On July 26, 1942, the Germans finally reached the last gateway to Ankara - Ayash!

On the orders of Baron Alexon, who was commanding Ankara, the Imperial Division, which had arrived in advance, immediately launched an attack on Ayash.

Under the cover of planes and artillery, the steel monsters roared again, and swept across the battlefield with great momentum.

The old and backward artillery and tanks of the Turkish army could hardly show their due resistance in the face of the roar of the German army, and they were suppressed by the German army from the very beginning of the battle.

The German officers at all levels who commanded the operations at the front performed very well on the battlefield, and the troops they commanded, which did not seem particularly fast, but always firmly grasped the initiative on the battlefield.

The Turks were actually not confident at this time, and they did not think they were capable of holding Ayash.

The approximately 80,000 Turkish troops gathered here showed a passive defensive attitude from the first minutes of the battle. They were embarrassed to resist the German attacks on all fronts, and refused to take the initiative.

The situation created by this was that the German army could calmly dispatch superior forces and break them one by one.

The defender has a certain advantage in offensive and defensive battles, but once the weapons and equipment are fully behind, this advantage is quickly greatly weakened

Ayash's front was constantly broken through, and German tanks were rampant on the battlefield, arrogantly shuttling back and forth between the Turkish positions.

The fire of those assault guns and machine guns was intensively hitting the enemy. The flying bullets completely suppressed the Turkish army.

It was difficult for the Turks to find a solution, and it was clear to any of the officers that:

The fall of Ayash is already only a matter of time.

In Ankara, all the Turkish top brass are watching the battle situation nervously, and once Ayash is unable to effectively stop the German attack. Then Ankara will be most directly attacked by German artillery.

The British and Russians were equally nervously watching

Although they understood that the Turkish army was definitely not the opponent of the German army, they still had a trace of illusion in their hearts at this time. If the pace of the German offensive can be delayed as much as possible in Ayash, then the tide of the battle may change slightly.

But such illusions were soon shattered

On the afternoon of the 26th, two-thirds of Ayash's positions were breached, just a few hours after the German offensive had begun.

The difference in combat effectiveness between the two is really too great

When the British and Russians learned of the situation, they were more worried than the Turks.

The Germans will soon be able to launch a direct attack on Ankara without hindrance.

Once Ankara is lost, the Turkish government can continue to retreat. And even retreated all the way to the territory of Russia, but what about Turkey?

It was bound to fall into the hands of Germany, and this geographically important chess piece would be completely in the hands of the Germans. And all the previous efforts of the Allies in Turkey will be in vain

Both the British and Soviet ambassadors secretly reported to their own governments what was happening in Turkey and suggested the possibility of sending troops directly.

Relying only on the Turkish army, it was completely impossible to stop the Germans

3 p.m. on the 26th. The invincible German army had completely broken through the Turkish defenses. Smoothly entered Ayash, where he engaged in street fighting with the Turkish army.

You can't say that the Turks were not tenacious and heroic enough, and despite their lack of confidence in defending Ayash, they showed their extraordinary courage in the face of the ferocious German onslaught.

On the battlefield, there were many scenes of Turkish soldiers carrying explosive bags to blow up German tanks, and they were almost blocking the German attack with their own lives.

But that's no longer all there is to it on the battlefield

If the lives of dozens or hundreds of people are spent just to blow up one of the enemy's tanks, then such a price to pay is inevitably too heavy.

And after the assault on Ayash. The Germans finally put another card into their hand:

The "Free Army of the United Turkey" under the command of Marshal Goris.

The Free Army of the United Turkey, which had been rearmed by Germany, performed even better than the Germans in the city of Ayash.

They are familiar with the city roads here. Familiar with the customs here, they are keenly aware of where their former companions and current enemies will hide, and they still have a way to make their compatriots in resistance lay down their arms and come out and surrender.

And Major General Tavas, who personally commanded at the front, brought this point into full play.

Because he himself was born in Ayash!

The family of Major General Tavas is a well-known family in the region, starting with the Ottoman Empire.

So when Major General Tavas and his troops entered Ayash, they immediately contacted their family.

Soon, families with flags of the German and Turkish provisional governments at their doors appeared

Some German soldiers and soldiers of the Free Army of the United Turkey, when they passed by these homes, saw the flag hanging at the door and did not bother them.

After getting in touch with his family, the elder Tavas got the command of the Imperial Division, George Brown. An audience with General Kepler.

True to Baron Alexon's wishes, General Kepler behaved very kindly and ensured that everything for the Tavas family would not be damaged in the war.

Old Tavas relieved himself and came to Turkey, what kind of fate would befall him, it was not for him to control, but the fate of his own family must be controlled by himself.

In return for the Germans, the elder Tavas mobilized his family and those they knew well to persuade the Turkish soldiers who were still resisting to surrender in Ayash.

They assured the Germans that if they laid down their arms, they would not be held accountable in any way, not even in a prisoner-of-war camp.

If they are willing to remain in the army, the lieutenant general of the Free Army will accept them. And if they don't want to continue fighting, they can go wherever they want.

Now that Ayash is full of enemies, the Turkish soldiers who are still resisting are numb and desperate.

They had no idea when such a battle would be over

But now a chance to live is in front of them

Many Turkish soldiers accepted the persuasion, laid down their weapons and walked out of their hideouts to surrender to the Germans on the opposite side.

The Germans also fulfilled their promises, and for these Turks, who laid down their arms, the Germans did not even send special caretakers.

- You can go anywhere you want!

Sometimes wars don't have to be ended by force

The vast majority of the Turkish army chose to surrender to end this damned battle. And there are many people who choose to continue the war to the end for the sake of their faith in their hearts.

And for these recalcitrant rebels, the German army had only one countermeasure:

Resolutely exterminate!

Amid the persuasion of the loudspeaker of the propaganda vehicle, one group after another of the German commandos continued to launch the most fierce annihilation operations against the Turkish troops who were still resisting.

Shells rained mercilessly on those makeshift positions, and machine guns swept bullets out in a storm.

The casualties of the Turkish army are increasing by the minute and every second

At night, instead of abating, such attacks intensified further.

The Germans used all the means at their disposal, and with the help of the Turks, gradually compressed the living space of the resisters.

An air of death flowed through the air of Ayash, and the land of Ayash trembled.

Countless Turkish troops fell to the city, their blood flowing silently across the land

War, brutal war!

Someone has a medal on his chest because of the war, someone has lost his life because of the war.

When the victor steps on the land of the vanquished, no one thinks about what has happened to the loser.

At most, there will be only a few sentences left in future history:

"In the war against the invaders, the Turkish army shed its last drop of blood"

What other traces will be left behind?

In the second half of the night, the gunfire gradually fell silent. A large number of resisters were killed, and a large number of resisters were taken prisoner. And the treatment of these captives was diametrically opposed to those who had surrendered before.

The battle for Ayash has come to an end.

Like most of the previous battles that the Germans had experienced in Turkey, the Battle of Ayash was another lightning breakthrough.

In the space of 24 hours, the Germans successfully and beautifully ended the battle of Ayash.

Of the 80,000 Turkish troops who participated in the defense of Ayash, 25,000 were killed, 35,000 surrendered and captured, and less than 20,000 escaped from this terrible battlefield

When the Ankara government first got the frustrating news, they didn't have much anger or despair.

After the outbreak of the German-Turkish War, they had received countless reports of such defeats.

A large number of corps were annihilated, and the German offensive was simply unstoppable.

Now that Ayash is in the hands of the Germans, Ankara will soon be completely exposed to German artillery fire. The defense of Ankara, in which 500,000 people participated, was severely attacked by the Germans from the very beginning.

More than 400,000 people are left to participate in the defense, but how much of a role can they play?

How long could they hold out in the face of a powerful German attack?

It may not be long before the German flag will be flown in Ankara.

In the air, it seems, the song of the victory of the Germans can be heard. (To be continued......)