Cage
Three elite French Army Groups would fight a decisive battle against the main Allied Forces around Baden, then swiftly push the front into Austria—Bavaria had declared neutrality on the surface, but had in fact been secretly colluding with France all along. Once the French Army set foot on Bavarian soil, it could immediately advance into western Austria. Along the way, it could also obtain Bavarian logistical supplies.
This was the core strategic thinking behind France's campaign.
Berthier continued, "The Low Countries face the threat of the English Army, and the Flemish Republic has yet to decide whether to allow our forces to enter and fight there. Therefore, the 33rd Infantry Brigade remains in Brussels for now. The Walloon Local Legion will coordinate with them."
It was not that the French General Staff Headquarters looked down on the British Army, assigning only three thousand troops from the Directly Subordinate Legion and fewer than seven thousand Walloon Territorial Army soldiers to deal with them.
The truth was that the West Line was not France's main direction of attack. Even if something unexpected did occur, the Third Army Corps stationed in Cologne could quickly move west to reinforce them.
Even if Marquess Wellesley came to command personally, the English could not possibly punch through the Netherlands, Flanders, and Wallonia within half a month. That was more than enough time for reinforcements to race over from Cologne.
As for the deployment along the Cologne-Koblenz line, Berthier did not mention it again, since the Crown Prince had just returned from an inspection there.
Because Cologne Fortress on the Right Bank of the Rhine was garrisoned by a large number of Prussian Army troops, and river-crossing operations were extremely difficult, this was the only area where France did not intend to launch an offensive.
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