"Josh, Happy New Year!" In the military camp, the familiar figure of Brigadier General William Ross gave Josh a bear hug.
The man before Josh, who had once been the colonel of the 8th Regiment of the 4th Division, had risen through the ranks as the war progressed and ended, and now officially joined the ranks of generals, becoming the commander of the 3rd Mechanized Infantry Brigade of the 4th Division.
The current U.S. military stationed in Hamburg was also part of the 4th Division, 3rd Army.
The 3rd Army belonged to General Patton's forces, and in the original timeline, it was stationed in Bavaria.
However, in this world, due to the U.S. occupation zone shifting to the central-northern region centered around Hamburg, the most battle-hardened forces were naturally stationed in the north.
As for those stationed in Bavaria, they became part of the 9th Army, a unit that hadn't been formed for long.
"Happy New Year, William, and congratulations on your promotion!" Josh responded.
When Josh arrived in Paris, it was already 1945, so this greeting was perfectly timed.
As for why Josh came to see Ross right away, it was simple.
One reason was that he planned to temporarily stay here.
Although Hamburg was Germany's second-largest city and an important industrial hub, it had been one of the primary targets of Allied attention during the war. Even before the U.S. entered the war, the British Air Force had already listed Hamburg as a top target for bombing.
With the U.S. entering the war and the decline of the German Air Force, Hamburg suffered even more.
During the years of conflict, Hamburg endured 187 air raids, most of them involving incendiary bombs that caused massive damage to the city.
By the time the war ended, few buildings in Hamburg were left intact.
After arriving here, Ophelia stayed in a farm in the suburbs. However, the area was quite remote, and given the post-war social instability, Josh figured it was safer and more comfortable to stay in the military camp.
Another reason for Josh's visit was that, in about a week, the transport fleet jointly organized by the Chicago Syndicate and the Council would arrive in Hamburg, and Josh needed to make preparations for their arrival.
This required the help of the military, as they were the ones in control of Germany at the moment.
"How long are you planning to stay this time?" After some pleasantries, Brigadier General Ross asked as both of them sat down.
"A few months at least!" Josh then mentioned that he was one of the representatives of five syndicates and expressed his hope that the military could provide some assistance.
Of course, it wasn't a request for soldiers to do hard labor; he just needed them to act as supervisors and maintain some law and order.
As for labor...well, there were millions of people just lying around in the Rhine camp.
Although the U.S. military did not treat prisoners of war as harshly as later generations of marketing claims suggest, they certainly didn't make it easy for them.
The POWs weren't given much to eat—around 500 calories per person per day, which was far less than the minimum requirement of 1,200 calories for a normal person. The sanitary conditions were also horrendous.
They lived worse than pigs or dogs.
So, just like the prisoners working for Josh in Austria, as long as they were fed enough to survive and given a semblance of human conditions, many of them would willingly work.
No need to worry about labor shortages.
"I see, but I can't make that decision!" Hearing Josh's request, Brigadier General Ross replied.
"I understand, I just came to catch up with you and see if I could stay here for a while. As for this matter, I'll go meet with General Eisenhower tomorrow to get his approval!" Josh explained.
Due to the extreme damage Hamburg sustained, the U.S. military's headquarters in Germany was not set up there.
Instead, the top brass, including General Eisenhower, were stationed in Hanover, a large city in the center of Germany.
Hanover had been less damaged during the war, mainly because the German forces there surrendered quickly, and it became one of the most intact cities the Allies held.
Ross nodded upon hearing Josh's plan. That made sense—such an important matter would indeed require Eisenhower's direct approval.
"This is simple. I'll have my staff prepare some officer barracks for you to stay in. As for your personnel, it can be resolved too. There are two German-built anti-aircraft towers in the city center, and they're in great condition. With Eisenhower's approval, I can arrange one for your people to stay in. It can easily house thousands of people," Ross said after thinking for a moment.
"Ah, I know about those anti-aircraft towers. I've seen them in Vienna. That's definitely a good option," Josh immediately understood what Ross was referring to.
These were the eight massive anti-aircraft fortresses that Hitler had ordered to be built in Hamburg, Vienna, and Berlin during World War II.
When the Soviets attacked Berlin, they used 203mm heavy artillery to bombard the three fortresses for over a week but couldn't break through. The fortresses finally surrendered after the German high command ordered them to, once Berlin had already been occupied.
In the original timeline, the British, after hearing about the difficulties the Soviets faced with the fortresses, attempted to destroy one to save face.
They filled one of the fortresses with 25 tons of explosives, invited the media from all Allied nations to witness, but it only blew off the outer layer of the fortress's wall.
The British were embarrassed and couldn't let it go, so they organized a second demolition attempt four months later. This time, they used 35 tons of explosives, but still only managed to split the fortress in half, without completely destroying it.
Since then, no one dared to touch the fortresses again.
By the 21st century, these seven and a half fortresses had become popular tourist attractions in the three cities.
In this world, the fortresses remained fully intact because the British hadn't interfered.
These eight fortresses, while they could comfortably house thousands of people, were originally designed to house 15,000 soldiers.
If Josh could acquire one of these fortresses as his headquarters in Hamburg, it would be quite a good deal.
Josh then suggested purchasing two of the fortresses.
"Purchase? Of course, that's possible. They're military property now, but, as with other matters, it would require approval from headquarters," Ross responded without hesitation.
These fortresses, taken by the army after Germany's surrender, were naturally military property, and there was no issue with that.
As for money? Well, with Josh's connections, he could pay in installments, lease them to the Council and the Chicago Syndicate under his name, collect the rent, and then pay the army—several syndicates had enough funds, so it would be a waste not to use it.
It was a straightforward transaction that would give Josh two super-fortresses for free, a big profit.
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