The fierce offensive and defensive battle in Kalamaria has entered its third day.
In the first two days, the Guards and the 1st Brigade of the 2nd Marine Division suffered a lot of casualties. Of course, as a price, the enemy's 14th Ottoman Division also suffered a lot of casualties. However, even if everyone suffered a lot of losses, as long as dawn comes, then
The battle is still going on. The armies of the two sides are still fighting together, it depends on who can bear it first.
The sound of artillery, gunfire, roars, and screams intertwined together, playing a song of death on the battlefield.
Petty was calm and composed, trying hard to eliminate these sounds. He carefully hid behind a pile of rocks, and set the crosshair through the cracks in the rocks to see the figure of a defender on the position. This soldier was very good at shooting. Petty
Several comrades were shot by him. He aimed closely at them, and then pulled the trigger.
With a "pop" sound, a bloody hole appeared on the head of the Ottoman soldier who was good at shooting, and then he fell in the trench without saying a word.
After killing the defender, Petty took a deep breath and hid behind the pile of rocks motionless. After waiting for a while, he stretched out his head again to observe the battle situation.
This time, he spotted the target at a glance. This was the commander of the garrison. The Ottoman officer wearing an officer's hat was constantly directing the battle. However, it was a bit difficult to kill the opponent because of his
Because of his good military qualities, he was not like other soldiers who kept his head exposed. Moreover, his walking back and forth and conscious dodging made Petty, a hunter who was highly praised in his hometown, feel a little troublesome.
Hold your breath, calculate the pattern, and wait until the next time this officer appears again, it will fall into his crosshairs.
"Pop!" Another bullet hit the head of the junior officer in the position, and a stream of red and white liquid surged out.
I have to admit that the new rifle I have is really good. At a distance of about three hundred meters, the accuracy is still so good.
However, Petty did not have time to observe the specific situation at this moment, because the movement was too big this time, which exposed his position.
Petty hurriedly hid behind the pile of rocks, and the sound of bullets sizzling through the air above his head told him that if he had been there for two or three seconds at night, these bullets would not just pierce the air.
Petty, who had escaped life and death, naturally did not dare to stay here, but it was not easy to leave. According to his estimate, there were at least three or four guns aimed at his direction.
Yes, Petty is a precision shooter? There was no such thing as a sniper at this time? But for marksmen like him, the army naturally has different uses. They don't need to attack enemy positions like other infantry? But on the battlefield
On the battlefield, they relied on their excellent marksmanship to provide strong support to their comrades.
Therefore, the team members naturally hope that there will be a sharpshooter among their teammates to help them reduce the pressure. Of course, help is mutual, and sometimes sharpshooters also need their help. For example, Petty needs their help very much now.
"Quick? Cover me!"
Patty, who was unable to lift his head under the pressure of the opponent's fire, shouted to himself for help.
Faced with Petty's cry for help, his comrades were naturally concerned about his predicament. They immediately fired their rifles to the fastest rate of fire, trying to take advantage of the firepower to suppress the enemy.
The M88 Carcano rifles in their hands have also fully demonstrated their trustworthiness. At least they are much better than the weapons in the hands of the Ottoman army.
The opponent's sudden increase in firepower indeed suppressed the defenders' firepower. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Petty quickly ran out of Shiji and jumped down a slope.
After doing all this, Petty felt frightened. He had almost been handed over to the stone trap before.
But then? Suddenly they heard a burst of cheers.
"What's going on?"
Someone asked curiously.
Suddenly, their company commander, Captain Barron, ran over and informed them of the details. "The third regiment next door has broken through the enemy's defense line and has entered Calamaria."
This sentence immediately caused cheers on the battlefield, and at the same time it also greatly improved their morale. If others can do it, then they can do it too. In the following battle, it is obvious that the morale of the two sides is different from the previous one.
And this news is not only a huge improvement for the officers and soldiers, it is also excellent news for Lieutenant General Grovey who is commanding the overall situation on the battlefield.
You must know that in these two days of fighting, the landing force has lost nearly 3,000 people and more than 30 artillery pieces. This number is not small at all for the landing force with a total strength of less than 40,000. If in
If he continues to be unable to penetrate, he will consider asking the navy for help and asking them to use warships to attract the attention of the enemy's coastal defense batteries.
Fortunately, he hasn't sent this request for help yet, so the third regiment has indeed given him a face this time.
"Major General Pulev, the boys of the third regiment played well. I will take credit for them."
Regarding Lieutenant General Grovey's words, Major General Pulev, who had previously served as the commander of the regiment, naturally felt happy.
"The third group did a great job this time, and they are indeed worthy of the award."
Faced with the words of his deputy Pulev, Grovey continued to ask, "Have the reinforcements gone up?"
Rather than praising the meritorious troops, he was more concerned about the development of the war situation. Since there was such a breakthrough, expansion was also on every commander's mind.
"It has already gone up. At present, we have transferred one regiment, one battalion from the second regiment, and a regiment left behind by the first marine division to form a reinforced regiment. They have already joined the third regiment."
"very good."
Facing the number of reinforcements listed in detail by Pulev, Grovey was very satisfied, and a bold idea emerged in his mind.
"Tell me, what do you think if we let the third regiment, regardless of anything else, rush all the way to the coastal defense fort?"
Lieutenant General Grovey's words shocked Pulev. This idea was simply audacious. From a military point of view, it is very easy for an army to go deep into the enemy's territory and be wiped out by the enemy. No one with basic military knowledge would do this.
Do.
But since it can be brought up, it certainly makes sense. Because Kalamaria's coastal defense fort is located on a hill called Kilke on the coast. These four coastal defense heavy artillery are built on this hill.
As long as the third regiment can attack here, even if it cannot occupy the coastal defenses, it can still cut the small city of Kalamaria into two parts. This will have a huge advantage for the next battle. At the same time, the difficulty will be reduced a lot.
After all, no one wants to engage in a protracted street battle with the defenders.
Of course, this has other benefits, that is, the defenders must strengthen the strength of the coastal defense forts, which also reduces the enemy's resistance in the city. Another benefit is that, as a coastal defense heavy artillery, it is not easy to shoot at nearby targets.
This is also one of the shortcomings of the current heavy coastal defense artillery. However, I heard that a new type of fort has appeared, which has eliminated this shortcoming. However, according to the efficiency of the Ottoman Empire, it is not necessary to think about it. How can such a new type of coastal defense fort be possible?
Appear here.
Therefore, Grover believes that this risk is worth taking.
Facing the words of the commander, Lieutenant General Grove, Pulev thought about it for a while and said, "Since you think it's worth it, let the third regiment attack."
Both of them have made up their minds and it will be easy to handle.
Subsequently, other offensive forces invariably stepped up their offensive. They did not want the defenders to withdraw easily. As for the Third Guards Regiment, which had just been entrusted with the important task, after receiving the order, under the regiment leader Lieutenant Colonel Andres
Under the leadership of the police, they all attacked the city. They didn't care about their backs and flanks, and only focused on attacking the coastal defense forts.
The enemy's crazy performance shocked the garrison commander Major General Akyol, commander of the 14th Ottoman Division, and immediately took out his only reserve battalion to try to block the offensive of the third regiment. This was the only one he had in hand.
One battalion was formed, and the other troops were entangled in their positions and unable to retreat. A forced retreat would only lead to a rout.
However, by the time the battalion arrived, the third regiment had already reached the foot of the coastal defense fort.
There were not many coastal defense forts left here. Even with a battalion of reinforcements, they were still no match for the third regiment. After an afternoon of fierce fighting, the fort announced that it had changed hands in the evening.
Facing the fall of the fort, Major General Akyol knew that the situation was lost, and immediately ordered all the troops to break out on their own. But he himself felt ashamed of his expectations for Lieutenant General Owuzi, and committed suicide at the headquarters at 19 o'clock in the evening.
Although Major General Akyol announced that he would break out of the encirclement on his own, it was not easy to break out from the heavy encirclement. Many defenders were defeated and captured by the Italian army under this order.
And the gunfire continued until dawn that night. In the end, less than 4,000 officers and soldiers were able to break out of the city, and less than 3,000 were able to retreat to Salonika. As for the missing nearly 1,000 people, naturally
Ran away or hid.
With Calamaria captured by the Italian army, the current situation is extremely unfavorable for the defenders of Saloniga, because without the protection of coastal defense forts, the powerful Italian navy will be able to directly threaten its safety with naval guns.
