Sensha-dō VS the World – Chapter 1: An Introduction to International Tankery

Disclaimer: This is a non-profit, fan-made story. Girls und Panzer belongs to Actas Inc., the Girls und Panzer Projekt, and Seven Seas Entertainment. Buy the books, and watch the show, Der Film, and Das Finale to support the official release.

Zuikaku School Ship (Oarai)

It was a nice, cool day when the Oarai Girls' High School ship returned to its home dock. While the rest of the student body got ready for some time off in town, the school's Sensha-dō team made their way to the tank garages. The student council president, Anzu Kadotani, and their instructor, Ami Chouno, had called them together for a meeting. It had been a couple of months since Oarai's Sensha-dō team had, with the help of the other high schools, won against the University Strengthened Team. With that, they had ensured that their school would remain open.

The first to arrive were the members of Anglerfish Team: Miho Nishizumi, Hana Isuzu, Yukari Akiyama, Mako Reizei, and Saori Takebe. Miho, being leader of both Anglerfish Team and commander of the Sensha-dō, went up to Anzu. The student council president was flanked by Yuzuko 'Yuzu' Koyama, the vice-president, and Momo Kawashima, the PR manager. The three made up Turtle Team. Chouno stood just behind them.

Miho also noticed two strangers standing with Chouno. One was a middle-aged man, with greying brown hair and wearing a dark green military uniform with a triangular symbol on the shoulders; the symbol was colored red, blue, and yellow. The other was a younger man, with red hair under a black beret; he was wearing a khaki military uniform.

"What's going on, Anzu?" Miho asked.

"Well, Miho," Anzu replied, snacking on her dried sweet potatoes, "it seems the International Tankery Community caught wind of us beating up the University Team. They want their teams to fight us."

"Really, why?" Miho was a bit confused. "I mean, we don't normally compete on an international stage."

"I know. It's usually universities that do this sort of stuff." Anzu said. "Anyway, those two guys are instructors who came by to explain the rules."

Miho nodded, went back to her team, and explained the details. In the meantime, Mallard Team (the disciplinary committee), Hippo Team (the history buffs), Anteater Team (the gamers), and Rabbit Team (the first-years) showed up.

"International teams?" Hana was curious.

"I've heard that the International Tankery Community does things a little differently." Yukari had cursory knowledge of the teams. "For instance, they have coed teams."

"So, we could meet boys?" Saori asked, drowsiness fading in an instant.

Mako wasn't so lucky. "Did we really have to get up so early for this? It's the weekend."

Finally, Duck Team (the volleyball club) and Leopon Team (the mechanics) showed up, completing the roster.

With the teams assembled, Chouno walked up and addressed the girls. "Good morning, girls! Firstly, over the break, I was assigned to be your permanent instructor and liaison with the Sensha-dō Federation. I'll be assisting you with any updates, in addition to helping with operations where necessary."

There was some excitement, though some trepidation: the last time Chouno was their instructor, she had them engage in a hasty Battle Royale with tanks they'd found lying around.

"Secondly," Chouno continued, "this meeting was called to remind you that the Winter Continuous Track Cup will take place next month."

There was some interest in that as well. Now that there was no danger of the school being closed, they could actually enjoy competing in a tournament.

"Now, on to the main reason I've called you here today!" Chouno announced. "I'd like to introduce to you William Meyer, of the Chaffee Tankery Cadets, and Percy Evans, of the Royal Tankery Cadets. They're here to talk to us about International Tankery."

"Thank you, miss Chouno." Chouno stepped back, allowing Meyer to step forward. "As some of you may already know, Japan isn't the only nation that does Tankery. After your victory in the nationals, as well as your match against the University Team, there's been an interest among the International Tankery Community in high school competitions. To that end, the American, Canadian, British, German, Russian, and Chinese teams are exploring ways to compete in any upcoming tournaments. I'll let mister Evans run you through the key differences between your 'Sensha-dō' and International Tankery."

Meyer stepped back, allowing Evans to take his place. "Right then, the most apparent difference between Sensha-dō and International Tankery concerns vehicles: in Sensha-dō, vehicles are restricted to what was available by the end of the 1940s; in International Tankery, vehicles that were in production before the conclusion of the Korean War, in addition to approved prototypes, may be used. This decision was made to ensure that the teams' vehicles were on an even footing. Another noticeable difference is the ammunition load: tanks may carry full ammo racks, but a hit to any of these points is a kill. This confers a strategic quandary for teams: carry more ammunition, or sacrifice ammo to prevent unnecessary losses. Finally, there is the fact that teams are coeducational, or mixed gender. Now then, are there any questions?"

Riko Matsumoto, otherwise known as 'Erwin', raised a hand. "How are there national Tankery teams at the high school level?"

"Well," Meyer started, "in countries like the United States, Tankery is seen as an acceptable trainer for military cadet programs. As Japan officially renounces war as means of diplomacy by constitution, it's seen as 'hostile' to have a national team. If the Sensha-dō Federation is working on a solution, to officially compete with international teams, it's unlikely to be implemented until next year."

Midoriko Sono, the Mallard Team commander who was often called 'Sodoko' because of Mako, raised a hand. "How exactly do mixed gender teams work?"

"Actually, as Tankery was envisioned as a trainer for military cadets, it was originally intended to be restricted to boys." Evans said. "However, the decision was made shortly after to form mixed-gender teams. To maintain discipline, excessive fraternization between teammates is discouraged; fraternization between a commander and crewmates is discouraged, to prevent abuse of power; and inappropriate behavior can result in dismissal from the program, at the least, or even expulsion from their respective high schools."

Miho raised a hand. "If newer vehicles are allowed, will they be available for purchase by schools like Oarai?"

"Yes, though they will be as costly as the tanks you are used to." Evans replied, then snapped his fingers. "On a related note, as token of goodwill, the Royal Tankery Cadets have donated a training vehicle to Oarai. They are aware of how 'low' your budget may be, and sincerely hope that their tank will do you service. Don't let the name 'training vehicle' fool you; the tank's still a world beater… probably."

Miho let that last comment slide. Given her current line-up, she'd take any tank she could get her hands on.

"On that note, we would like to thank you for being a receptive audience," Meyer said, "and we hope to have some good matches soon."

With that, the American and the Englishman left.

Miho and Yukari decided to accompany the student council to their office. If they were about to fight military cadets, who may be equipped with tanks on par with the University Strengthened Team, she needed every tank she could get her hand on.

"Well, I've got some good news about membership and budget." Anzu said, reclining in her chair. "We've got some new applicants for the team, who'll be introduced tomorrow, so that each team can operate at full capacity. And, thanks to us saving the school, the principal's given us funding to upgrade our tanks."

"Are we getting any new tanks?" Yukari asked.

"Unfortunately, no." Yuzu answered. "New tanks are getting a bit more expensive, now that Tankery's getting popular again. We can, however upgrade our existing tanks."

"How so?" Anzu asked.

The student council president looked to Miho, who answered. "Well, we can upgrade the Sturmgeschütz III to an Ausf G by giving it a cupola, and convert the M3 Lee to an M3A3 by welding the doors shut and equipping it with a diesel engine."

"We can also see about upgrading the Type 3 to a Chi-Nu Kai with better armament, and the Type 89 to its Otsu variant by giving it a diesel engine too." Yukari added, "Other than that, though, we can't do much."

"According to records," Momo added, "there should still be one tank somewhere on the ship."

"Unfortunately," Yuzu said, "there was some water damage, so we have no idea what it could be."

"I'll conduct a search for the tank." Momo left the office, and the others heard her talking from the next room. "Given that the Porsche Tiger was found in the bowels of the ship, it's likely that we'll find another tank there. I'll contact the ship's maintenance crews, dig up some old contacts, and—huh?"

Momo's voice suddenly halted. Before anyone could ask if she was alright, they heard the sound of an envelope being ripped open. It seemed as though Momo had noticed some mail for her that she'd missed. This was followed first by ten to twenty seconds of unsettling silence, then by several choice expletives.

"We'll go see what's wrong with her." Anzu got up from her chair, sighing. "In the meantime, that 'training vehicle' that Evans-san donated is being loaded onto the ship. Why don't you and your team head to the garage, check it out?"

Miho could tell that she wanted some privacy while dealing with Momo. "Sure thing!"

Anglerfish Team stood in front of the garage and watched as a Diamond T tank transporter drove up to them. Once it was parked, the girls evaluated the tank, and Miho immediately had some reservations about using it.

The tank was about 25 feet long, 8 feet 9 inches wide, and nearly 9 feet tall. The hull looked heavily riveted, but Miho hoped that it was mostly cosmetic: having a genuinely riveted tank could cause serious injuries, if not death, from spalling. She counted five turrets: one with a QF 3 pounder gun, and the other four with .303 Vickers machine guns. To aid in mounting, and dismounting, the tank featured a ladder on each side and hatches big enough to accommodate stretchers. Miho noticed a small metal plate riveted to the front, which had the word 'Fuji' engraved into it.

While the mechanics drove the tank off of the trailer, Anglerfish Team spent a couple seconds trying to find the right words to use. By this point, Momo would've let loose even more expletives than she did earlier; she'd probably imply that Evans' mother was a canine, and that he must have been either severely mentally challenged, or filled with fecal matter, when he claimed that their new tank was a 'world beater'.

Yukari decided to go first by describing the armored fighting vehicle. "W-Well, uh, it's a Vickers Independent. About thirty tons… it's got a decent three pounder gun… I guess the crew in the turrets can spot targets behind the tank."

"What's with all the nails?" Saori asked.

"Th-Those are rivets." Yukari replied. "This was first made back when Britain still used riveting for their tanks."

Miho sighed. "First and foremost, we need to test it for safety. I don't want a crew to get hurt because someone decided on authenticity over safety."

"How do we do that?" Hana asked.

"It's actually pretty simple." Yukari said. "We drive it to the shooting range, fire at it with one of our other tanks, and see if the rivets bounce around inside."

"What do we shoot it with?" Hana asked.

"Any gun would work, really." Miho said, shaking her head at Evans' ethnocentrism/malice. "If this tank has the regulation amount of carbon under-armor, we don't need to worry about genuine penetration. We need something to put inside of it, though."

"Something with almost the same dimensions as a person," Yukari continued, "that can easily show us damage."

"Saori has some things we can use." Mako raised her hand, still a bit lethargic.

The girls looked to Saori, who pouted.

An hour later, the Independent was driven to the firing range. Anglerfish Team had decided to bring along Duck Team's tank, on the basis that the lower velocity gun would reduce the odds of overpenetration if the tank didn't have the regulatory carbon under-armor. Inside the Independent, long pillows were placed in the driver, gunner, loader, and commander positions; two of these were shaped like cats, while the other two had characters from Attack on Titan printed on them. Anglerfish Team stood next to the Type 89, wearing ear protection and goggles, and the Japanese medium tank stood about ten meters away from the British landship.

While Miho raised her binoculars to watch the Independent, Yukari did her best to reassure Saori. "Don't worry! If all goes well, you'll get your pillows back in one piece!"

Saori turned away, face red. "W-Well, I'm just embarrassed that Mako brought them up!"

"Ah, but they're perfect for the test!" Yukari said.

Miho turned on the walkie-talkie she had brought with her. "We're all set, Duck Team! Fire at will!"

The Type 89 fired a 57mm shell, which flew forward and hit the Independent right between the front two machine gun turrets. Miho watched and waited for the requisite white flag to pop out of the large, wide cone on the back of the main turret, indicating a kill. It didn't. Clearly, the round didn't penetrate.

Miho raised the walkie-talkie to her mouth. "Cease fire! We'll get up closer and check out the damage!"

"Understood, commander!" Noriko Isobe, Duck Team's commander, replied.

Anglerfish Team took off their protective equipment and walked downrange, while Duck Team opened the breech of their cannon and made sure the Type 91 machine guns were unloaded.

Just as Miho suspected, the Type 89's cannon had failed to penetrate the Independent's armor. There was a dent where the shell made impact, but the girls were more interested on what was going on inside the tank. Miho opened one of the stretcher hatches and peered inside. From what she saw, the most the shell did was cause the Levi body pillow to fall out of the gunner's seat. She climbed inside for a closer look, then popped out to report to her friends.

"Well, it looks like the rivets are just cosmetic." Miho said, relief evident on her face. "No spalling detected, and the pillows are fine."

"That's great!" Yukari cheered, while Saori looked away in embarrassment. "So, should we use it?"

"We're not exactly in a position to turn it down." Miho scratched the back of her head. "Honestly, if this hadn't shown up, I'd be willing to resort to a Mark V, or even an A7V."

"Those are World War One tanks, right?" Saori asked.

"Yeah, but the British Home Guard used a museum tank after the Evacuation of Dunkirk ended." Yukari said.

"So, with that out of the way," Hana started, "why don't we grab some lunch?"

"Sounds like a great idea." Miho said.

Meanwhile, at the Ark Royal School Ship (St. Gloriana)

"Really, miss Darjeeling, I must thank you for accommodating my section for the Winter Continuous Track."

"No problem at all, Clarke-san." Darjeeling said, while Orange Pekoe poured some more tea for her and her guest.

Her guest was a young man, in his last year of high school, wearing khaki military uniform. He was tall, of slight build, with fair skin, short sandy hair, and piercing blue eyes. In his lap was a black beret, with a silver pin that was shaped like a Mark IV heavy tank. A nametag above the right breast pocket read 'Clarke', and he had a white crown next to a white diamond on his epaulettes.

"Admittedly, it was a bit surprising to hear that foreign schools would be partaking in the Winter Cup," Darjeeling said, while Clarke took a sip of his tea, "but it was even more intriguing to hear that some of them wanted small sections of their teams attached to our teams."

"The Americans and us agree that doing so would eliminate the odds of friendly fire if we faced you or Saunders." Clarke said. "The Germans have only recently started their team, so they want to pair with Kuromorimine for experienced allies."

"What about the others?"

"Canada turned down our invite to join with you, Russia wants to prove itself on the world stage, and China refuses to ally with 'the manifestations of increasing Japanese militarism'."

Darjeeling cocked an eyebrow. "Is that how they view Sensha-dō?"

"Well, you have to understand," Clarke started, setting his teacup down, "the PRC, along with a couple other nations, are still quite bitter about the last World War. They feel that they should get more of an apology for actions taken by the Japanese Army, especially against the inhabitants of Nanjing. A rather hypocritical stance, considering how their troops conducted themselves in Hong Kong."

"Well," Darjeeling set her cup down, "I won't deny any of the alleged crimes at Nanking. Still, I feel China's completely misconstrued Sensha-dō as a martial art."

"Darjeeling-sama!" Rosehip burst into the room, startling Pekoe and Assam. "I was just by the garages and I saw some new tanks! There was a Grant, a Centurion, and three Cromwells! Are they ours?! I didn't know we could have a Centurion—!"

"No, Rosehip." Darjeeling said. "Those tanks belong to the Royal Tankery Cadets; you remember the memo I sent you about hosting a British contingent for the Winter Cup?"

"Ehhhh," Rosehip looked worried, "I skimmed it, mostly."

Clarke snickered, while Darjeeling sighed at her excessively energetic subordinate. "Well, I'd like you to read it over again; read it thoroughly this time."

Meanwhile, at the Graf Zeppelin School Ship (Kuromorimine)

Erika Itsumi, recently promoted to commander of Kuromorimine's Sensha-dō team, walked by the garages with her recently appointed vice commander, Koume Akaboshi, to inspect a platoon of five tanks from the Scharnhorst Panzerfahren Abteilung. She saw a Panzerkampfwagen 38(t) Ausf G, a T-34/85, a KV-2 with an 88mm KwK 36, a KV-1 with a 75mm KwK 40, and an unknown tank. Each tank was painted dark green, with deep blue Maltese crosses with white borders painted on the turrets.

Standing in front of the eclectic collection of tanks were their crews, with their commanders at the forefront. The crews, a mixture of boys and girls in their late teens, wore light grey coats, dark grey trousers, light blue shirts, black ties, black berets, and black shoes. The commander that stuck out to Erika was a young man, with closely-cropped dark brown hair and a dark green scarf, standing in front of the Panzer 38(t). She walked over to him.

He extended a hand in greeting. "Cadet Hauptmann Karl Hartmann, commander of Panzer Truppe Schwarzwaldspitze."

"Erika Itsumi," Erika shook his hand, "commander of Kuromorimine's Sensha-dō team."

"I must thank you for allowing a small contingent to accompany your school in the Winter Cup." Hartmann said.

"It's no trouble; Kuromorimine Girls' Academy has always had close ties to Germany, and we are pleased that you asked use to aid you in starting a Tankery team." Erika replied, then looked over the tanks. "Now then, I'd like you to give me a run down of your vehicles; I recognize the thirty-eight-tee, T-34, and both KVs, but I'd like to know more about the other tank; I'd also like to know why your KVs have their original guns replaced."

"Of course, Kommandantin Itsumi." Hartmann turned and walked to the unknown tank, with Erika and Koume following. "This is the Vollketten 30.01 Deh-Beh: it's a prototype tank that Daimler-Benz submitted as a response to the Soviet T-34. Our Panzerfahren team chose it over the Panther because it's cheaper, and easier to produce."

"Because it's cheaper?" Erika cocked an eyebrow.

"Our Panzerfahren team has as much support as the Bundeswehr: some see it as necessary, yet don't support it, while others see it as unnecessary." Hartmann replied, then walked over to the KVs. "These tanks are the product of Cadet Oberleutnant Johann Schmidt. Panzerstein!"

One of the commanders, a young man with closely cropped white hair and red eyes, walked up to them and saluted. "Ja, mein Herr?!"

"Erklär diese Panzer zu unserer Kommandatin."

"Jawohl, mein Herr!" the young man, whom Hartmann had called 'Panzerstein', turned to Erika and Koume. "Well, as we had a hard time acquiring enough German tanks to form a battalion of four companies, it was decided to use foreign tanks. Even then, we could only get enough for two platoons."

"That explains the T-34," Koume said, "but what about—?"

"After acquiring the tanks, I thought to myself, 'neither tank uses German ammunition'." Panzerstein continued. "So, I mounted a Kampfwagen Kanone 40 onto the KV-1, and I replaced the howitzer on the KV-2 with a Kampfwagen Kanone 36. Overall, it was much cheaper than getting a Tiger or another E-75, and, unlike a Nashorn or Jagdpanther, it has a rotating turret. I mean, you still can't rotate it on uneven ground, but it beats having super heavy shells."

"Have you fired it?" Koume asked.

"Sure!" Panzerstein was eager, but his crew cringed. "I mean, yeah, firing isn't exactly comfortable, but it's not lethal."

"Interesting." Erika turned back to Hartmann, while Koume went to the Kurimorimine girls gathered nearby. "Hartmann-san! I want you to get these tanks over to the testing grounds: I want to see how much your crews know, and where I need to help them improve!"

"Understood, Kommandatin!" Hartmann said, then started ordering his Truppe to their tanks.

While he did that, Erika thought over her video call with Maho Nishizumi; the young heir was at Heidelberg University, leaving her in command of Kuromorimine. In the call, Maho had encouraged her vice commander to 'find her own way of Sensha-dō'. Erika wondered how she could go about that, and how this new German team would help.

Meanwhile, at a Finnish Sauna in Kanazawa City (Jatkosota)

"So, you'd like to fight alongside our team for the Winter Cup?"

"Yeah."

"Hmm."

Mika, Aki, and Mikko had decided to take a break in the sauna, and they were joined by a couple of Canadian military cadets. They were both young women in their late teens. One of them had closely cropped brown hair, while the other had blonde hair tied into a French braid. All of them wore towels around their torsos and sat on the benches, while Mika strummed her characteristic kantele.

When their friend and commander didn't reply, Aki exchanged a glance with Mikko before speaking up. "It would be nice to see Miho and everyone else from the University match."

"Being with friends is nice," Mika said, "though solitude can often be important. Besides, winter is a time for resting."

The blonde Canadian exchanged a glance with her commander before speaking up, sounding like someone from Quebec. "Miss Mika, if Jatkosta won't enter, then is the Canadian team welcome to enter in their place?"

Mika didn't immediately respond, prompting the Canadian commander to speak up. "Miss Mika, I would like my team to fight alongside experienced players. I'd like your response now."

"One must be patient, Johnson-san." Mika replied, eyes closed.

Victoria Johnson, known as 'Tori' to her friends, narrowed her eyes. "I'm sure you're aware that the Sensha-dō Federation's thinking about allowing postwar designs into national tournaments. You know what that means? It means, sooner or later, your stolen tanks—"

"Borrowed." Mika interjected without skipping a beat.

"Whatever. Of the tanks you own, only three of them are viable fighters, excluding your BT-42." Johnson continued, then got up to make sure no one was eavesdropping on them. "If you can join up, I'll make it worth your while."

Mika stopped strumming and opened her eyes. "How so?"

Johnson took another check and sat back down. "A Centurion I, a Charioteer, ammo, fuel, and Earl Grey and instant hot chocolate for the Boiling Vessels."

Mika's eyes sparkled. Tanks, supplies, and hot drinks. All that, plus the opportunity to filch stuff from the other teams if she could get away with it, in exchange for entering the Winter Cup with these Canadians.

A/N: This is just a taste of what's to come.

I've yet to see Das Finale, but I've seen Potential History's video on the first episode on YouTube. There may be inaccuracies.

Here, I changed Maho's university from a school in Lower Saxony to Heidelberg University because the city of Heidelberg is a sister city to Kumamoto, where Kuromorimine is usually located in the show. I'm also giving Shark Team a Vickers Independent instead of a Mark IV/V; both are landships, but the Vickers has turrets. Johann Schmidt's nickname is a reference to Frankenstein, the doctor who takes body parts and stitches them together to create a monster. I have emailed Tanks Encyclopedia about the feasibility of the KV-2; they said mounting an 88 was feasible, but they weren't entirely sure about firing it and what the inside of the turret would look like. If anyone has a way to test this, they're welcome to tell me.

Check out Persona 5: Crusade on my profile.