Rhodes. The final Ottoman attack on the eastern flank of the city. The bombers concentrate on the Jewish quarter, all the way to the Italian Gate. They manage to open a breach and, after slaughtering the guards, force the bazibozuks—brutal and undisciplined Ottoman fighters—through, clearing the way for the Janissaries. The attack draws in the bulk of the defenders, including the Grand Master himself, who is wounded in battle, and his brother Antoine d’Aubusson, who raises the banners of Christ, the Virgin Mary, and St. John the Baptist before the enemy. Pressed from behind by the Janissaries and from the front by the Knights of St. John, the bazibozuks retreat in panic amidst smoke and utter confusion. The Ottoman conquest of Rhodes fades once again. In August, the Turks will set sail again, toward Otranto. They will also see the Neapolitan ships, which arrived belatedly to aid Rhodes, pass by.
