Fighting for our Glorious School
Kapitel Vier
Unternehmen Holperig
XXXXXXXXXX
In the skies above the isle
Aces in exile prevail!
Meanwhile at Selection's base of operations, there were many P-80As, all unpainted and with the Selection markings, lined up ready to take off as last-minute checks were performed on them. The distinctive whooshing sound of idling jets was extremely prominent, but there were still a few idles distinct as those of piston engines.
From near and far
They arrived
Join the force
Ready to serve
The allied command
"Orders, Squadron Leader?" one of the P-80 pilots requested over the radio.
Sent into training
Though they already
Earned their wings
They were ready to fly
They were fit for the fight
"Even though they're just high schoolers, they can put up a real fight," the French Squadron Leader informed within his own P-80. It was differentiated from the others with its yellow-painted nose. Its canopy was also opened for now.
Once in the air
The battle began!
They had proven their worth
Now they fight for revenge
Meanwhile, Skalski was within his own aircraft as his ground crew finished setting it up. It was unpainted, but it held the Selection markings on both wing surfaces and the empennage sides.
Fighter pilots in exile fly over foreign land
Let their story be heard
Tell of three hundred third
Fighter pilots of Poland in the Battle of Britain
Guarding the skies of the isle!
The aircraft itself was another jet-powered aircraft, but it appeared very unique. For one, the two engines were located within the wings themselves, with the wing leading edges visible in the inlets. The aircraft also had a t-tail, and it had tricycle landing gear. There was also a bubble canopy that was currently slid back and opened, and there were four holes in the nose for guns to fire through. Overall, it resembled the British Gloster Meteor.
Even at night
Shadows
Cover the ground
The fighting goes on
From dusk till dawn
"First, we'll take out Pravda's and Schwarzwaldspitze's fighters," Skalski determined. "Georges' and Nils' squadrons will stick with mine as we head straight for them."
We fall on the Reich with the claw of the eagle!
They were ready to fly!
They were ready to die!
He had a tablet with him that he manipulated to show the respective patterns of all squadrons. It depicted the team being split into three squadrons and proceeding directly for the enemy. One was named 'Nils,' and another was named 'Georges.' Both of these were on the flanks of the central squadron under the name 'Jack.' Assuming overall command and proceeding with Jack Squadron was Skalski, but only his first name was shown now. His first name was apparently Dziubek.
Up in the air
The battle goes on!
They had proven their worth
Now they have their revenge
"Be wary of any surprise attacks."
Fighter pilots in exile fly over foreign land
Tell their story again
Tell of three hundred ten
Men from Czechoslovakia in the Battle of Britain
Guarding the skies of the isle!
The estimated time until contact appeared to be a bit over twenty minutes.
Over the battlefield
Brave men long way from home
Few are the chosen ones
Sent to the sky to die
"Reconnaissance elements, do not attack, even when you spot an enemy."
Over the battlefield
Brave men long way from home!
Few are the chosen ones
Sent
To the sky
To die!
As Dziubek said that, three other fighters started their take-off run. These fighters had on a camouflage much like the American summer camouflage, but it appeared to be in much better condition. On them were also the Selection markings, this time on the left upper wing, right lower wing, and fuselage sides.
The current camouflage obscured this aircraft's well-known identity pretty well. It had a bubble canopy along with a very aerodynamic radiator installation under the fuselage that exploited the Meredith effect. It was powered by an upright V12, and its gear was visible as being wide-track tail-dragger-style landing gear. It also had a squared-off wing planform, and the wings themselves appeared to have an extremely high quality to them. There were also six machine guns that armed the fighter, three in each wing. Overall, it resembled the North American P-51D.
"Roger!" one of the P-51 pilots reported as the three Mustangs took off.
"Everyone, take off," Dziubek commanded as he slid his canopy forward and shut it.
Oh flyyyyyyyyyy!
It echoes in history!
Turning the tide!
In the heavens above!
"Nils here, roger!" the Finnish pilot replied from his own P-80 as he slid his own canopy forward and shut it. His Shooting Star had a blue-painted nose.
Fighter pilots in exile fly over foreign land
When the battle's been won
Tell of four hundred one
Fighter pilots from Canada in the Battle of Britain
Guarding the skies of the isle!
"Georges, affirmative," the French P-80 pilot reported as he shut his own canopy. "Taking off."
On wings of history!
They turned from home!
To live eternally
Skybound they roam!
"Jack, squadron's taking off," the American Squadron Leader reported in from a P-80 of his own just after shutting his canopy. His P-80 had a red-painted nose.
In all of history
Never before
Was more owed to
So few!
The Mustangs had taken off as the fight started, and behind them were the three squadrons of Selection University taking off at a slower pace. Among them were a large amount of P-80s, and the last to follow into the sky was Dziubek's Meteor.
Fighter pilots in exile!
"It will take us at least twenty minutes to make contact with the enemy," Dziubek said to himself as the squadrons formed up after take-off.
XXXXXXXXXX
The wise woman said,
'Once you're hardened in battle
There's no coming back.'
At the same time, the Ooarai Compound Team had taken off in its entirety and already formed up into its respective Staffeln. For now, the three flew in deltas in a large wing formation as they climbed together. The Me 163 was off on its own much higher up, but it was still in a good enough position to lend support and cooperate with its own Staffel.
(Fight or fall)
"This is the Gruppenkommandeur," Erich broadcast over the radio in his Bf 109 off to the far right of the Löwenzahnstaffel delta. "We have no confirmation of any enemy activity, so please keep a careful eye out."
And before the attack
Feel your blood start to boil in your veins as you charge
At the same time, the CR.42 of Franco was lower to the ground and closer to the combat zone.
(Hundreds fallen)
"Man, I wish my Centauro didn't break two days ago," Franco lamented as he flew on.
As the fire inside
Is ignited by bloodshed
After getting far enough into the battlefield, he pulled out a GwZF4-fach to look out for any enemies from a distance. The German sniper scope was apparently on-loan from Schwarzwaldspitze considering it had their Iron Cross stamped on it.
In berserkers from North
"I see them!" Franco announced over the radio. He spotted a formation ahead and at higher altitude of six P-80s with the Meteor behind them. "Enemies spotted! All climbing in formation!"
Could it be as was said
When the serpent be woken
"Verstanden," Alfred replied amidst the rest of Sonnenblumenstaffel. "Herr Gruppenkommandeur, Sonnenblumenstaffel has reached 20,000 feet. Lead elements are further ahead."
Fenrir howls
As Alfred said, Aprikose's Fw 190 D-12 was further ahead and higher up keeping watch over everything. "No enemies in sight from up here," Aprikose reported over the radio.
Swedish Pagans
Marching ashore
"Then keep on with the overwatch!" Sasha ordered.
Forged in Valhalla by the hammer of Thor
"Herr Gruppenkommandeur, your orders?" Alfred asked Erich over the radio.
Out from Asgard
Our Viking ship sails
"Keep all eyes peeled and maintain caution," Erich responded from his point in Löwenzahnstaffel. "Make sure you have a way out, then spread out and get on the offensive fighter sweeps. If you spot an enemy, don't engage immediately. Make sure you evaluate the situation first."
Never to turn back again!
All of Sonnenblumenstaffel besides Aprikose were still steadily climbing on the side of caution as Alfred came up with his own plan to build off Erich's. "Getting to higher altitudes is good, but it's possible we can get surprised and forced to split up," he determined. "Then we would be unable to support the other Staffeln."
Where brothers have passed
Is where we will be proven
On ground stained by blood
"P-80s aren't so great at climbing from the get-go, so we'll be fine," Sasha commented over the radio.
(Standing tall)
"If we can get up to higher altitudes, we can hold the advantage," Nudelmann also spoke over the radio.
And we know if we fall
Our comrades await in the Hall
"An advantage, sure..." Alfred responded. "But it could also be a trap."
(Odin's calling)
"We'll be fine!" Sasha pressed on. "In the end, you just don't trust your younger brother."
As the fire inside
Is ignited by bloodshed
Alfred did not respond to Sasha's taunt.
In berserkers from North
"Nudelmann trusts me completely! If I say that I can dive my fighter to the speed of sound, he wouldn't dare say otherwise! Right?"
Could it be as was said
When the serpent be woken
"Da," Nudelmann confirmed.
Fenrir howls!
"Trust isn't the same as a cult of personality," Alfred countered.
Swedish Pagans
Marching ashore
Sasha did not respond, but he looked frustrated at being unable to counter the Black Devil.
Forged in Valhalla by the hammer of Thor
"Well, if the fight drags on, it'll be more advantageous to the more experienced side," Alfred relented. "Let's try and get set up now."
Out from Asgard
Our Viking ship sails
"Jawohl!" Hans responded as he led the way in his Me 262 while the rest of Sonnenblumenstaffel followed him higher into the skies.
Never to turn back again!
"Here we come!" Sasha proclaimed as the rest of Pravda followed behind the German fighters. "Hill 3234!"
(First to the battle)
"Oh, boy," Sakai responded over the radio from his place in Morgenruhmstaffel. "The cockroach-like sand-people."
(First to the feast)
"Does Pravda know what kind of battle that was?" Wolf remarked in the Me 410.
(Destiny waiting)
"Well, it describes their attitude rather well, I must admit," Leonidas stated from the gunner's seat. "No surrender, shoot to kill."
(No retreat)
Elsewhere in the skies, Erich was micromanaging the large Jagdgruppe he had available.
(Retreat)
"Morgenruhmstaffel, maintain current heading," Erich ordered over the radio. "Sonnenblumenstaffel, keep on your objective."
"Okay!" Chuck responded amidst his place in Morgenruhmstaffel.
"What about us?" Arthur asked over the radio within Löwenzahnstaffel.
"Löwenzahnstaffel, climb to the right so we can get into position to support Sonnenblumenstaffel," Erich ordered.
Swedish Pagans
Marching ashore
"'Success is the son of bravery,'" Arthur quoted within his Spitfire as he held another English muffin. "We're going to have a decisive battle from the start."
Forged in Valhalla by the hammer of Thor
Up on one of the few Leopolds showing the fight, the paths of Ooarai's Staffeln plus Selection's squadrons were shown, and the advances of Ooarai's Kompanien and Selection's companies were also visible. Ooarai had started to the south while Selection started to the north. All fighters and Panzers of the Ooarai Compound Team were also displayed, and they were organized into their respective Staffel and Kompanie. It was also noted on the screen that there was an eighty percent chance of rain. Clouds had been in the area since the match start, meaning rain was guaranteed to come soon.
Out from Asgard
Our Viking ship sails
Several spectators were there to watch in the stands. Among them were Herz's family, Nathan's family, and David's brother. Up near the top of the stands were Gerd and Major Horbaczewski watching the fight progress alongside Shiho and Chiyo Shimada. Renta, Shichiro, Director Rall, Ami, and Muto were all watching from a higher booth.
Never to turn back again!
Up in the air with Sonnenblumenstaffel, they were still climbing when Sasha noticed the I-16 behind everyone. "Hey, Ivan!" Sasha barked over the radio. "I know that thing's not that slow!"
"Sorry comrade!" the I-16 pilot apologized.
As Sonnenblumenstaffel continued on and started to commit to their objective, they were unaware they were being watched.
"Enemy squadron incoming from the direct south, estimated 30,000 feet!" a pilot for a Selection P-51 notified over the radio far higher in the air. "Estimated five minutes before contact!"
In his Meteor, Dziubek listened and thought over the development.
"Shall we attack?"
"Let them set up at the higher altitudes," Dziubek ordered calmly. He then pulled out his tablet as he made adjustments to his plan. "Georges Squadron, head west and initiate fighter patrols at full speed. If you make contact with the enemy, blow past them en masse and climb for the main force from the west."
"Understood," Georges confirmed in his P-80. "All fighters of my squadron, full speed ahead."
"Nils Squadron, head east and perform fighter patrols there as well. If you make contact with the enemy, tie them down and prevent them from sending reinforcements from that direction."
In his P-80, Nils snapped his fingers before he got on the radio. "My squadron, switch formation from horizontal to diagonal!" he broadcast to his squadron.
XXXXXXXXXX
Concurrently, Morgenruhmstaffel was patrolling the western sections of the skies in search of the enemy. They were at roughly 30,000 feet as well.
"This is Ray," Ray began from his P-38M ahead of everyone else. "Enemies coming from the north below. Prepare to engage."
"Okay!" Chuck responded from his P-38E. "Chuck to Sakai, prepare to engage the enemy."
"Chi-Ha-Tan aviators here, understood!" Sakai confirmed from his A6M2.
Very soon, the two forces spotted each other and made contact.
"Contact ahead and below!" Sakai announced as the two forces closed with each other. Red tracer fire streamed past all of them as Selection's P-80s streaked by during their climb to engage.
"Break, break!" Chuck ordered as Morgenruhmstaffel broke to avoid the attacks. "Morgenruhmstaffel engaged!" All of Saunders' fighters plus Wildkatze-Fünf maneuvered to get into a more advantageous position.
In the meantime, Erich listened to the development at his area.
"Arthur here, enemies spotted," he heard Arthur inform over his radio.
In his Spitfire, he closed with one of the P-80s trying to attack him. The P-80 was able to attack first, though, with its centerline armament, and Arthur jinxed to avoid the fire. "Löwenzahnstaffel, disengage," he ordered.
"They're coming to destroy Löwenzahnstaffel and Morgenruhmstaffel first!" Erich informed over the radio for the entire team.
Arthur attacked one of two more P-80s below that came after him, but he missed his brief burst, and he had to go on the defensive after the other two P-80s targeted him.
"Eleven o'clock! Shooting Stars!" Ron called out over the radio from his Ki-10. "Number of enemies increasing!"
"Erich, your orders?" Arthur asked as all of Löwenzahnstaffel was subject to intense attacking passes from the enemy P-80s. They all quickly jinxed to avoid them as they came.
"Gruppenkommandeur to Morgenruhmstaffel and Löwenzahnstaffel," Erich began over the radio from his Bf 109.
"Disengage from the enemy. Hang in there until Sonnenblumenstaffel can reach their objective," he continued as Löwenzahnstaffel performed evasive maneuvers.
"Sakai, try not to take them head-on!" In the meantime with Morgenruhmstaffel, they were all performing evasive, and Sakai had begun trying to counterattack, but he stopped at hearing Erich. "That will do nothing for us!"
"Um, hai!" Sakai responded, caught a bit off guard. "Understood!"
XXXXXXXXXX
Meanwhile up at over 30,000 feet was Sonnenblumenstaffel.
"Sonnenblumenstaffel here," Alfred began over the radio in his Bf 109. "We've gotten high enough."
"Hill 3234 secured!" Sasha proclaimed over the radio.
"Ura!" the other Russians cheered.
"Good," Erich responded from his own Bf 109 K-4. "Sonnenblumenstaffel, split up into two so you can support Morgenruhmstaffel and Löwenzahnstaffel from your high altitude."
"Verstanden," Alfred answered from his Bf 109 G-6. There were some enemy fighters approaching them from far out and below, and Sonnenblumenstaffel started preparing to take them on. "Enemies are to our north. We will give our support while remaining on alert."
XXXXXXXXXX
"Time to attack!" Chuck proclaimed in his P-38E with Morgenruhmstaffel.
As he ordered, all of Morgenruhmstaffel began to counterattack the P-80s in full force. The P-80s maneuvered to form up, and after managing to outrun Morgenruhmstaffel's attacks, they turned back again towards them.
"They're here!" one of the A6M5 pilots notified over the radio.
"Don't let them get away!" Sakai commanded. "Kōgeki!"
In response, all of Chi-Ha-Tan's fighters began attacking the P-80s that sped toward them. The P-80s simply jinxed a bit to avoid their fire as they sped past the Japanese fighters, and Selection doubled back to try again.
"Ray, Christian, Wildkatze-Fünf!" Chuck began over the radio as the American fighters of Ooarai began turning to engage. "They're gonna take down Chi-Ha-Tan first! Don't let them!"
"Got it!" Christian responded. "I-"
He was interrupted as he jinxed to avoid red tracer fire coming for him. "They're concentrating their fire!" he alerted.
"Can't engage!" Matthias similarly notified as he maneuvered to avoid the P-80s' attacks.
"Can't engage! Can't engage!" Christian further confirmed over the radio.
"Fuck!" Chuck cursed in frustration at the reports as he punched the glass of his canopy.
"Kuso," one of the A6M5 pilots cursed. "Tennōheika Banzai! We will not accept defeat!"
Accordingly, many of the Japanese fighters began trying to take the P-80s head-on.
"Hey, it's too early for charging!" Sakai tried in efforts to round his pilots up, but it was to no avail.
As the P-80s closed with the Japanese fighters that chose to charge them, an A6M2 and an A6M5 were effortlessly shot down by the Shooting Stars from head-on as they continued onwards. Both of the Zeroes caught fire and both pilots bailed out with parachutes.
"Kuroki-San, it's shameful!" the A6M2 pilot taken down reported as the red smoke came out from his ass after pulling his chute cord. "I got hit and was set ablaze!"
"Tamotsu-Shi here," the A6M5 pilot began as the red smoke also emanated from his ass after he pulled his chute cord. "I fought bravely but was taken down!"
"One A6M5 and one A6M2 taken down!" Sakai reported in as he engaged as well. "It's shameful!" He halted his attack when he was forced to avoid another attack.
"Morgenruhmstaffel to Sonnenblumenstaffel!" Chuck began over the radio as he and the other American fighters tried heading after the P-80s that were now below them in altitude. "Enemies are coming your way from the west! We're giving chase!"
He then addressed the others in Morgenruhmstaffel. "Ray, take the lead!"
"Yes, sir!" Ray acknowledged in his P-38M. "Anyone who can still fly, follow me!"
Immediately after, he and the remainder of Morgenruhmstaffel were subjected to an intense barrage of attacks from the P-80s that came back for them. They performed two passes. By and far, Ray's P-38M suffered the worst, albeit it was still able to fly.
As the P-80s disengaged and headed west after their last pass, a P-51 with the group performed a last parting pass on the P-38M. Most of its shots missed, though, and the Mustang turned to disengage and follow the P-80s.
"Both engines damaged!" Ray reported the damage as they all changed heading again. "Control surfaces nearly gone! Fuel leaks present!"
"Get back into formation!" Chuck ordered. "Hurry up!"
XXXXXXXXXX
With Sonnenblumenstaffel, Nudelmann was listening to Morgenruhmstaffel's predicament over the radio in his Yak-9.
"The forces to the west have overwhelmed Morgenruhmstaffel, and they're closing on us from the west and below," Nudelmann informed the rest.
"Prepare to support Morgenruhmstaffel, then!" Sasha returned from his La-5. "Let's destroy them!"
Everyone in Sonnenblumenstaffel then began to enter positions where they could effectively attack. "Everyone ready?" Sasha asked over the radio.
"Ready!" one of the Fw 190 D-13 pilots confirmed.
"In attacking position!" the other Dora pilot reported.
"Komandir sotni, is this fine?" Sasha asked over the radio.
"You have permission to engage," Alfred granted.
Sasha then took a deep breath to say the words, but he never got a chance to. All of them had felt the air shudder from a massive explosion on the ground, even at their extreme altitudes.
"What was that?" Sasha reacted on edge.
"Sounds like it came from the sky," Aprikose guessed over the radio. "But I don't see any aircraft up here. I feel like it's something huge, though, or am I just imagining things?"
In the meantime, Erich listened in to the reports and tried to think of what the explosion was.
"You're not imagining things!" Momo barked in response to Aprikose from the ground.
"It's gotta be that Brummbär assault gun!" Anton said back at the airfield as he flipped through a tank recognition book. He was with the rest of the Bf 109 K-4's ground crew.
"No way, this is way too strong," Nathan spoke up. "Maybe it's the Sturmtiger!" he said as he pulled up a picture on his phone. The photo itself was the same photo Yukari had of her and the Sturmtiger. Evidently, it was sent to Nathan for some reason.
"What the hell is that, a human shell?"
"It's a 380 mm rocket-propelled shell!"
Up above, Alfred noticed a glint out of the corner of his eye above Sonnenblumenstaffel. "Kontakt above! Break!" he ordered.
As the rest of the Staffel tried to do so, the two Fw 190 D-13s were not so lucky. A plane just barely recognizable as an Me 262 came in from above at extremely high speed and bounced the two Doras in quick succession, which annihilated them both.
Both German pilots for said Doras bailed out of their now un-flyable fighters after their tails were shot clean off, and the two pilots trailed the red smoke for their asses upon pulling their parachute cords. The unpainted Me 262 with Selection markings then zoomed away to higher altitudes before it could be attacked.
"Dora-Drei shot down!" one Fw 190 D-13 pilot reported during his descent.
"Dora-Vier incapable of combat!" the other Dora pilot reported as he also descended.
"Disengage before he comes back!" Alfred ordered, and the rest tried to fulfill the order as best as possible. They stopped, however, when they all discovered Selection's P-80s climbing up to engage them.
"Enemies to the north!" Hans alerted for everyone else. "They're pressing on with attacks!"
"Don't engage them!" Alfred ordered, and the rest of Sonnenblumenstaffel did so as they kept their altitude for the moment.
Aprikose got a good look to the skies west of them, and he caught more P-80s coming for them. "Hey, they're coming from the west, too!" he said over the radio. "We're gonna get cut off!"
While he said that, all of the P-80s were closing with them, and the Me 262 from above came back for another very high-speed attacking pass. No one was taken out this time, though.
"A flank from the west," Alfred thought aloud to himself, "this faster-climbing than normal Me 262, and the enemy's main force directly north..."
He continued thinking as various messages came over his radio from the rest of Sonnenblumenstaffel.
"We'll be annihilated if we stay and fight!"
"Staffelkapitän, think of something! We're all gonna get shot down!"
"We're not down yet!"
Alfred finally spoke up, "We'll disengage and dive away. Sonnenblumenstaffel, get moving! We'll reform with Löwenzahnstaffel!"
All of Sonnenblumenstaffel broke away and dived as ordered after the P-80s finished their latest pass. The Me 262 from above was able to perform a last pass before Sonnenblumenstaffel was able to fully go on the retreat, but the burst of fire missed, and the Me 262 had to climb away having achieved nothing.
The P-80s from the north began to pursue, and they mainly targeted Pravda's fighters at the rear of the Staffel. The Me 262 turned back and performed another high-speed pass on the Pravda fighters, but the fighter missed again and had to climb away.
"See?! You can't hit me like this!" Sasha taunted after the Me 262 missed him in its pass.
"Shooting Stars closing in from ahead!" Hans informed over the radio as he led the retreat. They passed by the P-80s that first came from the west.
"You dare to fire at me?!" Sasha taunted again as some of the P-80s went after him in their pass. During this time, the rain scheduled to come had arrived over the battlefield in full force. Sonnenblumenstaffel was able to take advantage of the cloud cover that extended to decently high altitudes, and they used it to aid their escape wherever it was beneficial.
The P-80s that came from the west were unsuccessful in taking Sasha down, so they doubled back along with the P-80s from the north and attacked again. They attacked Sasha's La-5 relentlessly, and one person noticed what their plans were.
Landed on the hilltop
"Sasha v opasnosti!" Alexei observed from his own La-5.
Soviet forces are in place
"My ostanovim ikh vmeste!" Nudelmann replied over the radio.
Awaiting orders
"My ne mozhem tormozit' ikh vmeste," Alexei responded. He then came up with an idea. "Ya budu primankoy!"
They were only thirty-nine!
Nudelmann heard him in his Yak-9. "Alexei, ne delay gluposti!" he berated Alexei. The P-80s continued attacking the Pravda flight relentlessly in the meantime. "Yesli ty sdelayesh' eto, Sasha tebya razlyubit!"
They were told to hold the line!
"Yesli ya mogu derzhat' ikh obratno, to eto stoit!" Alexei continued over the radio.
In control!
"Must I say it again?!" Sasha barked over the radio in his La-5 still being relentlessly hunted down during the retreat. "When we're allied with non-Russians, speak English!" He then noticed Alexei's La-5 pulling up into an Immelman. "Chto?"
Sent into battle
Came from the sky
"Sasha, go on ahead. Good luck to you," Alexei responded over the radio as he turned back to face the P-80s.
Trapped on a mountain
And into the fire!
"What's with your fluent English?!"
Hold your ground!
When you're fighting those who fight
"Alexei speaks excellent English," Nudelmann informed over the radio.
Death is waiting on the hill
No surrender, shoot to kill
"You should have said something earlier!" Sasha then stopped in surprise after what Alexei had said finally sunk in. "Wait, he said he's doing what? Alexei?"
You have to hold your ground!
Kill the warrior in your sight!
He looked back and noticed Alexei's La-5 take on two of the P-80s that led the rest. The Shooting Stars missed their attacks on him as Alexei jerked the controls to dodge their bursts.
Death is waiting on the hill
No surrender, shoot to kill
"Alexei!" Sasha called out over the radio as Alexei's La-5 pressed on its own offensive.
January seventh
"Sasha, it was an honor to fly and fight with you!" Alexei replied over the radio.
Hold the hilltop at all costs
"Alexei!" Sasha desperately called out.
Follow orders
"Za Pravdu!" Alexei proclaimed as he charged the two P-80s that had turned back to take him on again. The P-80s realized the determination of their foe and tried to maneuver out of the La-5's line of fire, but the Me 262 from above came down for another quick attack. The La-5 was then absolutely annihilated by the four MK 108 cannons, and the plane lost its right wing entirely from the fire.
Holding their ground
Alexei jumped out and pulled his chute cord, which also triggered the red smoke trail from his ass.
To the final round
"Alexei!" Sasha called out again in desperation.
One by one!
Nevertheless, the Sonnenblumenstaffel withdrawal continued on as the P-80s continued to attack again without falter.
Fight through the sundown
Into the night
"They're aiming for Sasha again!" Ivan noticed in his I-16. "He may be a reckless komandir sotni, but if we all get taken down here..." He then came to a decision. "I'll have to hold them back from Sasha!" He then pulled up into an Immelmann to take on the P-80s himself.
Enduring the darkness
Awaiting the light!
"Ishachok?" Sasha wondered as he noticed the I-16 head back as well. He noticed the P-80s close with the Ishak, as well. "Nyet!"
Hold your ground!
When you're fighting those who fight
"Don't underestimate this little harbinger of death!" Ivan called out as he opened up on the P-80s from head-on.
Death is waiting on the hill
No surrender, shoot to kill
Sasha grew a frustrated and conflicted face as he briefly tried to engage one of the P-80s that had chosen to come for him.
You have to hold your ground!
Kill the warrior in your sight!
"Not good," Nudelmann observed the situation from his Yak-9. "Sasha, get out of here!"
Death is waiting on the hill
No surrender, shoot to kill
"I'm not a good komandir sotni if I run away!" Sasha argued from his La-5.
(Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!)
"Please, go!" Nudelmann further tried to convince Sasha as he turned back with his Yak-9 to face the Selection P-80s as well.
(Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!)
"Not you too!" Sasha cried out over the radio. "I can't lose you, Nudelmann!"
(Stand)
"You're too important to this fight!" Nudelmann returned as he continued for the P-80s. "Your ambitions are higher than the Ural Mountains, and your wisdom is deeper than Lake Baikal! So please retreat!"
(Hold your ground)
Nudelmann then briefly acquired a P-80 and unleashed a very brief, but still extremely heavy, deflection burst on it. The Shooting Star was taken out with ease as its engines flamed out and it popped the red smoke of defeat.
(Come around)
Another P-80 tried engaging Nudelmann, but he was able to dodge the attack with ease, and he maneuvered to take on even more enemy Shooting Stars.
(Hostile land)
Sasha in the meantime fearfully watched Nudelmann fiercely fight on from his La-5 amidst the rest of Sonnenblumenstaffel.
(Your last stand)
One of the P-80s managed to set Nudelmann's Yak-9 ablaze with a burst, but the stubborn Russian fighter continued to press on its attacks with great determination as Nudelmann entered his last stand.
Under fire, low on munitions (Hold your ground)
Make your bullets count (Come around)
"Sasha, even when I'm gone," Nudelmann began with a small smile as he lined up one of the P-80s for a head-on attack. "You'll definitely win!" He ended as both he and the Shooting Star opened fire at each other. Both of them took each other out as Nudelmann finally submitted to the flames and moved to bail out, while the Yak's heavy burst struck the P-80 and tore off its left wing near the root.
Push their warriors back down the mountain (Hostile land)
Rule the battlefront (Your last stand)
Both pilots jumped out and parachuted to safety, and both also trailed the red smoke out of their asses.
"N-Nudelmann," Sasha said while greatly stunned by his own team's actions.
"Sasha, what are you waiting for?" Alfred asked over the radio.
"Sasha!" Ivan called out over the channel. His I-16 was greatly damaged, but he still bitterly fought on to stall the P-80s. "Hurry up and get away from here!"
"I'm..." Sasha began as he trembled. "Retreating!"
He continued on with the rest of Sonnenblumenstaffel as they all retreated to safer skies. Sasha did not look back from his La-5 as he continued on, but he was greatly affected by his team's efforts to protect him.
In the meantime, one of the P-80s finally took down the I-16 for good.
Sent into battle
Came from the sky
"Ooarai I-16 Type 28 shot down!" Muto announced. He and another Mitsubishi F-2 were flying in the air a great distance away from the fight as they used their advanced radars to keep track of all the flyers. They were both equipped with drop tanks.
Trapped on a mountain
And into the fire!
Soon, the current status of the fight was shown on the Leopold. All movements of each team were shown on the map.
Hold your ground!
When you're fighting those who fight
"One A6M2, one A6M5, two Fw 190 D-13s, one La-5FN, one Yak-9UT, one I-16 Type 28, all taken out!" the speakers announced as the casualties list came up. Among Selection's losses were just two P-80As. The particular variant used by Selection was the P-80A-1-LO.
Death is waiting on the hill
No surrender, shoot to kill
The tank casualties were also present. Ooarai had lost a Chi-Ha, a Chi-Ha-Kai, two Panther Gs, a T-34-85 mod. 1944, an IS-2 mod. 1944, and a KV-2 mod. 1939. Selection, meanwhile, lost just two M26s.
You have to hold your ground!
Kill the warrior in your sight!
Gerd, Major Horbaczewski, Shiho, and Chiyo watched on amidst the heavy downpours from their spots. The two Germans braved the cold rain as they watched with emotionless faces. The two Poles, however, chose to use umbrellas to keep the rain away as they looked on with small grins.
Death is waiting on the hill
No surrender, shoot to kill
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Up in the air, Sakai was flying on recon duty now with his A6M2, and he used a 2.5x power sniper scope he ripped off a Type 97 sniper to view the enemies from range. He spotted all of the P-80s from the engagement against Sonnenblumenstaffel forming up again and heading north with the Meteor among them.
"Sakai here," he began over the radio as he flew below the enemy's lines of sight. "The enemies that engaged Morgenruhmstaffel and Sonnenblumenstaffel have stopped attacking and are regrouping with each other."
"Understood, keep going with the recon for now," Chuck ordered. He and the rest of Morgenruhmstaffel besides Sakai were heading back for the airfield to get everyone rearmed, refueled, and repaired.
"But how could an Me 262 climb so quickly?" Chuck wondered aloud as he flew on.
"It's probably one of those," Ray guessed within his battered, but still flying P-38M.
"One of those? Oh, boy." The American fighters were all trailing behind the remaining Japanese fighters excluding Sakai. The American fighters were the most heavily battered.
"Why'd he know about it?" Mesut wondered over the radio. He and all the ground crews for Morgenruhmstaffel were getting ready for the fighters to come back.
"Did he eavesdrop on them again?" Julius deadpanned.
"Feels like he'll spy on his girlfriend as well," Christoph inserted.
"He's too harsh," Mesut spoke.
"That's probably why Veronica dumped him," Erik guessed.
"I didn't even confess to her! How could I be dumped?!" Ray barked over the radio in response. "How did you even know about that, anyway?!"
"Ray, cheer up!" Matthias tried.
"It's fine if you devote your life to fighting!" Christoph similarly tried.
"Fight on!" Julius added.
"Don't mind the others!" Mesut said.
"It's alright to be alone if you can't succeed!" Erik spoke up.
"Shut it!" Ray barked again. "I don't need to be reassured by you guys!"
"Anyway, those things were finally approved?" Chuck continued over the radio in his P-38E.
"We wanted something similar before, so we asked about it, but the details were still being sorted out with them," Ray informed over the radio. He was calmer now after getting back to business.
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"Sonnenblumenstaffel managed to escape, but there's only five of them left!" Anton informed Erich over the radio. Löwenzahnstaffel was still engaging enemy P-80s to the east.
"We'll have to take care of that odd Me 262 and their artillery first," Erich determined as he fought on.
"I heard some rocket noise earlier, but it wasn't synced up with the artillery shells," Nathan informed over the radio as well. "Judging by the explosions, the artillery would have to be using shells of extremely large caliber, something like a naval gun. But what was that rocket noise then?"
During the enduring confrontation, the Typhoon was seen taking on the enemies very aggressively. By some miracle, it was still alive and well.
"Wait a minute!" Nathan spoke up again in epiphany. "Wouldn't the Me 262 be 'that' variant?!"
Erich nodded within his cockpit as he came to the same conclusion. "And that artillery has to be that Gerät, then," he further determined. He then addressed some others over the radio. "Aprikose, Ron, Franco, and Ilmari, I have some jobs for you."
The four mentioned pilots paid close attention as Erich went over his plan. After doing so, Erich got on the radio with the Panzerwaffe.
"Hey, Fräulein Abteilungskommandeur. Just so you know, we've got something to help you take on their artillery. It should be ready after about five minutes."
"I heard your plans," Miho replied over the radio. "Fräulein President, Noriko, Anchovy, and Mika have already been informed."
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Some time later, all four of the aforementioned Jagdwaffe pilots were progressing northbound at relatively low altitude, but at different spots when viewed from a map. The CR.42 and Ki-10 were together further ahead while the Fw 190D and Myrsky were much further behind.
"Volo di Ghianda, full speed ahead!" Franco commanded the flight. His CR.42 had two 100 kg bombs loaded on jerry-rigged racks under the wings, one per wing. The Ki-10 did not carry any ordnance.
Soon, Aprikose's Fw 190 D-12 came and blew past the Rotte of biplanes along with Ilmari's Myrsky II. The Fw 190D had a single 500 kg bomb under its belly. The Myrsky had no ordnance attached. "See ya in a bit, Franco!" Aprikose said over the radio as he and Ilmari continued on in their own Rotte and left the two biplanes behind.
"Four fighters approaching from low altitude," Georges observed from his P-80. He and the rest of Georges Squadron plus Jack Squadron were higher up, and Dziubek was among them as well as they all proceeded north for the moment in a climb. "They're probably going after the Group Captain... Are they trying to disrupt our chain of command? Or maybe it's a suicide mission?"
"Everyone, engage!" Jack ordered. "Don't let them get close to the Group Captain!"
All of the Selection fighters there heeded the order and tried diving on the small Ooarai Schwarm. But the Schwarm bunted into a dive and entered the cloud layer that was still prominent, even after the rain had died away. The P-80s all pulled out and tried to find the four enemy fighters again, but they could not.
"They disappeared?"
"It's a feint," Dziubek spoke up in his Meteor. "Ignore them."
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Soon down on the ground, the CV.33, Jagdpanzer 38(t), I-Go otsu, and BT-42 were heading through some wooded areas when Anchovy spotted the Selection artillery ahead of the others.
"Huh?!" she exclaimed in shock. "What is that?!"
"It's a Karl!" Pepperoni notified as the CV.33 came to a stop.
"Karl Wolff?" Anchovy asked as they all watched the next shot get loaded completely mechanically.
"No!"
"Then Karl what?!"
"Karl-Gerät self-propelled siege mortar! That's a 600 mm gun!" Pepperoni revealed as the big gun pointed up into the sky again.
"600?! The CV.33 has 8 mm machine guns, so how many times bigger is that?"
"Can't you do division?! It's 7.5 times!"
"It's actually 75 times!" Carpaccio corrected.
Immediately after, the massive Karl-Gerät 040 fired its 2,170 kg schwere Betongranate, which left a deafening roar that could be clearly heard for miles.
As the shell left the weapon and the 600 mm gun lowered to reload, three people offered comment on the weapon.
"The sudden decision to approve this weapon..." Shichiro began with disbelief, "was made for this fight, wasn't it?"
"Please don't try and find excuses," Renta returned with a grin.
"Can you really call an open-top vehicle a Panzer?" Director Rall questioned as she looked on at the fight from their booth. "And I can only imagine that the Heimatschützer was finally approved for the same reason."
"It's just a matter of perspective."
"Well your 'perspective' screwed over the timetable we had set up already!"
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At the same time, Aprikose had spotted the Me 262 that was so elusive currently coming in to land at the Selection airstrip using his GwZF4-fach from a long distance away.
"There you are, you Heimatschützer," he observed as the Me 262 C-2b continued to slow down and land. This Me 262 was not too different from a basic model, but there were two orifices above the jet engine exhausts that were used for the rocket engines that supplanted the jets.
Aprikose also found three P-80s keeping watch over the airfield, just below the cloud layer. "And you have three Shooting Stars guarding you."
Further back, Ron was taking in all the information with the Karl-Gerät 040 and Me 262 C-2b Heimatschützer II, and he lit up in enlightenment. "Hey, I have an idea!" he spoke up over the radio.
"What, am I ramming it again?" Aprikose asked.
"No! Although that is a good idea... but no. My plan is Operation Kill Serve! Here are the details."
XXXXXXXXXX
"Why you little...!" Oliver grunted over the radio as he was forced back from his aggressive attacks by the overwhelming attacks of the P-80s.
"Oliver, come back," Arthur calmly ordered as the rest of Löwenzahnstaffel continued engaging the Selection fighters, but in a more cautious manner.
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"Sounds like a good plan to me!" Aprikose said about Ron's plan.
Ilmari in the meanwhile was calmly listening as Aprikose addressed him over the radio, "Hey, Ilmari! Can you hear me? I need your help for this."
"I think this plan is pointless," Ilmari calmly replied. "But I trust your decision."
Rise of nation's pride!
Ilmari was in the cloud layer for the moment far ahead of Aprikose. Soon after, he decided, "Let's do it!"
Russians on a route to ruin
Kreml is more than certain to win
Sent away an army to the west
Ilmari then dived and came out of the clouds with high energy right above the three P-80s. One of the pilots looked on in shock and disbelief as the Myrsky II closed with the trio.
Blizzard reigned the ground were chosen
Snow was deep and Hell were frozen
Stalin were too eager to invade
The Shooting Stars all tried to respond, but Ilmari held all the advantages now, and he immediately plucked one P-80 out of the sky with a precise burst of his four 12.7 mm machine guns. He then climbed away as the P-80 trailed the red smoke.
He thought of the might he possessed
"My flight, chase after him!" the Shooting Stars' flight leader commanded, and the two remaining P-80s took off after the Myrsky.
And not of his foe
"This is probably one of those essential battles of life we must go through," Ilmari mused as he led the P-80s his way. "Well, probably."
Rage of winter
In the meantime, the Fw 190D had arrived close to the old railroad bridge by the Karl-Gerät from above. "The thunder's coming in!" Aprikose announced over the radio.
Rise!
Nation's pride!
Hold what's yours!
Strike 'em where it hurts!
In the meanwhile, the Panzers sent after the Karl-Gerät besides the BT-42 simply stood by and watched the coming spectacle from the trees. The BT-42, though, had literally jumped in and caused chaos for the M26 platoon guarding the siege mortar.
Fight!
Hold your ground!
Winter War!
Reinforce the line!
As Aprikose dove down, he eventually released his SC 500 bomb directly onto the bridge, and the explosion obliterated that section. Below as the rubble fell, the BT-42 skillfully evaded the falling carnage and barely passed through two boulders. One of the M26s giving chase got stuck, though, and its gun was soon crushed and pinned down by another falling boulder. It's white flag accordingly popped out in response.
Split them into small divisions
Rip 'em of the conquest visions
Motti tactics used with great result
"Yeah! I love causing carnage!" Aprikose celebrated as he continued to head on north with the extremely high energy he had built up in the dive.
Snipers move unseen in snowfall
Force them to retreat and recall
Fight the Russian rule and their demand
"Watch it!" someone on Selection's side called out over their channel. "They have aircraft down low!"
With Molotov cocktail in hand
At the same time, Ilmari still led the P-80s around over the Selection airfield, and all thirty of their M19s down below opened fire to try and take down the Myrsky. The effort was in vain, however, as they were too far up in the air.
No fear of their tanks
Ilmari then quickly turned around to take on another Shooting Star, and he closed while avoiding the enemy's impatient fire. At point-blank, he opened up his guns and struck the P-80 straight on, and the red smoke trailed from the American jet fighter right after.
Death or glory
"One more left," Ilmari noted as he maneuvered to take on the last P-80.
Rise!
Nation's pride!
Hold what's yours!
Strike 'em where it hurts!
In the ensuing pass, the Shooting Star held its fire before it opened up from point-blank range, where the pilot couldn't have missed. But the rounds did not strike the Myrsky. Instead, Ilmari, almost as if having foreseen it, broke away just before the P-80 opened fire and forced it to miss.
Fight!
Hold your ground!
Winter War!
Reinforce the line!
"What?! But that should've hit!" the P-80 pilot reacted in disbelief as he tried turning after the Finnish fighter again.
"Just try and hit me," Ilmari calmly taunted as he continued leading the P-80 around like a dog. He then got on the radio. "Watch me fuck with them, Martti and Torsti."
"Go, now!" Ron ordered as he flew along with the bomb-laden CR.42. The two were approaching the Karl-Gerät's current position from the air.
"Jeez, don't just boss me around!" Franco complained over the radio. "Who do you think I am?!"
"I'll make you potato pasta afterwards," Anzu informed from her Jagdpanzer 38(t).
Franco did a complete one-eighty in attitude and proceeded forth with vigor. "Pasta!" he was heard calling out.
"Yeah, give him the kill serve!" Ron encouraged as he stayed on overwatch duty.
Franco dived straight for the Karl-Gerät and unleashed his two 100 kg bombs before pulling out. One of the bombs struck the side of the siege mortar while the other found its way into the muzzle as it exploded. The 600 mm shell in the chamber detonated from the bomb explosion and contributed further to taking it out of the fight as its breech and barrel were blown out. The white flag then popped on it.
"I want my pasta after all this!" Franco broadcast again as he started back for the team's airfield.
With Ilmari, he was still leading the enemy P-80 around in a chase that seemed much more comical than it was before.
"Come on, can you at least try and hit me?" Ilmari somewhat complained as he led the P-80 onward. He was effortlessly avoiding its fire. "Not like you can hit me anyways..."
A slice of a knife to a throat
The fight between them had devolved into a brief turn-fight, but Ilmari pulled away to get another attack in. The P-80 responded by trying to turn after him, but Ilmari quickly pulled up to avoid. The Shooting Star tried to follow in its impatience.
And their blood turns to ice
"Come on!" the P-80 pilot yelled in frustration. "What black magic is this?!"
Talvisota
"Don't worry!" he heard the Me 262C pilot say as said fighter began to take off. "I'll annihilate him!" The Heimatschützer II took off rather quickly with the aid of its combined jet-rocket power, and it climbed to engage the enemy.
Rise!
Nation's pride!
Hold what's yours!
Strike 'em where it hurts!
"Yes, perfect opportunity!" Aprikose noted as he spotted the Me 262C from his place above. He then chose to dive down onto it with high energy as the enemy remained unaware of him. He waited until the Heimatschützer filled his windscreen before he opened fire. The rounds struck the hybrid-power fighter and took it down as its red smoke tripped.
Fight!
Hold your ground!
Winter War!
Reinforce the line!
"There we are, he's done!" Aprikose informed.
Rise!
Nation's pride!
Hold what's yours!
Strike 'em where it hurts!
With the Myrsky and P-80, Ilmari was coming up behind the Shooting Star again to line up a shot. The P-80 chose to use up its remaining altitude to dive away, and Ilmari chose not to follow. The Shooting Star then pulled up again as it tried to head for the Myrsky again, and Ilmari chose to reciprocate and dive toward the P-80.
Fight!
Hold your ground!
Winter War!
Reinforce the line!
"Aika hyökätä," Ilmari determined as he opened fire at the same time the Shooting Star did. Both struck the other and took each other out. Both the Finnish fighter and the American jet began trailing the red smoke as both descended full of holes.
"Onnea kaikille," Ilmari calmly wished over the radio during his descent. After he spoke, he also heard Mika strum her kantele over the radio once more.
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Part of Projekt Jägermeistern.
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The author doesn't claim to own "Girls und Panzer," the music used, or any other references made. "Girls und Panzer" belongs to Actas. The music belongs to Sabaton. Any references made belong to their respective owners.
Feel free to ask any questions if you have them. Please note, however, that questions asked without being signed in will not be answered. The author would prefer to address questions outside of the story, and leaving questions while signed in provides that ability.