Chapter 302: The Tank, That Is a Tank
In the darkness before dawn, on the western side of the second defensive line at Saros Bay, the sea wind howled, and the cold was biting.
Although it was already April, the temperature in Gallipoli still hovered around 7°C.
At this time, a light drizzle began to fall, causing the soldiers of the Ottoman Empire's 17th Division, 69th Infantry Regiment, who were stationed here, to shiver from the cold.
"Damn it!" Captain Kadir, the commander of the 3rd Infantry Battalion, huddled in a crude shelter, couldn't help but complain, "Can't they send us some raincoats or clothes?"
Lieutenant Isa replied, "Captain, all our vehicles and animals are transporting ammunition. No one has time to care for us!"
Kadir grunted in acknowledgment.
He knew this already; the sounds of gunfire and artillery were intensifying on the front lines, and ensuring the supply of ammunition was the top priority. Everything else had to take a back seat.
But why hadn't anyone told them to make preparations before coming?
"Captain!" A soldier, hunched against the cold, ran to Kadir and asked, "Can we make a fire to warm up? Otherwise, before the enemy even arrives, we’ll freeze to death!"
Lieutenant Isa immediately rejected the soldier's excessive request, "No, Mehdi, the firelight will expose our position."
Kadir hesitated for a moment, then approved the request, "Alright, but only a little. One fire for each infantry company. And be sure to hide it!"
"Yes, Captain," the soldier quickly replied.
Lieutenant Isa hurried forward to stop them, "Captain, this might not be appropriate…"
"Don't worry, Isa." The Captain raised his head and gestured around, saying, "Look around, no one will land here, and we're on the second defensive line!"
Isa looked to the left, at the beach and the sea just 100 meters away, and felt that the Captain's words made sense.
Anya Village beach was full of reefs, and even medium-sized fishing boats had to be cautious when passing through, let alone enemy warships.
However, Lieutenant Isa still felt uneasy, "I heard they invented a type of landing craft…"
Kadir chuckled, "You mean the coal barges that landed at Cape Helles? Don’t worry, those won’t get through here either!"
Isa had no rebuttal. The coal barges might have been able to make it, but they would have had to know the navigation route.
However, at that moment, the sky suddenly echoed with the sound of artillery shells whistling, followed by several explosions as shells landed near the trenches.
Kadir’s expression changed immediately, and he shouted loudly, "Put out the fires! Put out the fires!"
He thought the firelight had drawn the enemy's fire.
The soldiers, realizing what was happening, scrambled to douse the flames with their entrenching tools, panting heavily as they lay flat at the edge of the trench, staring toward the direction of the artillery fire.
Before the soldiers could figure out what was going on, the artillery fire erupted again, this time accompanied by the blinding flash of shells, and a fleet of more than ten warships appeared on the sea. They were unleashing waves of fire toward the shore.
Kadir remained calm. He knew these warships couldn’t land here—unless they had lost their minds!
…
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
"Boom! Boom!"
The artillery fire intensified, and the coastal positions were engulfed in flames and smoke.
The French fleet had opened fire, deploying two battleships: the "Gaul" and the "Charlemagne."
In addition, more than ten destroyers joined in the bombardment, their task being to clear obstacles and fortifications on the beach, especially the barbed wire.
As the artillery fire continued, landing boats and landing craft, fully loaded with armed soldiers, began to head toward the shore.
A total of forty landing boats and landing craft, riding the sea breeze at full speed, rushed toward the coast.
…
At this point, Kadir realized he had been wrong.
Through his binoculars, he saw a row of small boats advancing through the artillery fire. He immediately sensed the gravity of the situation. These boats were fast and had a shallow draft, meaning the reefs likely wouldn’t trap them.
Kadir hesitated for a moment, then shouted over the artillery sounds, "Prepare to defend! They’re landing here!"
But no one heard his command. The soldiers, caught completely unprepared, were already showing signs of panic as the shells exploded.
Soon, the artillery fire began to shift further back.
Kadir ran, dragging soldiers up from the ground and positioning them with their rifles on the trench's edge.
Perhaps it was a coincidence, but the sun had already risen partially, and the sunlight illuminated Anya Village beach to the left of the defensive line.
Kadir suddenly realized that the defensive line was not facing the beach, and the enemy had already launched their assault from those strange boats, setting up on the beach.
Without hesitation, Kadir immediately jumped out of the trench, running forward while shouting loudly, "3rd Infantry Battalion, follow me!"
The confused soldiers, perhaps inspired by their Captain’s brave actions, grabbed their rifles and jumped out of the trench, following Kadir toward the beach.
It seemed like a race to see who could deploy their forces first.
Kadir still believed there was a chance. Although they had lost the initiative, if they could just delay the enemy, reinforcements would arrive one after another, and they would push the enemy back into the sea.
The key was not letting them gain a foothold on the shore—otherwise, it would be a huge problem!
However, Kadir quickly realized he had underestimated the enemy.
As they made their way to the beach, enemy gunfire and artillery had already started.
The gunfire came from the Maxim machine guns mounted on the landing craft, their bullets surging toward the 3rd Infantry Battalion like a tidal wave. Amidst the "whizzing" sound, soldiers fell to the ground, screaming in agony.
The artillery was mortars, shells exploding in the midst of the soldiers, hurling them into the air before crashing back to the ground with a thud.
Kadir was forced to lie flat. He was terrified by the enemy’s rapid deployment of such intense firepower. Was this a landing battle? It was trench warfare the moment they hit the shore!
Kadir's chest heaved violently. He recalled how the German instructors had mentioned these small-caliber infantry guns—those were Charles' invention, widely used by the French army.
But the enemies attacking Gallipoli rarely used such weapons. They were either colonial troops or British forces.
Could it be… Charles' troops?
This realization hit Kadir hard. Today might end in disaster, but he gritted his teeth and shouted, "Defend on the spot! Hold them off!"
Hearing the order, the soldiers quickly dropped to the ground and aimed their rifles at the enemy.
Then, something even more unbelievable happened: the landing craft, which should have been operating in the water, were now driving onto the beach, providing cover for the infantry as they charged toward them.
The soldiers froze in place. Kadir's mind went blank.
What kind of equipment was this? Capable of moving on both land and water?!
"Fire! Fire!" Kadir shouted, with a hint of panic. This was something he had never encountered before, and he hoped the bullets would stop these monstrous machines.
The soldiers, gathering their courage, fired a volley of bullets at the landing craft, only to find that the bullets merely rang against the craft’s front, striking sparks but failing to stop them. The landing craft continued on, methodically covering the advancing infantry.
"Tanks! Those are tanks!" someone screamed in horror.
The cry shattered the 3rd Infantry Battalion’s resolve. It was unclear who started it, but they all scrambled to retreat in the opposite direction, ignoring Kadir's desperate shouts as they fled.