"I still can't believe they won just like that!" Nekonya was heard saying two days later.
"Nekonya-san, when are you going to stop complaining?" Momoga muttered, exasperated at her captain's complaining.
"Oh come on! It's like when you get taken out in a tank game and you haven't even left your spawn!"
"We can hear you y'know?" Otto piped up as he finished with something. "Anyways, technically it was your girls' fault for forgetting about Hans." He leaned back down over the M3 Lee, holding up a tube-like device over where the 88mm shell had pierced the hull and leaving it twisted and mangled. Placing a piece of steel over the device's open end, he pressed it against the hole in the M3, and pulled down on it's trigger. A few seconds later, he pulled it back and the hole was perfectly welded shut with the bar of steel having a sizable hold in it. He took out the plate and threw it into a bucket, where dozens of plates with holes lay discarded. To Otto's right, Eric, Hoshino, and Clemens were at work fixing the twisted mantlet of the Chi-Nu.
"Hey, are you sure you don't wanna take a break? We've been fixing this for a while now." Hoshino asked. She hammered a bolt back into the Type 3's mantlet plate.
"It's alright. We've had to fix battleships before, and those things, oh boy...It took forever just to fix one turret. A tank like this should be easy." Working alongside the Ooarai mechanics were a few of the Germans, along with Willy and about 4 of his family, Owen, and a man wearing a beret with a stereotypical French mustache. Willy and his brothers were working on the M3 Lee's 75mm gun, which had been hit pretty badly on the front, Owen was helping to fix up the Mark IV Landship, and the mustached man was fixing the Char B1 Bis, alongside Hans for some reason. The other Germans worked spread out amongst the other tanks, although to the amusement of the others, they gravitated towards the German tanks.
"I have to agree with Eric here. When we were back in the Kriegsmarine, one of the guns was hit by a shell, and it took almost 5 days just to fix that one. Then we had to deal with all the smaller guns. So far, it's only taken 2 days to tow your tanks back here, do some light fixing, then today, after we've gotten all the replacement parts and proper gear."
Hoshino sighed as she put the final bolt into the mantlet. "By the way, how're your guys' tanks doing?" She tipped her head outside the garage doors, and sitting out in the open were the 2 Panthers, 2 Tigers, and Faber's Konigstiger. "The engine on one of the Tigers burst into flames, didn't it?"
Lenanard poked his head up from fixing the Stug III. "Well at least we didn't get burnt alive, eh? Anyways, we're pretty familiar with our own tanks, and since we made all those agreements, we're working on your tanks first. Either that or we're being courteous."
"Huh, well thanks either way! On that note, what's the worst thing you guys have seen happen to a tank?" All the soldiers immediately stiffened. "Or don't answer, if you want...heh…"
"Well…" Willy twisted a gear on the 75mm gun of the M3. "The first time I commanded a tank, I was ordinary infantry, GIs. We were assaulting this German bunker system hidden in the woods, and they had a crap ton of Anti-Tank guns, and we only had a few Shermans as support. Pretty suicidal to send us in aye?" The others nodded. The crews of the tanks currently being repaired, sat around in the hanger, watching, so they nodded too. "So the lead captain of the, about 5-7 Shermans, he was this guy who always complained about visibility in the turret, so he'd stick his head out of the cupola, and the idiot decided to stick out his torso and shoulders too. Big ass mistake, next moment while we're under fire, he gets sniped out of the cupola."
"Yikes…" Saori muttered.
"Oh, and I'm not saying he was shot by a bullet, his entire upper half was blown off by a German shell. Head, shoulders, and torso, now it's all red paste somewhere."
"Are you sure you should be telling them that story? Well, it's already too late but still, the story is pretty gruesome." Owen snapped the tracks of the Mark IV back together.
"Ah be quiet, when you weren't commanding tanks you were dropping Germans from hundreds of meters away like an alligator killing a deer. That is to say very easily."
"Shut up, chav."
"Thought you'd call us posh boys honestly." one of Willy's siblings muttered, before the 3 went back to working silently.
"Geez, that was gruesome…" a somewhat shaken Saori mumbled to her teammates.
"On that note, Lennard told me to ask Hans about dead crews or something." Everyone stared at Erwin. "What? It slipped out, I asked Lennard if he's seen people get...nevermind."
"I heard you, [Mädchen.]" Hans took a break from repairing the Char B1 Bis, wiped his hands on his pants, and sat down atop the turret. "Might as well tell you all since we'll be stuck here until 'it'," Hans jerked towards the covered Wundermotor. "Has the energy to bring us home again, so...During the invasion of France, I commanded a Panzer II C, a normal once, and one day, we ran into a French Char B1. We couldn't damage it with our guns, and while I was sitting out of the cupola to look around for any French forces, a 75mm shell hit my Panzer head on. To this day I still wonder how I wasn't killed. My crewmen weren't so lucky, unfortunately." The girls went wide eyed at the story, but the Mallard Team the most. "The worst part was, everyone else thought I had died, but I only got hit in the legs, and fortunately, I didn't lose them. Still, they thought I died, so I had to sit in a field for 3 days, by myself and my terribly bandaged legs, fending off French soldiers that got close to me."
"So wait, why are you repairing our tank?" Sodoko asked with a hint of suspicion.
"Hm? Oh, after some scouts from the 7th Panzer Division found me, I had to be hospitalized in France because there weren't any trains or vehicles willing to take me to a German hospital. After we captured Paris, I spent a lot of time studying French tanks while in the hospital, especially the Char B1 Bis." Hans looked at the looks of both shock and wonder on the girls' faces, and said in a satirical tone, "Welp, that was my backstory, anybody wanna have a go?" Silence. "I expected as much."
"Well…" Otto put a finger to his chin, and everybody twisted around. The Ooarai girls had faces of excitement and anticipation. "I might as well. Everyone's probably already told you about me, but I'm from a long family of mechanics and tinkerers, hence the family name being Bastler. The first time I made something for war, the Wehrmatcht commissioned me to make a design for an air tight tank chamber that would protect the crewmen inside from being killed by shells and so tanks could ford water easier. I think…" Otto pointed to Satoko. "You've seen it, right? It's inside the tanks." The girl nodded eagerly. "The only problem with it was that it was very expensive to make, so it was reserved for specialist tank units, and in this case, the tanks that we use. Then I was approached by the Luftwaffe to make a zeppelin akin to a flying fortress. So I designed the [Konig der Lufte.] Then I was approached by the Kreigsmarine, and I redesigned the Bismarck to dive underwater. Eric, Clemons, Ralph, did you tell them about it?"
The 3 respective sailors jumped. Ralph was working on the Mark IV's interior parts, and yet he heard Otto. Eric stuttered, "[N-nein, we didn't.]"
"Really? I thought you wore it on your chests like badges that you were senior officers on the Bismarck, in charge of the 380mm guns?"
"Well we don't."
While the two Germans spoke, the entirety of the Shark Team was sitting like stone faced Buddhas. Ogin muttered in a hollow voice, "I thought they were just normal swabbies…senior officers..and on the Bismarck of all ships..."
Murakami and Rum determinedly said together, "We've gotta ask 'em later."
"Anyways, how did the diving work out?"
"It worked out great, we weren't sunk by all those British forces. Heh, I still remember seeing those captured tapes from British ships when we resurfaced a week later."
"That's good." Otto turned his attention back to his own story. "So I worked on a lot of things. I worked on some more projects, then I was pulled to work on the R-"
"Don't." Faber stood near the garage door, apparently finished fixing his Konigstiger.
"I-I meant...I fixed German tank production errors and simplified things, yeah. I also did something that was very vital to a certain person's life, but uh, that's classified." Yukari giggled, and Miho the Student Council raised their eyebrows. "Anyways I'm done." And with that, Otto went straight back to work. The next several minutes were filled with silence that was only filled by the sounds of tools and mechanical issues being resolved.
"You know...I realize we've never sat down and talked properly." Faber said in a low voice. Standing next to the Anglerfish and Rabbit Teams, they realized that Faber was quite tall. Not too much taller than his comrades, but at least taller than six feet.
"Oh yeah, your right…" Miho racked her head for something to talk about. "Hm, I've got something: What do you think of Sensha-do?"
Faber gave it a bit of thought, "Hmmm...I guess they'll let anyone drive a tank these days." Faber glanced at the Rabbit Team, who were all excitedly talking about...something. "Still! The concept of this sport does remind me of something unfortunate back home."
"Really? What is it?"
"Well...it keeps making me think of the Hitler Youth, who were trained to fight Allied soldiers. I mean, I'm not saying it's anything like that, it's just the concept of having children like you learn how to operate and fight in tanks, do you get what I mean?"
"Hm, yeah. Y'know, my family is famous for Sensha-do."
"Really? You didn't mention that before."
Miho nodded eagerly. "I have an older sister named Maho, she's the Sensha-do Commander at the school Kuromorimine. It's very German themed."
"I see. Well that would certainly explain why you spoke German when we first met, [liebchen.]" Miho blushed at the endearing nickname and Yukari scowled.
"By the way, do you and your men use a P.1000-"
"Akiyama. Just drop it." Faber interrupted.
"But-"
"Please. Stop, it'll do us all better that you not find out."
"Arrrgh!" Miho and Hana giggled at Yukari's enthusiasm. "I will find out if it's a Landkreuzer Ratte if it's the last thing I do!"
"Ha, sure you will. Me and my men, we're very good at setting traps. Better do well not to trip them."
Across the hanger, sitting with her teammates and fellow history buffs, Erwin asked once more, "Should I go talk to Eisenherz?"
Her teammates looked at each other and chuckled to themselves. Caesar took the lead. "Sure, go ahead! If I met Julius Caesar, I'd be all over him! Besides, you love Erwin Rommel right? If Eisenherz-san knew him as a friend, take the dive! Just like a good Roman general would say, 'carpe diem!'"
"Alright…" Erwin hopped off her wooden crate, and walked towards where Faber and her comrades were having a good talk. "Hey uh, you knew Erwin Rommel right?" she asked the general.
"You're that [frau] who knows all about him, right?" Erwin nodded, much happier since Faber remembered her. "Indeed, I knew him as a comrade in arms and as a close friend. He would always tell me to be quick and decisive when in battle, and as he put it, 'The enemy won't be sitting about all day, awaiting your moves. You must strike quickly, and seize the chance. Sweat saves blood, blood saves lives, and brains will save both.' I'm guessing you already know a quote of him saying that?"
"Of course!"
Faber chuckled at Erwin's dedication. "Yes, it's a shame he met his end the way he did. He told me that he despised the Nazi ideology of purging Jews. I wish I could've talked to him again, but he was in the Afrikakorps, and I was stuck in Stalingrad, before…"
"Before what, mister Eisenherz?"
Faber shook his head. "Nothing. After I returned from Stalingrad, I was introduced to my men and we were deployed as an elite Panzer unit. I greatly admire Rommel's commanding ability. I actually tend to mimic him from time to time."
"I know, right?" Erwin and Faber continued to talk about Rommel, until Erwin brought something up. "About plans, what was your plan to take us out during our match together?"
"My strategy?" The girls perked up, and Faber laughed to himself at how eager they seemed to hear his plan. "Alright. My first plan was for Hans to disable your movement, and while you were preoccupied with him, have the others get into a position where they could pick you off once you were unable to move your tanks. However, that failed, so I had a backup strategy. I had the remaining Panthers and Tiger split up and retreat backwards to where I was hiding, and once they were lost from your sight, I would engage you for as long as possible. While that would happen, the others would loop all the way around and strike your forces in the rear while they were preoccupied with me. However, that failed too, so I had to come out of hiding." Miho and some of the other commanders smiled in accomplishment. "However! That was the final part of my plan. I predicted that we would all be taken out, but not without thinning your own forces, so all the while, I had Hans evade you all completely, from combat and from sight. It meant that even if you took me out, you would've lost your best fighters, which would've made it easy for Hans to finish the match. This match of ours was a war of attrition, and Hans was perfect for this purpose. Good job to us, and you all."
"Nice plan Faber. It sounds very convoluted don't it?" Willy chuckled.
"Well, at least it's better than what you and your men do, from what I've heard in reports."
"Ahhh, whatever it works." Willy's men laughed at their commander's response. "Hey, Nishizumi! You said that there's a German themed school in this world, what're the other schools like? Is there an American one?"
Yukari answered for Miho. "There is! Saunders Girls High School, the students are stereotypically American(even though we're all Japanese)and they use only American tanks. Well unless you count the Sherman Firefly, which is a British conversion for the QF17 Pounder, and on that note, there's also a British themed school, Saint Gloriana Girls High School. They're always composed and they drink tea all the time, even in the middle of battle!"
"Well sounds just like us Bri'ish back home then! Ha!" Several people in the hanger laughed at the joke. "What other schools are there?"
"Well, there's the Russian-Soviet themed Pravda Girls High School, lead by their leader Katyusha, there's Kuromorimine, which Nishizumi-dono already explained, is German themed, Chi-Ha-Tan, which is themed off of WW2 Japan, Jatkosota, the Finnish themed school, and interestingly there's two French themed schools. BC Freedom and Maginot Academy."
"Are they seperate, or together?" the beret wearing man asked with a pointed finger.
"Their separate schools, with different doctrines. Also, who're you? I've never seen you before."
Owen began working on the front plate of the Mark IV. "He's Jean, a Frenchman we picked up when us, Green Day, advanced into Paris ahead of the main forces. One of my countrymen was hit by a shell that pierced the fighting compartment, which usually never happens with the design of our tanks. Anyways, we had to get someone to replace him, and Jean, a French rebel during the German occupation, volunteered to replace him."
"[Oui.] It'd be nice to speak to people who know French again." Jean said.
"I speak French." Hans wiped his hands on his pants again.
"Eh, I'd rather not. Before we were zapped here, we were trying to kill each other, [non?]"
"Forget about it. We'll be here for a long time anyways. Might as well enjoy it then."
"Alrighty then." However, unbeknownst to them all, a helicopter was touching down on the Ooarai school carrier, and out jumped three girls wearing the Ooarai uniform. One of them chewed their bubblegum before blowing a bubble. The other adjusted a piece of listening gear they had brought with them. And the last pointed her finger, and with gusto, Kay commanded,
"Alright, Alisa, Naomi! Let's go!"