CHAPTER 304: AFTER THE MODIFICATION: CHAPTER 304 THEY SUCCEEDED

At this moment, Bahar suddenly realized that the enemy’s "tanks" with wheels were not as fragile as he had imagined.

Their significance lay not in their armor or firepower, but in their extraordinary maneuverability and flexibility.

For instance, right now, they were rapidly infiltrating along the road with the French Army soldiers, while he had no time to react.

Turning his head, Bahar saw a company from the 69th Infantry Regiment surging outside the village.

He quickly jumped in, waving and shouting at them, "Retreat! Hold your line, immediately!"

However, this company misunderstood Bahar’s meaning.

Their first reaction was that the front units were sufficient and that their allies had already driven the enemy back and were claiming victory, so they were no longer needed here.

Disappointed, they dejectedly put away their rifles and turned back.

They walked rather than ran.

They were completely unaware that danger was swiftly approaching them, and did not realize that every second counted — one delayed moment could mean they would not make it back in time.

They even looked back every three steps, seemingly regretting that they missed the opportunity to join in this victory and earn glory.

Bahar was furious but helpless. The distance of more than a hundred meters between them was neither too far nor too close, making communication very difficult. Shouting was ineffective, and by the time the messenger arrived to deliver the orders, it would probably be too late.

The situation was worse than Bahar had imagined.

Just as Bahar dispatched the messenger, the French Army suddenly departed from the road and launched an attack on this Ottoman "reinforcement" force of over 200 soldiers.

This was somewhat different from Shire’s plan, which aimed for Alphonse to penetrate further into unguarded areas to seize trenches.

Alphonse understood Shire’s intentions and had planned to do just that.

But while observing the Ottoman forces on the flanks through binoculars from the amphibious landing craft, he noticed that their attention was focused on the more intense gunfire on the front line, completely ignoring the infiltrating French forces on the road.

Alphonse made a decisive judgment, ordering his troops to attack these unaware enemies.

The amphibious landing craft turned away from the road towards the enemy, with squads of French soldiers advancing behind with their rifles raised.

It was only then that the enemy noticed them, panicking and hurriedly raising their rifles to organize a defense.

But it was too late. The machine guns on the amphibious landing craft fired relentlessly, their crisp "dada" sound spewing out flames.

Six landing craft, each with a Maxim machine gun, close-range sweeping through the Ottoman soldiers, mowing them down in a storm of bullets, creating an instant bloodbath.

Simultaneously, French soldiers emerged one by one with their rifles, shooting at the enemy.

Soon, under Alphonse’s orders, the soldiers swiftly fitted bayonets to their rifles and launched an assault.

The Ottoman soldiers had virtually no resistance; many fell in pools of blood before even firing a few rounds.

Some reacted quickly, dropping to the ground and narrowly escaping the bullet storm, but it was of no use. Just as they lifted their heads, they found the French soldiers already upon them, thrusting needle-like bayonets into their necks...

In just over five minutes, a force of over 200 was completely routed.

Alphonse did not stop his advance; leading his troops forward to the trenchline, blowing a whistle and tossing a row of grenades into the trench before charging in after the explosions.

The result was self-evident. The French Army easily captured the trenches and quickly extended their gains from there.

This was the advantage of the French Army: they were equipped with grenades, an invaluable asset in trench warfare. Soldiers could throw a grenade at an enemy’s position around a corner and then launch an assault amidst the explosion’s aftermath.

Meanwhile, the Ottoman Empire had not yet had time to produce and equip grenades, putting them at a constant disadvantage in such engagements. This was one of the reasons the 105th Regiment was able to advance so rapidly.

(The image above shows a "Z"-shaped trench. If the trench was built in a straight line, a bomb landing inside would cause widespread casualties, or an enemy occupying part of the trench could set up a machine gun and lock down the entire trench. Therefore, they were typically built in a "Z" shape, even on flat terrain.)

At that moment, Bahar knew he had already lost.

Even if he held Annia Village, it was useless; surrounded by enemies on all sides, his trenches were vulnerable to attacks from both flanks. If they did not withdraw in time, they would likely be encircled and left behind forever.

Glancing at the absent reinforcements to the east, Bahar could only give the reluctant order, "Retreat!"

Upon seeing the Ottoman Army retreat, the French Army, cheered on by wild enthusiasm, quickly took over the lightly defended trenches.

...

In the command center of the "Queen Elizabeth," General Winter and General Hamilton were anxiously awaiting the latest telegrams from the front.

Since the battle began, they had yet to receive any information about the frontline situation.

Shire’s troops had been advancing nonstop, without time to pause for sending telegrams.

"Does the ’Royal Ark’ know anything?" General Hamilton asked.

He seemed more anxious than General Winter, as this concerned the outcome of the Gelibolu landing and the safety of over ten thousand troops already on the island.

"They’ve lost contact with the 105th Infantry Regiment," General Winter shook his head gently.

The "Royal Ark’s" seaplanes were originally used for reconnaissance, sending real-time intelligence to the ground troops via message bottles.

But with light rain falling and a mix of smoke and fog following bombardments, visibility on the ground was severely hampered for the pilots.

The only thing they could do was shoot down or drive away any enemy aircraft encroaching on their airspace.

After some thought, Hamilton seriously said to General Winter, "I have a suggestion, General. I believe that if Shire’s offensive faces obstacles, our fleet should enter Saros Bay, despite the risk of being bombarded from three sides, to provide artillery support for Shire."

"Of course," General Winter nodded in agreement.

This was considering the enemy artillery was mainly positioned along the Dardanelles Strait, with little preparation on Saros Bay.

General Winter smiled and asked, "You seem to have changed your opinion of Shire?"

Hamilton looked up at General Winter in surprise, then shook his head with a tinge of guilt in his eyes, "No, I never changed my opinion of Shire, I simply... find it hard to admit to."

General Winter nodded in understanding. Admitting Shire’s correctness was equivalent to admitting the failure of the Great British Empire, something every Briton found difficult to accept.

General Winter had become accustomed to this.

Because, to date, everything Shire had said and done was correct, further proving the British Military’s folly in thinking that mere naval forces would suffice to make the enemy surrender.

At that moment, the communication soldier at the radio suddenly turned and exclaimed to Winter, "General, they did it, they’ve successfully taken the ’A’ defensive line!"