THE BATTLE CONTINUES
A shell suddenly exploded among the Vindictive's foremost 7.5-inch
howitzer's marine crew. Many were killed or wounded. A naval crew from a
6-inch gun took their places and were almost annihilated.
At this time the Vindictive was being hit every few seconds, chiefly in
the upper works, from which the splinters caused many casualties. It was
difficult for the British to locate the guns which were doing the most
damage, but Jack, from the Brigadier, with men posted in the fortop of the
vessel, kept up a continuous fire with pompoms and Lewis machine-guns,
changing rapidly from one target to another in an attempt to destroy the
guns that were raking the Vindictive fore and aft.
Two heavy shells struck the foretop of the Brigadier almost
simultaneously. Half a dozen men were killed. A score of others were
wounded.
To return for a moment to Frank and his men.
The attack on the Mole had been designed to be carried out by a storming
force to prepare the way for, and afterward to cover and protect, the
operations of a second force, which was to carry out the actual work of
destruction. The storming force, which had embarked in the Vindictive, was
now reinforced by a hundred British tars from the Brigadier, headed by
Frank, and additional sailors from the Iris and Gloucester.
For the first time it was now ascertained that the Vindictive, in
anchoring off the Mole, had over-run her station and was berthed some four
hundred yards farther to the westward than had been intended.
It had been realized beforehand that the Vindictive might not exactly
reach the exact position mapped out, but the fact that the landing was
carried out in an unexpected place, combined with the heavy losses already
sustained by the vessel, seriously disorganized the attacking force. The
intention had been to land the storming parties right on top of the 4
1-inch guns in position on the seaward end of the Mole, the silencing of
which was of the first importance, as they menaced the approach of the
block ships.
The leading block ship had been timed to pass the lighthouse twenty-five
minutes after the Vindictive came alongside. This period of time proved
insufficient to organize and carry through an attack against the enemy on
the seaward end of the Mole, the enemy, it developed, being able to bring
heavy machine-gun fire to bear on the attacking forces. As a result the
block ships, when they approached, came under an unexpected fire from the
light guns on the Mole extension, though the 4.1-inch batteries on the
Mole had remained silent.
Commander Adams, followed by Frank and his men, were the first to land. At
that moment no enemy was seen on the Mole. They found themselves on a
pathway on the Mole parapet about eight feet wide, with a wall four feet
high on the seaward side, and an iron railing on the Mole side. From this
pathway, there was a drop of fifteen feet on the Mole proper.
Followed by his men and Frank and the latter's command, Commander Adams
went alongside the parapet to the left, where he found a lookout station
or control, with a range finder behind and above it.
"Blow it up!" he shouted to Frank, who was close to him at that moment.
Frank gave a command to one of his men. A moment later there was an
explosion and the station disappeared as though by magic.
Near the lookout station aft iron ladder led down to the Mole and three of
Frank's men descended it. Frank went with them. Below they encountered
half a dozen of the enemy.
It was no time to hesitate and Frank knew it.
"Bombs, men," he said simply.
Three hands drew back, then were brought forward. Three hand grenades
dropped among the foes. There were three short blasts, and when the smoke
cleared away, there were no Germans to be seen at that point. Then Frank
and his men rejoined the others.
The situation now was that Commander Adams, Frank, their few men and a few
Lewis guns, were beyond the lookout station protected from machine-gun
fire from the direction of the Mole head, but exposed to fire from their
own destroyers, alongside the Mole.
Commander Adams called Frank to him.
"We're in a ticklish position here, lieutenant," he said. "We're in danger
of being shot down by our own guns. At the same time, if we move from
behind this station, we are not in sufficient strength to drive the enemy
away."
"Why not risk our own, fire, sir," said Frank, "and ask for
reinforcements."
"That's a request that will have to be made in person," said Commander
Adams, "and it will be rather risky."
"I'll be glad to try it sir," said Frank.
Commander Adams shrugged.
"It'd about as broad as it is long," he said. "If you're shot on the way I
guess it will be no worse than dying here. Go ahead, if you wish."
Now to gain the needed reinforcements, Frank knew that it would be
necessary to return to the side of the Vindictive. To reach that vessel it
would be necessary to pass through places exposed to enemy machine-gun
fire. However, at the moment, the German guns covering those particular
spots were silent, so Frank decided to take the risk.
He set out at a run. At first his appearance was apparently unnoticed, but
soon a rain of bullets poured after him. Two or three times the lad threw
himself to the ground just in time. He was on his feet again a moment
later, however, and at last reached his destination safely.
As the lad reached the side of the Vindictive he saw a second storming
party coming over the side, equipped with Lewis machine-guns and rifles
and hand bombs. Frank approached the commander of the party,
Lieutenant-Commander Hastings, and outlined the plight of those he had
left behind.
"Come with us," said Commander Hastings, "we'll soon clear those fellows
out back there."
Machine-guns were wheeled into position and the British raked the German
line wherever heads appeared. In this method they relieved the
hard-pressed party under Commander Adams.
The first objective of the storming party ashore was a fortified zone
situated about a hundred and fifty yards from the seaward end of the Mole
proper. Its capture was of the first importance, as an enemy holding it
could bring a heavy fire to bear on the parties still to land from the
Vindictive.
Commander Adams ordered an advance.
Frank was placed in command of the left wing of the little army, Commander
Hastings of the right wing. Commander Adams led the center himself. The
British spread out.
"Charge!" cried Commander Adams.
"Charge!" repeated Frank and Commander Hastings a moment later.
The British seamen went forward on the double, bayonets fixed.
From out of their fortified positions the Germans sprang forth to meet
them, machine-guns from behind covering their advance. At the same moment
Frank ordered his own machine-guns wheeled into position, and swept the
advancing enemy with a hail of bullets.
But neither side paid much attention to this rain of lead, and directly
the fighting became too close for either side to utilize its machine-guns.
Steel clashed on steel. Revolvers in the hands of the officers cracked.
Men fell to the right and to the left.
For a moment it appeared that the attacking force must be hurled back by
the very weight of the numbers against them. But they rallied after one
brief moment in which it seemed that they must yield, and hurled
themselves forward again. This time there was no stopping them.
Directly the thin German line wavered. Then it broke, and the enemy dashed
for the protection of their fortified position at top speed. But the
British sailors kept close on their heels, and they reached the coveted
spot at almost the same time. There the fighting was resumed, but after a
short resistance the enemy again retreated, leaving the position in the
hands of the British.
Immediately Commander Adams ordered the machine-guns which had been
abandoned by the foe in his flight turned on them and the Germans were
mowed down in great numbers.
Having gained his objective, Commander Adams ordered his men to proceed
down the Mole and hold a position there so as to cover the operations of
the party of destruction, which was now hard at work. To expel these
British, German troops were now advancing from the landward end of the
Mole.
The destruction of the viaduct by the submarine C-3 had been designed to
aid the efforts of the landing party by preventing reinforcements reaching
the Mole from the shore. Owing to the Vindictive coming alongside to
landward of this zone, Commander Adams' men were now faced with a double
duty of preventing an enemy attack from the shore and of themselves
attacking a second fortified zone ahead of them. The casualties already
sustained were so great that the Iris could not remain alongside the
Vindictive to land her company of Royal Marines. This left insufficient
men in the early stages of the landing to carry out both operations.
The situation was a difficult one, for to attack the fortified zone first
might enable the enemy to advance up the Mole and seize positions abreast
of the Vindictive, with the most serious consequences to the whole landing
force, whereas, by not attacking the fortified positions, the guns at the
Mole head could not be prevented from firing at the block ships.
Therefore, Commander Adams instructed Frank to secure the landward side,
at the same time instructing Commander Hastings to attack the fortified
zone. Commander Adams knew that he was taking a long chance by thus
dividing his forces, but in no other manner, it seemed to him, could the
success of the expedition be assured.
Frank led his men forward promptly. Apparently the Germans had not
realized the full strength of the British attack on the Mole, for no
effort had been made to get reinforcements to the men there from shore.
Consequently, Frank's work was not so hard as that set for Commander
Hastings.
The few Germans who were guarding the landward side of the Mole fired one
volley at Frank's party, then turned and took to their heels.
"By George! Pretty soft!" said Frank.
He led his men to the positions recently vacated by the enemy, and then
sat down to await further instructions from Commander Adams.
Commander Hastings, on the other hand, had hard work in taking the
fortified positions from the foe. Nevertheless he succeeded, due to the
heroic efforts of his men. Commander Adams surveyed the field carefully.
"Well," he told himself, "I guess we've done the best we can. We'll stick
here till we get the signal to withdraw."