Chapter 303: Landing
The landing operation of the 105th Regiment went smoothly.
There was no scene of machine guns wildly firing at landing boats as imagined, because this was a sea area where the enemy believed a landing was “impossible.”
In the past, landing here would indeed have been impossible. Unless the Allied forces used small wooden boats to storm the beach, but they would undoubtedly have been ruthlessly wiped out on the sea by the enemy.
But now, with landing ships and boats, everything had become much simpler.
The landing troops’ task was to land under artillery cover, deploy their forces, and then secure victory.
Charles stood on the transport ship Henri, holding a telescope, watching the retreating Ottoman soldiers in chaos. He praised, “Not easy, they held out until now.”
Tigani gave a sound of agreement, “Mm.”
In battle, it was highly undesirable for “unexpected” events to occur, as they could demoralize the troops, making them feel they were doomed to lose the battle.
This time, the Ottoman soldiers had experienced at least three unexpected events:
The first, the Allied fleet unexpectedly appeared before their beach and began bombing them.
The second, the Allied forces landed here, and remarkably did so in such a short time with landing boats, deploying their forces and suppressing them with overwhelming firepower.
The third, the amphibious landing boats.
Tigani could imagine the shock the Ottoman soldiers must have felt when they saw the amphibious landing boats directly driving up onto the shore from the sea.
The Ottoman soldiers withstood the first two shocks but eventually collapsed after the third one.
...
The landing troops did not linger. Under the cover of the amphibious landing boats, they attacked along the enemy’s constructed trenches.
The attack came from all directions:
On each side of the trench were several amphibious landing boats, firing machine guns and rifles from higher ground, shooting at targets inside the trench.
In the middle, a team of soldiers steadily advanced within the trench, clearing out the remaining enemy soldiers.
Behind them, soldiers followed in the amphibious landing boats, using mortars to assist in suppressing the enemy’s machine gun fire.
The Ottoman army was completely defeated. They were unable to resist the landing troops’ assault, even for a moment.
At this point, the landing boats returned, slowly stopping beneath the net ropes of the transport ship, preparing to bring the second batch of landing troops ashore.
Tigani retracted his telescope and turned to Charles, advising, “You don’t have to go ashore, Colonel. We understand. You don’t need to do this!”
Charles shook his head gently, “No, I must go ashore.”
Charles felt a bit helpless.
The tradition of the French army was that officers should lead by example, charging ahead of the soldiers. Only then could they inspire their soldiers to fight and ultimately secure victory. This was the core of the French offensive doctrine.
Although Charles did not agree with the offensive theory, as the staff officer of the 105th Regiment, if he didn’t even land, it would undoubtedly affect the morale of the troops.
On the other hand, the major French newspapers would soon amplify this matter:
“Everyone in the 105th Regiment has landed, but only Charles remained aboard the transport ship, far from the battlefield.”
“Does he think he can enjoy ‘minority’ privileges?”
“So, this is what Charles calls a landing operation. He’s in the Dardanelles but not on the battlefield!”
...
Charles sighed inwardly, thinking, this is what they mean by “high places are cold.”
Since he had to land, he should not hesitate.
He decided to land with the second batch of troops alongside Tigani’s command post, so everyone would shut up!
With this in mind, Charles clenched his teeth, put the telescope back in its box, tightened his webbing, and, like the others, climbed over the transport ship and began descending the net ropes.
The soldiers watched in surprise as Charles made his move:
“My God, is that Colonel Charles? Is he going to the battlefield with us?”
“Incredible, I thought he would stay on the ship!”
“I thought so too, he shouldn’t risk going to the battlefield!”
...
A few soldiers spontaneously climbed beside Charles, carefully protecting him as they made their way down. When they neared the landing boat, a few soldiers came forward to help Charles aboard.
The soldiers gathered around, speaking anxiously:
“You shouldn’t have come down, Colonel! The good things you’ve done and the equipment you’ve invented have saved so many people. We won’t allow you to take risks on the battlefield.”
“Yes, you can play a bigger role, fighting is our business.”
“If something happens to you, it’s a loss for France, for the people, and for us!”
...
The show had to be put on perfectly, Charles thought. Since he was going to take the risk, he might as well be a bit more courageous and win some popularity.
Charles smiled slightly, his voice firm:
“No, soldiers. There is no Charles here, nor any inventor.”
“There is only the staff officer of the 105th Regiment, and it is my duty to lead you to the battlefield.”
“I believe that you will win. Therefore, I fear nothing!”
Just as Tigani jumped down from the net ropes, he shouted, “Vive la France!”
The soldiers were moved to tears, shouting, “Vive la France!” one after another.
The cries seemed to be contagious, quickly spreading to all around.
Soon, everyone knew Charles was personally going to land, and the sailors on the destroyers, battleships, trawlers, and minesweepers all cheered. Their voices even drowned out the sounds of the battleship guns, and the army’s morale soared.
...
To be honest, landing was indeed dangerous.
Because the Ottoman Empire’s artillery had already reacted, sporadically firing at Anya Beach.
Some shells landed on the shore, creating huge craters and sending sand flying like waves.
Other shells fell into the sea, shooting up fountains of water several dozen meters high.
Charles had seen such scenes before, but being in the middle of it was a completely different experience.
The swaying ship, the acrid smell of gunpowder, and the cold seawater pouring down from the sky caused Charles to shudder uncontrollably.
He even began to regret it—what if a shell hit his boat directly? Would all his efforts be in vain?
But now that it had come to this, Charles could only keep pushing forward.
Finally landing on the shore, Charles was about to catch his breath when his eyes were met with a scene of bodies scattered across the ground. The air was thick with the smell of gunpowder and blood.
The bodies, both enemy and ours, lay in various positions. Most were Ottoman soldiers, their limbs severed, blood spilling everywhere, some even groaning.
French soldiers came up without hesitation and finished them off with a shot to the head.
Charles couldn’t help but feel his stomach churn. Although he had been mentally prepared for this, it was still hard to bear.
Tigani, seeing Charles’s pale face, approached to comfort him, “You’ll get used to it, Colonel. I felt the same when I first saw this scene!”