Allied-occupied and the Soviet-occupied areas of Europe and were seen as being potential triggers for a wider conflict. One such area was the Julian March (an area of Southeastern Europe that is now split among Croatia, Slovenia and Italy), and on 30 August 1946, informal discussions took place between the British and the American chiefs of staff concerning how such a conflict could develop and the best strategy for conducting a European war. Again, the issue of retaining a bridgehead on the continent was discussed, with Dwight D. Eisenhower preferring a withdrawal to the Low Countries, rather than to Italy, because of their proximity to the United Kingdom. Possible Soviet awareness In June 1945, the senior Soviet Army commander Marshal Georgy Zhukov suddenly ordered Soviet forces in Poland to regroup and prepare their positions for defence. According to University of Edinburgh Professor John Erickson, Operation Unthinkable helps to explain why Zhukov did so. If the plans of the operation had been transmitted to Moscow by the Cambridge Five, that would explain the sudden orders to regroup and prepare for defence; however, it is just as possible that the decision was caused by Soviet mistrust of the Western Allies. If the Soviets had indeed known that the Western Allies were planning a possible attack, the element of surprise would have been lost before operations against the Soviets even began and further reduce the chances of Operation Unthinkable succeeding. See also Operation Dropshot Operation Pike Operation Downfall Plan Totality Seven Days to the River Rhine Soviet offensive plans controversy References Informational notes Citations Bibliography Hines, Sam. Operation Unthinkable. Its significance in the development of the Cold War (GRIN Verlag, 2016). Norton-Taylor, Richard (2 October 1998) "Churchill plotted invasion of Russia" The Guardian Ruane, Kevin (2016) Churchill and the Bomb in War and Cold War London: Bloomsbury Academic External links Julian Lewis: Changing Direction: British Military Planning for Post-war Strategic Defence, 2nd edn., Routledge, 2008, pp.xxx-xl () Operation Unthinkable: Churchill's plan to start World War III Cancelled military operations involving the United Kingdom Cancelled military operations involving the United States Cold War military history of the United Kingdom Soviet Union–United Kingdom relations Cancelled invasions Military plans