More and more soldiers crawled onto the beach. Some removed their shoes to shake the gravel out of their boots, while others went back to help the sailors push the boats back into the sea.
Soon, nearly 200 men had landed ashore, but thereafter the speed of the troops landing began to slow down.
Many boats were stuck near the beach, returning at an incredibly slow pace, and most of the troops landing later hadn't even brought weapons and equipment with them.
A 105-mm howitzer had been brought to shore, but the ammunition and the truck to tow this big gun were nowhere to be seen.
The first car to reach the shore was ruined after being unloaded too soon—the entire vehicle sat in the water, its engine completely wrecked.
On the contrary, the signalmen and their mounts were much more active. Not only could the horses make it ashore on their own, but they could even help to haul small items of supplies to land.
