Been a while, I know. Covid apparently woke up for the winter and now people won't stop coofing, which makes my job much harder as I'm legally required to try and triage them.

Anyway, back to Anzio


Azusa sat in shock; The Americans had been taken out, and had reportedly barely even taken a few of the tankettes with them! How did the rest of the team even stand a chance if their heaviest hitter could stand up against them???

Looking around, she saw her fellow first years having the same thoughts, worried expressions crossing their faces. She nearly panicked, before remembering the lessons her two Senpais had taught her; as the commander, she was responsible for keeping everyone on track! She wouldn't let her crewmates panic.

"Everyone, calm down please! We're gonna still win this! Joshua took out several tanks, and they saved the flag tank!"

"But they're the biggest tank! If they got taken out..."

Azusa looked at Yuuki, then to the rest of her crew

"It doesn't matter, we're gonna rally everyone and take them out! If we all work together, we can still win!"

The girls looked at their commander, awestruck when Aya piped up

"Wow, you sounded alot like Miho senpai just now! The commanders right, we need to win this! Hector-sama would not want us to give up so easily!"

The rest of the girls nodded fiercly, crying out their determination

"For Oniisan!"

"Right! Now, let's think girls!", Azusa finished, climbing out and opening the commanders hatch, the rest of her crew popping their heads out and looking around

"Okay, let's think... we need to take away their biggest advantage, which is their speed! If we can slow the tankettes down, we can out manuver the rest. We know about where they are but not exactly... but how do we stop the tankettes..."

feeling a tug on her sleeve, Azusa looked twords Saki, who pointed lazily at a large pine tree

"Saki, I know the forest is pretty, but now's it the time!" The small commander said, exasperated

Saki shook her head, tugging harder, before speaking

"Star wars."

The girls all looked at the tree, to their tank, and back again, before all of the film buffs came to the same conclusion

"Yuuki, get me Miho-senpai!"


"Pepperoni, listen! I hear an engine, fast too!"

The girl quieted herself, pushing all thoughts of her beloved Duce aside, and listened. Sure enough, the distinct sound of an engine could be heard, and the clink of tracks. As It got closer, however, the tracks stopped, and the engine continued

Before Pepperoni had time to sight in, the sight of a grey streak zipped past her, before coming around again. Identifying it, she saw it was Oorais armored car, firing high explosive shells wildly.

"Slice one, Slice two, break cover and engage!"

Two of her Cv33s broke out, zipping around and firing at the car. Unfortunately, the driver was incredibly skilled, with the armored car just as fast in reverse as forwards. Pepperoni was just about to lose her patience when a shell fired from the distance, hitting one of her tankettes and flipping it

"Pepperoni! It's the flag tank, the flag tank is out here!"

"Wah!?! All pizza slices, advance! Duce, we have found their flag tank, I recommend we pursue!"


Anchovy gripped her radio eagerly, "Very good Pepperoni! Carpaccio, follow them and assist from range once they corner the flag tank! We will follow in the P40! Oorai will fall this day, mark my words!"

The Italian steel trembled, the forest rumbling with their engines, and they were off, charging down the forest road in pursuit of their prey


Pepperoni was wildly firing at the running armored car, reloading as fast as she could. The Puma was strategically denying the tankettes a shot at the flag tank, blocking it with their own vehicle. They went around a bend, zipping by a cliff side road. Before the tankettes followed, they were joined by the Duce herself, who came around from the forest, and her friends Semoventes. Leading the charge, Armaretto drifted the tankettes around with her smaller sisters, coming face to face with the rear facing turret of the armored car. It fired, striking a Semovente and piercing the front. Undeterred, Pepperoni and her tankettes fired their 20mm rounds more and more, crossing the cliff road stretch and coming into thick forest once more.

BANG

Pepperoni grinned as she saw the shell impact the car, spinning it out of control and popping it's white flag. She'd have to congratulate Carpaccio on that shot later! Sighting the running Panzer 38 (t), she eagerly waited for the perfect moment before firing


"Miho senpai, Now!!!"

As the 38 (t) came ripping across the tanks, the M3 Lee and the Panzer IV revved their engines, praying their tow cables would hold. further down, the road, the StuG prepared it's sights from within it's camoflauged position. They were exposed otherwise, and would get only one shot at their prey.

As Azusa looked upwards, she saw the tree her tank was tethered to begin to buckle.

"It's not enough, Aya, help it pleasel!"

"Roger, Roger!"

Aya hurried to comply, loading a shell and firing at the base of the tree, as the report from down the road indicated Hana had done the same. It was just enough; the tree groaned, and began to fall, just as Azusa detached the towing cable and the Lee sped backwards out of reach.


Looking down her sight, Pepperoni found her vision clouded by a blur of green as Amaretto yelped. The next thing she felt was her forehead impacting the front of her tank, and the rest of her tankettes crashing into her from behind, unable to brake as the tree fell in front of them


Anchovy gasped, seeing her tankette force turn into so much wreckage. The survivors were quickly dispatched by the tank off to the side, who's 37 and 75mm shells made quick work of them. two of her Semoventes met the same fate, pursuing too quickly and crashing into the tree.

"Driver, reverse, full reverse!"

The P40 attempted to comply, but the crashing of branches indicated that the tree behind Anchovy was likewise felled; They were boxed in! Another of her Semoventes were destroyed, as the Duce turned her tank twords the Panzer IV that had done so. Loading a round, her gunner fired, and the two tanks desperately engaged in a duel


"Around, around to the left! Get the Panzer!"

Carpaccio's tank turned, kicking up dirt as it brought it's casemate and gun to bear. She watched as the Duce's P40 was immobilized, it's engine destroyed, and the Oorai panzer manuvered for the kill. Like the hand of God, her gunner fired blindly as soon as the gun passed the German tank, scoring a lucky hit and destroying it.

Not taking the time to breath, Carpaccio quickly scanned around, seeing her other Semovente reversing away. Suddenly, a muzzle flashed, impacting the Semovente and disabling it. She peered through and saw a smoking gun sticking out of some brush; It had to be Taka-chan and her StuG!

"Gunner, target is in the shrubs to our right! Take it out, it sees us!!"

Desperately turning, the tank lined itself up, the gunner cranking the dials wildly

"Target aquired!"

"Fire!"

Just as the shell thumped, Carpaccio saw Taka-chan's tank flash, before watching the shell arc over her tank destroyer as her own round impacted it squarely in the lower glacis plate. The StuG smoked, and the flag popped up

"She missed! Great shooting-"

"Anzio flag tank disabled, Oorai girls academy wins!"

In shock, Carpaccio climbed out of her hatch, and whipped around to see the Duce staring at her, a German 75mm round embedded in the disabled P40s carbon safety armor, having ripped through the steel of the hull


"Saemonza, that was one hell of a shot!"

The archer grinned, shrugging at her teammates praise. The girls of Hippo Team were a little banged up after Carpaccio had hit them, but winning the match made the smoke and grime on their faces seem better than even the most expensive of makeup. The M3 Lee came crawling out of the forest, Azusa looking around and pumping her fist. several of the Rabbits piled out of the tank, jumping around and hugging eachotherin glee before Azusa began shouting over the radio

"WE DID IT! WE ACTUALLY DID IT! OPERATION: ENDOR WAS A SUCCESS!"


The Americans listened with interest; Disabled tanks couldn't transmit messages after 15 or so seconds, but could still listen in. As Azusa cried her victory, Sam showed the match to everyone gathered around on her phone. Hector was beaming with pride, and Joshua was in shock at their plan

The radio crackled as the Rabbits began taking over the radio

"Nii-chan, if you're listening I hope you're proud!"

"We did it onii-chan!"

"Onii-chan! Onii-chan! Saki wants to go to ice cream afterwards!"

The Rabbits continued their screeching, Hector falling back into his seat and blushing, though he couldn't hide the prideful smile on his face as Rachel squeeed and grabbed his arm, gushing over the cuteness of it all. Sam and Michael kept replaying the shot that Saemonza made, switching between that and the chase from the Puma that led to their bait.

Joshua couldn't stop staring at the audacity of the plan; Using the trees as roadblocks was bold, genius, and daring. He kept replaying it in his mind, before his thoughts drifted to Azusa. He'd have to talk to Miho about her; she was DEFINITELY more talented than either had previously thought.

He smiled as he thought of the first year commander, imagining that with some training, she could be a great succesor to the Oorai Sensha-Dō team once they all left. He played the video once more on his own phone, watching as the tree fell and the Lee opened up on the crashed tanks with respect, and no small amount of awe

"Clever girl..."


it has come to my attention that the previous chapters name would fit this one much better. Unfortunately, it's already been named, and though small edits and quick ninja changes I allow, I'm not so sure I wanna go ahead and change the entirety of the chapter name so far out from it. So, it'll remain as it is.

In case you didn't catch it, this plan was inspired by the AT-ST scene in Return Of The Jedi, where the Ewoks use several trees and logs to disable the Imperial walkers. I figured a bunch of film buffs would take inspiration from that. It also let me write more out my little sister-fus the adorable Rabbit team, And flesh out Azusa a bit.