It's better to conquer them than to command the steel torrent

Chapter 267 | The Battle of Washington
When Mr. Shang returned to Newport News by submarine and then arrived in Washington, D.C., the situation had become very serious.

The events that unfolded were largely as he had predicted, almost exactly as he had envisioned.

Initially, the Imperial Russian forces, after resting and regrouping, marched south and aggressively attacked Washington, D.C., where they engaged in a bloody battle with the defending troops that had not been seen for a long time.

This was the first time the expeditionary force had encountered such resolute resistance since landing on the American continent. Battles of similar intensity could probably only be traced back to the Battle of Polin and the Battle of Hanover.

The U.S. military's poor organization and clumsy performance, coupled with the relatively sparse building density in Washington, D.C., were not advantageous to the defenders.

However, in the fight on home soil, the US military was temporarily replenished with a large number of submachine guns and shotguns, and also received several thousand disposable rocket launchers and nearly ten thousand anti-tank grenades as military aid, which caused great trouble for the Imperial Russian infantry and tank forces.

In addition, there were several field artillery groups on the west bank of the Potomac River, as well as continuous air support. Even though the Imperial Russian attacking forces were all seasoned veterans, the fighting was very difficult.

The Capitol Building was stained gray-black by the war, its beautiful dome had completely collapsed, and the walls were riddled with bullet holes.

The White House no longer exists; the rebuilt presidential residence has been destroyed again after a century, reduced to ruins.

The Lincoln Memorial is defended by the Marine Corps, and the series of protracted battles that took place nearby were even more bloody, resulting in the collapse of most of the memorial's thirty-odd tall, white pillars.

Constitution Park became a meat grinder and a steel tomb, where both sides waged a brutal tit-for-tat tactic, resulting in the loss of more than 3,000 lives and the destruction of more than 40 tanks in the small park.

After four days and three nights of fierce fighting, the 1st Marine Regiment and the 24th Infantry Division of the Army were basically rendered combat ineffective. The former suffered as many as 70% of its combat casualties, while the latter suffered more than 45% casualties.

Although 45% seems smaller than 70%, the 24th Infantry Division is a division-level unit. When converted to front-line units, the casualty ratio is actually similar to that of the 1st Marine Regiment.

Given that the political objectives had been successfully achieved, Major General Eisenhower and Lieutenant General Hodges agreed that no additional troops should be deployed.

Bradley, who was directing the battle in the East Coast city, remained rational as a commander, knowing that continuing the fight would not be very profitable, so he led his troops to retreat under cover of night.

By this time, the defending forces had been almost completely destroyed, their organization was in disarray, communication between units was poor, and some oversights occurred during the retreat.

The biggest oversight was that when the remnants of the 34th Regimental Combat Team, numbering over a thousand, were preparing to cross the river, the 37th Infantry Division on the opposite bank mistook them for the enemy and hastily blew up the bridge. They not only destroyed the bridge but also returned fire, causing numerous friendly fire casualties. It wasn't until half an hour later that they realized their mistake and ceased fire. This meant that the 34th Regimental Combat Team, which could have retreated as a unit, was ultimately forced to abandon all its equipment and swim across the river in disarray.

Subsequently, the Imperial Russian attacking forces attempted to "push the enemy to their death" and planned to force a crossing of the Potomac River in one fell swoop.

However, the well-rested American troops on the West Bank were still better than the Russian invaders, and thwarted the Russian forces' plans.

Realizing that the Potomac River defense line was not so easy to deal with, the Imperial Russian forces took the time to rest and reorganize, and waited for the reinforcements to arrive by sea. Then they used the same tactic again, sending multiple detachments to outflank the upper reaches of the Potomac River, avoiding the enemy's strength and attacking their weaknesses.

Eisenhower deduced the enemy's intentions and set up several pre-planned anti-tank positions upstream, as well as deploying the only armored division he had on hand.

Unfortunately, it didn't work; the absolute objective gap cannot be changed by willpower and spirit.

When the American armored troops saw 37mm armor-piercing rounds ricochet or shatter upon hitting the frontal armor of the T-34s, they were desperate and helpless. The tank battle, though seemingly large-scale, was actually one-sided. The 1st Armored Division lost nearly a hundred M2 medium tanks with minimal gains. The US military destroyed only about thirty T-34s in total, and ironically, two-thirds of them were captured by air force and artillery. More than twenty T-34s and six or seven hundred infantrymen were lost in air raids and artillery fire on the landing zone after crossing the river.

It can be said that the U.S. military, as the defender, has done everything it can. However, the lack of qualified armored forces to carry out a strong counter-offensive is a fatal weakness.

At present, on the upper reaches of the Potomac River, the Imperial Russian forces have established two solid bridgeheads, and a third is under construction.

Given that their front and flanks are under threat simultaneously, and that they are unlikely to be able to fight the enemy in open battle, the American army has made a clear decision to retreat.

During the defense of the capital, in order to boost the morale of the military and civilians, the United States federal government publicized the battle taking place in the city, releasing a battle report every twelve hours, thus broadcasting the entire defense of the capital live at such a frequency.

That evening, in the small town of Pende, at the rear command post of the Potomac River defense line.

After several hours of bumpy travel, Shang Ke, who had hitchhiked the whole way, arrived here. Along the way, he could see some combat units already organizing their retreat, while the command post was also packing up radios and classified documents.

Amidst the comings and goings of people, Shank squeezed through a group of staff officers and walked to the center of the command post. While looking at the map, he asked, "Have the Ivanros broken through the defenses yet?"

Nearby, Eisenhower was playing bridge with several staff officers and guards.

Upon hearing this, he turned to look at Shang Ke and said with delight, "Shang, I didn't expect you to be back so soon. The Ivanros have established two bridgeheads 15 and 20 miles upstream, with about 100 tanks and 1.5 men. With our artillery and air strikes hindering them, it may take them another 24 to 36 hours to prepare for the attack."

Shang Ke, seemingly lost in thought, stood with his hands on his hips, leaned slightly forward, looked at the map from all angles for a while, and finally asked, "Does the armored division still have any combat capability?"

A lieutenant colonel replied, "No, they don't have many tanks left."

When will the (enemy) reinforcements arrive?

"Our planes (air raids) have delayed one of their infantry divisions in Baltimore, and that division may not reach Washington until tomorrow night. In addition, intelligence indicates that two divisions have disembarked in Montreal and are assembling."

After learning the latest information, Shang Ke nodded slightly, then slowly shook his head.

There is indeed no solution. The US military has already played all the cards it has, and has no trump card to turn the tide of the war.

"I have to admire your composure," Shank said to Eisenhower, who was still playing bridge nearby.

The latter chuckled and said confidently, "Leisure is for relaxing the mind; I need a clear mind to make decisions."

"That mindset is something worth learning," Shang Ke smiled.

After all, Rundstedt liked to read detective novels in his spare time, while Rokossovsky even had time to find women while he was on the front lines.

(End of this chapter)