Chapter 302 Tank, That's a Tank

In the darkness before dawn, on the west side of the second line of defense of Bolayer in the Gulf of Saros, the sea wind is howling and the cold is approaching.

Although it is already April, the temperature in Gallipoli is still around 7 degrees.

Especially at this time, there was a little drizzle in the sky, which made the soldiers of the 69th Infantry Regiment of the Ottoman Empire's 17th Division stationed here shivering with cold.

"Damn it!" Captain Kadir, the captain of the 3rd Infantry Battalion, who was huddled in the simple fortifications, couldn't help complaining: "Can't they send some ponchos or clothes?"

Deputy Battalion Commander Issa replied: "Captain, all our cars and animals are transporting ammunition, no one can care about us!"

Kadir said "Hmm".

He knew this. The sound of gunfire on the front line was fierce. Ensuring the supply of ammunition was the first priority, and everything else had to be put on the sidelines.

However, why didn’t anyone tell them what preparations they should make before coming?

"Captain!" A soldier shrunk and ran to Qadir, asking for instructions: "Can we light a fire to keep warm? Otherwise, we will freeze to death before the enemy comes!"

Deputy Battalion Commander Issa vetoed the soldier's excessive request without thinking: "No, Mehdi, the fire will reveal our position."

Battalion Commander Kadir hesitated for a moment and approved the request: "Yes, but as few as possible, one infantry company sets fire. Also, pay attention to cover!"

"Yes, Captain." The soldier responded hastily.

The deputy battalion commander hurriedly stepped forward to stop him: "Captain, this may not be appropriate..."

"Don't be nervous, Issa." The battalion commander raised his head and said, "Look here, no one will land here, not to mention 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.

Anyia Village Beach is full of reefs, so medium-sized fishing boats must be careful when passing by, not to mention enemy warships.

However, the deputy battalion commander is still a little worried: "I heard that they invented a landing ship..."

The battalion commander chuckled: "You mean 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 would have to know the route.

However, the roar of several artillery shells suddenly came from the sky, and then "boom" several artillery shells exploded near the trench.

Battalion Commander Kadir's expression changed, and he quickly ordered loudly: "Put out the fire, put out the fire!"

He thought the fire had drawn the gunfire.

The soldiers who reacted hurriedly shoveled the earth with engineering shovels to put out the fire, and then lay panting on the edge of the trench and looked at the direction from which the gunfire came.

Before the soldiers could figure out what was going on, the sound of cannons rang out one after another. In the lightning-like fire of the cannons, more than ten warships appeared on the sea, spitting tongues of fire toward the shore one after another.

Kadir was not nervous, he knew that these warships could not land from here, unless they were crazy!

…

"Boom boom boom!"

"Boom!"

The sound of artillery came one after another, and the coastal positions were submerged in fire and smoke.

It was the French fleet that opened fire, this time dispatching two battleships: the "Gaul" and the "Charlemagne".

There are also more than ten destroyers involved. Their task is to clear as many obstacles and fortifications as possible on the beach, especially barbed wire fences.

While the artillery fire was being prepared, landing ships and landing craft were already loaded with fully armed soldiers and dispatched.

A total of forty landing ships and landing craft approached the coast at top speed against the sea breeze.

…

Only then did Kadir realize that he was wrong.

Through the telescope and in the gunfire, he saw rows of small boats approaching on the sea, and suddenly felt that something was wrong. These small boats were fast and shallow, and the reefs might not be able to trap them.

Kadir hesitated for a moment, then hurriedly shouted amidst the sound of artillery: "Organize defenses, they are going to land here!"

But no one heard his cry, and the soldiers who were completely unprepared showed signs of collapse the moment the shells rang out.

Soon, the shells gradually extended back.

Qadir trotted all the way, dragging the soldiers up from the ground and placing their guns on the trench.

Perhaps it was a coincidence that the sun had already risen for a little while, and the sunlight illuminated the beach of Anyia Village on the left side of the defense line.

Kadir suddenly discovered that the defense line was not facing the beach, and the enemies were rushing down from those strange ships in groups and spreading out on the beach.

Kadir made a prompt decision and immediately jumped out of the trench. As he ran forward, he waved and ordered loudly: "Third Infantry Battalion, follow me!"

The bewildered soldiers, perhaps infected by the battalion commander's heroic behavior, grabbed their rifles and jumped out of the trenches to follow Qadir toward the beach.

At this time, the competition seemed to be about who could deploy the troops faster.

Kadir believed that they still had a chance. Although they had lost the opportunity, as long as they blocked the enemy, follow-up reinforcements would arrive one after another, and then 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, Qadir soon discovered that he had thought too simply of his opponent.

On their way to the beach, enemy gunfire and artillery fire began.

The gun was the Maxim heavy machine gun on the landing craft. Their bullets poured in like a tide towards the 3rd Infantry Battalion. Amidst the roaring sound, soldiers kept screaming and falling in a pool of blood.

The artillery was a mortar, and shells exploded in the crowd, throwing the soldiers into the air and then falling heavily.

Kadir had to lie on the ground. He was frightened by the enemy's quick organization of such fierce firepower. Is this a landing battle? Once on the shore, it is a positional battle!

Kadir's chest rose and fell violently. He remembered that the German instructor had mentioned this small-caliber infantry gun. It was invented by Charles and widely used in the French army.

But the enemies attacking Gallipoli rarely used this kind of gun. They were either colonial troops or British troops.

Could it be Charles's troops?

This made Kadir realize that today might be a dangerous day, but he still gritted his teeth and shouted: "Defend on the spot and stop them!"

Hearing the order, the soldiers lay on the ground and raised their rifles to aim at the enemy.

However, an even more incredible scene appeared: the landing ships that were supposed to be driving in the sea drove onto the beach one by one, covering the infantry like cars and rushing towards them.

The soldiers were stunned, and Kadir's mind was blank.

What kind of equipment is this? Can it travel in the sea and drive on land? !

"Fire, fire!" Kadir ordered loudly, with a hint of panic, which was unprecedented. He hoped to stop these monsters with bullets.

The soldiers bravely fired a row of bullets at the landing ship, but found that the bullets only clanged and hit a few sparks in front of the landing ship. The landing ship still covered the enemy infantry approaching them slowly.

"Tank, that's a tank!" Someone shouted in fear.

This shout made the third infantry battalion completely collapse. I don't know who started it. They all stood up and ran in the opposite direction. Even Kadir's shouting behind them was useless.