Chapter 289 That is Ciel’s Army
During these days, Charles' troops did nothing but occasionally take the fleet out for a spin, and sometimes sailed towards the Dardanelles to look at the smoke of the battlefield from afar and listen to the sound of gunfire on the shore, and then turned back soon.
In fact, the fleet was in training. Soldiers continued to use landing craft on board. Sometimes they would sail to an empty, uninhabited area for soldiers to climb ropes to board the ship, while the destroyer simulated searching for submarines and rushed to the corresponding location to drop "bombs" down.
The British didn't know what they were doing and just thought Charles was just pretending.
Then Lieutenant General Robeck became a little impatient.
The landing situation in the Strait became increasingly tense, and the war situation gradually tilted in a direction unfavorable to the British army.
The failure of the British 29th Division to successfully land on V Beach was a major mistake, which split Cape Helles, which was supposed to form a whole line of defense, into two:
There are three landing sites on the west, Beach Y, X, and W, and one landing site on the east, Beach S, separated by an Ottoman defense line.
V Beach is the most important landing site. There is a road here and both sides are hills and highlands. The Ottomans can use the road to transport large numbers of troops and ammunition supplies to the high ground for defense.
This is also the reason why the British used the most "elite" 29th Division to land on V Beach. It was a beach that had to be captured.
Who would have thought that the most "elite" troops would fight the worst.
If it were not for the Allies' powerful naval firepower, the landed troops might have been driven into the sea by the Ottoman Empire.
(The above picture shows the five beaches that the British army attacked. From left to right, they are Y, X, W, V, and S beaches. The location of V beach is extremely important. The failure of landing there almost means that this landing operation cannot succeed.)
…
Vice Admiral Robeck stood at the window of the island command post, looking towards the Dardanelles. The sounds of gunfire and artillery fire from there, as well as the occasional Ottoman reconnaissance planes flying across the sky, seemed to indicate that the situation was not optimistic.
"General." Staff Officer O'Connell handed Robeck a telegram: "The situation has been confirmed. The Ottomans have a plan. They intend to annihilate our troops on S Beach first, and then surround and annihilate the landing troops in other directions. We don't know how many troops they have invested yet."
Lieutenant General Robeck snorted in dissatisfaction.
He had to admit that the Ottomans' approach was correct.
The troops on S Beach were the weakest and could not hold out for long under the enemy's attack.
Once the troops on S Beach were annihilated, the Ottomans would no longer have to fight on two fronts, and they could concentrate all their forces to encircle and annihilate the landing troops on the remaining three beaches.
Damn the Germans, this must be their plan!
After thinking for a while, Lieutenant General Robeck ordered: "Send more soldiers up, we should expand the offensive before they react!"
"General," O'Connell objected, "there is not much space on the island, and the Ottomans are holding the high ground and have a lot of artillery. Sending more troops up there will only cause them to be squeezed together and die under enemy fire."
This is the embarrassment of landing operations. Landing troops ashore does not mean they can sit back and relax.
On the contrary, this may be the most dangerous time, because the navy's naval guns cannot bombard safely, and the landing troops cannot deliver enough artillery and shells ashore.
As a result, the landing troops could only hold on under the enemy's fierce artillery fire and had no way to retreat.
O'Connell hesitated and reminded, "Unless, we continue to deploy troops on V Beach, so that we can share the danger in other directions. Once successful, we can connect the east and west areas into one."
Lieutenant General Robeck immediately thought of Charles's troops, which might also be what O'Connell hoped for.
Lieutenant General Robeck asked: "The French still don't react?"
O'Connell shook his head helplessly. He seemed to want to say something, but opened his mouth and nothing came out.
Lieutenant General Robeck frowned and squeezed out a word from between his teeth: "Speak!"
O'Connell replied cautiously: "General, I think this is very likely related to what you said to Charles a few days ago!"
Lieutenant General Robeck was stunned for a moment, then he understood.
At that time, he acted as if he wanted the French to die on the battlefield, but now...
Lieutenant General Robeck smiled self-deprecatingly. He used Charles's own method to give him a taste of his own medicine. He responded with practical actions: the British are sending themselves to die on the battlefield, so why not?
"We don't need them," said Lieutenant General Robeck. "We can win this battle ourselves."
O'Connell didn't say anything, nor did he move. He just stood there in silence.
Lieutenant General Robeck understood his expression. He turned back and looked at O'Connell angrily: "Do you think the French can successfully land on V Beach? They have already failed once!"
The British 29th Division couldn't do it, and the French certainly couldn't do it either. Otherwise, where would the face of the British Empire be?
But O'Connell reminded: "General, those are Charles' troops!"
"What's the difference between Charles' troops?" Lieutenant General Robeck asked sternly.
O'Connell hesitated for a while, and finally answered: "I know something, General. The 105th Regiment in Charles' hands is equipped with a large number of mortars. This kind of light artillery can be carried with the troops landing. At the same time, they are very suitable for bombing targets hiding behind bunkers or even behind mountains!"
Lieutenant General Robeck fell silent instantly.
The landing troops were in desperate need of artillery, but they could not get it.
This is not only because howitzers, cannons, etc. are difficult to send ashore by transport boats, but also because they are useless on the battlefield:
The enemy hid in the trenches on the high ground or even on the other side of the mountain, and the artillery with relatively straight trajectory in the hands of the British troops found it difficult to attack the target. Even if they managed to fire, they would soon be discovered by the enemy on the high ground and guided to blow up the artillery.
The mortar is different. It can hit anywhere it wants as long as it is within its range.
At the same time, it can fight and move at any time, which means it has strong survivability.
Although Vice Admiral Robeck was a naval commander, he also understood the reason.
He thought about it for a while, his expression changing again and again, as if he was having an ideological struggle.
Finally, with a hint of helplessness in his eyes, he ordered O'Connell: "Prepare the ships."
Lieutenant General Robeck plans to visit Charles in person to apologize for what happened before.
"I'm sorry, General." O'Connell's expression relaxed: "Charles' fleet has already set sail. However, I think you can go talk to General Geprat first."
Lieutenant General Robeck smiled bitterly. What else could he do? He might as well go to Gaiplat and say some nice words to him first!
(End of this chapter)
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