Starting with the smashing of Dunkirk

Chapter 209 Go spend your Christmas in the POW camp!

December 25, 1915, 7 p.m.

Located in the city of Silivri, 30 kilometers west of Istanbul and 70 kilometers from the Bosphorus Strait.

At the headquarters of the Britannian Expeditionary Force, a rather simple Christmas dinner had been prepared.

In a year of great conflict, we must not go too far.

General Ian Standish Montes Hamilton, the commander-in-chief of the expeditionary force, a renowned general who had distinguished himself in the Boer War in South Africa and the Mahdi War in Sudan, could only enjoy a Christmas roast goose brushed with honey-glazed crispy skin, along with some large roasted fish fillets made from Black Sea sturgeon, and a glass of Scotch whisky tonight.

He also had to share it with his staff and adjutants.

Ordinary soldiers also received some braised chicken legs or chicken breasts, which was a way of celebrating Christmas together.

Admiral Ian Hamilton received information this morning that Demacian reinforcements were attempting to cross the dense forests of the Stranja Mountains.

The general had also given it full attention, and instructed Lieutenant General Hunter Weston, commander of the 8th Corps responsible for the northern defense, to quickly allocate surrounding troops to block the breach.

He was also worried that Hunter Weston's 8th Corps alone wouldn't be enough, so he brought in two divisions from the ANZACs that were besieging the city, as well as the Canaanite 3rd Corps, giving the enemy a total of four full-strength divisions.

Of course, troop movements and transfers take time. General Hamilton gave the order at 3 p.m., and to this day, the two divisions of the ANZAC and the Canaan 3rd Corps have not moved. They are said to be regrouping their troops, packing up their logistical supplies, and loading their artillery onto trucks.

It will take at least five or six hours for them to finish packing. They'll have to have their Christmas dinner before they can officially set off.

As a result of this delay, by the time they finish their Christmas dinner, they probably won't even be able to set off.

……

Just as General Hamilton's adjutant, the assistant to the Commander-in-Chief, was pouring Scotch whisky into a glass, the telephone on the table rang shrilly.

The adjutant was still pouring wine, so another staff officer quickly got up to greet him. After exchanging a few "uh-huhs" and "yes" sounds, his expression suddenly changed drastically.

"What's going on?" Admiral Ian Hamilton, his interest dampened, took a sip of single malt whisky, frowned, and put down his glass.

What a disappointment.

"The Demacian tank division has advanced west of Tekielda and reached the coast of Marmara. Our retreat westward has been cut off..."

With a sharp clang, Admiral Ian Hamilton's hand trembled as he knocked over his whiskey glass, also sweeping a pair of silver forks off the plate, making a mess on the floor.

The general pursed his lips, swallowed hard, and then asked incredulously, "You mean, we're surrounded?!"

The staff officer also felt his lips were very dry, and had to first lick them slightly with his tongue to moisten them before confirming in a hoarse voice:
"Yes... but we can still break out. The enemy's forces that have reached the Marmara coast are not many yet, just like when they rushed to the sea last year. Initially, not many troops reached the coast, and we might be able to wipe them out and reconnect the railway to the Gallipoli Peninsula..."

As the staff officer spoke, he became somewhat incoherent, completely unaware of how inappropriate his examples were.

The adjutant who had just poured wine for General Hamilton had already realized what was happening and quickly went over to nudge the staff officer with his elbow, telling him to say less.

The staff officer then realized: what terrible examples he had just given!

What does it mean to say that "just like when the enemy rushed to the sea last year, there weren't many troops that arrived at the seaside at first"?
General Hamilton's face grew increasingly ashen, and he gave a self-deprecating laugh: "Heh, in last year's campaign to the sea, the Demacians initially only had a cavalry reconnaissance company and a communications platoon when they reached the coast."

But they miraculously managed to hold out until an entire regiment of reinforcements arrived at the sea, and in the end, they managed to suffocate three divisions of the Belgian army, wiping them out completely. This time, it's unknown what kind of enemy could react so quickly.

In a single day and night, they traversed 60 kilometers of dense forest in the Strandja Mountains, then advanced another 80 kilometers across the plains… a total advance of 140 kilometers in 24 hours? Is this the speed a human army can achieve? What is the enemy's unit designation? Who is their commander?

Before these details could be ascertained, the staff officer was unable to provide an answer and had to send another telegram back to the front lines.

There was nothing they could do; the enemy had arrived far too quickly. From the moment they discovered the enemy's attack last night to the moment they learned that the enemy had reached the coast, less than 20 hours had passed. Many in the Bu army were still in a daze.

Everyone lost their appetite and let the Christmas dinner get cold.

After asking around and fussing for an hour or two, until the fat on the roast goose had all solidified back into white frost, I finally received reliable information.

"Reporting, Commander! The enemy's designation is the 6th Army's Armored Division, the 'Grand Demania' Armored Training Division! The commander is Brigadier General Lelouch Little von Hunt. Two more Demanian corps have poured out of that gap and are now deployed along the line from Tegilda to Kerkrareli."

“Lelouch Hunt?! It’s him again?” Admiral Ian Hamilton felt a chill run down his spine.

"I remember the intelligence department saying that when the Demacians headed for the sea last year, he was one of the first cavalry company and communications platoon to infiltrate the coast, right? And later, he was also the one who organized the Demacians' first airborne assault to capture the Dunkirk coastal fortifications, right? And today, it's him again..."

Even before the fight began, Admiral Ian Hamilton's momentum was naturally dampened, as if he were being suppressed by Lelouch's "verifiable historical record".

That's the Demacian's number one "clown-killing expert".

The expeditionary force headquarters in Silviri fell silent for a moment.

The other side has planned a terrible operation to end the expeditionary force before. Is the other side going to end the expeditionary force again this time?
"What should we do now?"

This heavy question ultimately weighed on everyone's minds.

"Order the 1st, 2nd, and ANZAC armies currently besieging the city to turn back and launch a counterattack on Tekelda tomorrow! Attempt to break through the enemy's newly established blockade. Have the Italian army counterattack Corcralelli from the north to tie down enemy forces."

The 5th and 6th Armies will maintain a feint attack on Istanbul to prevent the Ottoman forces inside the city from discovering that our rear has been cut off and launching a counterattack. If the Ottomans dare to be reckless, we will take the opportunity to teach them a lesson with the 5th and 6th Armies. If we can annihilate the attacking Ottoman forces, we can also choose an opportunity to counterattack Istanbul!

In addition, the 8th Army and the Canna Army outside the encirclement were ordered to launch an attack from behind the enemy's blockade line immediately. At the same time, the 3rd and 4th Armies in Greece were ordered to leave two divisions to defend Athens, the Isthmus of Corinth, the Isthmus of Delphi, and other places, while the rest of the troops were ordered to immediately withdraw to Thessaloniki...

No! We don't need to go to Thessaloniki. Have them board ships directly at Piraeus, near Athens, then cross the Aegean Sea and land on the Gallipoli Peninsula to reinforce our forces from the flank!

After calming down, General Ian Hamilton immediately gave orders to mobilize all 60-plus Allied troops, whether it was the 22 outside the encirclement or the 43 inside, with the primary objective being to break out of the encirclement.

In addition, he immediately sent an urgent telegram to Admiral Sackville Carden, commander of the Mediterranean Fleet, hoping that the Royal Navy would once again lend a helping hand to at least ensure that the sea route between Gallipoli and Greece would not be disrupted.

The critical situation of the expeditionary force was reported to London immediately, which gave Prime Minister Asquith, Minister Wharton, Minister Lloyd George, and others a fright.

The Army and Navy had no choice but to cooperate fully and do everything in their power to rescue the expeditionary force. The entire country of Britannia was shaken.

The morning after Christmas, even King George V, who usually didn't concern himself with specific military affairs, summoned Prime Minister Asquith and two other senior officials to Buckingham Palace to solemnly inquire:

"I have never interfered in political affairs, but I have recently heard that there have been many dramatic changes on the battlefield in Southeast Europe. I would like to know what is going on with the Empire's army and navy."

Prime Minister Asquith broke out in a cold sweat when questioned: "Your Majesty, it is all due to our incompetence. Please rest assured, Your Majesty, we will definitely rescue the expeditionary force. This time, we will."

Subsequently, Prime Minister Asquith also instructed Admiral Edmund Allenby in Greece, Vice Admiral Hunter Weston in Edirne, and Admiral Sackville Carden of the Mediterranean Fleet to work together to rescue Commander-in-Chief Ian Hamilton's troops.

……

Beginning on the morning of December 26th, a fierce breakout battle erupted along the 80-kilometer defensive line between Clarrelli and Tegilda. Lelouch's division, totaling 40,000 men, along with two elite full-strength armies of 110,000 men, a total of 150,000 troops, were deployed in a flat, unremarkable manner along the 80-kilometer line, with trenches and fortifications that were not yet fully developed.

They stubbornly withstood the attack from both sides, which consisted of more than 7 people from the east and nearly 30 people from the west.

Although the enemy claimed to have 430,000 troops inside the encirclement and over 200,000 outside, these troops could not immediately be deployed to the battle. The Ottoman army in Istanbul could tie down at least 100,000 troops, and the remaining 100,000 troops in Greece would not arrive at the battlefield for at least 3 to 5 days.

Some readers might be wondering, didn't Lelouch bring a total of 27 troops? How come he only had 15 on the front lines?

That was naturally because another understrength Demanian army, along with two Oreo armies, had been positioned north of the Edirne Plain in the western section of the former Bulgarian-Austrian border, feigning an attack to draw the attention of Lieutenant General Hunter Weston, the commander of the Burkina Faso's northern defenses. That force comprised 120,000 men.

After the Burgh army completely shifted to a pincer attack to break out, Lelouch's pressure increased sharply, and even Lieutenant General Kusmanek of Austria, who was in charge of the plains north of Edirne, couldn't help but send a secret telegram to ask for instructions:
Should his troops be diverted from north of Edirne to north of Cerclareli, and then follow the route Lelouch had taken, crossing the mountains and dense forests to enter Cerclareli and assist in its defense?

However, Lelouch rejected Kusmanek's request, telling him not to worry and to proceed according to the original plan. If his enemy, Lieutenant General Hunter Weston, made a mistake in the rush and transferred a large number of troops eastward to launch a pincer attack, then Kusmanek could also choose an opportunity to launch a proactive attack in the direction of Erdine.

This tactic may not be easy to understand at first glance, but it becomes clear when compared to the Battle of Frank-Walker in 1940 on Earth. After Manstein's surprise attack force crossed the Ardennes and circled around the enemy, von Bock's army group positioned in front of Bilygin could, of course, coordinate the attack and crush the enemy together.

Lieutenant General Kusmanek's 12 troops were originally a feint to draw the enemy's attention. But if the enemy opposite him panicked and withdrew a large number of troops, the feint could be easily turned into a real offensive.

As the fighting progressed, everyone became the main attacker, and there were no feints.

Lieutenant General Kusmanek was also filled with excitement after hearing Lelouch's instructions. He had done something similar once before during the Battle of Kiev, when Commander Lelouch had successfully outflanked the enemy, causing a major rout at the enemy's front line and forcing them to retreat in large steps.

At this point, the troops that were originally sitting still and holding off the enemy in the middle of the defensive line can naturally switch to attack.

So on December 26th, Lelouch managed to hold out for a whole day by relying on his 150,000 men.

The Bretonnians from the east and west flanks surged towards the Demanians' incomplete defenses like a tide. In many areas, not even complete trenches had been dug, leaving only foxholes and makeshift artillery bunkers.

However, the Demanian army managed to hold off the Burkina Faso army's desperate charge by relying on a sufficient number of MG08 heavy machine gun bunkers, as well as armored divisions and half-track mechanized infantry regiments that were flexible and mobile enough to reinforce and plug any gaps at any time.

Moreover, after weathering the first wave, Lelouch felt that the pressure wasn't actually that great. This was because many of the charging enemies had gradually changed from Britannian native soldiers to relatively weaker forces such as Canaanite soldiers, ANZAC soldiers, and Italian soldiers.

In this plane of existence, there may never be another Battle of the Somme, but a scene similar to the Somme on Earth is unfolding here.

While Lelouch fought desperately, he continued to use various methods, such as distributing leaflets and using radio to manipulate people's mentality, to spread the message that "the enemy general who wiped you out at Dunkirk is back again."

The army was unable to break through the resistance and soon began to waver. At this point, the officers had no choice but to desperately maintain morale, urging the soldiers not to believe the rumors.

But so many soldiers were swept away during the charge that the soldiers eventually refused to believe it. The rumors spread like wildfire, and many ordinary soldiers knew that there was a general on the enemy's side who was an "expert at killing Britannia," and that no Britannian could escape alive under his command.

At this point, the officers had no choice but to lead the charge themselves, because the soldiers simply wouldn't believe them if the officers didn't charge.

The end result was that large numbers of officers and infantrymen fell on the road to their desperate breakout attempt.

On December 26th alone, more than 60,000 soldiers died trying to break through the Demacian blockade line west of Tekielda to Kelklarelli, breaking the record set by Haig, the Butcher of the Earth plane.

But that wasn't the end of it. Because of the pincer attack, Bu's army not only had to break out from the east, but also had to rush in from the west to provide reinforcements. However, the reinforcements didn't fight with the same suicidal ferocity or disregard for costs, and their total numbers were also smaller, so they suffered fewer casualties, losing only a little over 1 men in a whole day.

The combined forces from the east and west achieved a devastating victory, with over 8 soldiers killed in a single day.

On December 27, just as Lieutenant General Hunter Weston's relief forces in Edirne were about to be exhausted, Lieutenant General Kusmanek of the Austrian army behind him made his move.

Lieutenant General Kusmanek prepared firepower with hundreds of artillery pieces and bombarded the enemy rapidly for more than an hour before dawn, after which he ordered two corps of the Austrian 3rd Army to launch an attack.

Under normal circumstances, Oreo's army would be far less powerful than Lieutenant General Hunter Weston's army. However, Weston's troops are now half-defeated, exhausted, and severely depleted.

In addition, completely unexpectedly, while he was fighting desperately to rescue his allies in the east, his northern stronghold was betrayed. As a result, Lieutenant General Hunter Weston's attack base, Eldine, was captured by Lieutenant General Kusmanek within a single day.

Lieutenant General Hunter Weston's troops also experienced severe shortages of supplies as their forward logistics bases were destroyed.

The most obvious situation is that after the battle on the 27th is over, Lieutenant General Weston will not have many shells left to use starting on the 28th, and his cannons will have to reduce the firing frequency.

Even worse, if Weston does nothing and lets his troops continue to dwindle, he himself might be slowly surrounded and killed by Lieutenant General Kusmanek further west.

Because Lieutenant General Kusmanek theoretically has the capability to do it again, to cut to the coast of the Sea of ​​Marmara, or at least to the Aegean coast at the root of the Gallipoli Peninsula.

At that time, Bu Jun will appear as a multi-layered dumpling, or rather, a dumpling transformed into a sandwich.

To the far west was General Edmund Allenby, a troop commander who had returned from Greece.

The second floor on the west side is Oreo's Kusmanek.

The third floor on the west side is Hunter Weston.

The fourth floor on the west side (the third floor from the east) is where Lelouch Hunt is located.

The second floor from the east is occupied by Ian Hamilton.

The easternmost outermost layer consisted of the Istanbul garrison of von Zanders and Kemmer.

The entire battle will become a sandwich with six layers of enemy and friendly forces alternating from east to west.

Hunter Weston finally panicked. He didn't want to become one of the layers in the sandwich, so as Kusmanek slowly advanced south and was about to cut off his own path, he chose to abandon his superior and run away.

The remnants of the 8th Army of the Kingdom of Burkina Faso and the army of Canna fled westward from west of Tekildah, attempting to retreat into Greece.

However, what he didn't expect was that every move he made was being observed by the Demacians' aerial reconnaissance, so Lelouch quickly realized that Weston was trying to escape because he couldn't rescue his allies.

Lelouch then entrusted the task of temporarily holding off Ian Hamilton to the two corps commanders of his army group, while he himself led the "Greater Demania" armored division to pursue and kill Hunter Weston.

Weston miscalculated again. He hadn't anticipated that Lelouch, who was being attacked from both sides, would still have the strength to launch a counterattack and pursue them. As a result, Weston's heavy artillery unit didn't have time to retreat and was captured by the pursuing enemy.

Moreover, when Weston fled, he ordered his 8th Army's elite troops to retreat first as the "breakout vanguard," while Kanner's army covered the rear.

The result of this was that when Lelouch launched his pursuit, the Kanna army responsible for covering the rear was completely wiped out, and they died because of Vice Admiral Weston's betrayal of his comrades.

More than 4 Cannavaro people were slaughtered inexplicably on their way to Greece, leaving a trail of corpses stretching for dozens of kilometers.

Only some remnants of Weston's own 8th Army managed to escape back to Greece.

At this point, the main force of the expeditionary force between Tekildah and Istanbul had completely lost any hope of breaking out.

(End of this chapter)