The process of persuading the Allied high command went much more smoothly than Josh's expectations.
To be precise, the proposal put forward by the Bavaria-Austria bloc, represented by Ophelia, hit exactly the right spot with the Allied high command.
However, compared to Ophelia's original suggestion of coordinating with the Italian allies to jointly attack the Alpine defense line, after discussions, the Allied commanders modified the operation plan.
According to the original Allied plan, they were preparing to push northward, crossing Belgium and the Netherlands, and advancing into Germany, just like when Germany broke through France.
This was because there were fewer obstacles along this line of attack.
Meanwhile, the Alsace-Lorraine line in the east, where the French had built the Maginot Line, was now in the hands of the Germans, making it a tough nut to crack. Along with the original German Siegfried Line, this entire region had essentially become a deadly defensive line.
For this reason, neither the American nor the British forces wanted to risk their soldiers by attacking this area.
In fact, the American and British forces didn't even want to fight for Paris.
In the original timeline, Paris was freed by General de Gaulle, who led his army and joined forces with the French resistance to force the German garrison to surrender. The British and American forces did not participate.
But if Austria and Bavaria were to rebel, the situation would be completely different.
Half of the border between France and Germany lay in Baden-Württemberg, which bordered Bavaria.
And most of Baden-Württemberg was surrounded by Bavaria.
If the Austrian and Bavarian forces, which were encouraged to rebel, attacked from behind into Baden-Württemberg, and the Allies advanced from the front, it would be relatively easy to break through both the Maginot and Siegfried lines.
At that point, the Allies would have France as their rear base and could march north to take down the Führer while holding off the Hydra in the east.
This was far more meaningful than Ophelia's earlier suggestion of attacking the Alpine defense line with the Italian Allies.
This new route of attack was strongly supported by Montgomery, the British general in attendance, and de Gaulle, the French general.
The reason was that this route would not only allow them to attack Paris but also enable a quicker advance into Germany.
As the Supreme Commander of the Allied forces, Eisenhower also couldn't come up with any reason to refuse this plan.
Of course, Ophelia did raise some objections.
She pointed out that the number of soldiers in the Austrian and Bavarian legions was limited, about 600,000. While that would be sufficient to attack the Alpine defense line due to its shorter distance, it wouldn't be enough to fight through Baden-Württemberg, where the front would stretch much further.
In response, the Allied command had a solution.
That solution was air drops!
Before Ophelia and Josh arrived, the Allied headquarters had already been planning a massive airborne operation, the Market Garden operation.
The plan was to deploy large numbers of airborne troops to seize several key bridges along the Rhine in the Netherlands, creating a route into Germany. Then, armored forces would quickly advance to join the assault and bring an end to the war as quickly as possible.
However, that airborne operation had failed.
A few years ago, it was the same route through which the Führer was defeated, so how could he not understand the importance of this region?
That was why the German forces along this line fought desperately to stop the Allied armored units. In the end, without reinforcements, the airborne troops suffered heavy losses.
Now, Montgomery, who had originally planned this airborne operation, shifted his focus to the western front.
He quickly proposed a preliminary plan.
The plan was to first capture Paris, secure the western front, and then conceal the main force, while launching a fierce offensive on the northern front to create a false impression that the attack would come from there, drawing the attention of the Germans.
Once the Austrian and Bavarian forces were in action, the Allies would immediately launch massive airstrikes on the western front and deploy all airborne forces to seize key strategic points in Baden-Württemberg, creating favorable conditions for the Bavarian-Austrian forces to advance.
At the same time, the Allies would launch a frontal assault.
The goal was to capture the line of defense before the Führer could react and encircle him.
Additionally, the Russians were to be informed to maintain pressure on the Hydra forces to prevent Schmidt's reinforcements from reaching the western front.
Finally, General Montgomery named this plan "Return to the Eagle's Nest"—because, at the border of Austria and Bavaria, at the foot of the Alps, there was a mountaintop villa built specifically for the Führer, called the Eagle's Nest.
The Führer liked the villa, but since it was completed in 1939, he had visited it only about ten times, and each time his stay lasted no more than thirty minutes.
The reason was quite ridiculous but also practical: the Führer was afraid of heights...
This preliminary operation plan was quickly recorded and sent via telegram to the United States and London.
Because besides de Gaulle, who was present on-site, the final decision needed to come from Roosevelt and Churchill.
Although the final decision had not been made yet, it didn't stop the Allied forces from starting their preparations.
As the liaison, Ophelia also had to return to Austria to report the situation—since the real decision-maker was the future Father of Austria, Karl Renner, and the other Hydra generals.
"Can't this thing really be taken off?" Before leaving, Ophelia asked Josh, her face darkened.
"Why are you in such a rush? Things aren't finalized yet. We're still just potential allies. Once things truly get underway, regardless of whether this campaign succeeds or not, once you prove your loyalty to the Allies, I'll naturally help you take it off!" Josh smiled and replied. Take it off? That would never happen in this lifetime. Just focus on doing your job!
Ophelia was helpless and could only hope that her scientists back home could come up with a solution.
"By the way, remember to have your people bring Aldo back for me when you get back!" Josh added.
"I know!" Ophelia shot Josh a glare before boarding the bomber.
During this time, the Allies were bombing key strategic targets in the rear of both the German and Hydra forces, so she could just hitch a ride and take the encrypted radio prepared by the Allies, directly parachuting into the Bavarian region without the risk of slowly traveling through the long battlefront.
As a super spy, no less than Black Widow, parachuting was not a big challenge for Ophelia.
As long as she brought back the radio, the resistance could use it to directly contact the highest Allied command.
After Ophelia left, Josh was left with little to do.
As for the operation plans, although Josh had good relations with the military, he was not a soldier, so he had no role in that.
Business? Don't joke. Although the Allies had captured a few cities in the war zone, they had been reduced to ruins. The wealthy French had all fled, and the remaining population had been bombed into poverty.
At this point, doing charity was more likely than trying to make money.
Thus, Josh found himself at a loss for what to do.
Perhaps... return to London?
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