Q&A ยท 1:10:15

Why War Plan Orange receives the attention

Orange matters because it addressed the war the United States actually fought against Japan, unlike many other colour plans and combinations.

Question

Why do historians focus so heavily on War Plan Orange when the United States had many colour-coded plans?

Short answer

Because Orange covered war with Japan, the contingency that became central to the Pacific War.

Notes

Orange covered war with Japan, which gives it a direct connection to the Pacific War. War Plan Red concerned Britain, while the Rainbow plans examined combinations of allies and opponents. Red also contained assumptions that American forces would be welcomed as liberators in Canada. Those assumptions receive sceptical attention in the comparison.