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Chapter 92: Josh's Concerns
🕑 Added 2024-12-15 15:21:26 +0000 UTCParis is quite far from the Maginot-Siegfried Line, more than 300 kilometers.
But this distance is trivial for the air force.
By the end of World War II, it wasn’t just bombers or transport planes that could cover such distances; even most fighters had an operational range of around 1,000 kilometers or more.
Even the German BF109, often criticized for its limited range, could cover well over 300 kilometers.
In just over half an hour, the first wave of more than 3,000 fighter-bombers and heavy bombers had arrived at the two defensive lines and began a carpet-bombing of all German fortifications on the ground.
At the same time, numerous Allied heavy artillery units, already positioned and camouflaged at the front, revealed their positions and began coordinating with the air force to unleash a deafening bombardment.
Hundreds of thousands of bombs and shells rained down on the German positions.
The troops stationed at the two defensive lines were completely taken by surprise.
After all, just before this operation began, the main Allied forces had been heavily attacking Belgium. How could they suddenly shift their focus to the west?
But their confusion didn't matter—bombs and shells don't negotiate.
Although these two defensive lines had once been hailed as impenetrable, their military philosophy and design had long since become outdated.
Allied carpet bombing had rendered their defenses ineffective. Even the first wave of attacks inflicted devastating casualties on the defending German forces.
Of course, outdated doesn't mean useless. If the Allies thought they could break through the two lines with bombing alone, they were mistaken. Historically, these lines delayed the Allied advance for several months—though this was partly because the main Allied attack wasn't directed here.
After the first wave of bombing, the bombers withdrew, leaving behind a landscape of smoke and ruins.
The surviving German troops cautiously emerged from their fortifications to begin repairs.
But just then, a new roar of engines filled the sky.
The second wave of over a thousand medium bombers had arrived!
The British, Americans, and even the French had brought everything they had to this operation. More than 5,000 transport planes, 2,000 gliders, and more than 8,000 fighters and bombers were mobilized (based on the historical numbers from the Allied Market Garden operation targeting Belgium and the Netherlands).
The German troops, emerging from their fortifications, were once again caught off guard and suffered another terrifying barrage of bombs.
Already shattered by the first wave, the fortifications were wiped out by the second.
This time, however, the German defenders were wiser. They stayed in their positions, waiting it out, instead of venturing out again.
But they were wrong.
The third wave wasn't bombers. Instead, under cover of fighter escorts, it was a huge fleet of transport planes and gliders.
These aircraft flew over the defensive lines and into the Baden-Württemberg region, releasing a massive cascade of drogue parachutes. More than 35,000 troops, 568 artillery pieces, 1,927 military vehicles, and 5,230 tons of supplies were successfully airdropped en route to Bavaria.
Aside from a few unfortunate souls hit by anti-aircraft fire or caught in trees during the descent, the Allied airborne troops suffered minimal casualties.
What about the German Air Force?
By the time the Allies launched their operation, the German Luftwaffe had already lost almost all of its air superiority.
The remaining German air force was unable to pose a significant threat to Allied air operations.
Moreover, the first Allied attacks had already bombed important German and Hydra bases.
Meanwhile, remnants of the Bavarian army and some 300,000 Hydra troops stationed in Austria staged a coup, tied white cloth around their arms, and advanced into Baden-Württemberg.
The German forces in Baden-Wuerttemberg, busy organizing a counterattack against the freshly landed American paratroopers, were completely unprepared for an attack from behind. They couldn't mount an effective defense.
German troops, resistance fighters, and Allied forces became entangled in a chaotic melee. The entire region of Baden-Württemberg became a battlefield.
Despite its relatively small size of just over 30,000 square kilometers-only about one-fifth the size of Shanxi Province in ChinaBaden-Württemberg quickly became a war zone with over 600,000 troops from three factions in just a few days.
Add to this the advanced weaponry of both sides, and the fighting became spectacularly intense.
By the time Hitler and the Red Skull realized what was happening, it was too late.
Hitler, already at the brink of collapse, was no longer capable of rallying enough troops for a counteroffensive like the Ardennes Offensive in the original timeline.
Meanwhile, Hydra's Red Skull, though still capable of launching counterattacks, was facing another crisis.
At the same time, Romania and Hungary - territories under Hydra's control - also rebelled.
These uprisings, instigated by the Soviets, severed Hydra's supply lines.
With their retreat cut off, Hydra forces had no choice but to retreat into the Croatian and Slovenian regions, relying on the natural barriers of the Alps to make a final stand.
Realizing that conventional warfare was no longer an option, Red Skull began to focus all remaining resources on the development of superweapons - energy bombs powered by the Tesseract and the Valkyrie strategic bombers.
Red Skull was determined, if he couldn't win the war conventionally, he would destroy the world with his superweapons.
For a madman like Red Skull, negotiation was never an option. Only by destroying every major city in the United States could he hope to fulfill his ambitions.
The Allies were unaware of this.
Within a week, they had achieved their strategic objectives, breaking through the famed defenses and linking up with the Hydra resistance forces.
Despite this success, the Allies did not press on.
Much like after the Normandy landings, scattered German units still littered the battlefield. It would take months to clear them out.
Still, Allied commanders were optimistic, already envisioning the end of the war.
But while the Allied leadership celebrated, Josh was deeply troubled.
He knew of the Red Skull's superweapons - far more terrifying than atomic bombs.
Unlike a nuclear blast that might leave a few remnants, Red Skull's Tesseract-powered weapons could completely obliterate entire cities, leaving no trace.
If history had stayed the same, Josh might have waited for Captain America to solve the Red Skull problem and disappear into the Arctic.
But now history had changed significantly.
If only Austria and Bavaria had rebelled, Red Skull might not have been backed into a corner.
But with the Balkans slipping out of his grasp, the situation was different.
What if Red Skull completed his superweapons ahead of schedule and launched an attack on the American mainland?
Josh didn't care much for Captain America's fate.
After all, the super-soldier serum only provided temporary benefits. Given enough time, Yuri could develop an even better version of the serum.
But if Red Skull bombed America, the consequences would be catastrophic.
His wife and unborn child were still in the United States.
Should he have Margaret relocate? But she was already seven months pregnant—what if something happened on the way?
No, Josh decided. He had to find a way to leak the information about Red Skull's superweapons.
