Charles only learned about the failed landing five days later, upon his arrival at the anchorage point.
The anchorage was established around thirty nautical miles from the Dardanelles, near a desolate island where the British had found a freshwater spring. This spring was a crucial discovery, allowing the fleet to resupply with fresh water without relying on shipments from Malta.
When Charles first arrived, he was stunned by the sight before him. Under the calls of countless seagulls, over a hundred ships of all sizes—transport vessels, trawlers, and minesweepers—formed an enormous circle resembling a harbor, with various warships at its core. On the periphery, destroyers patrolled the waters. Charles's fleet was intercepted several miles out by one of these destroyers, which flashed signal lights and conducted an onboard identity check before allowing them through. Eventually, under escort, Charles's fleet was guided to a designated area for mooring.
Though everything appeared highly organized—a testament to the British Navy's longstanding maritime expertise—it was apparent that the British had also developed an incurable level of bureaucracy. This bureaucratic mindset, so deeply ingrained, was largely responsible for many of their recent failures.
Charles and Tijani first boarded the Suffren, the French fleet's flagship, where Rear Admiral Guepratte awaited them. Guepratte, a solidly built man with a thick beard, looked composed as he greeted Charles with a calm handshake and a simple "Welcome, Colonel." Turning to Tijani, he added, "It's been a while, Tijani. I never imagined we'd meet on the battlefield."
Tijani chuckled and introduced Guepratte to Charles, "This is Uncle Guepratte. If I hadn't insisted on joining the Army, I'd probably be serving under him right now."
Charles understood immediately; Guepratte was one of Tijani's family connections.
Guepratte then led them to an office within the ship's superstructure. Gazing toward the Dardanelles while holding a cup of coffee, he began, "We just attempted a landing at V Beach, but unfortunately, we failed once again."
"Was it the British?" Tijani asked, echoing Charles's thoughts.
"No," Guepratte replied, shaking his head with a hint of surprise in his eyes. "I thought you knew—it was a French reinforcement unit, just like yours."
Charles looked puzzled.
Tijani hesitated, then added, "We weren't even aware of this other force."
Guepratte paused before sighing and shaking his head. He understood the situation—it was an internal power struggle within the French military. Some factions clearly hoped to outshine Charles on the battlefield, even in these circumstances.
These idiots, Guepratte thought with disdain. They were prioritizing their personal rivalries even in wartime. Then again, he knew the Navy wasn't immune to similar issues. ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ NovᴇlFɪre.ɴet
Avoiding further comment on the politics, Guepratte focused on the landing. "This landing operation was commanded by Admiral Honoré. They used two modified coal carriers to assist with the landing, each carrying 2,000 troops."
Guepratte flipped through some documents and handed a photograph to Charles. "This is the ship."
Charles examined the photo: it was a coal carrier with added openings on the sides—a novel design for the time. Tijani glanced over Charles's shoulder and smirked, the corners of his mouth betraying a hint of disdain.
"I hope you're not planning to use the same kind of ship for your own landing," Guepratte remarked, his tone tinged with concern.
"No, I won't be using anything ," Charles replied, setting the admiral at ease.
"Good," Guepratte said, taking a sip of his coffee and nodding approvingly.
But then Tijani chimed in, "We did bring something similar, though much smaller."
Guepratte froze, looking at both Tijani and Charles with a pained expression.
"It didn't work, did it?" Charles asked knowingly, fishing for more details.
Guepratte nodded gravely. "They ran the vessel aground on V Beach, creating a makeshift bridge between the coal carriers and the shore using two barges. The troops were supposed to land by walking along this passage."
He continued, "However, as soon as they began to disembark, they were met with a barrage of enemy fire. The Ottomans had reinforced V Beach, and by then, they likely had over a thousand soldiers there."
"Those who managed to disembark were left completely exposed, making them easy targets. At least half of them were pinned down inside the ship, unable to even reach the shore."
Tijani glanced at Charles, his expression clouded with concern. He worried that Charles's landing boats, which bore some resemblance to the coal carriers, might face similar problems.
Charles lifted the photo and said to Tijani, "On the surface, they look similar, but in practice, they're very different. Think about it from the enemy's perspective."
Tijani thought for a moment, then nodded. "You're right, Colonel. If I were defending the coast and saw a huge coal carrier approaching from a distance, I'd have ample time to deduce its landing point."
"Moreover, it takes at least ten minutes to prepare before it can even begin unloading."
At this, Tijani looked to Guepratte.
"Actually, it took over half an hour to get everything ready," Guepratte interjected with a grimace. "As I mentioned, the Ottomans had artillery and machine guns trained on the landing point, and they used everything they had to slow the process. It was a massacre."
Tijani sighed. "Half an hour? That would have given the Ottoman forces plenty of time to reposition their guns and strengthen their firepower. By the time our troops attempted to land, the enemy was ready to mow them down."
Charles nodded; this was precisely his point. The essence of a successful landing was speed. Waiting around, hoping the enemy wouldn't unleash a hail of bullets as soon as the ramps came down, was a fool's errand.
The advantage of Charles's landing boats was that they could drop soldiers off at any moment and place, swiftly establishing a beachhead before enemy firepower could concentrate.
However, Tijani pointed out a potential flaw. "But, sir, the Ottomans now know our main focus is on V Beach. This means…"
Charles gave Tijani a meaningful look, and they exchanged a silent understanding.
Guepratte watched them and felt a surge of confidence in these two young men. He didn't quite understand all their words, but he sensed that they were taking a strategic approach far beyond Honoré's reach.
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