Chapter 306: Going Around
In his office, Sanders paced back and forth, visibly frustrated. An hour and a half had passed, and the status of the 69th Infantry Regiment's line remained unclear. The aircraft dispatched for reconnaissance hadn't even reached the area before being shot down; one plane managed a distant glimpse, reporting signs of fighting and some vehicles, but the pilots assessed it as a minor skirmish.
Only later did Sanders understand the real situation: the enemy was advancing methodically along the trench, engaging with small, concentrated forces—just one infantry company of 500 or 600 men fighting against 200 or 300 defenders in a single section of the line. What seemed like a minor engagement on the surface was actually a strategic push, large enough to shake all of Gallipoli and potentially change the course of the battle.
As Sanders pondered the various possibilities, his aide Quinn burst into the command center, pale and shaken. His voice rasped with fear: "General, we've confirmed it—our main enemy force is landing at Ania Village. It's no decoy!"
Sanders stopped in his tracks, staring at his aide in disbelief.
Before Sanders could ask for details, Quinn explained, "We captured a deserter from the 69th Infantry Regiment. He said the enemy has tanks and is advancing along the trenches—they may have already reached Bucak Village."
"Tanks?" Sanders repeated in disbelief. "How would they have tanks? How would they land them?"
Quinn shook his head helplessly. "I don't know, General, but Bahar reported the same thing. He thinks it might be Charles's forces."
Sanders swallowed hard. If it was indeed Charles's unit, that might explain it—another one of his inventions, perhaps.
Wasting no time, Sanders walked over to the map, focusing on the line at the second trench.
Quinn quickly found Bucak Village's location and pointed it out. "Here, General—only three miles from the opposite coast."
Sanders went pale. It was too late. At their current pace, the enemy could cover three miles in twenty minutes. Any reinforcements that arrived would face a fully fortified line with machine guns. Even with ten times the number of troops, reclaiming it would be nearly impossible.
"Where's Bahar?" Sanders asked. "What's his position?"
An aide quickly made a call to Bahar. Moments later, he returned, eyes bright. "General, Bahar has arrived at Bucak Village with the Guard Company!"
This was, evidently, Bahar's decision to act independently, defying Sanders's orders. But Sanders didn't reprimand him. Instead, he exclaimed, "Good! That man has saved the entire line—no, he's saved the Ottoman Empire, and possibly this war!"
Bucak Village was a small settlement of just over thirty households. The second trench line passed only a hundred meters west of it. Now the village lay deserted, with only the shells of bombed-out houses and tattered fishing nets waving in the breeze, creating a desolate atmosphere.
Suddenly, the quiet was shattered by the rhythmic sound of approaching boots. A detachment of Ottoman soldiers, fully armed, rushed into the village, followed by several trucks carrying ammunition. Bahar jumped down from one of the vehicles, took in the surroundings, and immediately began barking orders:
"Titan, take a platoon and secure the eastern hill!"
"Kenmal, your platoon will hold the trench. Round up the remaining troops from the 69th Regiment. Bring up all the reserves!"
"To everyone else, follow me. Use the buildings to set up defenses!"
"Colonel!" One company commander, following closely behind Bahar, asked with a tremor in his voice, "I've heard they have tanks. We have nothing to counter them—how do we hold them off?"
"With your body, Bukuran!" Bahar replied without hesitation. "You're up front, and I'll be right behind you. Do you have a problem with that?"
"No, Colonel!" Bukuran replied quickly, his anxiety fading in the face of Bahar's iron resolve.
"Good!" Bahar positioned himself near a crumbling wall and shouted to the rest of his men, "Listen up! I'm not asking you to fight—I'm asking you to die here, in the enemy's line of fire. When you fall, others will take your place! Understood?"
"Yes, Colonel!" the soldiers shouted back in unison.
Bahar was instilling in them the resolve to fight to the death. He knew that without such commitment, the enemy's tanks would roll right over their bodies, cutting off the crucial throat of Gallipoli.
The soldiers barely had time to reach their positions when gunfire erupted from the west. Moments later, waves of soldiers, broken and panicked, retreated from the trench line. Bahar waved them over, shouting, "This way, here!"
As the soldiers stumbled into the defensive line, Bahar turned to the terrified faces and yelled, "Pick up your weapons, soldiers! If you don't want to die under enemy fire, I'll shoot you myself!"
The retreating troops had no choice but to rejoin the fight, taking positions alongside the others, rifles aimed from behind the protective walls of the village houses.
The enemy arrived quickly. Within minutes, several "tanks" appeared from behind the hills. Bahar lifted his binoculars and sighed with relief when he saw that the "tanks" had wheels, not treads.
"Prepare to fire!" Bahar ordered. "Aim for the wheels and wait for my command!"
The soldiers took aim, their sights trained on the wheels of the enemy vehicles.
At Bahar's signal, a volley of gunfire erupted, and one of the "tanks" wobbled to a halt, unable to continue forward.
The soldiers cheered, surprised by how easily they had disabled the "tanks." Some of them even called out to Bahar excitedly, "It worked, Colonel! We stopped them!"
Bahar merely grunted. If this was Charles's unit, this was only the beginning.
Sure enough, seconds later, explosions erupted as mortar shells rained down on the village, filling the air with clouds of smoke and debris. Then, a line of French soldiers, their red pants gleaming, surged forward, shouting as they charged into the village.
The 105th Regiment had hit an unexpected roadblock. Their advance stalled at Bucak Village for ten minutes, costing them over a hundred men without any sign of breaking through.
Tijani crouched in the trench, quickly unfolding a map. He pointed to a spot and said to Charles, "We're here. Only three miles left. At top speed, we could reach the entire line in just ten minutes, but the Ottomans got to Bucak first and are defending it fiercely."
Charles took a moment to think, then climbed up out of the trench. He cautiously peered through his binoculars at the village, 500 meters away.
The enemy's machine guns formed a tight web of crossfire, controlling the only high ground in the area. They had pulled back every available soldier to reinforce this line, creating an impenetrable barrier. Even with all their forces concentrated, breaking through seemed impossible.
After a moment's pause, Charles issued a new command: "Go around them. I'd bet the trenches behind that line are empty, completely undefended."
Tijani stared at Charles in shock, as if silently asking how he could be so certain.
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