Sanders paced anxiously in the office. An hour and a half had passed, and the situation at the 69th Infantry Regiment's defensive line remained unclear.
The reconnaissance planes sent out were shot down before they even reached the nearby airspace. One plane caught a glimpse from a distance and reported that there was indeed combat at the second line of defense, and vehicles were present, but they believed it was just a small-scale skirmish.
Sanders later understood that this was because the enemy had been advancing along the trenches all along. The scale of the battle was maintained at about 500 to 600 enemy infantrymen facing off against 200 to 300 of their own along a section of the trench.
On the surface, it appeared to be a small-scale skirmish, but in reality, it was significant enough to shake the entire Gelibolu and even alter its outcome.
