On May 8, CE 71, ZAFT launched Operation Spit Break, a massive offensive against the Earth Alliance’s headquarters JOSH-A. ZAFT believed that the fall of JOSH-A would be the final triumph of the PLANTs.
Unbeknownst to ZAFT, Blue Cosmos learned about ZAFT’s plans and began preparing a trap for the attacking ZAFT forces. Its agents within the Atlantic Federation began evacuating key personnel from the base, leaving behind troops from the Eurasian Federation, its longtime rival, as well as token expendable ships whose sole purpose would be cannon fodder for ZAFT.
The Eurasian troops never stood a chance against ZAFT, but as ZAFT pressed further into JOSH-A, the Atlantic Federation triggered a self destruct system known as the Cyclops System hidden underneath the base. In one horrific blast, JOSH-A was destroyed along with everything within 10 kilometers, including the few remaining Eurasian troops and most of ZAFT’s attacking forces.
There were survivors who managed to escape from the exploding base. However, those fortunate to escape knew that at that moment, the war between the Alliance and PLANTs had changed. Up until this moment, the Eurasian Federation had been the voice of reason for the Earth Alliance, ensuring the Alliance’s purpose was to defeat ZAFT. With the Eurasian Federation forces effectively destroyed by the fall of JOSH-A, Blue Cosmos and the Atlantic Federation was now in control of the Alliance and in a position to redirect the war in a horrific new direction: the extermination of all Coordinators.
