RTS like Red Alert do not really help you to plan well. It's too deep into micro-management, there's hardly any strategic planning going on. Most of the time you just try to survive first, then build up your base, and build up your offensive forces. It's very entertaining but not very "rich". I always felt that Total Annihilation was way better in that sense: huge maps, lots of differents ways to attack, lots of important strategic choices before any confrontation even takes place. A good balance between a HoI type-of-game and a RTS like Red Alert.