Chapter 313 Morale Issues
At about one o'clock in the afternoon, the Allied fleet launched an attack.
The fleet assembled ten battleships and more than thirty destroyers for minesweeping. Under the horrified eyes of the Ottomans, they marched into the Saros Bay in a mighty manner, dropped anchor in the water columns stirred up by the enemy's artillery fire, and prepared for bombing.
At the beginning of the bombing, there were only a few sporadic gunshots, with about a minute's interval between each shot. There were several seaplanes flying in the sky for artillery calibration.
This is a warship test firing. It is extremely difficult for them to hit the target on the shaking sea. The test firing can be corrected based on the impact point, and then those artillery of the same caliber and model can fire at the target with the same parameters.
About ten minutes later, there was a sudden burst of artillery fire, and the "A" corner west of the defense line was almost turned into a sea of fire.
But Charles and his soldiers did not dare to stick their heads out to watch, because their defense line was bound to be hit by a few shells.
It is normal for a naval gun to deviate from the target by several miles, especially when firing a salvo, the hull and the seawater will affect each other and vibrate violently. This is also the reason why "hitting the target with the first shot" is important in naval battles. If the first shot fails to hit the target, it will be very difficult to hit the target later.
Charles, who was hiding in the tunnel, felt that the noise and vibration from the ground were louder than before, but for some reason he was not afraid. Instead, he inexplicably felt a sense of security.
…
Beaulaye, Sanders Fifth Army Headquarters.
The closest distance from here to the front line is only three miles. Sanders only needs to climb up the mound on the west side of the headquarters and take out the telescope to see the Ottoman army's attack on the enemy's defense line.
The attacks were repelled again and again, with heavy casualties.
The exact number has not yet come out, but it is estimated to be more than 4,000 people.
Sanders believes that the Ottoman army's lack of grenades and mortars was one of the main reasons for the failure of the attack.
Sanders felt a little guilty. He had always thought that this was a naval battle and a landing battle, and the Ottoman army didn't need grenades much. Now he realized how stupid this idea was.
He immediately called Germany and urgently requested a batch of grenades and mortars from the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
However, the grenades and mortars would not arrive for at least two days.
When the artillery fire sounded, Sanders was mentally prepared because the signalman had already told him that the enemy fleet had entered the range and was ready to bomb.
Staff Officer Quinn asked Sanders several times to move the headquarters to a safer place, but was rejected.
Sanders said calmly: "If I withdraw from here, it means admitting defeat. Soldiers will no longer charge towards the enemy's defense line recklessly. Do you want to see this outcome?"
"No, General." Quinn said firmly, "I don't want to see this outcome. But even if you withdraw, they will still face death head-on, I promise!"
Then Quinn added: "Because this is Ottoman land, we are not fighting for you!"
Sanders just smiled and said nothing.
As a German, he was not taking risks for the Ottoman Empire, he was taking risks for Germany!
But of course, there is no need to say this, and there is nothing wrong in letting them maintain this misunderstanding.
At the moment when the gunfire sounded, Sanders was sitting at his desk, staring at the map in front of him quietly. The enemy fleet's participation in the battle made the hope of regaining the defense line increasingly slim.
What kind of army is this? How could they remain unmoved under the repeated attacks of 20,000 people?
Could it really be the Charles' troops they mentioned?
Is it possible for someone like Ciel to personally participate in the war?
Sanders never believed that if Germany had a Charles, they would send an army group to protect him instead of sending him to the battlefield!
At this time, Bahar rushed into the office with a bloody bandage on his head, which was the wound he suffered when he evacuated Bukiya Village. But after that, he still fought on the front line and even led a charge himself.
This is a brave professional soldier, Sanders evaluated Bahar in his mind, and he is both brave and resourceful.
"General." Bahar said anxiously in broken German, "The enemy is bombing the west. We should launch an attack!"
"At this time?" Sanders asked back, "Do you think that we can take down the enemy's defense line if we attack from both sides and fail to take down the enemy's defense line? The west is under bombing and can't take care of itself. Can we take down the defense line if we attack from one side?"
"I know I can't," Bahar replied, "but if we continue like this, the west will collapse and we will never have the chance to retake the defense line."
Sanders was silent for a moment, then calmly replied, "Colonel, I think the crisis in the west is not because of enemy bombing, but because of morale."
"Morale?" Bahar was stunned.
Sanders nodded and asked instead, "Do you think there is a shortage of soldiers and people in the west?"
Bahar shook his head blankly.
There were more than 7,000 people in the west, including a regiment and a militia regiment. In addition, there was a logistics unit and an engineering unit trapped in it, so the actual number of troops was over 10,000.
Sanders asked again: "Is there a shortage of ammunition in the west?"
Bahar shook his head again.
The attack on the enemy's defense line was not a problem of ammunition. They died after firing a few bullets. The key point was that they could not break through the enemy's defense line.
Sanders concluded: "There's certainly no shortage of food on the west side, right?"
Bahar had no objection.
To be precise, it’s not that they had no shortage of food, but that they surrendered before the food was finished.
"You are right, General," Bahar replied, "but the west is indeed surrounded by the enemy, and their supply lines have been cut off. It is only a matter of time before their food and ammunition run out."
"What we need is time, Colonel." Sanders said, "If we can't take it today, we can take it tomorrow. If we can't take it tomorrow, we can take it the day after tomorrow. But the situation in the west doesn't seem to wait until then."
Bahar said "hmm", he seemed to understand what Sanders meant:
Whether we can hold on to the west is the key to recapture the defense line.
If it was still in the hands of the Ottomans, it would be able to attack the enemy's defense line from both sides. Otherwise, the enemy's landing troops would continue to land there and replenish the defense line, and the entire Gallipoli would be in danger!
However……
"But what else can we do?" Bahar asked doubtfully, "Except attacking!"
Sanders looked at Bahar quietly and asked, "I heard that you have a high support rate in the Ottoman army?"
"You can say that." Bahar nodded: "Because I always fight with them."
Then Bahar looked at Sanders again, his eyes full of confusion: "But what does this have to do with this war?"
Sanders pointed to the west on the map and asked, "If you show up here with a group of soldiers, can you keep them going for another two days?"
Bahar understood that Sanders wanted to send him to the west to command, or to boost morale, within the enemy's encirclement.
"No problem, General!" Bahar stepped forward and replied, "I'll set out as soon as it gets dark. I can take a boat around the enemy's defenses!"
(End of this chapter)
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