Yes, but historically you can argue there have been examples of this kind of underhanded manoeuvre which have lead to huge global power shifts. A good example being the US having knowledge of Pearl Harbor, letting it happen and now 80 years later, Japan is still their completely subservient vassal state.
PLA Strategy in a Taiwan Contingency
- Thread starter pugachev_diver
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I don’t think we have proof the US let Japan hit pearl harbor on purpose, it was probably an intelligence failure what that can happen what’s how 9/11 happened, but your right it could but unlikely
FriedRiceNSpice
Major
While it is improbable that the US would have known exactly when and where the Japanese were going to strike, it is well known that Roosevelt was attempting to provoke a Japanese declaration of war in order to facilitate US involvement in WW2. The US public and legislature were heavily in favor of isolationism at the time, and pro-Nazi sentiment was also significant. US naval intelligence believed there was a significant chance of a Japananese surprise naval attack, but Pearl Harbor was considered a low-probability target.
It is also highly probable that Stalin had in fact anticipated a German attack on the USSR and intentionally neglected to make preparations to thwart the German attack.
How would that be technically feasible without risking "letting more than one through?!"
Yes, you're getting ahead of yourself. Glad you noticed too!
The US wasn't trying to provoke Japan into a war in 1941, it was trying to provoke Germany into a war. At the time, it looked like Operation Barbarossa would succeed and that the Soviet Union would fall. If that were to happen, then Germany would have seemed unassailable in Europe. By that point, the US Navy and the Kriegsmarine had already started shooting at each other, and the last thing that the US wanted was to be distracted by a war with Japan. And then after Pearl Harbor, Hitler did Roosevelt a solid by declaring war first.
It's something that might be fun to think about, but it almost never happens in real life. Generally secretly helping the enemy like this is just not possible to keep as a secret, so leaders just aren't prone to it. And of course in this case, China doesn't need any more justification to wreck Japan. In fact, if Japan were to lose a war, not only would Japan lose the Senkakus, they'd likely lose the Ryukyus as well.
FriedRiceNSpice
Major
Roosevelt's goal was war with Germany, and in order to achieve that goal he provoked war with Japan. The US embargo on Japan essentially forced Japan to go to war against the US. The Germans were being very careful to avoid drawing the US into the war, hence Roosevelt had to focus on Japan.
I do believe that but the US and the USSR are different
FriedRiceNSpice
Major
Sure, one side was communist imperialist and the other was capitalist imperialist.
The Soviets were preparing for a war for a long time. After the Allies supported the Whites in the Civil War they expected war in Europe to come eventually.
The Soviets had a huge military ramp up in the 1930s. And they spent a lot of time preparing. For example the Great Purge removed all officers with contact with the German military from office.
The Soviets did expect an invasion in 1941. But I think after the Germans got delayed in Greece after Mussolini fumbled few expected the invasion to start that year anymore. Not while in the middle of summer.
The Soviets had a huge military ramp up in the 1930s. And they spent a lot of time preparing. For example the Great Purge removed all officers with contact with the German military from office.
The Soviets did expect an invasion in 1941. But I think after the Germans got delayed in Greece after Mussolini fumbled few expected the invasion to start that year anymore. Not while in the middle of summer.
are we talking strategy in Taiwan? or I miss something?