CHAPTER 301: REVISED: CHAPTER 301 AMMUNITION SUPPLY PROBLEMS

The sound of cannons roared and the gunfire was deafening.

Shire held a revolver in his hand and crouched forward in the trench under the protection of the guards.

This was the safest place on the battlefield. The units ahead had largely taken the trench and repelled the enemy. Shire and his group only needed to follow along and occasionally give orders.

Even so, there were still some unforeseen dangers.

That happened an hour after Shire landed. His mindset had stabilized a lot by then.

Despite the sight of blood and corpses before him, despite the death and cruelty, Shire had decided to face it bravely.

In this era, almost every young person had to face the battlefield; there were very few exceptions.

Think of those soldiers fighting on the front lines, risking their lives in life-and-death combat with the enemy. And here he was, walking on the bloody path they carved out, with guards protecting him from the front and back.

If he were still trembling with fear, he might as well have stayed on the transport ship instead of pretending to be brave.

With this thought, Shire relaxed.

He imitated the others, crouching forward, trying to recall the shooting stance he practiced with Dominic and the essentials of using a rifle.

Shire understood that on the battlefield, many times he could only rely on himself. He had to adapt quickly to survive.

Just as he was thinking this, a figure suddenly rushed out of the adjacent trench. Covered in blood and filth, the man glared with eyes the size of copper bells and charged at Shire with a bayonet, yelling.

(The above image shows soldiers of the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Some wear turbans while others wear flat-topped round hats.)

This was what Shire meant by only being able to rely on himself.

The guards in front and behind couldn’t help. The guard ahead couldn’t even turn his gun in time, and the guard behind couldn’t see what was happening.

In that moment, Shire’s mind went blank. His hands reflexively gripped the gun, and he pulled the trigger without even aiming.

"Bang, bang!"

"Bang, bang, bang, bang!"

Shire fired all six bullets in one go.

Warm blood splashed on Shire’s face. The gleaming bayonet was only a few centimeters from his chest. Its owner, after being hit by a series of bullets, still struggled to get closer to Shire. Only after the final bullet struck his head did he fall back, lying in the trench with a look of unwillingness on his face.

Tijani quickly returned from the front. He fired a few more rounds into the body with his revolver to be sure.

"Well done, Colonel!" Tijani nodded appreciatively at Shire. "This is your first kill."

He then joked, "Do you want me to frame it as a souvenir?"

The soldiers laughed, but Shire couldn’t bring himself to join them.

What if he had reacted a little slower just now? Wouldn’t that bayonet have pierced his chest?

Life and death were just a moment apart, and he had never felt death so close!

Perhaps to divert the soldiers’ attention, Tijani loudly scolded the guards, "Check every trench carefully! Do you know how serious your mistake could have been?"

"Yes, General." The guards responded in unison, their voices tinged with guilt and apology.

That was Shire. If they failed to protect him, they would be drowned in the scorn of the French people even if they made it back alive!

After that, the guards became more careful, and their pace slowed.

Soon, Shire noticed that it wasn’t just his team’s speed that slowed; the entire offensive had slowed down.

"It’s an ammunition supply issue," Tijani explained. "We’ve been advancing continuously, and the rear supply line is getting longer!"

"We shouldn’t stop!" Shire objected. "You don’t understand; the slower the pace, the more dangerous it gets!"

"I understand, Colonel." Tijani responded helplessly. "But we’ve advanced three kilometers in one go, which means our supply line is also three kilometers long. While the landing ships can transport ammunition, there are only twenty of them. The soldiers in the first wave don’t have enough ammo anymore. Do you want them to fight the enemy with bayonets?"

To Tijani, it was an unsolvable problem. Implementing this penetration plan inevitably encountered such issues.

This was Shire’s fault.

When inventing the amphibious landing ship, Shire only thought about a standard landing operation. Who would have expected a six-kilometer rapid penetration after reaching the Dardanelles Strait?

The landing ships were burdened in this penetration, tasked with continuously transporting ammunition between sea and land while also acting as "tanks" to cover the infantry’s advance.

Therefore, twenty landing ships were far from enough.

Shire took out his pocket watch and looked at it, saying, "Even with bayonets, we must ensure the speed. Once the enemy reacts, it will be too late!"

An hour and a half had passed, and the enemy was likely becoming aware of the danger.

"But..." Tijani shook his head confusedly, "Using bayonets means heavy casualties, Colonel. At that time, we still won’t be able to hold this line."

"Then learn to use the enemy’s rifles," Shire said. "That shouldn’t be difficult."

Tijani shook his head slightly. "While not difficult, they... might not be used to it."

Shire smiled, "I don’t think this is the time to worry about habits, General. If we can’t ensure speed, we might end up losing everything!"

If the penetration goal wasn’t achieved, it meant they couldn’t encircle anyone. By then, the entire landing force would be surrounded, waiting to be annihilated.

Shire added, "Besides, if we’re already facing ammunition supply issues now, I believe we’ll eventually have to use the enemy’s rifles because we still have to hold this line."

After considering for a moment, Tijani nodded.

Holding this line might require even more ammunition. At that time, enemy troops would launch waves of attacks from two directions.

"You are right, Colonel." Tijani replied, then ordered, "The second wave will switch to the enemy’s rifles and use their ammunition!"

"Yes, General!"

This alleviated the ammunition situation, and there was no longer a need to worry about ammo shortages.

The Ottoman Army had stored enough ammunition in their defensive lines.

Moreover, the right flank seized more than a dozen wagons of ammunition while advancing along the road. These supplies were sufficient for the 105th Regiment to hold out for several days.

The only issue was that the rifles of the Ottoman Empire were somewhat peculiar: An inhibitor was added to the Mauser rifles. Before chambering a round, the inhibitor had to be removed to complete the loading process. It was said that this design was made by the frugal Ottomans to prevent soldiers from wasting all their bullets at once.

This indeed made the French Soldiers a bit unaccustomed.

(The above image shows the inhibitor tab of the Ottoman Empire’s rifle during World War I.)