Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 681 Thermopylae (Part 1)
Under the continuous cover of artillery fire, tens of thousands of Ottoman engineers and newly attached soldiers, like groundhogs, began digging a network of trenches into the walls of Mitholungi under the cover of night and smoke. These trenches gradually approached the walls, especially in the areas with the main breaches.

The Ottomans were quite adept at digging trenches. Constantinople and Vienna both employed this tactic.

The Greek defenders inside the city recognized the immense danger. They organized suicide squads to launch night raids, attempting to sabotage the Ottoman digging. Countless bloody close-quarters battles erupted in the muddy, narrow, and dark trenches, often ending with bayonets, entrenching tools, and teeth. However, the Ottoman army's overwhelming numerical superiority allowed them to withstand this attrition, and the trench system continued its unstoppable advance.

While the battle at Mithronci raged, the Ottoman Macedonian army group had completed its assembly and preparations. This army numbered 70,000 men. Their mission was crystal clear: to advance south from Macedonia, sweeping across the land, and seize Athens, the capital of Greece!
"Gentlemen, the Greeks' attention is all focused on Mithronci and Thessaly by Bayezid Pasha. Their capital is now exposed before us!" Nuri Pasha's voice was firm and powerful. "We have only one goal: Athens! Forget about the gains or losses of any one city or place; like a sharp dagger, plunge straight in! Crush all enemies that stand in our way!"

"For the Sultan!"

"For the Empire!"

On July 15, eleven days after the start of the Battle of Misolonki, the Macedonian Army Group surged south from Skopje. They bypassed certain mountain passes heavily fortified by the Greek army, crossed the border at an astonishing speed, and broke into the Macedonian region of northern Greece.

The Greek garrison in this region was weak and scattered across multiple outposts, making it impossible for them to establish an effective defensive line. The Ottoman army swept through the region like a whirlwind.

At the walls of Veria, a Greek regiment attempted to resist using the city's defenses. Nuri Pasha did not even order a halt to the entire army, sending only a division for a diversionary attack while the main force bypassed the city and continued its rapid southward advance.

“Pasha, the enemy in Veria is still resisting. Shouldn’t we take them down?” a division commander asked.

Nuri Pasha, mounted on his horse, glanced coldly at the beacon fires rising in the distance over Veria: "An ant blocking our path, killing it is a waste of time. Our target is Athens! Leave a brigade to keep watch on them; we can starve them to death! The whole army, continue the advance!"

The Greek high command was completely caught off guard. They had assumed that the main Ottoman forces were tied down in the west, and that the eastern front in Macedonia would at most involve feints or small-scale invasions. They never expected the enemy to commit an entire army group for such a deep and daring infiltration!

When the news reached the front lines in Larissa, General Constantine, who commanded Thessalonian Group, turned pale.

"What? The Ottomans have already passed Veria? Their target is Athens? This is impossible!" He roared at the telegram, but the cold text shattered his hopes. "Quickly! Order the 3rd and 5th Divisions at the front to retreat immediately and reinforce Athens! Now!"

But retreating at this point was easier said than done. The legion advanced with unstoppable momentum. On July 19, they passed Larissa without bloodshed, and by July 21, the vanguard cavalry had reached dozens of kilometers north of Thermopylae.

Here, the Greeks finally managed to put together a hastily assembled defensive line. Composed of temporarily conscripted troops and some stragglers who had retreated from the north, the force numbered about ten thousand and was commanded by General Zoglas. They attempted to replicate the miracle of their predecessors at this historically famous pass.

General Zoglas stood on a high ground overlooking the entire pass, his white beard trembling slightly in the hot wind. Most of his soldiers were new recruits, their eyes filled with fear and bewilderment; only a few veterans who had retreated from the north still held a sliver of resolute defiance in their eyes. Their equipment was haphazard; artillery was scarce, and their fortifications were merely hastily erected piles of stones and sandbags. "Children!" Zoglas's voice, aged yet forceful, echoed through the valley, "Look at the land beneath your feet! This is where Leonidas and his warriors stained the ground with their blood! Today, history has chosen us, to fight here, for the survival of Greece, for our homes and loved ones, to the last man!"

His words elicited a few scattered shouts, but more so a tragic, deathly silence. Everyone understood that this was a battle almost impossible to win.

Meanwhile, on the north side of the pass, Nuri Pasha, commander of the Ottoman Macedonian Army Group, was carefully examining the ancient barrier through binoculars. His staff were gathered around him.

"Pasha, the scouts report that the Greeks number about ten thousand, poorly equipped, but occupy advantageous terrain. A direct assault would likely come at a heavy cost," the chief of staff cautiously advised.

Nuri Pasha lowered his binoculars: "The miracle of Leonidas will not happen again. Times have changed, gentlemen. What we have is no longer the Persian bow and arrow, but modern cannons and endless military power."

On July 24th, the tranquility of the valley was shattered by the thunderous roar of artillery fire, like lightning rolling across the mountains. Dozens of field guns spewed fire, unleashing a deadly rain of steel on the Greeks' makeshift positions. Scrap stones and dust flew everywhere, and the flashes and smoke from the explosions instantly enveloped the pass.

"Get down! Hold on tight!" the Greek officers shouted hoarsely in the trenches.

The new recruits huddled in their makeshift bunkers, trembling with fear at the unprecedented intensity of the artillery fire. Fortifications were constantly being destroyed, and soldiers were being struck by shrapnel; their screams were drowned out by the continuous explosions.

General Zoglas, in his command post, felt the ground tremble beneath his feet, his face grave. He smiled bitterly at his adjutant beside him: "Do you see? This is modern warfare. Courage is so pale in the face of steel."

The shelling lasted for nearly an hour. By the time the artillery fire began to extend deeper into the enemy lines, preparing for the infantry attack, the Greek positions were in complete disarray.

"They're coming up!" the lookout shouted hoarsely.

Soldiers of the Ottoman 1st Infantry Division, lined up in skirmish lines, surged toward the pass entrance like a gray tide.

"Get into position! Prepare for battle!" Greek officers kicked and punched the still bewildered soldiers.

The surviving Greek soldiers crawled back to their bombed-out positions and raised their old-fashioned rifles. Scattered gunfire rang out as the Ottoman soldiers came into range.

(End of this chapter)