In the midst of a piercing whistle, the Ottoman Army launched an assault.
They charged from both directions:
To the west of the defensive line were the 65th infantry regiment and the 3rd civilian corps trapped in "A" corner, with a total of over seven thousand troops.
To the east was the hastily assembled 70th infantry regiment, with over three thousand troops.
The enemy tried to strangle Shire's forces in the cradle with this two-pronged attack.
Shire lay behind the parapet of the trench, watching everything through his binoculars.
It was his first time facing an enemy charge head-on.
The enemy swarmed everywhere before him, wearing Fezzes, roaring fiercely, like a red tide surging toward the defensive line. The bayonets glinted coldly under the sun, seeming eager to quench their thirst with enemy blood.
(Above: Ottoman soldiers wearing Fezzes during World War I. The Fez was not banned until 1925.)
