The response from London ca swiftly. Churchill, eager to end the war, made the decision almost imdiately.
Austrian officials quickly followed suit, sending a telegram approving the battle plan, rely awaiting the Allies to finalize the timing.
In contrast, Washington's response was relatively slow. Reportedly, so individuals were reluctant to end the war too quickly. This was not unexpected. Fortunately, Roosevelt, now serving his third term as president, exercised strong control over the governnt, suppressing all dissenting voices. Finally, a week later, in early August, Washington agreed to the plan.
During this waiting period, the Allied forces successfully captured Paris.
In the original tiline, Paris was liberated on August 25 by the Free French forces under Charles de Gaulle and the French Resistance, without involvent from the Anglo-Arican troops. However, due to a change in the Allied attack strategy, the German forces defending the outskirts of Paris were defeated earlier, prompting the city's surrender two weeks ahead of schedule.
By the ti the White House's orders arrived, Josh was already in Paris, enjoying drinks with Aldo, who had been released by Ophelia and had been lying low in the city. They were joined by Winters and his friend, Captain Nixon, a staff officer from the 2nd Battalion, Easy Company of the 506th Regint.
As preparations for the airborne assault on Baden-Württemberg began, all parachute troops who had been regrouping in the rear received reinforcents and were deployed to Paris, awaiting further orders.
Of course, while Aldo, Winters , and Nixon drank alcohol, Josh sipped on juice.
"Brothers, no more words; I'll drink to that!" Aldo raised his glass and downed it in one gulp.
"Hah, you're just using gratitude as an excuse to freeload my liquor!" Josh rolled his eyes. In just a short ti, Aldo had polished off nearly an entire bottle of his prized whiskey. Nixon, also a lover of fine alcohol, had only had one glass, while Winters hadn't even finished his first. Winters was a disciplined man who avoided drinking before D-Day. It wasn't until he beca a company commander that he started drinking, mainly to connect better with his troops.
"Co on, Josh, we're brothers. What's one bottle of whiskey between us?" Aldo said, refusing to admit that his ti in France had left him craving good alcohol.
Winters and Nix, observing their banter, smiled warmly without intervening.
"All right, enough joking. Now that the mission is complete and you're safe, what's your plan?" Josh turned to Aldo while glancing at Winters .
"Of course, I'm going back to my unit. Unless you have a better suggestion?" Aldo asked curiously.
"As a matter of fact, I do. Easy Company, under Winters command, needs a new commander. Interested?" Josh gestured towards Winters .
During the Normandy invasion, Winters had perford exceptionally, earning him a promotion to captain and formal recognition as company commander.
After returning to England for rest, Winters gained favor with the 506th Regint and even the divisional command, thanks to Josh's support. This secured him a promotion to battalion executive officer (similar to deputy battalion commander) upon entering Paris, a step ahead of the original tiline.
However, Easy Company now lacked a dedicated commander, with Winters still serving in that capacity temporarily. Since Aldo had returned, Josh could leverage his connections to place him in the role of company commander.
Although Aldo had eliminated several high-ranking German officers in Paris and accomplished an almost impossible mission, this only cleared his na of past charges. His original company commander position had already been filled. Even with Colonel Ross's support, Aldo might only secure a deputy role. Switching units could offer a fresh start.
Winters supported the idea. Given his familiarity with Aldo through Josh, he preferred entrusting Easy Company to soone he knew rather than a stranger.
With the upcoming mission to retake the Eagle's Nest offering significant opportunities for airborne troops to shine, Aldo could aim for a promotion to major, just as Winters did upon retirent. However, the operation would co with substantial risks, leaving the decision to Aldo.
"No problem! I've already cheated death once; why fear a little danger?" Aldo agreed without hesitation after Josh explained the situation. He even winked slyly at Josh when ntioning his brush with death, careful to hide it from Winters and Nix.
Aldo had kept his transformations a secret, except for the unfortunate incident when Ophelia witnessed it and extracted intelligence on Josh using her telepathy. Otherwise, he ensured no one else learned of it, eliminating all other witnesses.
anwhile, Ophelia, during Yuri's mind-reading sessions, confird her ambition and kept the secret of the beast transformation serum from others in the room. For now, only Josh's inner circle and Ophelia knew of its existence.
Even if the serum's secret leaked, the impact would be limited. Josh could continue collaborating with the military to mass-produce the serum, substituting the dinosaur genes with regular animal DNA. As for why Aldo could transform into a dinosaur, Josh could attribute it to Komodo dragon genes, given their similar appearance.
Later, Aldo ntioned he had acquired sothing valuable, inviting Josh to follow him to find out.
After so reluctance to let Aldo drive his prized Cadillac V16 after drinking, Josh relented and allowed him to ride along as a guide. They arrived at a secluded farm outside of town. In his underground cellar, Aldo revealed a hidden stash, an entire room filled with Hydra's energy weapons.
Josh, impressed, gave Aldo a thumbs-up.
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