Chapter 289 That Is Charles’ Army

Charles's troops did nothing in the past few days. They only occasionally took the fleet out for a spin, and sometimes sailed towards the Dardanelles to look at the smoke of the battlefield from a distance and listen to the sound of guns and artillery on the shore. Soon Turned back again.

In fact, the fleet is training. The soldiers continue to use landing craft on the ship. Sometimes they will sail to an empty no-man's land for the soldiers to climb ropes to board the ship, while the destroyers simulate searching for submarines and rush to the corresponding position to drop "bombs". ".

The British didn't know what they were doing, they just thought that Charles was just showing off.

Then Lieutenant General Robek lost his temper.

The landing situation in the Strait became increasingly tense, and the battle situation gradually tilted towards the unfavorable direction of the British army.

The failure of the British 29th Division to successfully land on V Beach was a major mistake. This caused Cape Helles, which was supposed to form a whole line of defense, to be divided into two:

There are three landing sites on the west, beaches Y, X, and W, and one landing site on the east, beach S, separated by a line of defense from the Ottomans.

V Beach is the most important landing site. There is a road here with hilly highlands on both sides. The Ottomans can use the road to transport a large number of troops and ammunition supplies to the highlands for defense.

This is also why the British will use the most "elite" 29th Division to land on V Beach. It is a beach that must be captured.

Who would have thought that the most "elite" troops would be defeated the most.

Were it not for the superior naval firepower of the Allies, the landed troops might have been driven overboard by the Ottoman Empire.

(The picture above shows the five beaches that the British army mainly attacked. From left to right, they are Y,

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Lieutenant General Roback stood in front of the window of the command center of the ship island, looking in the direction of the Dardanelles Strait. The sound of gunfire and artillery coming from there, as well as the occasional Ottoman reconnaissance aircraft passing by in the sky, seemed to be omens. The situation is not optimistic.

"General." Staff O'Connell sent a telegram to Roback: "The situation is confirmed. The Ottomans have a plan. They plan to first annihilate our troops on S Beach, and then use all their strength to encircle and annihilate the landing troops in other directions. "We don't know yet how many troops they have committed."

Lieutenant General Roback made a dissatisfied nasal sound.

He had to admit that the Ottomans' style of play was correct.

The troops on S Beach are the weakest and cannot last long under the enemy's attack.

Once the troops on Beach S were annihilated, the Ottomans did not need to fight on two fronts. They could concentrate all their forces to encircle and annihilate the landing troops on the remaining three beaches.

Damn the Germans, this must be their plan!

After thinking for a while, Lieutenant General Roback ordered: "Send more soldiers up, we should expand the offensive before they react!"

"General." O'Connell objected: "There is not much space on the island, and the Ottomans guard the high ground and have a lot of artillery fire. Sending more troops up will only crush them into a pile and die under the enemy's artillery fire."

This is the embarrassing part of the landing operation. The landing of the landing troops does not mean that they can sit back and relax.

On the contrary, this may be the most dangerous time, because the navy's naval guns cannot safely bomb, and at the same time, the landing troops cannot send enough artillery and shells ashore.

As a result, the landing troops could only struggle to support themselves under the enemy's fierce artillery fire, and there was no way out.

O'Connell hesitated to remind: "Unless we continue to invest troops on V Beach, so that we can share the dangers in other directions. Once successful, we can connect the east and west areas."

Lieutenant General Roback immediately thought of Shire's troops, which may be what O'Connell hoped for.

Lieutenant General Roback asked: "Are the French still unresponsive?"

O'Connell shook his head helplessly. He seemed to want to say something, but he opened his mouth but did not say anything.

Lieutenant General Robek frowned and squeezed out one word from between his teeth: "Speak!"

O'Connell answered cautiously: "General, I think this is probably related to what you said to Charles a few days ago!"

Lieutenant General Robek was stunned for a moment, and then he understood.

At that time, he had an attitude of letting the French die on the battlefield, but now...

Lieutenant General Roback smiled mockingly. That fellow Charles used his own methods to treat others with his own medicine. He responded with practical actions: The British were willing to die on the battlefield, so why not do it?

"We don't need them." Lieutenant General Roback said: "We can win this battle ourselves."

O'Connell didn't speak, didn't leave, he just stood there silently.

Lieutenant General Roback understood his expression. He turned back angrily and looked at O'Connell: "Do you think the French can successfully land on V Beach? They have already failed once!"

The British 29th Division couldn't do it, and the French certainly couldn't do it either. Otherwise, where would the British Empire's face be?

But O'Connell reminded: "General, those are Shire's troops!"

"What's the difference between Charles' troops?" Lieutenant General Roback asked sharply.

O'Connell hesitated for a while, and finally answered: "I know something, General. The 105th Regiment in Charles' hands is equipped with a large number of mortars. This kind of light artillery can be carried with the troops ashore. At the same time, they are very suitable for bombing and hiding." Target behind cover or even a mountain!”

Lieutenant General Robek lost his voice for an instant.

The landing force was in urgent need of artillery, but could not obtain it.

This is not only because howitzers, cannons, etc. are difficult to transport ashore by transport boats, but also because they cannot play a role on the battlefield:

The enemy was hiding in the trenches on the high ground or even on the other side of the mountain. It was difficult for the artillery with relatively straight trajectories in the hands of the British troops to hit the target. Even if you manage to fire the artillery, you will soon be discovered by enemies at high altitudes and direct the artillery to blow them up.

The mortar is different. It can hit anywhere it wants, as long as it is within its range.

At the same time, it can be hit and taken away, which means it has a strong survivability.

Although Lieutenant General Roback is a naval commander, he also understands the truth.

He thought about it for a while, his face changing again and again, as if he was having an ideological struggle.

Finally, with a hint of helplessness in his eyes, he ordered O'Connell: "Prepare the ships."

Lieutenant General Robek planned to visit Charles in person to apologize for what happened before.

"I'm sorry, General." O'Connell looked relieved: "Char's fleet has already gone to sea. However, I think you can go talk to General Guy Platt first."

Lieutenant General Robek smiled bitterly. If there is anything else he can do, go to Gaiprat and say good things first!