This Match Has Only Just Started!
Miyagi Prefecture – spectator stands – 12.05h Saturday
"I can't believe it, I simply can't!" Maika complained loudly while she tapped her foot at the sight of Miho and Yukari coming up the stairs. "You forgot about the time, didn't you? Ugh, I can't believe that you both forgot about it. Aren't you lucky that I gave you a call?"
Taking a seat the quintet was glad to finally be able to catch some rest; it had been a long trip to get here, and not one without some issues. But at last, they were where they wanted to be; they had finally arrived.
Making a bow, Miho and Yukari were quick to apologise for their tardiness, and despite Maika's irritated demeanour, they could not fault her as they had lost track of all time.
"Just count yourself lucky you got here when you did, I don't think we could've kept your places vacant for much longer," the black-haired girl informed while she hinted at the ever-increasing crowd that was gathering here, steadily filling up any vacant spots that were left.
"Woah," Azusa let out in her amazement. "It's even busier than I thought it'd be. I didn't think that it'd be possible for this many people to be here." She had another look at the massive crowd that had gathered here, by now it was far larger than she had thought.
"I didn't think that this many would come to see this match."
Yukari nodded in agreement. "I guess that a lot of people must be really excited for this match to take place! I can't wait to see what cool tanks both teams have! Oh, this is so cool!" The excitement in her voice was quite notable.
"Maybe," Maika replied while she turned her attention to a group of older ladies just a little to their front left. "They don't look like the kinda people who are interested in the actual match, more likely here for a different reason. I'm just hoping that I'm wrong here though."
"Huh? Wrong about what exactly, Minase-dono?"
"Nothing, just forget what I said." And with those words the black-haired girl sat down, fiddling a little with one of her pigtails.
Taking note of what the girl had just said Miho turned back to look at the screen. Regardless of what reasons people were here for, she had her own motivations. Risking a glance at her current company she was not fond of the fact that she could not tell any of them. She was keen to let the truth be known as soon as possible, but right now the best she could do was to hope that the NDA would be lifted at the earliest opportunity.
"Say senpais, which team do you think has the best chance to win here?" Azusa raised her hand as she had a question for them all. "I don't really know anything about either team so I'm somewhat interested to hear your opinions."
"Hmmm..." Yukari let out, clearly giving the question some thought before answering it. "I think, and this is just my opinion, that it's hard to say at this point. I don't really know much if anything about these two teams either, a little of Rose Garden and nothing about the team from Germany. So I don't think I can make a fair comparison and say which one is better."
It was not the answer that Azusa had thought of but she had to admit that it was a good one, and it again highlighted the importance of knowing one's opponent.
"Akiyama's right here," Maika agreed with her. "We don't have enough information to go by, and quite frankly I don't really like to gamble with maybes."
Miho nodded in agreement, information was an important thing on any battlefield, one had to understand one's opponent if one wanted to even have a decent chance of fighting them, let alone defeating them in combat.
"So then, which team is from Japan then?" Azusa asked once more, as clearly her curiosity had not been sated.
"That'd be Rose Garden University," Sumire was the one to answer that question, her chest swelling a little with pride as she did. "Most of their students are graduates from either St. Gloriana or Saunders, so they have a pretty strong core of senshado practitioners."
"Oh, is that so?"
Maika and Sumire both nodded. "That is about the gist of it, yes, so you can kinda see certain influences, they're stricter than Saunders but looser than St. Gloriana. As for tanks, well they do limit themselves mostly to the Cruiser and Infantry type of tanks, but they also make use of some American tanks to supplement what they have."
Gazing at the two members of the Senshado Appreciation Society in awe, Azusa had to admit that she was impressed by their knowledge about a school she had never heard of before, that said it was something that made sense for these people to have a better understanding of. Regardless of what she may feel about it, it was all a fascinating thing to listen to, even if it was a lot for her to take in.
Listening with captivated interest Miho was also making several mental notes, but mostly she was truly impressed with the amount of in-depth knowledge that both Maika and Sumire seemed to have gathered. Hopefully, that would be of use to Oarai in the near future.
After a while of having listened, Azusa asked a rather logical question. "So what is the name of the opposing team? The one that is from Germany. Is it a difficult name to pronounce?"
Unknown to even herself Miho was the one to answer that question. "Yes, their name is Wolfshund for short, and yes they are from Germany."
"Wow!"
"That's our Nishizumi-dono for you!" Yukari beamed with barely controlled excitement and adoration.
It made Maika raise her eyebrows. "Okay, I'm pretty impressed that you can pronounce it that smoothly. Honestly, I struggle with most of the German terms. And you pull it off so easily like it's nothing."
"It's nothing really special mind you, but still thank you for your kind words."Miho did not really think of it as anything special, it was just that she and her sister had learned some German in the past. So for her, it was somewhat easier to pronounce names in German although she did feel that there was much for her to learn.
"So, ehm, why exactly is a team from Germany here in Japan then?"
It got quiet for a little bit, some did not know how to answer that question, and those that did know were trying to come up with how to best put that into words.
"The usual reason really," Maika said with a somewhat nonchalant tone in her voice as if what she was about to say did not really have much meaning to it. "It's just the way that the exchange programs go, our country has several of them running, one with Europe, we also have one with the US, and I think a few others."
"Is that so?" Azusa was still curious and the reply she had gotten had not really done much to answer her question but it was clear that for now, she would have to make do with it.
Looking at their watches they could see that the match was about to begin, and by now the teams were likely already moving toward their respective starting areas. It would not be long now before the sign would be given, something that many people here were eager for.
Then came the moment they had all been waiting for as the signal was given, the guns opened fire and the resulting bangs were met with a roar of applause from the crowd. Now the match had truly begun.
Miho was keeping her eyes open while beside her Yukari and Azusa were writing down some notes, there was a lot for them to take in.
"Nishizumi-dono?" Yukari asked her, stopping with writing things down for a moment. "What do you think of their team?"
With the camera panning to its right, Miho got a really good look at the full might of Rose Garden's armoured might advancing across the field. And she had to admit, it was quite a sight to behold. Though in all fairness, a force of twenty tanks always made for an impressive sight.
At the head of this armoured force was a trio of mighty Churchill tanks, and they looked like a late production model, likely the same model that Darjeeling used herself. With their strong frontal armour, they were to act as the shield of this force, protecting others from harm.
Advancing along the flanks were the Comets, fast and hard-hitting cruiser tanks that would act as the spears against any foes. Their armour may not have been as impressive as that of the Churchills but their superb combination of firepower and mobility made them more than a match for most other tanks.
"They even have a pair of Chaffees, right at the front! I bet they're for recon," Yukari remarked as the camera panned out to allow them a glimpse at what was at the front of the formation, two light American-made Chaffee tanks to act as the eyes and ears.
It's quite a strong line-up, don't you think, senpai?" Azusa remarked, not really asking anybody, while she kept herself busy with making notes. The Comet was a new tank to her but even she could tell that this was a powerful one, and one that should Ooarai acquire one, would greatly increase the team's strength.
Yukari could not help but chuckle a little as she saw the tank. "Well, I guess that Shannon-dono and the others must be really happy, don't you think Nishizumi-dono? There are the Churchills and Comets they were hoping for."
"Yes," Miho replied. "They were right. It's kinda unexpected but they did seem to have the right info. Who would've guessed? That said, I'm really happy for them."
Yukari nodded in agreement, those girls had come here to see these tanks, and much like her idol, she was more than happy for that quintet from Shamrock. Of course, she herself was also more than happy at getting to see the Comets, and not just one or a pair of them, no; there were quite a few of these fast-moving cruiser tanks speeding along.
"Hey," Azusa said as something caught her attention. "What are those? The ones at the back I mean. I've never seen ones like those before."
Her remark had been prompted by the sudden presence of a new tank that came into view. Bringing up the rear of the advance was a group of strange-looking tanks, and their appearance made a lot of people raise their eyebrows.
They were odd-looking vehicles; as if somebody had taken a Comet and stretched it by pulling hard enough. There was no doubt that this was a British vehicle though its exact identity was a mystery to Miho.
As excited as she was, even Yukari was somewhat having trouble racking her brain to figure out what tank it was, parts of the vehicle were familiar to her, especially the chassis. The turret however was a different story, its low profile and hexagonal shape were confusing to her.
"Say Emchan," Sumire asked curiously. "What do you think? Any tank that you've seen before? Anything ring a bell with you?"
Maika just sighed in response, as if she was irritated before she said. "Your guess here is as good as mine, Diesel. I'm not that well-versed in the whole Cruiser line thing. I know what it's not."
Nodding her head in agreement Miho was observing the rest of the vehicle. It was clear that this was some kind of rather unknown type of Cruiser tank, and that made use of existing components. But for the rest, she had no idea.
"Say, what do any of you think what gun it has?" she asked while she pointed at the screen.
They all had a good look at it now, a long-barrelled gun that protruded from the front of the turret facing, and at the end of it, a distinct-looking teardrop-shaped muzzle break.
"Yeah, that's got to be a 17 pounder without a doubt or at the very least a derivative of it! It's got to be!" Yukari exclaimed as she shot up from her seat.
"I've got to agree with Akiyama on this."
"Same here, Emchan." Sumire joined the opinion of her fellow threadheads. To her it was pretty obvious, even with her limited knowledge of British tanks, it wasn't her forte.
"You know," Azusa remarked out of the blue as she leaned back before she would make further notes. "I do like how they're all painted in the same type of camouflage; it looks nice, kinda like they're really a team you know."
Rose Garden had their tanks painted in a two-tone scheme, consisting of about two-thirds of the tank being in a sort of greenish colour which she guessed was the base colour of the vehicle, and the remaining third being done in a much darker tone of green.
"Still looks rather boring if you ask me," Maika remarked while tilting her head just a little, her focus was still on the tanks but somehow she seemed to have lost interest for a moment. "It's not really doing it for me to be honest, I always felt that two different types of green are dull, or boring for that matter."
Still racking her brain trying to put a name on the unknown vehicles, Yukari's irritation was somewhat notable and she was scratching the back of her head almost constantly by now.
"It's okay Yukari-san," Miho informed her as she placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. "You don't have to force yourself to come up with a name, we can always look it up once we're all home. Let's just enjoy the match shall we?"
"I know, Nishizumi-dono, but still... I feel like I've seen them before but I don't know where..."
"Excuse me senpai, but why don't we just have a look at the screen and see the roster of each team?"
"That'd be great and all," Maika hinted. "But it seems the rosters aren't up, look over there, it's blank. There's no information whatsoever."
"Huh?" They all looked in surprise at the screen and sure enough what Maika had said was true, where there would normally be a roster of every tank that each team fielded there was just nothing. They could not understand why such information was not available to the audience.
"Oh there, do you think it's got anything to do with what they say?" Sumire asked as she caught sight of a message bar at the bottom of the screen where it gave the reason for the absence of the tank roster.
"Technical difficulty, eh?" Yukari repeated, somewhat miffed for obvious reasons, she was not happy with this. "Is that a normal thing to happen Minase-dono?"
"It's pretty rare; I mean it used to be pretty common but these days it rarely happens so I'm a little surprised by it myself. It's a bummer though, unless they get it fixed we'll have to use our own eyes to see which tanks are used and who gets knocked out."
"That's so annoying."
Miho did not share her companion's sentiment. "Maybe, but it's not something that we can't deal with. All that it really means is that we have to look even closer at what takes place on the main screen, we can do this."
"Yes, Nishizumi-dono!"
"You're right, Nishizumi-senpai."
"Well, you do have a point here" Maika had to admit, not that it would make a difference to her as she had already written down those vehicles they had seen. She had done this before, and it was somewhat standard for members of the Senshado Appreciation Society to document as much as possible.
Turning their attention back to the screen the quintet allowed their eyes to fall on what had to be the pride of Rose Garden's team in this match, again a tank that they had never gotten to see themselves.
In the middle of this armoured force was a regal beast made of steel rolling forwards, its size spoke of strength and power. It was a different kind of beast compared to the fast and nimble Comets, and it only bore a superficial resemblance to the smaller Churchills in front of it.
Seeing it continuing its advance unimpaired made Mho raise her eyebrows a little before she made the question. "Is that what I think it is? Does anybody know what it was called again?"
Sumire could only shrug her shoulders in return as she had no idea; British tanks were after all not really where her interest lay. "Sorry, but it kinda looks like a super Churchill you know. Though, personally, I think it looks sorta ugly to me." And then she quickly turned to face Yukari before she said, "Sorry, Guderian-senpai."
The girl's right eye twitched. "Y-Yeah... it's, ehm, okay..."
"You think so, Nanase-san?" Azusa asked while she leaned forward as she did not entirely share that opinion. "It doesn't look that bad to me, kinda blocky sure but I don't think it's ugly."
Nodding her head in acknowledgement, Sumire said, "Just personal preference."
"Different people have different favourites and such, even about tanks," Miho informed the younger girl. "There's nothing wrong with it either, to me as well that tank also looks rather odd. I don't think it's ugly but I also can't really see the charm in it."
With her arms crossed, Maika had to agree with that notion. "Nishizumi-san's right, even all of us at the Senshado Appreciation Society have our own likes and dislikes, it's pretty rare for all of us to come to an agreement on what tank we think looks pretty and which does not. But oh well."
That did pique the curiosity of both Miho and Azusa though it was the younger girl who made the obvious question here. "So does that mean your group also has these discussions on what tanks are the best ones, Minase-senpai? I've seen a lot of people do that online as well."
"Huh? I beg your pardon," Maika said scathingly as she came to eye Azusa as apparently, the girl's remark had somehow managed to annoy her. It was odd as it was a rather innocent question to ask.
"Sawa-san," she said, her voice stern." Let me be clear about this, there's no such thing as the best tank of any period in history, okay? It's a silly notion by people trying to push their personal favourites onto others; it annoys me to no end."
That made Azusa nervous all of a sudden, she had to swallow hard.
"And the reason why it is silly to begin with is simple," Maika paused for a moment, and then she continued. "It's the fact that you can't make a direct comparison between different tanks from different classes from different nations. It's stupid."
Listening with captured interest Miho found herself rather fascinated with what the black-haired girl had just told them. It was different than what she had expected but somewhere, in the back of her mind she had to admit that it made sense.
It was such intriguing food for thought, this idea that there was no such thing as the best tank of any given period. She made a quick reminder to herself to go and visit Maika somewhere later this week to further chat about this topic.
"I-I don't understand, Minase-senpai," Azusa stammered.
Leaning a little closer she spoke. "Let's go with an example then shall we? Take for example your M3 Lee and compare it to something like the Jagdtiger your tank faced during the Nationals final. Do you feel it's fair to say that the Jagdiger is the better vehicle because it has a much better gun and thicker armour compared to your M3 Lee?"
"... B-But, it's more than twice as heavy as our tank?! Azusa objected. "T-That's not fair."
A grin appeared on Maika's face as she slowly brought up her hand and pointed at Azusa as she said, "Exactly, it's just how you say it is."
"Huh?"
The others were watching with bated breath, it was in a way unexpected that Azusa had given a correct answer. Now they were all curious to learn how the other girl was going to react, or for that matter elaborate.
Maika smiled. "You see, one is a heavy tank destroyer and the other is a medium tank. So we have here not only two different weight classes but also two very different types of tanks. And there's also that one is from early in the war while the other is towards the end of it. You can't really compare these directly, can you now?"
"I guess not."
"She has a point there," Miho said, visibly impressed by the explanation they had just gotten as it made a lot of sense to her. But as interesting as all of this was, and it most certainly was, it was also distracting them from the match. The thing they had come for here today.
"Ah!" Yukari cried out as she jumped out all of a sudden, startling her friends before she would just as abruptly squat down next to her rucksack. Reaching for it and thrusting her hands before rummaging through its content in search of the item that was on her mind.
"A-Akiyama...?" Maika asked cautiously. "Are you okay? Do you need anything?"
"Yukari-san?" Even Miho had been taken by surprise. "Is there something that we can help you with?"
The other two were just watching in silence, unsure what to make of it all. This was something that they felt would be better to watch unfold carefully. Obviously, the fluffy-haired brunette was searching frantically for a very specific item but neither of them had any idea what it could be.
"Yes! Got it!" Yukari shouted with pride as she held up a book for all to see though none got the opportunity to catch its title. "Thank goodness I brought this little beauty with me today! I knew that it'd come in handy someday!"
Pinching the bridge of her nose Maika rumbled. "You made such a ruckus for a book? Well, this had better be a really good book then. Would it kill you to think of your surroundings?"
"Huh?" Still standing there with the book in her hands, Yukari was a little confused.
Miho explained it to her. "Yukari-san, I can understand that you're excited and all but we should be mindful of our manners here. We're not the only people here."
Her face now taking on a few hues of pink Yukari became aware that she was standing upright and drawing attention from other people towards her. Seeing the glances that some of the crowd were giving her she quickly ducked down in an effort to escape the unwanted attention.
Spending a few moments to apologise to the people around them Miho and Maika were giving a silent prayer that the match had only just begun so the outburst of Yukari had not done much to hinder others, for which they were grateful.
"Nishizumi-dono... Minase-dono... I'm really sorry..." The girl said in an apologetic tone.
"It's okay, and besides nobody was troubled by it," Miho comforted her, she felt better now that people had stopped staring and were minding their own business again.
"Yeah," Maika agreed. "Just please don't do that again, will you? I'd really appreciate it if you could. The last thing we want to happen is for us to be asked to leave."
Sumire could not help but chuckle a little. "I doubt they'd do that, Emchan, besides people can get way rowdier than that. I mean you say how it went at our last match, which was just so crazy."
"So ehm, is it possible for us to turn our attention back to the match?" Miho was by now keen to continue with what they had come here to do, observe the match and see if there was anything about them to learn, though at the moment with it being rather quiet there did not seem to be much of that.
"Of course, senpai."
"As you wish Nishizumi-dono," Yukari answered; her voice was quiet while she began to peruse her book. "Also, uh, I think I might have an idea what those unknown tanks were."
That surprised Maika. "You do?"
Holding up her book so her friends read the title the brunette continued.
"Encyclopedia British tanks of WWII, huh? That sounds awfully like one of those books that just glosses over most vehicles, am I right?"
Sumire nodded and explained. "Yes, that's pretty common for these kinds of books but if you're just looking to identify a vehicle they're pretty handy. And besides, you can always look up more info once you're home or you just use the internet. There's so much tank info if you go online you know."
"Yeah, and more of it is just plain wrong than not," Maika remarked in a snarky tone. "Honestly, way too many people seem to get a kick out of posting false info. It's so annoying."
"I don't think you should take it that serious, Minase-dono," Yukari did her best to offer some words of comfort though she knew from personal experience that this could be an unpleasant subject. "Let's enjoy the match shall we? That is why we came here, am I right?"
"You're right; you make a good point there Akiyama."
Visibly relieved, Miho adjusted herself a little; this match had only just begun.
Miyagi Prefecture – heathlands – 12.40h Saturday
Rolling forward over the road the lead tanks were making good progress, and their commanders were observing their surroundings from the open hatches. Since the match had only just started and there were no signs of enemy activity the order had been given for all commanders to open their hatches and observe.
"All tanks maintain your advance," was the order through the wireless which was followed almost immediately by a series of acknowledgements from every tank. With speed being of the essence here no second could be afforded to be wasted.
With her binoculars lowered, Rose Garden's senshado team commander, a young woman by the name of Yumiri Kitamura, rode head and shoulders above the open hatch, her jacket flapping in the wind. Fifty tons of steel beast churned beneath her, going about twenty kilometers per hour, following the road uphill between the soggy fields
The machine seemed alive. Everything vibrated. The tank cleared its throat with each gear change. At the heart of its power was a 12-cylinder engine that had to be tamed by a governor just to keep it in check.
As progressive as their initial advance was, however, things took a gradual turn for the worst as the nature of the green fields began to change in a foreboding manner. The commanders of the Comets were the first ones to experience an issue that would have devastating consequences.
From the cupola of the Black Prince, the commander was feeling a sense of irritation when it became clear that the team was going to have a lot of trouble advancing due to the heavy rainfall of yesterday; even now several of the Comets were already struggling to navigate the muddy terrain with their narrower tracks, the Churchills, on the other hand, were faring better but all tanks would be confined to the single road from here on.
"This won't do, I can't believe that the weather is causing us the most trouble now," she said before making a sigh, reminding herself that there was little she could do about the situation. She consigned herself to the reality that their plan was in urgent need of rethinking.
Consulting the notepad she had it was clear that their current course would still take them to a major landmark of this area, a sizable town with a small railroad attached to it, the place that they had selected to lure their opponents into their kill zone and deliver the coup de grace.
Letting out an exasperated sigh she knew that they were not going to make it there in good time however; there simply was no way for them to enact a fast and dashing capture of the town. And the town was a vital area to hold as it more or less dominated the area with it offering plenty of excellent fields of fire into the neighbouring fields.
"We'll lose precious time for sure, and we don't have any intel on the kind of opposition we are facing."
"This isn't good, how can we be expected to keep to our schedule on a road like this?" her loader asked as she appeared from her hatch to observe the situation herself. "The progress of our advance will be severely hindered if Yorkshire and Somerset squadrons can't use their speed to secure the objective."
"You don't know the worst," the team commander let out as she brought up her binoculars to observe the condition of the road further ahead. Both it and the maps that she had available to her told her more than she wanted to know.
Her loader was perplexed. "How so?"
"This bit we're on now," she said in return. "Well, that's the wide part."
Her mind went back to when she had met their opponents, even then she could feel the sense of commitment and professionalism that these women held. There was no doubt in her mind that these were skilled tankers.
Though she had no idea of what sort of tanks their opponents were fielding, she was under no illusion that they would be quite proficient in the handling of their charges. These women were well-trained, quite skilled, no doubt experienced, and at the moment likely also highly motivated.
"I wonder where they're hiding," her loader remarked as she began to observe their surroundings as well, scanning the horizon for any sins of enemy armour. If she was trying to hide her desire to fight then she was doing a poor job at it. "They'd better be a challenge."
Yumiri could only shake her head. "I'm quite certain that our esteemed opposition will be more than eager to oblige you. We had best be prepared for when that time comes."
Feeling a mixture of excitement and apprehension about coming to grips with their opponents, a team that had come all the way from Germany. It was quite a daunting prospect, how could she not feel somewhat conflicted as there was a great honour in being the first team to face such a challenge on the fields of battle. And yet, at the same time, she could not deny that it also felt like a sentence, as a lot was resting on their shoulders.
"Yes, you're right. They will no doubt offer us quite the challenge but I'm confident that we can defeat them as our honour demands," her loader jokingly agreed, though it was with a disappointed expression on her face, no doubt her search had yielded to targets of opportunity.
"You should not underestimate them, or overestimate us," she warned her.
One had to be cautious not to be lulled into a false sense of security by underestimating one's opponents; it was a fatal flaw that had cost many commanders victory. Underestimating led to complacency, and that always led to mistakes being made. It would do the team best to not fall for such a trap, and to treat the opponents as worthy foes.
"Just be mindful," she told the woman next to her. "You might get more than you bargained for. I do not believe our opponents will be inclined to go easy on us."
With a loud boast, her loader proudly declared, "We're ready for anything they can throw at us! You will not find us wanting!"
"I pray that we are."
With her eyes returning to the map she began to contemplate their available options as their original plan was no longer possible. She could send the Comets out to and secure an entrance into the town as they had the speed to get there in time, it was an enticing option but she knew that she would have to split up her forces.
"It would help if we had an idea of what sort of composition our opponent has available to them but alas I fear that we do not have such a luxury."
"Does that trouble you?"
She nodded in return. "Yes, our opponents are one big uncertainty, there are a lot of maybes involved in this match and I am not fond of gambling with maybes."
"So is that why you don't want to send out an advance guard? Because we might come under attack ourselves."
"It's possible," she explained. "I'd prefer it to keep our forces together until we have a clearer understanding of what we're sort of up against. It would go a long way if we knew what to expect."
"If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle," her loader remarked.
"Quoting Sun Tzu I see," she said in return, her head tilted to one side. "Not that I can't say that it isn't appropriate here, we know ourselves but not our opponents. With a bit of luck, they'll be in the same pickle as us."
Her loader could not help but laugh. "That would be most fortunate for us, wouldn't it?"
"Yes and that is why I'll assume that they have a better understanding of us than we do of them. I do not intend to take unnecessary risks and throw away any chance we have at victory here. You saw what happened back then."
Her loader nodded silently, of course she knew. Most practitioners at the university level were aware of what had transpired a couple of months ago when the crème de la crème of the entire university league lost a match against a ragtag team of high schoolers. It had been quite a rude shock to see it happen.
"We would do best not to repeat their mistake."
"I concur. We need to be vigilant here."
Looking to her left and right she was again thinking about how viable it would be if she were to send out both the Comets and the Avengers to secure the town, which would just leave the Churchills and her own tank. Just four tanks, not much if their opponents were to make any kind of serious attack.
As for herself, she took up the binoculars once more and began another scan of the area, she did not think that there would be anything of worth out there but she would do it just to calm her unease. The match was off to a poor start for them.
After a while, the tanks that had been traversing the fields and had gotten stuck were back on the road, and that was where the entire formation would remain, the decision had been made to keep the team together.
"All tanks advance!"
The heavy tracks of the Black Prince began to rotate, as the driver banged the clutch home. Just to the front of this regal beast, the heavy Churchills of Somerset troop began to spew thick exhaust fumes as they continued to advance once more.
Miyagi Prefecture – spectator stands – 13.00h Saturday
"That can't be good, Nishizumi-dono," Yukari remarked as she was closely watching the painfully slow progress that Rose Garden was making. "If they keep going at this pace then there's no way that they'll be able to make it to the town in time. The other team is going to get there first!"
"I know," Miho said in return, she was aware that with their slow progress and being confined to just a single road there was little chance of the team making it to the village in time, let alone being there first. "That town is far too important to not have in your possession."
"How is that so if I may ask, Nishizumi-san?" Maika asked, never having participated in a match she did not have a great understanding of tactics or how a certain location could be so important. She had never really understood it but since she was here with a team commander like Miho Nishizumi she decided to make the most of the opportunity.
"I'd like to hear that as well," Azusa chimed in, having her thoughts but wanting to hear the opinion of the older girl nevertheless.
"Me too, senpai!" said Sumire as now her curiosity had been piqued.
It came a bit as a surprise to Miho that people were keen to hear her opinion on such a matter, but at the same time, this was also something that she found to be surprisingly pleasant to explain to her newly found friends.
To her understanding the strategic importance of a location was as normal as breathing was to a person; she simply just knew it from looking at a map. Likely the result of the manner in which her mother had raised both her and Maho, to them it was second nature.
"There are several reasons for it," Miho explained to them. "But the main one is that as it has been so often the case that a built-up area is placed in that location because many roads and rivers converge there so they make sense to pick that spot."
"I see, I guess that does make sense," Maika replied, letting it all sink in with her. "So given that the town is a pretty important location to be in control of, do you think that the German team will feel the same about it?"
"I wish I knew for certain, Minase-san," Miho replied as she was not sure. "To me, it is an important location if I wanted to lure in my opponents and take them out; this is an annihilation match after all. Still, this is what I would do if I were in charge."
"Then senpai, you think that the myriad of roads that convene there is the main reason why both teams would want to control it? Sure it makes sense what you said but I don't really see it as being that important given that this is a match and not a real conflict."
"That is true Nanase-san," Miho admitted, it certainly was a fact that while strategy and tactics were important in any match of senshado they were also often not so important as they were in a real conflict. "But then the town also has a rather dominating position and it will certainly allow either team to set up various kill zones for their opponents, plus with most of the landscape being difficult to traverse the teams will be limited to the main roads."
Maika was contemplating, the other girl had a point there, and she knew from experience that a build-up area like a village or a city made for a dangerous place for tanks to be operating in. Plus taking into account all of the Comets that Rose Garden had it seemed strange to her that the team would opt to fight in a town. It was a poor combination.
"Still, it doesn't feel like a good idea given the tanks they have," she said. "Cruiser tanks aren't good for fighting in such an area. They can't really use their speed or mobility."
Shaking her head, Azusa was giving it plenty of thought on her own. "So I take it that Rose Garden is only taking it to deny their opponents from using it. Right?"
Both Miho and Maika nodded.
"But they don't really want to because it means they can't use their fast Cruisers, right?"
"Yes."
"So then isn't it kinda stupid? I mean they're basically reacting to their opponents here instead of dictating the terms. And what if the Germans got there first, you said so yourself that it has taken them a lot longer."
Sure enough, she was right. Miho was anything but certain of what these Rose Garden students could do but she did feel that under the circumstances they did the best that they could. Of course, the near complete absence of any info on the German Wolfshund team made any and all theorising somewhat questionable.
"Say that they're somewhat like Kuromorine then there's a good chance that they're not here, they would also have had to slow down their advance and the roads from what I saw on the map weren't as good as the ones that Rose Garden had available to them."
"Wait, Rose Garden had the better roads?"
"Yes, Nishizumi-senpai."
"How much better?"
Sumire smiled as she nodded. "Vastly better, as in you couldn't ask for better."
Somehow, and for some inexplicable reason, it did not sit well with Miho to learn this. And a quick look at Maika already gave her an indication that there was something else at play here as well.
"Still, it's quite an assumption to make that our German guests will be like Kuromorimine," Maika said with a hint of annoyance in her tone. "I think it's pretty short-sighted to make such assumptions, especially since you all know nothing about them. Just because a team from a certain country doesn't mean that they only use the tanks from that country."
"Huh, what does that mean?"
"All I'm saying is that you shouldn't rush to conclusions."
There was something about what Maika had said that caught Miho's intrigue but for now, she was more concerned with the match, still, it was a nugget she would store for a later time. It was the kind of topic that should be reserved for when it would just be the two of them.
And as such, she turned her attention towards her friend as she was curious about something else. "Say Yukari-san, can you tell us something about what their unknown tanks are? You're perusing that book about British tanks, am I right?"
In response Yukari pointed out that she had not yet come across a page that showed what exactly these tanks were, even though she had already gone through the Cruiser tank section once, but much to her chagrin there was nothing to be found.
"Well, maybe it's somewhere else. Maybe it's not a Cruiser tank though I can't really come up with an idea what else it could be," Maika said though she did not seem any wiser than Yukari was at the moment. "Or maybe you should read it again, see if you've missed anything."
The fluffy-haired brunette did not seem all too happy with that suggestion though perhaps a more in-depth look at certain sections might not hurt. Gazing again at the screen whenever the unknown tanks came into view she felt that the chassis itself was now looking really familiar to her as if she had seen a page where that chassis had been shown.
"It's got to be related to the Comet, or perhaps a Cruiser that came out right before it," Sumire gave them some advice, hinting at other parts of the vehicle that could hint to what tanks it might be related to.
All the while Azusa kept scribbling and noting down, even this technical information was being written down on her papers. It really was becoming obvious to her that when it came to tanks she had a lot to learn.
Even Miho came to realise this, and with it also came newfound respect for Saori's effort into making the tank recognition books that she always seemed to have with her in matches. No doubt her friend had already invested a great deal of time and effort into making those. Also, it again reaffirmed a need to go and visit the Senshado Appreciation Society herself, and to learn more.
"Hey, I found out what those odd tanks are. Well, technically they're not really tanks," Yukari was quick to inform her companions. That prompted them to turn their heads and have a look at what Yukari was referring to.
Bringing up the rear of the team were the four odd-looking tanks, their long-barrelled cannons sticking out from the front. "Those are tank destroyers based on a heavily modified A27 Cromwell chassis though they did use components from the A34 Comet as well, they're called A30 Avenger. That gun they use is the same one as on the Black Prince or the Firefly, it's a 17 pounder main gun so they pack a considerable punch."
Miho nodded in agreement, already she was fully aware how much of a threat these would pose to most save but the most heavily armoured tanks that any team could possess, their guns would make a mockery of their armour but even then Rose Garden could not be reckless with these.
"So in essence," Maika summarised,"they're basically glass canons. They can deal out damage but they can't take any in return. I think it's best to leave them somewhere in an ambush, or at least a spot where they can go into overwatch."
"Say Emchan, doesn't that kinda make them more like American tank destroyers?"
"Hey, she has a point there," Yukari agreed.
Raising her hand Azusa realised that she had been confronted with yet another case where her knowledge of tanks was insufficient. "So what exactly are American tank destroyers then?"
"Emchan, you should tell her," Sumire said in reaction. "You know that stuff better than any of us."
Clicking her tongue Maika replied. "I'm more into the tanks than the tank destroyers to be honest. Excuse me for a bit." Reaching for her backpack she pulled out a bottle, as her throat was starting to feel a little dry at this point. Given all of the talking they had been doing it was hardly a surprise, unscrewing the cap she brought it up to her lips and took a big gulp of it.
"Ah, I really needed that," Maika admitted.
It made Yukari and Sumire chuckle.
Miho paid it no heed, she could relate easily as her throat was also feeling dry. There was just so much for them to chat about. Not something she could have envisioned this morning but it made the experience all the more enjoyable for her.
Craning her neck back to catch a glimpse of the overhead sky did count herself lucky that thus far the weather has been a blessing. There may have been a real downpour last night but now, the weather was mildly pleasant, especially considering the time of year. Sure one could not wear shorts and a shirt as it was obviously too chilly for that, but still one did not have to wear too many thick clothes in order to be comfortable.
Finally having sated her thirst Maika continued with her explanation. "I think the gist of it is that the tanks were seen as offensive while the tank destroyers were seen as defensive. That has to do with how the Americans planned to use them, like I said; I don't really know the tank destroyers that well."
"Oh, one thing to keep in mind though is that often the tank destroyers had weaker armour than the tanks!" Yukari interjected quickly as a nugget of info came to her mind. "That's mainly got to do because they were meant to be mobile so they used light armour to keep the weight down."
"So, would that also apply to those, what were they called again, senpai?"
"A30 Avenger."
"Yeah, that one. Thank you Minase-senpai," Azusa said and nodded her head in acknowledgement. "So are they like that, like a glass cannon like you said."
"Yep, Yukari informed her before Maika could even utter a response. "The armour on them is pretty thin, especially on the turret; I think that even Duck Team could take it out if they were to hit it there."
Nodding her head gently Azusa felt satisfied with that knowledge for now. Perhaps once they were back home she would ask the brunette if she could borrow that book for a few days as no doubt it would be helpful to gain a better understanding of other British tanks than what they had seen from St. Gloriana thus far. Perhaps in the future such knowledge might pay off.
Having another look to the right of the main screen Miho saw to her disappointment that there was still no tank roster for either team listed. She did not approve of this omission, as right now she was more than interested to learn what tanks the Germans were using.
"So, to bring it up again, what do any of you think we can expect from this Wulfshound," Sumire asked."
"It's Wolfshund," Maika corrected her.
"Wolfhound?"
"No, it's Wolfshund."
"Oh, right, got it Emchan."
The reaction that it prompted from Maika made Miho, Yukari and Azusa chuckle a little. Fortunately, it did not seem that the black-haired girl took any offence to it, she merely just began to play a little with one of her pigtails.
"So what about them, Nanase-san?" Miho asked as she was curious about what the girl wanted to know.
"Well," the girl said. "I'm kinda wondering what sorta tanks they'd be using. Obviously, we can't look at the tank roster as the dang thing's broken. So I'm really curious about what we could expect from them. Would they be like Kuromorimine and have a lot of big heavy tanks, you know, like the Tiger II and Jagdtiger? Or maybe something else, like a whole lot of lighter Panzers and StuGs?"
Maika shook her head. "Why do you assume that they would use German tanks in the first place?"
"Because it makes the most sense?"
"Does it?" Maika rebuked. "Even in Japan, most schools use different vehicles. Heck, even Ooarai has tanks from four different nations.
"Well, I guess." Azusa and Sumire simply left it at that, neither eager to push the matter any further. Besides, they did not have anything to go by so they opted to leave it at that. Still, it did leave their curiosity unanswered, something that they hoped would soon change.
"Minase-san, did you perchance get the opportunity to look up on Wolfshund?" Miho asked, a little curious as if anybody would have been in a position to do it would be Maika and her friends.
"No," she shook her head as she admitted. "I've never really looked much into the European competitions compared to the American ones, and I didn't come across a site that had any info about them in Japanese, there was barely anything in English. Besides I can't even read German so that rules that out."
Miho let out a gentle sigh in response. That was something she should have seen coming. They would be entirely dependent on people translating and posting such info for them, now she understood some German herself but she had no idea where she should look to begin with.
"So, ehm what exactly does that mean, Minase-senpai?" Azusa had a confused look on her face.
"Just that nobody has bothered to translate any info of them in Japanese, it's really only the high-profile teams that often get noticed," she explained to her companions. "National champions, those who partake in international competitions and score high, and even then you need to be lucky. Most of it does seem to be there in English but I didn't have much luck with it either."
It made Yukari raise an eyebrow. "Well, in my opinion, I don't think that they're a nobody, otherwise I doubt they'd be selected for the exchange program. They have to be strong, don't you think?"
"True, you got a point there, Akiyama," Maika admitted as she gave it some thought, her chin resting on the back of her hand. What the brunette had just said made sense, and that meant that she would have her work cut out for. "I guess this means we'll have to look a little further then, not that'll do us any good anyway, there's no way that we could find anything on their tactics and such. That's after all what the Student Council is after, right?"
"Um yes..." Miho said and then averted her eyes, it was only partially true. The reality was that they wanted to know everything there was. And that included their tanks, what types, and how many of them they had.
"So, um, does that mean that you know nothing about them?" Miho asked, seeming a little disappointed about that possibility.
"Well, to be honest we did find a few things," she shrugged her shoulders. "But I don't think it's the kinda stuff you're interested in."
"Well," Azusa remarked as her interest did not lie much with theory crafting and conjuring. Besides, she was here to watch a great match of senshado. "Let's watch the match first shall, senpais?"
They all agreed on that, they would, for the time being, enjoy the match running its course. Whatever they did not know was something for another time, the day held the promise to be an exciting one for them all.
Watching the tanks rumble towards the village Miho became aware of an uneasy feeling settling in the pit of her stomach. Something was wrong here, maybe it was her natural intuition or perhaps her commander's instinct that was warning her but she knew that Rose Garden was about to make a horrible mistake.
"No, don't go there," she said under her breath while watching in disbelief as one by one the vehicles were slowly creeping into the center of the town.
Miyagi Prefecture – road to deserted village – 13.35h Saturday
About an hour since this match had started, the terrain gently rose ahead of Rose Garden's advance guard. The grey roofs of a settlement that straddled the road, came into view about one kilometre ahead. The lead tank radioed for a halt, and then stopped with a lurch.
Atop the turret of the Black Prince, Yumiri occupied one hatch. This time her gunner, Eri Hanamori stood in the other, having convinced their loader to share the perch. A distinct white silk scarf fluttered from around her neck.
"Mighty quiet out here," said the short-haired woman, staring at the deserted-looking village that was opposing them. She was right, at least for the time being but just because it was quiet did not mean that there were no enemy tanks nearby. "Could be an ambush," she told her commander.
The woman agreed and broadcasted a warning to the whole team; it was common knowledge that a build-up area always made for a good location to set up an ambush. And right now that was exactly what she was searching for, any signs, and any small signal, whatever it might be, that the enemy was nearby.
"Too quiet," the gunner next to her said.
"Are you just going to sit there sprouting clichés from a bad movie all day?" she asked.
The woman nodded. "Yes, it passes the time."
"You can pass the time checking for an enemy ambush."
She just laughed. "Ah, you're no fun this way."
Shaking her head in disapproval Yumiri did not merit that remark with a reply, besides there were more important things for her to occupy herself with. They had finally made it to the town that they themselves had set up as their objectieve, and from the looks of it they may have gotten here first.
"I wonder if we got lucky here," the commander remarked to nobody in particular as the village seemed to be devoid of any indications of enemy activity. Of course, she could not entirely rule out that their opponents might already be here though if there was a chance then she did intend on capitalising on it.
Her gunner scoffed at hearing that remark and said, "You should know that there's no such thing as luck in senshado. Not to mention that the best commanders make their own luck."
She paid it no heed, she knew the saying all too well as well as who had said it. She did not disagree with it but she was also not so naive as to believe that a team commander was totally in control of how a match would go.
"Yeah," she rebuked. "And you should know that no plan survives contact with the enemy. The moment we run into those Germans there's no telling what'll happen. And we still don't have a clue what they'll throw against us."
The pair exchanged a tense glance between the two of them; they had known each other for a couple of years now. Both knew how the other was under pressure, both knew that they could depend on each other to do their duty.
"Get back to your post, and make sure that there's a round in the breech," she told her.
"Yes, ma'am," the other woman saluted her and withdrew back into the confines of the turret.
A Comet halted behind the Black Prince as it shuddered to a stop on the road. Commanders sank lower in their turrets. The town left a silent and eerie impression on them, a most foreboding one. Rusty leaves fluttered beneath gnarled trees. Ominous clouds were forming on the horizon- a storm was brewing.
Inside the turret of an idling Comet, a woman called held her breath. The Black Prince in front of her spewed a steady stream of fumes from its exhausts, which was trapped by the residential streets. The fumes left her head spinning a little. She felt hot and claustrophobic; the width of her periscope was the extent of her vision and the rattle of idling engines drowned out all other sounds.
This was not the kind of fighting that the Comet was meant for, it was a Cruiser tank and a mighty fine one at it as well. Its powerful Meteor engine coupled with its Christie suspension allowed the tank to take terrain at great speeds at up to fifty kilometres per hour, although this was with the governors installed. It was common practice to disable those allowing their steeds to exceed those speeds when on the road. But here, on these streets with such slow progress, the tank felt out of place.
In the lead tank, a Churchill, the gunner pressed her eyes to her periscope to survey the scene. The road ahead likely led directly into the center of this town, in between the narrow confines of the houses that were on both sides. With no room to manoeuvre it felt like a good place for their opponents to spring a trap.
Inside the tank the driver was fidgety. Sitting in the lead tank – the most exposed target – was harrowing. But she wasn't alone. Next to her, the bow gunner was also visibly nervous as she unwrapped the wax paper from the package she had brought along, revealing a white inner box full of chocolate fudge. It was a treat the young woman had been looking forward to ever since she smelled it.
The driver gestured to one of the pieces of fudge. "May I have one?"
"But of course," the woman replied with a sincere smile and handed her companion a piece. "Here you go."
The tank felt warmer now that they had stopped and the cold air was no longer whistling inside. Or maybe it was the fudge. Both women slowly savoured every bite.
From the towering vantage point in the turret of the tank, a slender young commander scanned their surroundings through her binoculars. This was a match unlike any other and she was proceeding with caution - by the book.
In tank warfare, vision was everything. The side that saw the other first typically fired first, and studies found that in the majority of the time, whoever fired first survived.
Their tank certainly had more than enough armour on the front to shrug off most fire they could take but there were guns that made her rather nervous, and she always feared that their next match would see a team having those monstrous guns take aim at them.
And in the close confines of a village or town, there were just too many opportunities for their opponents to get flanking fire into the more vulnerable sides of her tank. If the enemy was truly here, then they had picked a dreadful place to fight.
Nobody was keen to fight here, certainly not the crews of the Comets or the Avengers; neither could make the most of their mobility in such an environment. A heavily armoured tank was more at home here.
From the Black Prince, Yumiri issued the order to attack. She was reluctant to do so but she knew that there was no other option for them; they had to secure the village and to do so meant taking it by force.
A snarl of horsepower bellowed from the Churchill as it set out for the houses. Then next in line, a Comet, paused for about ten seconds before it launched forward. Ten seconds later. The next tank took off. And so on down the line.
The tanks went up the cobblestone road leading into the town, still appearing to be relatively quiet. The silence, however, was not to last for long.
Exchanging a quick, concerned look with her loader Eri turned her attention back to her sight and began to look for possible targets but the area gave off the appearance of being deserted. That was something that she knew was wrong, there were others here, stalking through the ruins in order to draw a beat to one of Rose Garden's tanks, even now one of them might even have her own tank in their sights at this very moment. It was a scary thought.
At the head of the advance into the village was a Churchill from Somerset troop was taking the lead, acting as the armoured tip. It was a dangerous task though, as the lead tank was almost always the first tank to get knocked out.
"Keep her steady driver," the commander of the tank informed her driver while she kept a watchful eye for any possible ambushes. Just up ahead there was a crossroad, and right now their plan was to secure it. She was hunting for a target with her binoculars, but was coming up empty.
The first and only warning that the tanks from Rose Garden got that something was about to go horribly wrong was when from their left, a fiery green tracer cut through the air and slammed into the side of the second tank's hull.
"Bloody Heck, get down!"
"We're under attack!"
One of the Comets that had been accompanying the lead Churchill shuddered as the clash of steel on steel rippled through the rail yard. The violent nature of the impact was enough to cause the tank to shudder and sway on its suspension as it absorbed the punch before it ground to a halt. With a loud pop, the white flag appeared on top of the tank, signalling that it was done for the match.
A brutal strike of steel on steel sent the Churchill's commander ducking for cover. The sound of the punch had raised the hairs on the back of the woman's neck. A quick tap on her leg brought her back to reality.
"…Thank you," she said to the woman beneath her. "… We're under attack from the enemy."
"You need to focus."
Recovering herself from what just happened the commander reached for her radio and shouted orders. "Forwards driver! Move it!"
Just then a shell exploded overhead, tearing apart a section of the house next to them; she quickly ducked back inside the confines of the turret to avoid the falling debris. She could hear it clattering all over the steel hull.
"Forwards, now!"
With the heavy Churchill lumbering forward, its driver gunning the engine, in an effort to escape its assailants the crowd began cheering the crew on. There was a palpable tension in the air, but the tank's commander grew worried, she knew that her charge was now separated from its companions, and therefore it was vulnerable.
As if sensing the girl's concerns, a new threat emerged from its lair. Appearing from behind the cover of a barn at the end of the road was an apex predator that hungered for prey.
The sight of its wide tracks, a monstrous gun protruding from its front, an armoured wedge forming its front, all sends a sensation down the woman's spine. She recognized the steel beast's huge angular form the moment her eyes had laid sight on its fearsome visage.
It was a Jagdpanther, one of the deadliest tank hunters from the later period of the war, a vehicle that she knew all too well. And this monster was armed with one of the most fearsome guns of the entire war, the dreaded long-barrelled 88.
"Halt! Stop! Stop!" she shouted, praying that they could do something but in her heart, she knew that it was already too late for them.
The Maybach engine whined as the revolutions came up and slewed the Jagdpanther to the right to allow its gunner to draw a better bead on the lone approaching Churchill. Once the vehicle came to a stop, it was only a second before the crack of the main gun sounded out. Its roar sounded like the bellow of an angry god.
Spitting a length of flame from its muzzle, the Jagdpanther blasted its warhead downrange. Covering the distance in but a fraction of a second the shell struck its victim dead-center, smashing into its front plate with such force that the Churchill shook on its suspension.
Author's note: hello folks, here is the newest chapter for you all to read and enjoy. I'll first get all of the formalities out of the way and then I do have to announce something important.
J Webb, thanks for the kind words man. That means a lot to me.
Hope you all enjoyed the chapter. As always I am keen to hear your thoughts, criticisms and what other things you want to get off your chest.
Now, with that out of the way, time for the announcement and this isn't exactly a pleasant one sadly. Basically, I have run out of steam with this story. Things are pretty busy for me at the moment, I don't really have the time for it that it deserves and at the moment I simply don't have as much fun writing this as I once did.
So with that, and this is not a decision that I took easily, I am going to be taking a long break from writing and all that stuff, that will unfortunately also mean that there won't be any new chapters coming any time soon.
Take care folks, until someday perhaps.