Originally Posted by godofthunder9010

All new buildup was focussed almost 100% on the Pacific with very little concern for the Atlantic. I think you're right about a good chunk of the Atlantic Fleet being moved, but I haven't any details.

I believe it was the Pacific Fleet that was being downsized to send ships to the Atlantic Fleet to fight the German Wolfpacks. The most notable was whent he US gave 50 destroyers to GB in return for several Bases in Britian and their colonies, but that was I believe in 1940, so perhaps it was the opposite in 1939, but Japan was not thought of as an enemy at the time, at least not near so much as Germany, everyone thought that it would be the Germans who would attack and bring America into the war, not Japan, who was over 7,000 miles away.

Well if that is the actual case than the Americans may have had a problem, however it took american ships alot les time to get to Alaska than it did Russian onces in the end.

Originally Posted by Damien435

I believe it was the Pacific Fleet that was being downsized to send ships to the Atlantic Fleet to fight the German Wolfpacks. The most notable was whent he US gave 50 destroyers to GB in return for several Bases in Britian and their colonies, but that was I believe in 1940, so perhaps it was the opposite in 1939, but Japan was not thought of as an enemy at the time, at least not near so much as Germany, everyone thought that it would be the Germans who would attack and bring America into the war, not Japan, who was over 7,000 miles away.

Japan had be a possible threat for a long long time and the USA had planned accordingly. FDR and people in the US Government knew that Germany was the greater danger, but they had a bit of a problem. As of 1940, the USA was more composed of German ancestry than anything else. Germans in the USA were not in favor of the idea of marking Nazi Germany as their #1 enemy. It took a long list of events to change that.

America was cautious of Japan, clueless about them culturally, and pretty racist in general.

Still when you get down to it the Americans could have always moved the forces if Russia possed them any threat via the Panama Canal.

True. The Russian strategy for invading Alaska: Get as much as you can across the Bering Strait before the USA can arrive and stop you. Also, make certain that they don't see it coming if at all possible. Surprise and speed would have been everything.

The Russians biggest problems would have been if America had patrolled those waters at that time....I think they would have though since there is ice up thier.

Alaska is huge the russians would no way have held it for long

It is huge but almost no one lives thier, even today it has a poulation of like 400,000 image it in 1939

The USA intentially did not build decent highways and roads throughout Alaska for one very important reason -- if Japan invaded there, they'd have a very difficult time going from there to the Continental USA. This is one of the reasons most of Alaska is accessible only via airplane. The nation in question would be different, but the strategy would work essentially the same way. Moving through Alaska would be slow until they could connect to highways and railways, and if cutoff by the Pacific Fleet, keeping a large force fed and supplied would have been problematic. They'd still probably make it to Continental USA and get there before the USA has sufficient forces to repel them.

Its all dependent upon whether they can get a big enough force across before the Pacific Fleet stops them.

Thats true.


It also depends of the Russians can keep enough supplies coming in to them.


The Pacific fleet could come through Panama though and pay the Russian fleet a visit however that would take a while to get them thier.