Hey guys, sorry I haven't been updating this story recently. I started this chapter around the same time I posted the last one and I've been just overwhelmed with school work. This quarter is winding down to an end, and I just finished my ACT, so I should be more active here again. This was a pain to write, by the way. I had so much trouble deciding how I wanted to write this, and I did use headers for every scene change. They're not particularly good, but they let you know where this is happening, and when. Some of them might be off, if so, just PM me and let me know. Also, I did try to write in accents, but I didn't persist in doing it, so it's somewhat sporadic. I'll probably change it later. Anyway, that's all I have to talk about right now. So I'll see you guys at the end of the page.
Game Day
Great Sandy Dessert. West Australia 0900
Miho, Anzu, Kenji, and Akio unloaded from the jeep and walked down the main street of the mock up town. The town was about 500 square meters large and was made of very real looking houses. To the untrained eye, it would've looked like a livable town.
The main street was flanked on either side by white buildings. Most of the buildings were two stories, and looked as if they were made of granite or stone. Many of the houses in the town looked the same, and none were over three stories high, say for a make shift Church.
However, upon close inspection it would be revealed that the entire town lacked any sort of infrastructure except the roads.
There was no power, no running water, no plumbing, nothing. Even the rooms themselves lacked any sort of furniture except a couch and a dining room and a few beds here and there, but nothing more.
The masonry was in fact a cheap sort of cement that was lightweight, yet strong.
The group moved towards their Australian counter parts and prepared to begin the formalities.
They approached a group of four, two boys, two girls, all wearing a brown slouch hat and desert colored khakis.
"G'day mate!" The blonde female tank commander said in her accented English as she extended her hand, with a big grin on her face. Her name was Tracey.
"Hello, you have a beautiful country." Miho said in English, shaking her opponents hand.
"Yeah, she's a beauty." Tracey said looking around the town.
"My names Miho."
"Tracey. Most folks call me 'Trace'."
"I've heard a lot about your team." Miho said.
"And I've heard a lot about yours. These are my team mates." Trace said.
"I'm Jenny, Trace's second in command." Said the red head standing next to trace. She stood a good three inches higher then Trace, who is about as tall as Miho.
"Name's Bruce. Infantry commander." Said a six-foot tall boy with black hair, and a boxer's build.
"Will. People call me 'Dingo'. Flight commander." Said a five and a half foot tall dirty blonde boy.
The group shook hands with their opponents as they introduced themselves.
"I'm Kenji, Infantry commander."
"Akio, Flight Commander."
"Miho Armored commander.
"Anzu, student council, and second in command."
"Nice to meat you," Trace said, "Let's have a good match. No playing dirt or anything like that."
"Agreed." Miho said.
"Good luck to you," Dingo said, "You'll need it."
The two groups parted directions and headed back to their respective jeeps and returned to their units.
Once the teams were properly geared up and at their starting positions, the announcer came onto the radio.
"Alright," the announcer lady said in English, "Let's make this a nice clean game. I want everybody getting home in one piece. You've all read the rules, and I expect each and every one of you to act as professionals. Is that clear!" There was a slight pause as if the announcer was expecting an answer, "Good. Alright, Let the game begin!" she said, and the radio cut out.
1000. North East of Town.
The Australian convoy raced through the desert as fast as the trucks would allow them. Their objective was to take the town as quickly as possible, and they were already under two kilometers from the town. They had been on the road for about an hour and had lost precious time repairing one of the vehicles that had a radiator malfunction. They crested the ridge to the north east of the town to find the flag poles used to capture the town were empty, meaning the enemy was not in control.
"Dingo, this is Jenny, we're approaching the town, what's the situation with our air support, over?" Jenny said into the radio.
"We'll be on station in about five mikes. Skies look clear from here, but our recon craft spotted a concentration of enemy vehicles to the north west of your position. Up near Devil's Blunder." Dingo replied.
Devil's Blunder was a small ridgeline, about two hundred meters long, and fifty meters high, about six kilometers from the town.
"Copy that. Any idea what kind of heat they're packin'?" Jenny asked.
"Negative. The scout took fire and pulled out. We have no Intel on troop strength or equipment."
"Copy, we'll send the scouts to take a look," Jenny changed stations to talk to her scouts, "Jess', Riley, take your teams and scout out the ridge at 015-236."
"Copy that!" Came the response of a male voice. Off to her left, four Cromwell cruiser tanks shot off down the road at top speed.
1030. Near Devil's Blunder.
With a top speed of over sixty kilometers per hour, the brand new Cromwell tanks were the ideal scouting tank for the desert. Their thin armor, and poor guns made them vulnerable however.
Unbeknownst to Miho and the rest of the Japanese team, the Australian team had purchased several new tanks, including the four Cromwells, and five Churchills in order to be able to surprise their opponents.
The Cromwell covered the open ground quickly and was at the ridge in a mater of minutes.
"2-1, this is 2-3. I don't see anything out here." The boy in the second tank said into the radio.
"Copy. Keep your eyes peeled." The boy in the lead tank said.
Several minutes passed, and the boys split into groups of two and changed positions regularly. They worked their way around the ridge and eventually found themselves towards the eastern side of the ridge.
"I got something at bearing 2-2-0." One of the boys said.
"Copy, 2-2-0." The commander of the lead tank said.
"Mate, I don't see anything out there." He said after glassing the area for a brief moment.
"Half way up the hill, by the large group of trees. I swear there's something there." The other boy replied.
"Copy. It looks like… Holy Shit! It's a fucking Tiger!" The commander yelled as the Tiger P's barrel spat smoke and flames.
The round flew threw the air and slammed into the side of the second Cromwell turning it into an inferno.
"All tanks, Tiger P spotted on East Ridge. We got their position, now Haul Ass!" The commander said and the remaining tanks split shot off across the dessert.
"Too righ' mate! We took some small arms fire on our end as well. There's definitely somebody up there." The other tank replied.
1045. Devil's Blunder. East Ridge.
"Nice shot." Nakajima complemented her gunner's skills as the empty shell clattered to the floor.
"I was aiming for his turret." Hoshino said jokingly.
"Hey, I thought it was an awesome shot." Said Carl, the team's radio operator and bow gunner.
"You think that got their attention?" Suzuki asked.
"Definitely. They'll be back, and they'll be bringing their entire force down on top of us." Carl said.
"Well don't just sit there," Nakajima said, "Get on the horn and tell Nishizumi-san what's coming."
"Roger," Carl said fiddling with the dials, "Angler, this is Leopon. Be advised, we engaged enemy Cromwells near our position, on the east slope of hill 50. We got one, but three others escaped." Carl said.
"Cromwells? That wasn't in their equipment file?" Miho replied.
"Well, that binder was put together using past information. These must be knew tanks we're dealing with." Carl replied.
"Hai. Keep alert. Who knows what else they have in store for us." Miho replied.
"Copy. Be advised, we are relocating so you may not hear from us for about ten minutes."
"Roger. Stay safe."
1120. In The Town.
"Are you sure it was the Tiger P?" Trace asked the Cromwell commander.
"Yes, Ma'am. Definitely had a Tiger outline." The boy replied.
"Alright, thanks." She said dismissing the boy.
"The other tanks said they saw small arms fire further west from where they spotted the Tiger." Bruce said.
"How many?" Trace asked.
"Well, they didn't get a confirmed count, but they estimate no less then sixteen. They took some fire from AT weapons and bugged out before they could get an accurate count."
"What kind of AT weapons?" Trace asked, somewhat surprised.
"Bazookas they think. It was hard to tell." Bruce said.
"So, they're traveling light? The question is where are they going." Trace said stroking her chin.
"The tank commander said there might have been more of them behind the hill they were taking fire from, but he doesn't know how many." Bruce said pointing at the area on the map.
"So there could be more behind the hill?" Trace said.
"Yes, but we're not sure. By the time our scouts got there they were long gone."
"Damn. We'll secure the town fore now. I want patrols set at two hundred meter intervals every two hours."
"Yes, Ma'am."
1130. Western Edge of Town.
"Command, this is Archer 0-1, radio check, over." Kouri said into the SCR-195 radio.
*Static*
"Command, do you copy?" Kouri said.
"Archer 0-1, say again your last. You are coming in broken and unreadable." Kenji responded.
"The enemy has taken the town. I say again, the enemy has taken the town." Kouri said.
"Copy that. Get as much intel as you can, and pull out." Kenji replied.
"Copy. Out." Kouri said.
Kouri packed up the radio and climbed to the top of the sand dune he was hiding behind. He took out a pair of binoculars and peered through them. Then he picked up a pencil and sketchpad and began to sketch out rough drawings of the buildings.
At the moment there were three other boys at various points around the town doing the same thing he was doing, gathering intel on unit strength, and equipment, as well as gathering information about the defenses.
The drawing was not particularly detailed, but one could at least interpret it correctly. Once he finished, Kouri climbed off the sand dune, packed up the radio, the sketchpad, and slung his M1 Grand sniper rifle over his shoulder. He was just north of the town, and was several miles away from the teams make shift camp.
"This is going to be a long walk." He said to himself as he began the long trek back to camp.
1135. Somewhere in the Desert.
"Any word from Kouri-chan?" Miho asked, entering the small tent acting as a radio station.
"Yes, he just made radio contact." Kenji replied.
"Good. When can we expect them to be back?" Miho asked.
"Two maybe three hours. I know Kouri was only taken halfway, and then hiked the rest. Team three should pick him up around here." Kenji said, pointing at the map.
"Alright. I hope they'll be alright in this heat." Miho said.
"Don't worry. They're tough. Plus they packed a lot of water." Kenji said, although he was also worried about the heat.
The temperature outside had gotten to about 110 degrees Fahrenheit, and it was already hard to keep cool in the shade.
"How are things going with the tanks?" Kenji asked.
"Fine. The heat isn't helping with the Tiger P's engine problems though. The Chi-Nu and the I-Go are also being affected by the sand." Miho replied.
"Are we set for tonight?" Kenji said.
"We should be. Leopon team, Rabbit Team, and Dragon team in the Easy Eight are ready." Miho said.
"Alright. Now all we have to do is wait then?" Kenji said.
"And pray they're aircraft don't find us. But if Akio-san can hold up her end of the plan, then we may yet stand a chance." Miho said.
1200. West of Town.
Akio led her flight of Sturmoviks across the desert landscape at top speed.
"Alright, we should be approaching the target area any minute now. Stay frosty." Akio said.
"Copy. So glad we finished with training. Tie to get some real action." Haru said.
"Easy young grasshopper. Remember what happened last time you got cocky?" Jenna said.
"Don't worry about me. I got your back." Haru said.
"And guess who has his back?" Ryō said.
"Yeah. Best tail gunner in the squadron." Haru said.
"Second best." Kimi said.
"Target three o'clock. Looks like an…Uhh…screw it, fat boy with three turrets." Haru said.
"It's an M3 Lee. Relax, they're on our side." Jenna said.
"Right. I knew that." Haru said, embarrassedly.
"Well at least you've got you're head on the swivel. Keep it up." Akio said.
"Roger." Haru said getting refocused.
"Does anybody else have to pee?" Haru said after a long silence.
"Jeez, you really can't stay quiet for five minutes can you?" Jenna said.
"It's a legitimate question." Haru argued.
"I told you to go before we left."
"I never piss before a flight. It's bad luck." Haru said.
"Really? That's disgusting." Jenna replied.
"Hey, it's worked so far. Why tempt fate?" Haru said.
"Alright, settle down. I want all heads on the swivel. No more talk about-"
"Town, nine o'clock!" Jenna's wingman, Eiji said.
"Copy, beginning attack run." Akio said.
The four Sturmoviks began banking right and formed a single file line. As they drew closer four M18 gun motor carriers with quad mount .50 cal machine guns targeted them, as well as several machine gun emplacements around town.
Streams of tracers sailed past the four bombers as they closed the distance to the town, aiming for the vehicle pool near the center of town, just off Main Street.
"This flack is getting thick." Kimi said as several rounds struck the Plane's thickly armored hull.
"Don't worry, this baby can take much worse than this." Akio responded.
The planes continued their cores as their tail gunners took shots at the spread out ground troops.
"Bomb drop in three, two, one…DROP!" Akio said as she dropped her payload of PTAB anti-tank bombs. Hundreds of the weapons were dropped from each bomber and completely covered the lot with explosions, several bombs detonating in air, destroying every vehicle in the lot. Unfortunately all the tanks except for three M3 Grants, and four Matildas, were not in the lot, but it was still a devastating blow.
The for planes turned around and headed back to their airbase.
"That was intense." Kimi said as the fire began to fade away.
"Yeah. Makes you think what we'll face when we hit the other teams." Haru replied.
"Wish we took out more of 'em. Would make the work for our girls on the ground a lot easier." Ryō said.
"That's not our priority. We got the footage, right Eiji-san?" Akio said.
"Affirmative. Got the whole thing on tape." Eiji replied.
"Good. Now let's get going, I think Haru pissed himself." Ryō said.
"I did not!" Haru protested.
"Dude, I'm right behind you. I can smell piss." Ryō teased.
"I really had to go, alright." Haru said.
"Still think it's a bad idea to use the bathroom before a flight." Jenna teased causing the entire flight to laugh.
02000. South Side of Town.
Night had fallen at last. Unlike the scorching heat of the day, the night had dropped to a fairly extreme cold. The temperature had fallen to the high forties, and frost had begun to develop on some of the plants.
Kenji lay prone on the hillside, his head just barely skirting the cusp, allowing him to just see over the edge. He cycled the action on his Thompson SMG and picked up the radio.
"Lightning 1-0, this is Ronin 0-1. I need illumination at 215-312." He whispered.
Seconds later, a flare launched into the air and illuminated the entire area with a bright greenish-white light.
The hill then erupted with a hail of tracer fire and muzzle flashes as every man on the line opened fire. Several of the Australian's infantry were cut down without ever firing a shot.
Three tanks then rolled over the top of the hill and began to pound the area with HE shells, hitting several buildings, and sending wood and false concrete flying.
Saori racked the town with fire from her MG-42 hull mounted machine gun, while Yukari did the same with the coaxial machine gun. The overwhelming fire cut down many of the opposing infantry that were standing guard, before they had time to sound the alarm.
Some of the Australians managed to get into their fighting holes and return fire with two M2 .50 caliber machine guns.
"Miho! Target: White building, 11 o'clock, second story. Machine gun in the window!" Kenji called out one of the machine gun positions.
"Roger," Miho replied, "Yukari-chan, load HE. Hana, rotate the turret six degrees to the left."
"Roger." Came their collective response.
Hana quickly swiveled the turret to target the window.
"Gun ready!" Yukari said.
"Ute."
*BOOM*
The Panzer's gun belched fire, and kicked up the sand around it. The muzzle flash turned the surrounding night air into day for just a brief second.
The shell sailed through the air. It was supposed to detonate in mid air should a human target be in the shell's path, but for some reason this one didn't. Luckily for the recipient, the shell flew off the right about five feet and took out the wall next to the window, instead of the person behind it.
"What happened?" Hana asked, recognizing the failure in the safety mechanism.
"Must have been a malfunction with the proximity fuse. Good thing it was off center." Miho replied.
"Now we know why the release forms hinted towards possible death." Mako said glumly eliciting a sad sigh from the rest of the crew.
"Miho! New target 11:30. First story." Kenji's voice sounded from the radio.
The crew immediately pushed the thought from their mind and targeted the next building.
Fifty meters to the left of Anglerfish team, the newly named Dragon team in the Easy Eight was also engaging targets. Luna Cole had her head sticking out of the commander's hatch, with her hand pulling the trigger of the .30 cal Browning M1919 machine gun above her, while a trooper operated the .50 cal behind her.
The tank had four machine guns, the bow turret gun, the coaxial, and the fore mentioned commanders gun, and the .50. When all four guns were firing, it looked as if the front of the tank was spitting fire like a dragon, hence the name.
By this time, the flare had gone out. The muzzle flashes from the various weapons were the only source of dim light that pierced the night, before receding into darkness again, and again, and again.
The ambient light from a few fires was enough to give the gunners a reference to fire at.
"Gunner, rotate right 30 degrees. Target the muzzle flashes at 200 meters. One round HE." Luna said.
Her gunner traversed the turret exactly as instructed and the loader called out "Gun-up!"
"On the way!"
*BOOM*
The exploded in mid air creating a bright flash that chased the night away, illuminating the front of the building and several soldiers running to their battle stations.
At this moment, the Australian's armor showed up with an M16 Halftrack rolled around the left flank following three M3 Grants while a Churchill and a Matilda rolled around the right flank. Another column of Lees rolled up the center street.
The M16 rolled off to the left, and began to rake the enemy positions with its quad-mounted .50 cal machine guns. The muzzle flashes pierced the night as red tracers hammered the Japanese positions.
"Luna-san, take out that .50!" Miho said, as red tracers raked the hillside.
"Roger," Luna replied, "Gunner, target that .50 cal!"
*BOOM*
The round impacted the side of the armored vehicle and was stopped by the carbon spall liner. The pyrotechnic charge went off, casting a dull light on the surrounding area as the white knockout flag deployed.
"All units pull back. We're finished here." Miho said as Mako revved the engine and pulled the tank back.
The machine guns quickly fell silent as the attacking team fell back and the sounds of chaos returned to silence.
0600. Town.
"Damage report?" Trace said as the sun crested the horizon.
For fear of another attack the entire team had barely gotten more than four hours of sleep. Many of the fires had either been put out or had burned themselves out leaving charcoal in their wake. Black smoke still rose up in areas all over the town.
"Thir'ey dead, for'ey five wounded, one M16 gun carrier destroyed, three machine guns, and three buildings. One bloke broke his arm when they shelled the buildings, but he says he'll be fine." Jenny said.
"Alright. Is he sure he can carry on?" Trace asked.
"Bruce said he's a tough one. If he says he can continue, I see no reason to deny it." Jenny said.
"Good," Trace sighed, "We got any news from Dingo and his air patrols?"
"No, not yet. He ain't got shit. He says they've combed every inch of the desert, but he hasn't found them yet." Jenny said.
"They attack us in the dead of night, take out a half track, and disappear like ghosts? Something doesn't seem right." Trace said.
"Maybe she's using her regular tactics?" Jenny said.
"Maybe, but she usually baits her enemies into coming after her. And that's usually pitted only against tanks. On a scale like this, it's going to take a long ass time to actually do any real damage." Trace said.
"Well, you gotta admi' one thing. The girl's got some balls." Jenny said.
"And why do you say that'?" Trace said sarcastically.
"She ain' afraid to tickle the dragon's tail." Jenny replied, ignoring the tone in her superior's voice.
"Too righ' mate."
0630. Somewhere in the Desert.
"How many have we lost?" Miho asked.
"Twelve dead, three wounded, no vehicles lost. One of our men is suffering from heat stroke and has been picked up by the EMTs. I heard he should be fine though." Kenji said.
"Thank goodness," Miho sighed, "Where do we stand on phase two?"
"Akio says they've located their airbase, and the bombs will drop this afternoon. We should be ready by 1500 if we want it to work." Kenji said.
"Good. How are we doing on camouflage?" Miho asked.
"Great, actually. The art club and magic club members are really showing their worth. We have units scattered n twelve different locations, and we're getting calls of their scouts flying right over us." Kenji said.
"Good. They'll come in handy later. How are the decoys coming?" Miho said.
"They're assembled, and will be in position within the hour." Kenji said.
"Good. Now we just have to wait." Miho said.
"And pray." Kenji added.
"…Hai." Miho said.
0900. Somewhere in the Desert.
Anteater team and a squad of twenty troopers were camped out in dugouts, covered with canvas and sand. Anteaters new M24 Chaffee sat in a hole dug out in the side of the hill, with a sand colored canvas draped over it.
"Are you sure we're in a good spot?" Momoga asked nervously.
"I'm sure we're fine." Piotan replied.
"Yeah, as long as we remember to run when the time comes." Said the team's new loader, Sato, who was also part of the Magic club.
Although they were magnificently camouflaged thanks to the Magic and Art clubs from the coed school, it was made clear to relocate when ever possible, and leave no trace.
Since smaller units moved faster, the entire Japanese team was strewn across the desert,
"Pick a card." Sato said to Nekota, fanning out a deck of cards.
Nekota plucked one from his hand and looked at it. It was an ace of spades.
"Now put it back." Sato instructed.
Nekota followed his instructions and placed the card in the center of the deck.
"Now…"
"Do you here that?" Piotan interrupted the pair sitting on the turret.
The group paused for a moment and listened. Silence.
"It's probably nothing." Sato said returning to his trick.
Just as he turned around, an olive drab Bristol Beaufort crested the hill and flew directly over them before turning around and flying a circle around the group before taking off back to where it came.
"Not good! We've been spotted!" Nekota said.
"How can you tell?" Sato asked.
"Something tells me that if he didn't see anything, he wouldn't have flown a circle around us. Besides, we have to relocate anyway." Piotan said very mater of factly.
"Well what if we did get spotted and they've already sent word of our position?" Sato asked.
"Lets not stick around to find out." Momoga said.
The group quickly folded up the canvas tarps and stored them on a Duce and a half with the rest of the infantry on the second truck, and some in a jeep.
The tank drove out of its crater and Sato mounted the .50 cal back in its place, and the group rode off into the as fast as they could go.
0901. In the Sky Over Anteater Team.
"Condor 1-1, this is Condor1-3. We have spotted an enemy platoon at 221-315. Over?" The pilot of the lone Beaufort said into his radio.
"1-3, this is 1-1, I read you loud and clear. We have a QRF team not to far from that position and can be there within eight mikes. Over?" Came the response.
"Copy. Be advised we are at bingo fuel, and are en route to base. We will not be in a position to assist, over?"
"Copy that 1-3. How many hostiles did you say there were again?"
"Six-plus foot mobiles with possible transportation and armor support. I can't be sure what kind of armor they have, but I did see multiple dugouts. Be advised, enemy is using camouflage, they're hard as hell to see, but they're there."
"Roger 1-3. Thanks for the heads up. Boomer 0-5 is en route to intercept. God speed. Out."
"Copy. Out."
0906. Somewhere in the Desert
The Chaffee and the two truck rolled on for about five minutes before they heard the sound of tank engines on the other side of the hill. Their worst fears were realized, as the noise of the engines grew closer.
"Uhh…this is bad. Uh… f-fighting positions!" Nekota said, startled at the sound of her own shouting.
The infantry dismounted from the trucks as they drove off to the side. Some of the soldiers just decided to lay prone, while others attempted to dig a shallow fighting pit for a Vickers machine gun on the left, and an Bren gun on the right. Two soldiers with a Bazooka set up in the middle.
The jeep stet up just offset behind the tank with its machine gunner facing the hill.
Sato loaded an AP round into the breach of the M3 75 mm gun, while Momoga sighted the hill in front of them in her sights.
"Prepare to fire." Nekota said shakily.
Seconds felt like hours, as the sound of the engines grew ever closer. Just as the first tank's turret peaked over the hill Momoga fired. The shot sailed high over the turret and into the wild blue yonder.
"Blue on blue. Hold fire!" Came the voice of Noriko, captain of Duck team, over the radio in their new M5 Stuart Light tank.
"Thank goodness." Nekota exhaled heavily.
"Nearly took my head off." Noriko said as the tank drove down the hill. Just behind Duck team was Shark team in the Chi-Nu.
"We thought you were an enemy tank platoon. We got spotted about ten minutes ago and are relocating." Nekota replied.
"Same here. We got strafed not to long ago. We lost about ten guys, and Frog team in the I-Go." Noriko said as a truck full of infantry rolled down the hill behind their allies.
"So… shall we follow your lead?" Nekota asked.
"Sure. We'll proceed to gird 221-320. Then play it by ear." Noriko said.
"Hai!" Nekota said, giving the infantry the signal to mount up.
The group fell into a single file line with the Chi-Nu and the Stuart at the front, the trucks in the middle, and the Chaffee at the rear. Besides the sound of diesel and gas engines, and the clanking of tank tracks the day was calm and quiet. Many of the soldiers were talking about various Heishi-dou matches they've had, soccer games, rugby matches, girls, anything to keep their mind off the boredom.
In the tanks, some of the same conversations were taking place, although the commanders remained vigilant as the column moved at a brisk fifteen miles per hour.
"Do you remember your card?" Sato asked.
"Huh?" Nekota replied, taking her eyes off her binoculars.
"Your card I asked you to pick. Do you still remember it?" Sato replied.
"Yeah…it was a-"
"Don't tell me. I want to finish my trick later." Sato interrupted.
"Do you really think you'll be able to find my card after we reach our destination?" Nekota asked.
"Sure will. Just watch, you'll-"
"Enemy aircraft coming low to the deck. Eleven o'clock!" Noriko's voice crackled over the radio.
Seconds later, the ground shook as bombs and rockets landed around the column. Nekota poked her head out of the commanders hatch in time to see three P-38 Lightnings strafe the convoy, sending several soldiers flying off the back of the trucks.
The Deuce and a halves were knocked out and flaming. The remaining infantry jumped off their destroyed transports and took cover anywhere they could.
Some took cover under the destroyed trucks, while others hid under tanks or behind the sparse vegetation.
The P-38s circled around for another pass, destroying the tracks on the Chi-Nu, and finishing off a crippled Duck team in the Stuart.
After the second pass, the planes departed towards the south, leaving the convoy in ruins.
"Any survivors?" Nekota said poking her head back out of the turret.
"We have about thirty troops left with no transport. The Stuarts Knocked out, and the Chi-Nu is immobilized." One of the soldiers said.
"Contact!" someone else shouted.
Seconds later two jeeps drove around the corner and unloaded their Browning M1919 machine guns into the group. Most of the soldiers were cut down instantly, without a chance to fire back. Those who hid under the vehicles managed to return fire, to little effect.
Simultaneously, a machine gun position on the hill to the left of the convoy began to cut down the remaining Japanese infantry.
The Chi-Nu's seventy-five millimeter gun belched fire, and shot metal at the machine gun on the hill. The round detonated in mid flight, taking out the machine gun crew.
"Anteater team, we'll hold them off the best we can. I advise you get out while you still can!" The Chi-Nu's driver said over the radio.
"Are you sure?" Nekota said.
"Yeah. Now go. You're wasting time." Came the response.
The Chaffee's turret rotated around and the group began to reverse at full speed. Seconds later two more jeeps came around the corner, one of them boasting an M20 recoilless rifle.
The jeeps stopped and fired at the moving tank, missing by mere inches.
"Piotan-san! Gun the engine!" Nekota said.
The tank shot past the two jeeps just as the second shot from the recoilless rifle took out the Chi-Nu. Anteater team managed to dodge several more shots as the jeeps gave chase.
"Fire the machine guns!" Nekota panicked.
The two Browning M1919A4 machine guns opened up on the perusing enemy. The hail of bullets managed to knock out one of the vehicles before a final shot from the M20 finally put an end to the light tank.
The seventy-five millimeter rocket slammed into the front of the hull and shook the tank violently.
"Is everybody okay?" Nekota asked.
"Hai!" came the collective response of the crew.
"Hey, Nekota-san?" Sato said.
"Yeah?" Nekota replied.
"Is this your card?" Sato said, holding up an ace of spades.
0915. Somewhere in the Desert.
"What's going on Saori-chan?" Miho asked.
"So far, we've lost three tanks as far as I can tell, and two infantry convoys to bombing runs." Saori replied looking up from her radio station.
"Where's our fighter cover?" Miho asked.
"They pulled back. They're getting ready for the raid." Saori replied.
"Is everyone okay?" Miho asked.
"As far as I can tell, there are no serious injuries. I do know that Anteater, Duck, and Shark teams were ambushed, but I have no idea how many of them made it out." Saori said.
"Why not?" Miho asked.
"Competition rules. No contact after being 'killed' unless it's an emergency." Saori replied.
"Oh… right. Tell everyone to hunker down and wait for the raid to take place. How's Rhino team doing?" Miho asked, referring to the T95 tank destroyer.
"They're in position with Turtle, and Hippo team on the ridge." Saori said.
"Good. We'll move to regroup under the cover of darkness." Miho said.
"Hai." Saori said before relaying the message.
01000. Japanese Airbase.
Several miles away at the Japanese team's airbase the crew of four heavy bombers including a B-29, B-17, B-25D, and B-26 ran through their pre-flight checklists.
"Pre-flight checklist complete." The pilot of the B-26, Marissa Kejii, said.
"Roger that. We're good over here to." The B-17 pilot replied.
"Us too."
"Same here." B-29 and B-25D pilots both said.
"Alright. Tower, this is Eagle flight, we are prepared for takeoff." Marissa said.
"Copy that eagle flight, you are cleared to taxi to runway one. Standby for further instruction." The tower responded.
"Affirmative. May I ask what the hold up is?" Marissa asked.
"We're letting some P-47s to take off first to cover Miho-san and the rest of the ground forces. They got hammered by air attacks earlier, and they're on the move to regroup at Devil's Blunder." The tower responded.
"Copy." Marissa said, hiding the anger in her voice. How could they send part of her escort to babysit the infantry? Typical HQ bullshit she thought to herself.
"Something wrong?" Her American co-pilot, Peter, asked.
"Nothing." Marissa replied.
"You're pissed about the fighters?" Peter said.
"It's just that…in a few hours, there won't be a fighter problem anymore. Why does the infantry need them? They've been doing fine on their own so far." Marissa said.
"Well, no war has ever been won by air power alone." Peter said.
"Ahh, but whoever controls the air, controls the war." Marissa replied.
"Just because we control the outcome of the battle, does not mean we can win it on our own." Peter said.
"I suppose you're right." Marissa said stubbornly.
"It's like you always say, 'Never underestimate the unknown. It will always surprise you." Peter said.
"I hate it when you're right." Marissa said.
The last of the P-47s lifted onto the air some minutes later, and Marissa's B-26 Marauder "Heart Breaker" taxied onto the primary runway.
"You know you use to call this thing the widow maker back in the day right?" The newest member of the crew said in a panicked Irish accent. His name was Tanner, and he was a transfer from the Ireland.
"Don't worry, the most dangerous part is the landing. Otherwise this baby flies great. Mostly." Peter said.
"Mostly?!" Tanner panicked.
"Don't worry British, I was only kidding." Peter replied.
"I'm from Dublin." Tanner replied. Despite being worried about flying a plane that had a long crash record, most of his disadvantages were not "below the neck" so to speak.
"Sorry, my bad. I got a C minus in geography." Peter replied as he increased the throttle.
The big plane picked up speed and began rolling down the runway.
"Passing five-thousand meter marker." Peter said.
"Copy." Marissa said keeping her eye on the speed indicator.
"Just passed the forty-five hundred meter marker." Peter said.
"Not helping." Marissa said, struggling to lift the plane into the air.
"Four thousand meters." Peter said.
The plane began to shake.
"Three thousand meters, coming up." Peter said.
The plane began to lift into the air as it reached its take off speed.
"Gear up. Maintain a holding pattern until we get the rest of our people up here. Marissa said as the plane climbed into the air."
"Copy that." Peter replied. The plane began to orbit the airbase as the rest of the planes began to take off.
In a few minutes, all the bombers were up, and a group of Sturmoviks began taxing to the runway. After half an hour, most of the fighters, and all the ground attack aircraft were in the air.
The group consisted of four P-47s, eight P-40s, eight Sturmoviks, the four heavy bombers, two P-38s, eight Dauntless dive-bombers, Two Nakajima Ki-43s, and two F8F Bearcats.
"Alright, group one, proceed to the enemy airbase, group two wait for remaining aircraft and assault the town." Marissa said into the radio.
"Copy." Came the response from the flight leaders.
Alright, fairly long. Sorry again if it's a bit scattershot, but I tried to get the view of the whole battle, since this is a fairly large area we're talking about. Anyway, this ended fairly abruptly, and I apologize for that, and I should continue the battle in the next chapter. Unfortunately, I will be posting rather slowly until spring and summer breaks come around. Fields of Glory has been put on temporary hiatus for now. I might go back and do a re-write. Also, for those who have not noticed, in the wake of the movie Kingsman: The Secret Service, I have posted a new story on the Kingsman forum, and so far it's been getting great results. Please check it out. Anyway, that's all I have to say for now, please R&R and feel free to F&F. Only constructive comments, no put downs. And as always, Semper Fi carry on.