The Marines barely had time to scream as the Pentagon was turned into a pile of scorched rubble. Now their Eastern flank was unprotected apart from a small group of cut off American infantry. The Ronald Reagan international airport was under severe threat.
As the last of the daylight started to fade the Aryans were ready to begin the main offensive. Armored units started to pour into the city and for the first time infantry units were there to support them.
American commanders knew the desperate situation they were in and as each one of them surveyed their respective army groups, they could see the fear and the battle strain on the faces of the men and women that cowered before them. Here volunteers and armed forces personnel stood side by side.
The commanders repeated the orders that there would be no retreat and they would fight where they stood, not because these were their orders, or because the chain of command said so but because they were fighting for their freedom.
There was not to be even one step back.
Freedom
The streets were filled with the sound of intense fighting. Troops from the Aryan first infantry division filtered in passed the burning wrecks of Patton tanks. They moved quickly but they still managed to fire accurately.
Plasma rounds spewed out in all directions as they pinned down a group of American soldiers that were holding the corner building. The return fire danced to the tune of M16 rounds, the rounds that hit their mark only bounced off the tough Aryan body armor; the Americans began to lose their nerve and some of them started to run.
The Aryan soldiers shot them in the back and mowed them down where they stood.
A deafening clap of thunder rang out above as the lightning continued to claim the sky. The situation was desperate for the units defending the Ronald Reagan international airport. The Phantoms had returned to base and quickly refueled and rearmed.
The pilots were stuck in between a rock and a hard place but they decided they would rather take their chance in the air then be picked off on the ground. One after another the powerful engines roared into life and the jets sped down the runway.
Commander Orton’s tanks fought onwards as they advanced on the immobilized Maus tanks. The volume of fire was coordinated on the first Aryan tank but the rounds continued to bounce off the reinforced hull.
“Fire.” Orton ordered again and again as the M60 main battle tanks advanced. Orton was going to win his battle with determination alone. The Maus turret tracked his tank and the barrel of the huge canon glowed with a menacing tone of violet.
Just as the Maus went to fire it exploded in a shower of purple sparks, a F4 Phantom pulled up at the last minute and its engines powered up so that it could return for another attack run.
The communication system was still in disarray so the ground troops could not thank their friend but boy were they glad to see the air support return. The tanks pressed on the attack. The main battle tanks were now supported by the M48 medium Patton’s as they had pushed forward on the left flank.
The fighting grew more intense to the North of the White House grounds as the 1st volunteer army got their first taste of the action. A group of young women manned the anti tank guns, they kept up a heavy rate of fire but the rounds only impacted on buildings as the women got their eye in; causing rubble to fly in all directions.
Surprisingly there was no return fire but the women continued to send shells into the area as they hoped to completely wipe out any advancing infantry.
A sharp crack split the air as a large beam of light raced forward; it struck the young lady who was loading the next shell straight in the chest. She screamed as she fell to the floor but she did not have time to feel much pain as she died seconds later.
“Sniper.” The Sergeant screamed and dived for cover, he did not make it as the next round split his skull clean in two.
The soldiers of the 1st volunteer group ran for cover where ever they could find it. Most of the non military personnel were too scared to raise their heads back above the shelter; especially as a young private who tried this was instantly killed.
The tanks supporting the volunteer group roared into action with their guns blazing. The Sherman tanks were obsolete by today’s standards but they had no choice but to carry the fight to the enemy.
The .50 caliber machine guns on the turret sprayed hot lead in the direction of the rapidly advancing Aryan troops. The first line of troops took heavy losses as the powerful guns ripped them to shreds.
The Aryan troops took cover behind anything they could and started to lay down suppressing fire. The snipers fired at the priority targets; these were than antitank guns and the gunners on the Sherman’s turrets.
A young gunner laid down fire over the area where two Aryan’s were sheltering, he struck one in the chest and he fell to the floor with blood pouring from the wounds.
The sniper rifles cracked again and a bright beam struck the gunner clean through his neck, his lifeless body slumped forward. The gun fell silent. But the sniper’s beams were giving away their positions on top of the high buildings.
The Sherman’s focused their guns on the rooftops and started to fire high explosive shells on at the snipers positions. The snipers sprinted from their cover but one was slightly too slow and the high explosive shell took the platform he was standing on away from his feet; he plummeted to his death.
A Cobra had heard scattered radio chatter and flown into position; the pilot opened up the Gatling gun in the nose and peppered the rooftops with as much ammo as he could. A fleeing sniper took rounds straight through his back, the bullets went clean through and he fell, never to rise again.
Three more Cobra’s arrived and unloaded their missiles onto the rooftops, the explosions shattered the celling’s and debris was jettisoned in every direction. The American volunteer group gained confidence and opened fire on the pinned down enemy.
An orb of superheated shimmering light smashed into the side of the Cobra, it exploded on contact and the choppers flaming fuselage crashed into an advancing Sherman below knocking the tank out of action.
Further orbs raced in from the left and the Cobras had no choice but to flee but it was too late, the orbs crashed into them and the crippled wreckages fell turning the area below them into a burning mess.
The airfield was now under direct attack from the advancing Maus tanks to the East. The artillery pieces returned fire on their adversary’s but it was becoming increasingly difficult to hold the enemy back.
The last remaining helicopters at the international airfield took off and made a dash for safety. They were tailed by the nimble Me 262’s.
Ten Me 262’s appeared over the skies off the airport, they circled above and one by one dove on the targets below.
The antiaircraft Gatling guns opened up, they spewed rounds into the sky but at the steep angle that the fighters were approaching it was difficult to hit them. The Aryan fighters twisted and turned during the dive making them harder to hit; they were diving at ridicules speeds and maneuvering at these speeds created huge gee forces.
The Vulcan Gatling guns tried in vain to stop the approaching attack but the Me 262 released its purple orb of plasma and then rolled out of the dive. The round smashed into the aircraft control tower several seconds later; the tower rocked and the offices splintered.
The second fighter released its plasma bomb and struck the refueling trucks sheltering on the edge of the base, the ensuing explosion rocked the area and thick black smoke rose into the sky.
Three artillery pieces were consumed in the fireball; their crews were burnt to charcoal. American personal ran in all directions as the airport came under heavy fire. The Maus tanks had now advanced to the edge of the base; this meant the artillery found it increasingly difficult to target them.