"General, the Germans have broken through the third line of defense. The defenders were either wiped out by the Germans or surrendered to them voluntarily. The Germans are no longer far from downtown Washington." Major General Eisenhower reported to General Marshall dejectedly.
General Marshall and the other generals at the US Army General Staff Headquarters all looked grim as well. They were equally well aware of the situation at the front. Under the German military's ferocious offensive, vast numbers of US troops had surrendered to the Germans by entire units, accelerating the US Army's defeat. Faced with such a situation, the US Army General Staff Headquarters simply had no way to stop it.
Although they had issued strict orders forbidding US troops from surrendering to the Germans, and had even dispatched the Gendarmerie to supervise them, the result was often that those Gendarmerie troops surrendered to the Germans as well.
General Marshall's brow was tightly furrowed. By this point, he knew perfectly well that the United States was finished. It was no longer possible to hold back the German offensive through military means. The US Army had already suffered catastrophic losses and completely lost its will to fight. Under such circumstances, how could they possibly expect the US Army to stop the German offensive? That was simply impossible!
Holding Washington to the death and fighting the final decisive battle against the German military here had been President Roosevelt's demand. Of course, President Roosevelt had done so for the future of the United States, hoping to secure a dignified peace. But who could have imagined that the US Army would prove so utterly unable to withstand a single blow?
"Gentlemen, what suggestions do you have regarding the current situation?" General Marshall asked. His words carried unmistakable helplessness. Even he, the Chief