Always Advancing

A Girls und Panzer fanfic

Part XLIII: Giant Slayer

by Civilis


Author's Note: I discovered that Chapter 21 had been published in an incomplete state with a gap where the finale of the battle was supposed to be. I have since published the corrected chapter.

This chapter has had a slight edit thanks to some sharp-eyed readers (TMI Fairy and Felipe CH98)


"The bridge looks clear," radioed the lead Panther commander as Miho's battle group approached the Naka River at the edge of Oarai proper. While many of the Alliance tanks could have forded the river, it was impassible for the heavy Kuromorimine tanks and low panzerjäger.

"Take it easy between the bridge and the railway. The rules won't let them damage or destroy either, so their heavy gunners will be careful. Still, it's an obvious ambush zone," Miho reminded her troops.

The group headed into Oarai. In the lead, the Panthers watched for enemies around them. Following them, the Konigstiger, Elefant, and JagdTiger started across. The smaller panzerjäger and Miho's Tiger brought up the rear.

"We're going to push forward to Route Two along the coast, then link up with the Maus. Keep an eye on the intersections," Miho cautioned. "There could be an ambush anywhere."

The group made it past the railway without incident. Still, they had missed that a garage door on a house near the railway had actually been a painted heavy cloth. Their enemy could indeed be anywhere…


The Maus's commander scanned Route Two through her binoculars from her position at the bend at Cape Oarai. After the elimination of the Panzer III, which was supposed to have been bait to lure in the enemy, she had shifted position to where the powerful main gun could cover the major highway through Oarai.

The road west towards the Post Office looked clear. She turned her gaze north.

"Enemy tank, looks like an IS-2, up by the overpass near the shrine," she informed her gunner, then grabbed the radio as the tank's turret began turning toward the target to radio in.

As the turret turned, two of the IS-2's heavy shells bounced ineffectively off of the Maus's impregnable hull armor.

The Maus's main cannon roared.

"IS-2 knocked out!" called the gunner.

"We just knocked out an IS-2 that fired at us," she radioed in.

"Roger, Maus. Head down Route Two towards the post office so we can link up," Miho replied.


"Bear, out!" reported Aleksandra, the IS-2's commander.

"Roger, Bear," Saori replied. "Boar reports enemies entering Oarai. We'll have to switch to Mousetrap Plan 2. Weasel, you ready?"

"Weasel, ready," said Nonna.


The Maus started its slow advance down route two. The fact that the Alliance knew it was there and was willing to fight worried the Maus's commander. The sooner she could meet up with Miho's battle group, the better. However, given the Alliance knew where she was now, if they had a plan, they would try it on the way. She ordered the tank's turret to cover the area in front of them.

She was almost at the seafood market when the SU-100 rounded the corner a block in front of the tank.


Nonna was just as surprised as the Maus's commander to see the enemy tank, or, at least, at such close range. She had expected that the tank would stay in its original location, which gave it a good field of fire in two directions.

She dropped through the hatch into the hull at the same time as the Kuromorimine commander and took the gunsight.

There was a problem. The Maus was huge in her sight. Unlike the tank, her hull-mounted gun had a narrow arc of fire. She adjusted her aim, trying to bring the tank destroyer's gun to bear on her target while the Maus turned its turret towards her.

"We are too close!" she radioed. She fired, blindly, as her driver backed up. Pazomi shoved another shell home.

"Nonna!" yelled Katyusha, in the KV-2. She turned towards Gomoyo and yelled, "We need to get there now! Forwards!"

Gomoyo hesitated. This wasn't part of the plan.

"Do it! That's an order!" yelled Katyusha. She grabbed the radio. "Mousetrap Plan 3 is a go! Giraffe to the rescue!"

"Katyusha!" radioed Klara. "We can't lose both of you!"

The Maus 75mm cannon fired, as the SU-100 in front backed away. The shot tore a crater in the street. The SU-100's return shot bounced off the Maus's front armor.

From another side street, the KV-2 lumbered into view behind the SU-100.

The Maus's 128mm gun fired, hitting the SU-100, throwing it in the air.

"Weasel… out…" came Nonna's voice on the radio.

"Nonnaaaaa!" yelled Katyusha, in shock and rage.

The KV-2 started forwards, towards the Maus.

"Gomoyo… what are you doing?" asked Katyusha.

"The Maus's turret's slow!" the Discipline Committee member replied, angrily. "That thing hurt Pazomi."

The Maus's commander watched the KV-2 lumber past.

"I hope you know what you are doing, Katyusha," said Klara, as she instructed her driver. The T-34/85 known as Fox emerged from the alley where the KV-2 had come from, and fired into the turret of the Maus.

The Maus's commander, feeling the impact, spun back to the front of the tank. "Enemy front!" she yelled.

The gunner, who had been turning the turret around to follow the KV-2, turned back towards the new tank her commander had identified.

Fox's driver threw the tank into motion as the Maus's coaxial 75mm fired, sending its shot into the ground.

The Maus's commander realized that she had lost the KV-2 in the mess. She turned around again to see the KV-2 stopping behind the tank, its turret rotating in her direction.

There was a thundering roar from the Pravda tank, and the Maus lurched from the impact, sending its next 128mm shot off into one of the nearby buildings.

"Ignore the T-34! There's an enemy behind us!" she ordered her crew. The turret began turning again toward the rear of the tank.

There was another thundering roar, and the Maus lurched again, settling noticeably towards the rear.

"What are they doing?" she asked, before dropping into the Maus's turret.


"What are they doing?" asked Shimada Chiyo in the VIP stands, as the screen showed the KV-2's second shot into the rear hull of the Maus.

"They're immobilizing it," said Nishizumi Shiho. "They can then withdraw and if they finish off the other tanks they'll win. We can't repair the tracks on the Maus in the field."

"I know that," said Chiyo. "The first shot knocked the one track off. Now both tracks are wrecked. They should be leaving before it fires again."

"They've lost their command and control. The Pravda commander was in the SU-100. All four teams are now without a commander. It's only a matter of time now," said Shiho.

"You were so sure about the Maus. Are you so sure about this?" said Chiyo.


"Good job, Katyusha!" came Klara's voice on the radio. "It's immobilized. We can withdraw!"

Nina and Alina finished reloading the KV-2's gun.

"No!" radioed Katyusha. "This is for Nonna and Pazomi!"


The Maus's commander opened the view slit in the side of the Maus's turret, then closed it as quickly as if she had been burned.

"Everyone brace!" she yelled. "They're still aimed at us!"


The KV-2 fired at the side of the Maus's turret. The 152mm shell hit the turret side just above the rear deck.

On the screen in the observation area, the camera image went white from the blast.

The pilot recovered quickly, and the observer got the camera aimed again at the Maus.

A cheer went up in the stands. It started from the Pravda ranks, then from the rest of the Alliance students, then from the fans and townsfolk.

On top of the Maus was a little white flag. The Maus had indeed been smashed.

"16 to 13," said Shiho, though she looked a little less confident than she had before.


"Approaching Route Two," radioed the lead Panther's commander.

"Roger. Be careful. The KV-2 is still out there," radioed Miho.

"This is Maho. The Konigstiger is mobile. We are heading towards the bridge," Maho radioed.

"I see the Firefly," radioed one of the JagdPanzers. "NW our position. It's going to try for another shot."

"I'll take care of it," said Maho. "Get across the bridge."

The two Panthers in Maho's battle group started across the bridge to check the other side. The two JagdPanzers, the JagdPanther and the Konigstiger covered them from the far side or watched the surrounding terrain.

Naomi caught sight of the Tiger headed her way. She grabbed the radio. "This is Falcon. Maho is after me. The other tanks in her group are headed your way."

"Uh… Falcon, this is Ant… Anglerfish, nya. Do you need help?" radioed Nekota.

"No, I want Maho. Can you hit the guys heading to the bridge?" Naomi replied.

"Uh…. she says ok," Nekota replied.

Naomi popped in her last stick of gum. The Kuromorimine tanks protecting the Konigstiger while it was being repaired had kept her from engaging, costing her a juicy target. Still, Maho would be a better one.

She fired a shot at the Tiger as it came around the building, but Maho's veteran driver kept the tank angled and the shot deflected. Naomi ordered her driver to quickly reposition, and the tank backed off as Maho's shot flew past the turret into a nearby house's front window.

Around another two corners, she managed to get another firing position. This time, Maho stopped just as the tanks front corner came around the building, causing Naomi to miss. She rapidly withdrew before the Kurmorimine driver pulled forward.

At the bridge, the two Panthers indicated that the coast was clear. The JagdPanzers started across. Behind them, the JagdPanther ascended the low slope to the side of the bridge.

Naomi found another firing position. A yellow tank came around the building. Naomi's shot hit the Konigstiger head on, but the 17pdr failed to penetrate the heavy armor. Naomi ordered her driver to run, as she looked around for Maho, only to find Tiger 212 had gotten behind her.

"Clever girl," Naomi managed to say before the Tiger fired into the Firefly. Maho's gunner didn't miss.

"Falcon eliminated," she radioed. "Maho and the other Konigstiger are on their way into Oarai."

She watched as Maho started across the bridge. Behind Maho, the Konigstiger headed to the bridge. Like the other tanks, it took the meter-high slope at the side of the bridge to get to bridge level.

As it reached the top of the slope, a single shot from down the riverbank to the northeast slammed into the underside of the tank near the tracks as it was briefly exposed. The shot blew out the track and several road wheels. The tank's commander, who had been carelessly focused on the knocked-out Firefly, managed to grab the side of the turret ring and held on for dear life as the massive tank went over on its side. Almost as an afterthought, the white flag popped out horizontally next to her.

"Anglerfish. Konigstiger slain," came Nekota's satisfied voice on the Alliance radio network.


"Konigstiger out!" came the shaky voice on the Kuromorimine radio network. "We're okay, somehow."

"I think it was the Panzer IV," Maho radioed. "Its north of the river. It hit at just the right moment. Your orders, commander?"

"Engage the Panzer IV, Maho," Miho replied. "If it can take out a Konigstiger, it's a threat."

On the bridge, Maho's Tiger turned to engage the new target. She fired, but the Panzer IV backed away. Maho backed the Tiger on the bridge up and turned to pursue.


"Boar here. I don't see Maho. The JagdPanther is the last in line," Carpaccio radioed.

"Bulldog here. Maho is probably after Anglerfish," came the reply. "Eagle is going to hold its ambush at the Maus. Engage as you see fit, Boar. Your position is no longer needed. We'll hit them from the other side once you've panicked them."

"About time we get to fight! This is Swan. Chicken, can we get your help? We have a plan," radioed Taeko. "Meet us at the Maus."

"Chicken on the way," replied Saori.

"They're in Oarai," came the message from Bulldog. "It's your city. Once we hit their lines, it's going to be tough to command. Hit and run, especially with the heavy tanks."

"Eagle here. Remember the priority is the Panthers. They're easy to kill if you can get hits to the rear armor. Radio if you need help."


In the observation area, the screen display changed. Aside from the two tanks north of the river, the Oarai Panzer IV and Tiger 212, the rest of the tanks were now in Oarai itself.

On the map, many of the blue Alliance blocks moved to their positions down side streets as the red Kuromorimine battlegroups advanced, Miho's turning on to Route Two along the coast near the post office, Maho's former group just starting south from the bridge.

"15 to 12," Shiho Nishizumi observed.


Next: Always Advancing Part XLIV: Street to Street, House to House

Author's Notes: Thanks for everyone that has commented. I'm still working on getting the next couple of chapters up to speed.

I had to come up with some way to justifiably take out the Maus without repeating the same million-to-one shot Hana used in the series. Their initial plan was to immobilize the tank by blowing up the tracks with the IS-2 or SU-100, then just leave it. Still, given that Sensha-Do is somewhat a matter of the damage being partially run by computers, the shock of the large round of the 152 on the KV-2 going off where it did is, I think, at least a justifiable technical kill, even if it couldn't penetrate the upper deck armor.

I didn't mean to have yet another of Naomi's potential kills taken away, still, she goes for high-value targets, so there is the element of risk involved.

Someone paying attention will note that, while Shiho and Chiyo are expert Sensha-Do tacticians and thus very qualified to provide running neutral commentary from an omniscient position, they seem to have made a few assumptions which aren't quite true...