"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The deafening roar of German naval artillery tore through the air. The German army's cannons joined the barrage, unleashing a relentless storm of fire. The shells falling from the heavens exacted a terrible toll on the advancing British-Indian forces.
This, without a doubt, was the most ferocious artillery barrage these British-Indian soldiers had ever endured, from the moment they first took up arms to this very day. To many, it seemed like a scene straight from the depths of hell.
"Great Shiva! Are the Germans demons? How else could they possess such overwhelming power, like that of the Devil itself? How can we possibly stand against such fiendish strength?"
"Run! If we don't flee now, we'll be slaughtered!"
The Indian soldiers, abandoning their mission and their duty, turned tail and fled. In that moment, the preservation of their own lives became their sole concern.
The British-Indian assault, unable to even breach the German artillery's lockdown, was nowhere near enough to threaten the German defenses. Even if by some miracle they managed to break through the artillery's blockade, they would still face a wall of dense fire from the German positions. This resulted in enormous casualties, yet the British-Indian forces could not break the German line. In the face of such inevitable death and the absence of victory, even the most elite forces would suffer a devastating blow to morale. How much more so for these British-Indian soldiers, whose combat capabilities were already fragile, and whose resolve was even weaker.
"General, this is our fifth failure. In just this one corps, we've lost over fifty thousand men. And this is only half a day's work. At this rate, our entire corps will collapse," lamented Major General Paul, commander of the 11th British-Indian Army.
Though the 11th Army was a newly formed unit with poor fighting capability, such staggering losses still weighed heavily on him.
"General Paul, this is beyond our control. The Germans' firepower is too overwhelming. I know the losses are great, but our only option now is to persist. Rest assured, I will request reinforcements from the commander-in-chief to replenish your troops as soon as possible. We are operating in India, and India is not short on manpower," replied General Howard.
Major General Paul had nothing more to say. What he feared most was that his army would be decimated, leaving him stranded as a leader with no force to command. As General Howard had said, India was teeming with population and soldiers—no matter how many men were lost, replacements would be forthcoming.
"Night has fallen. Let us rest. Tomorrow, we shall continue our assault. While the Germans possess formidable firepower, they must consume vast amounts of ammunition. Their supplies come from Germany, thousands of miles away. Once their stockpiles run dry, victory will be ours!" said General Howard.
However, the British commanders around him scoffed at the idea. Since the Germans had initiated operations in India, how could they possibly fail to secure the supply lines for their troops? Given Germany's industrial might and naval transport capacity, they could ensure supplies no matter where the war unfolded!
The German 8th Army's command post had already relocated from the naval transport ships to the beach. Although this was a bit perilous, General Ludendorff remained unperturbed. He firmly believed that the British-Indian forces could never breach the German blockade. Moreover, the British-Indian artillery could not reach the beach due to the German naval guns. Thus, Ludendorff was, in fact, perfectly secure.
"General, the British-Indian attack has ceased," reported a brigadier-general to Ludendorff.
"Hah! Fools. Are they deliberately giving our forces more time? Once our main forces land, they will have no chance. If the enemy wishes to give us time, we are grateful. Let the remaining troops hurry and disembark; we must have them all ashore before dawn. At that point, we will strike back," ordered General Ludendorff.
"Yes, General."
The cessation of the British-Indian assault provided the Germans with the perfect opportunity to disembark their forces at leisure.
Considering the German disembarkation speed, and excluding the heavy artillery, there was no doubt that by nightfall, all the troops of the 8th Army could be ashore.
That night, the docks at Alibagh were ablaze with light. Squads of German soldiers disembarked from the transport ships, formed up on the docks, and, under the officers' command, marched to their resting quarters. They needed to rest and recover, preparing to strike down the British-Indian forces and win the battle that lay ahead.
As time passed, more and more German troops made it ashore, steadily eroding the initial disadvantage they had faced.
When the sun rose the next day, the British-Indian assault resumed. However, their attack was little more than a death march, doomed from the outset.
Against the might of the German firepower, their charges were futile. All they left behind were fallen comrades and soldiers so terrified they had lost their sanity.
"General, can we begin the counterattack?" the officers of the German 8th Army eagerly asked.
"Wait a little longer. Since the British are willing to send their Indian pawns to the slaughter, let them. The more of them that perish, the fewer we will need to fight. This way, we can defeat them at minimal cost," General Ludendorff replied.
"Yes, General."
By midday, the British-Indian forces, perhaps demoralized by their catastrophic losses, ceased their attack. This was the moment General Ludendorff had been waiting for.
He promptly issued the order to counterattack. The ten infantry divisions of the 8th Army split into two columns and launched their assault on the British-Indian forces.
Though the German 8th Army's strength was still far inferior to that of the British-Indian forces, its fighting power was vastly superior. Especially in light of the utter collapse of British-Indian morale, the difference in combat capability was even starker.
Caught off guard by the German counteroffensive, the British-Indian forces had no means of resistance.
The German counterattack was a resounding success.
The British-Indian forces began to rout, throwing down their weapons as they fled toward Bombay.
Even General Howard, commander of the 2nd British-Indian Army, fled. It was clear that the outcome of the battle had already been sealed.
Many of the Indian soldiers who were caught during the retreat had no choice but to raise their hands in surrender, offering themselves to the German forces.