Chapter 834 Riot

On one side, Zhukov was worried about the safety of the Siberian Railway, and on the other side, President Wilkie encountered something that made him even more upset.

President Wilkie was reviewing documents in his office, and his secretary ran in in a panic. "Mr. President, I just received news that there was a riot in Detroit!!"

Detroit is the largest city in Michigan, USA. Although Detroit in later generations was the largest bankrupt city government in American history and became a "ghost town", Detroit at this time enjoyed the reputation of "American Paris"; because Detroit at this time was a world-famous automobile capital, and in the automobile manufacturing industry in the United States, Detroit was also a small sheep. This city is known for its "high income and many job opportunities". Like a magnet, it attracts a large number of immigrants. From 1900 to 1950, Detroit's population increased sixfold. By the 1930s, the "Automobile City" Detroit had developed into the second largest industrial city in the United States after Chicago.

However, racial conflicts in Detroit were quite acute. In the original time and space, two large-scale riots broke out in the city, the first of which occurred in the early 1940s.

The cause of the riot is unknown (some people believe that the riot was instigated by the Germans, but there is no definite evidence). It is said that it was caused by two rumors: the first rumor was that a group of white people threw a black mother and baby into the Detroit River, causing the mother and child to drown alive. The second rumor was that a group of black people raped/killed a white woman. This inhumane rumor quickly spread throughout the city, triggering conflicts between whites and blacks. Thousands of people fought on the Belle Island Bridge, and the riots lasted for three days and three nights.

Hotels and bars stopped operating, and many schools were unable to open. The baseball game between Detroit and Cleveland was also forced to be cancelled (baseball is one of the most popular sports in the United States, known as the "national ball" of the United States, and this sport did not stop throughout World War II). In some areas of the city, stores were robbed, windows were smashed, and cars were overturned and burned.

Three days later, the federal troops who came to suppress the riots used tear gas and fired more than a thousand bullets. The police reported that more than 1,300 people were arrested and the situation was finally under control.

At this time, President Willkie obviously did not realize the seriousness of the matter and said unhappily. "Does this kind of thing need to be reported to me? Can't the local police handle it?" He has to deal with this kind of thing personally? Are the local police all good-for-nothings? !

The secretary said anxiously. "Mr. President, those thugs have a lot of weapons, and most of them are Thompson submachine guns."

As we all know, the United States is a country of pioneers. Guns have always accompanied Americans from the early European immigrants landing in North America to the westward movement and other historical processes until today. Americans in the colonial era needed guns for self-defense to obtain prey, and in the process of pioneering the west, Americans had to use guns to seize land from the Indians to prevent attacks by western bandits. Therefore, long before the founding of the United States, people in North America had a tradition of using guns. Over time, today's strong gun culture in the United States has been formed, and guns have become a common item in Americans' daily lives.

Maybe it takes cumbersome procedures to buy weapons through formal channels, but there is another way in the world, called the black market; as long as you have money, there is nothing you can't buy on the black market.

President Wilkie's mouth twitched slightly. "Thompson submachine gun?" The Thompson submachine gun is a household name in the United States. This gun came out at the end of World War I, and the military had not had time to equip it in large quantities before the war ended. Lacking the support of the war and catching up with the post-war economic downturn, the highly regarded Thompson submachine gun was in an embarrassing situation. Thompson, who was desperate, tried his best to promote it to the civilian market.

At this time, the US government issued a prohibition order, and gangs everywhere trafficked in illegal liquor for huge profits. Gangs must have guns to deal with the police; gangs must also have guns when fighting each other. Holding a pistol does not have a firepower advantage. If you want to play, you have to play big, otherwise how can you be called a gang? The Thompson submachine gun has strong firepower, fast firing rate, and good portability. It is simply a must-have weapon for murder and arson. It naturally became the standard equipment of gangsters and was favored by the underworld.

For a time, news of murders and robberies related to this gun filled the headlines of major American newspapers. Because this submachine gun can be easily hidden in a violin case after removing the wooden butt and drum, criminals called it the "Chicago Violin". Chicago was the most rampant area of ​​gang activities at the time. Because of the rhythmic "click-click" sound of its continuous firing, it was often called the "Chicago Typewriter".

"These thugs openly exchanged fire with the police, and the local police have suffered a lot of casualties."

President Wilkie was furious and said sternly. "Immediately let the local National Guard suppress the riots!" He felt what it meant to "have strong enemies outside and worries inside". The war has already burned to his own land, and these bastards are still fighting in their nests? ! Damn it!

In fact, he didn't need to give orders, the governor of Michigan had already sent the National Guard to suppress it.

But things didn't go as smoothly as they imagined.

"Boom!"

A National Guard convoy had just entered the city, accompanied by a loud bang, and two trucks full of soldiers exploded into two blazing flames. The soldiers on the trucks collectively went to see God.

Before the captain leading the team could react, several strong men holding Thompson submachine guns rushed out from the side of the road and fired at them.

At that time, there were no advanced communication equipment such as walkie-talkies. Even if an attack occurred here, people two blocks away might not know what happened.

In this way, the National Guard who had dispersed and entered the city suffered various attacks and suffered heavy casualties. After the survivors left the city in a panic, they found that only more than 200 people came out of the 500 people who entered, and most of them were injured.

This shocked and angered the commander of the National Guard. He did not expect these thugs to have such combat effectiveness and firepower.

Seeing the screams of the injured soldiers, the commander, who was angry and embarrassed, decisively sent out tanks. The National Guard is no different from the army, and they are consistent with the army in terms of training and weapons and equipment.

This time, the M3 tanks took the lead, and everyone moved forward cautiously.

The air in the city seemed to be filled with a bloody smell. The shops on both sides of the street were burning, and corpses or large patches of blood could be seen on the ground from time to time.