History PlayingWith / FalseFlagOperation

** [[TheLancer Lieutenant Lance]], knowing [[TheHero General Hiro]] lacks the determination to kill [[BigBad Emperor Evulz]] and Lance himself is [[SecretlyDying dying from an incurable wound]], [[SuicideByAssassin hires a hitman wearing Evul Empire's uniform to kill him]] in order to [[ThanatosGambit spur Hiro into crushing Evulz Empire]] with an [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge all-out-war]].

* '''Downplayed''': TheEmpire has some of TheGoodKingdom's stationary and uses it to [[PokeThePoodle write insults to]] TheFederation.

* '''Straight''': TheEmpire has some of their soldiers wear TheKingdom's colors and attack TheFederation in order to spark a war between the two.
* '''Exaggerated''': A tiny country publicly fields only a small force of defenders, but secretly has trained regiments that wear the colors of TheKingdom, TheFederation and TheEmpire and sends them on raids to keep those three fighting each other.
* '''Downplayed''': TheEmpire has some of TheKingdom's stationary and uses it to [[PokeThePoodle write insults to]] TheFederation.

* '''Inverted''': TheEmpire has some of their soldiers wear TheKingdom's colors and fight for TheFederation against another foe in order to end a war between the two.
* '''Subverted''': The soldiers from TheEmpire involved in the plot were secretly in the pay of TheKingdom, and were supposed to be captured and reveal their true origins to trigger a war between TheFederation and ''TheEmpire''. TheEmpire was completely ignorant of the plot.
* '''Double Subverted''': Or so TheEmpire wanted them to believe. In fact, they let it happen, and arranged for all of the evidence of their soldiers' involvement to be erased, leaving TheKingdom [[HoistByHisOwnPetard unable to prove]] that the troops were actually from TheEmpire.

* '''Zig Zagged''': TheEmpire sends its soldiers dressed (badly) as soldiers from TheKingdom to attack TheFederation but it fails to convince the TheFederation that it's TheKingdom's soldiers because the soldiers from the Empire never bothered to grow out their distinctive Imperial Soldier haircuts, speak only the Imperial language and other basics. HOWEVER, these False Flag soldiers are actually double agents for TheFederation, letting themselves be captured and exposed to show TheEmpire can not be trusted, only their handlers were turned by TheKingdom and though they think they act for TheFederation, its TheKingdom they are working for. Of course, the Emperor knows all about it and plans to let the fiasco go on and expose BOTH TheKingdom and TheFederation to this duplicity, weakening the alliance between them, all according to the Emperor's plan.

* '''Enforced''': The writers want to establish that TheEmpire is not only evil, but sneaky and manipulative. Having them run a false flag operation also sets TheKingdom against TheFederation, letting that drive the early plot before the eventual reveal of the truth.

* '''Exploited''': TheEmpire's soldiers sent to impersonate TheKingdom's soldiers shamelessly RapePillageAndBurn their way through the countryside, knowing that they won't be held accountable.

* '''Discussed''': "I've got the perfect plan! To initiate a war between TheKingdom and TheFederation, we should have soldiers pretend to be from TheKingdom and attack TheFederation!"

** [[IceQueen Marianna]]'s entire motivation for supporting TheEmpire is because TheKingdom invaded her DoomedHometown and slaughtered everyone there. But the attack was actually staged by the Empire to justify their declaring war on the Kingdom...

** [[TheLancer Lieutenant Lance]], knowing [[TheHero Hiro]] lacks the determination to kill [[BigBad Emperor Evulz]] and Lance himself is suffering from an incurable wound, [[SuicideByAssassin hires a hitman wearing Evul Empire's uniform to kill him]] in order to [[ThanatosGambit spur Hiro into crushing Evulz]] with a NoHoldsBarredBeatDown.

** [[TheLancer Lieutenant Lance]], knowing [[TheHero Hiro]] lacks the determination to kill [[BigBad Emperor Evulz]] and Lance himself is suffering from an incurable wound, [[SuicideByAssassin hires a hitman to kill himself]] wearing another country's uniform to [[ThanatosGambit spur Hiro into crushing Evulz]] with a NoHoldsBarredBeatDown.

** [[TheLancer Lieutenant Lance]], knowing [[TheHero Hiro]] lacks the determination to kill [[BigBad Emperor Evulz]] and Lance himself is suffering from an incurable wound, [[ThanatosGambit hires a hitman to kill him]] wearing another country's uniform to spur Hiro into crushing Evulz with a NoHoldsBarredBeatDown.

* '''Played For Drama:''' [[IceQueen Marianna]]'s entire motivation for supporting TheEmpire is because TheKingdom invaded her DoomedHometown and slaughtered everyone there. But the attack was actually staged by the Empire to justify their declaring war on the Kingdom...

* '''Downplayed''': TheEmpire has some of TheKingdom's stationary and uses it to write insults to TheFederation.

* '''Zig Zagged''': TheEmpire sends its soldiers dressed (badly) as soldiers from TheKingdom to attack TheFederation but it fails to convinve the TheFederation that its TheKingdom soldiers because the soldiers from the Empire never bothered to grow out their distinctive Imperial Sodlier haircuts, speak only the Imperial language and other basics. HOWEVER, these False Flag soldiers are actually double agents for TheFederation, letting themselves be captured and exposed to show TheEmpire can not be trusted, only their handlers were turned by TheKingdom and though they think they act for TheFederation, its TheKingdom they are working for. Of course, the Emperor knows all about it and plans to let the fiasco go on and expose BOTH TheKingdom and TheFederation to this duplicity, weakening the alliance between them, all according to the Emperor's plan.

Back to FalseFlagOperation, and.... Wait! You're not a Troper!

* '''Invoked''': [Impossible?]
* '''Exploited''': ???

* '''Justified''': They want to spark a war, but ''without'' being seen as the aggressor, so they frame another force.

* '''Zig Zagged''': ???

* '''Downplayed''': ???

'''Basic Trope''': Members of one group impersonate another [[ThePlan to perputuate to achieve a goal]] such as [[WarForFunAndProfit making an excuse for war]].

* '''Double Subverted''': Or so TheEmpire wanted them to believe. In fact, they let it happen, and arranged for all of the evidence of their soldiers' involvement to be erased, leaving TheKingdom [[HoistByHisOwnPetard unable to prove]] that the troops were actually from TheEmpire.

* '''Deconstructed''': A few soldiers who participated in the assault become overwhelmed by guilt and reveal the truth, along with proof to back up their claims. Upon learning what ''really'' happened, mass rioting erupts in the manipulative country.
* '''Reconstructed''':
** To avoid such an incident, the country pulling the false flag operation ensures that everyone under the false flags is slaughtered.
** Alternately, they simply discredit the soldiers and paint them as traitors turning on their country in their time of need.

* '''Defied''': TheEmpire repudiates such [[NobleDemon dishonorable tactics]] entirely.

Back to FalseFlagOperation, and....wait! You're not a Troper!
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** To avoid such an incident, the country pulling the false flag operation ensures that [[CompleteMonster everyone under the false flags is slaughtered]].

* '''Reconstructed''': To avoid such an incident, the country pulling the false flag operation ensures that [[CompleteMonster everyone under the false flags is slaughtered]].

'''Basic Trope''': Members of one group impersonate another to perputuate a XanatosGambit, such as [[WarForFunAndProfit making an excuse for war]].

* '''Played For Laughs:''' Both sides of a conflict ride into battle pretending to be the ''other'' side's forces, leading to mass confusion when they meet in the middle. ([[http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=39378 Which actually happened with two WW2 ships.]])

* '''Enforced''': [Impossible?]

* '''Enforced''': The rulers of TheEmpire literally cannot start the war without [[VillainWithGoodPublicity drumming up public support]] and need something big to distract from internal problems, and decide to manufacture a reason to solve both problems.
* '''Lampshaded''': ???
* '''Invoked''': ???

* '''Discussed''': ???
* '''Conversed''': ???

Back to FalseFlagOperation.