Chapter 302 Tank, That's a Tank
In the darkness before dawn, on the west side of the second line of defense of Bolayel in the Bay of Saros, the sea breeze was howling and the air was freezing cold.
Although it is already April, the temperature in Gallipoli is still around 7 degrees.
Especially at this time, there was a drizzle in the sky, which made the soldiers of the 69th Infantry Regiment of the 17th Division of the Ottoman Empire stationed here shiver with cold.
"Damn it!" Captain Kadir, the commander of the 3rd Infantry Battalion, who was huddled in a crude fortification, could not help but complain: "Can't they send us some raincoats or clothes?"
Deputy Battalion Commander Issa replied: "Captain, all our vehicles and animal power are transporting ammunition, no one can take care of us!"
Kadir said "hmm".
He knew this. The sound of gunfire on the front line was intense. Ensuring the supply of ammunition was the top priority, and everything else had to be put aside.
However, why didn’t anyone tell them that they should make some preparations before they came?
"Captain!" A soldier huddled up to Kadir and asked, "Can we light a fire to keep warm? Otherwise, we will freeze to death before the enemy arrives!"
Deputy Battalion Commander Issa rejected the soldier's excessive request without a second thought: "No, Mehdi, the fire will expose our position."
Battalion Commander Kadir hesitated and approved the request: "Okay, but as few as possible, one pile of fire for each infantry company. Also, pay attention to cover!"
"Yes, Captain." The soldier responded hurriedly.
The deputy battalion commander stepped forward to stop him: "Captain, this may not be appropriate..."
"Don't be nervous, Isa." The battalion commander raised his head and said, "Look here, no one will land here, not to mention that we are the second line of defense!"
The deputy battalion commander looked at the beach and sea a hundred meters away on the left and felt that there was nothing wrong with what the battalion commander said.
The beach of Annia Village is full of reefs, and even medium-sized fishing boats have to be careful when passing by, not to mention enemy warships.
However, the deputy battalion commander was still a little worried: "I heard that they invented a landing ship..."
The battalion commander laughed and said, "Are you talking about the coal ship that landed at Cape Helles? Don't worry, it can't get in either!"
The deputy battalion commander was speechless. The coal ship might be able to come in, but it must know the route.
However, there were suddenly several whistling sounds of artillery shells in the sky, followed by the sound of several artillery shells exploding near the trenches.
The battalion commander Kadir's face changed, and he quickly shouted, "Put out the fire, put out the fire!"
He thought the fire attracted the artillery fire.
The soldiers who reacted hurriedly used their engineering shovels to shovel out the dirt to put out the fire, then lay breathlessly on the edge of the trench, looking in the direction where the artillery fire came from.
Before the soldiers could figure out what was going on, cannon fire rang out one after another. Amid the lightning-like light of the cannons, more than a dozen warships appeared on the sea, spewing flames towards the shore one after another.
Kadier was not nervous, he knew that these warships could not land here unless they were crazy!
…
“Boom boom boom!”
“Boom boom!”
The sound of artillery fire became more and more intense, and the coastal positions were engulfed in fire and smoke.
The French fleet opened fire, this time with two battleships: the Gaulos and the Charlemagne.
In addition, more than a dozen destroyers were also involved. Their task was to clear as many obstacles and fortifications on the beach as possible, especially barbed wire.
While the artillery was preparing, landing ships and landing craft were already dispatched, loaded with fully armed soldiers.
A total of forty landing ships and landing craft were approaching the coast at the fastest speed against the sea breeze.
…
Only then did Kader realize that he was wrong.
Through the telescope, he saw rows of small boats sailing on the sea amid the gunfire, and he immediately felt that something was wrong. These small boats were fast and had shallow drafts, and the reefs might not be able to trap them.
Kadir hesitated for a moment, then hurriedly shouted amid the sound of artillery fire: "Organize defense, they are going to land here!"
But no one heard his shout. The soldiers, who were completely unprepared, showed signs of collapse the moment the artillery shells sounded.
Soon, the shells gradually extended backwards.
Kader trotted along, dragging the soldiers up from the ground and placing their guns on the trenches.
Perhaps it was a coincidence that the sun had already risen a little at this time, and the sunlight illuminated the beach of Annia Village on the left side of the defense line.
Kadier suddenly realized that the defense line was not facing the beach, and the enemy was rushing down in groups from those strange boats and deploying on the beach.
Kadir made a prompt decision and jumped out of the trench immediately. He ran forward and waved his hands loudly, ordering: "Third Infantry Battalion, follow me!"
The bewildered soldiers were perhaps inspired by the battalion commander's heroic act, and they all jumped out of the trenches, grabbing their rifles and following Kader towards the beach.
At this time, the competition seemed to be about who could deploy troops faster.
Kadir believed that he still had a chance. Although they had lost the initiative, as long as they could hold off the enemy, reinforcements would arrive in wave after wave and drive the enemy back into the sea.
The key is not to let them gain a foothold on the coast, otherwise it will be very troublesome!
However, Kadir soon discovered that he had underestimated his opponent.
As they were on their way to the beach, the enemy's gunfire and artillery fire were heard.
The guns were Maxim heavy machine guns on the landing craft. Their bullets poured towards the Third Infantry Battalion like a tide. Amid the whistling sound, soldiers continued to fall in pools of blood, screaming.
The cannon was a mortar, and shells exploded in the crowd, throwing the soldiers into the air and then dropping them heavily.
Kadir had to lie on the ground. He was frightened by the enemy's quick organization of such fierce firepower. Was this a landing battle? Once on the shore, it was a positional battle!
Cardin's chest heaved violently. He remembered that the German instructor had talked about this small-caliber infantry gun, which was invented by Charles and widely used in the French army.
But the enemies attacking Gallipoli rarely used this type of gun, they were either colonial troops or British troops.
Could this be Charles's army?
This made Kadier realize that today might be a dangerous day, but he still gritted his teeth and shouted: "Defend on the spot and stop them!"
Upon hearing the order, the soldiers lay on the ground and pointed their rifles at the enemy.
However, an even more incredible scene occurred: the landing ships that were supposed to be sailing in the sea drove onto the beach one by one, covering the infantry as they rushed towards them like cars.
The soldiers were stunned, and Kader's mind went blank.
What kind of equipment is this? Can it travel in the sea and on land?!
"Fire, fire!" Kadier ordered loudly with a hint of panic that he had never experienced before. He hoped to use bullets to stop these monsters.
The soldiers bravely fired a row of bullets at the landing ship, but found that the bullets only made a clanging sound and produced a few sparks in front of the landing ship. The landing ship still slowly covered the enemy infantry approaching them.
"Tank, that's a tank!" someone shouted in horror.
The shouting caused the 3rd Infantry Battalion to completely collapse. No one knew who started it, but they all stood up and ran in the opposite direction, even though Kadir was shouting behind them.
(End of this chapter)
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