
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There was a small genera of Invasion stories around WW I. One series that I happened to find one from in a used book store was written by H. Irving Hancock (from Wikipedia)

The Invasion of the United States Series[edit]
Note: the series, published in 1916, describes a fictional German invasion of the USA, dated in 1920-21.

1) "The Invasion of the United States; or, Uncle Sam's Boys at the Capture of Boston", Altemus, 1916 (28898885, microfilm)
2) "In the Battle for New York; or, Uncle Sam's Boys in the Desperate Struggle for the Metropolis", Altemus, 1916 (28898910, microfilm)
3) "At the Defense of Pittsburgh; or, The Struggle to Save America's 'Fighting Steel' Supply", Altemus, 1916 (28898921, microfilm)
4) "Making the Last Stand for Old Glory; or, Uncle Sam's Boys in the Last Frantic Drive", Altemus, 1916 (28898929, microfilm)

You can find "At the Defense of Pittsburgh; or, The Struggle to Save America's 'Fighting Steel' Supply" on archive.org.

https://archive.org/details/atdefenseofpitts00hanc

The basic idea was the US sat out WW I, didn't build any kind of large army so when the Germans invaded the UK stayed out since we hadn't helped them.
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Old 04-19-2018, 03:13 AM   #29
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Default Re: Alternate History / Timeline: Invading the US

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Originally Posted by Fred Brackin View Post
You mean I-95 or I-10? :)
heh ;-) so a bit like invading Britain through Cornwall (less alligators though)

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Originally Posted by Fred Brackin View Post
Slightly more seriously you can't get conventional vehicles through the Everglades so you probably need to be making beachheads and landing fields north of that.

Even in the middle third of the state much of the land is low and wet. It's only in the upper third that you get "normal" terrain for armored vehicles if go off-road.

I do think that Staging Area Cuba is totally impractical and Comrade Canuck is the only semi-viable option.
Yep I think you are right.
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Old 04-19-2018, 09:01 AM   #30
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Default Re: Alternate History / Timeline: Invading the US

In general, "sneaking" up on the U.S. with a naval invasion fleet would not mean arriving with boats undetected, but rather unidentified. Even in the modern day, (unclassified) submarines do not exist which can carry the kind of massive cargo a sustained invasion would require. Surface ships have been fairly easy to detect since at least WW2, and the U.S. coasts are well patrolled. Something that looks like a container ship, but turns out to be a military ship, however, could work. In theory. This is something the military and intelligence community is on guard against and for good reason.

Or... Somehow manage to ship 1000 containers of men & material to LA (or another port) at the same time and have them reunite before customs inspection. There are substantial logistical challenges and then they have to contend with both substantial military forces and civilian chaos. If pulled off, however, the element of surprise might be sufficient to take the city. I can't think of any major ports without substantial military presence. I don't think this is a coincidence.

This scenario could work in nearly any era.
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