Chapter 18: Shermans Will March to the Sea, Part III
Alisa sat in shocked silence. She had just received word that Charlie and Dog, the two Shermans she had sent to Point 0765 had been knocked out. At Point D44, Kay nervously looked over the landscape but found no enemy. "Alisa, no one's here!" she shouted into her radio,
"That can't be!" Alisa shouted back, "you're certain that nobodies there?"
"I'm absolutely certain! Whatever intelligence you're using is completely wrong! You better not be using that radio tapper again!" she warned.
Alisa gritted her teeth as anxiety and frustration filled her body. "I know I'm right, okay!" she argued.
"Enough, both of you need to calm down," Naomi interrupted, "I've located Oarai's rocket artillery."
"Do you have a visual?" Kay asked.
"Yes ma'am, in the southeast corner of the map," Naomi reported. At
Point Messine, she stood on the roof of her Firefly with a pair of binoculars. "Still no visual of the Type 100 though."
Kay sighed and opened her map. "Alright, location identified, all tanks on me! We'll show those rocketeers what superior firepower really looks like!" she ordered.
The seven remaining non-flag tanks regrouped below Point Messine before embarking on a path that would lead them around Oarai's starting point and towards the clearing where Medaka and Mongrel Team were waiting. But they did not move out unnoticed. Kneeling behind the downed tree that they snapped in half, Chloe watched through a pair of her own binoculars, hidden by the log and the foliage. After the enemy tanks had passed, she ran deeper into the forest, where the Type 100 was still caught up in greenery and mud. "Saunders is moving out from Messine Point," she reported to the crew who was hacking away at the plants with entrenching shovels, "Current objective is unknown, but they're heading southward towards our starting point." After she finished her report, she grabbed a shovel of her own and started tugging away plants that had dug themselves into the Type 100s treads.
"Good… work," Ross wheezed while dumping a shovelful of dirt and shrubbery.
"You get all that Saori?" Chloe asked to her phone that was stored in her chest pocket.
"Affirmative, Saunders tanks heading southbound," Saori repeated, was the flag tank with them?"
"Negative," Chloe replied. Eventually, with enough digging, the Type 100 was freed from its green chains. "We are finally unstuck though."
The five members climbed back into their tank, which was now thoroughly polluted by dirt and dust. After clapping his hands to get rid of the dirt staining them, Ross was the last crew member to enter the tank. "What are your orders, Anglerfish Team?" he asked.
"Try to tail Saunders if you can. Perhaps they'll lead you to their flag tank," Miho ordered, "We'll give contradictory orders that'll make it seem like you've regrouped with the team." Miho ducked into her turret. "Saori, give radio orders for Leopard Team to regroup with us at 0765."
Saori nodded and fired up her radio. "Type 100, regroup at Point 0765," she radioed.
000
"Type 100, regroup with the main force at Point 0765," Alisa's tapped radio repeated. Alisa narrowed her eyes and started nervously tapping her feet. Their Type 100 is heading to 0765? So they must really be at 0765 and not D44… she thought. She activated her tank's intercom. "Shelby, let's go to 0765," she ordered.
Her driver raised an eyebrow. "Kay said-" she began.
"I don't care what Kay said, okay?! Take us to Point 0765!" Alisa shouted.
Shelby gulped and shifted the tank into gear. "Y-yes ma'am," she stuttered.
I'll show those little brats the consequences of tricking me, Alisa thought angrily.
000
"Joseph, it's time to use the pigeons," Miho decided.
Joseph smiled with unrelenting glee and grabbed one of his pigeon boxes. "Alright, Pigeon Team is ready for deployment!" he exclaimed. He pulled up a picture of the M4A1(76)W that he took from Yukari's video and gently took Großetaube from his box. He stood up from the cupola and set his pigeon on the edge of the cupola. "Alright buddy, go find me their flag tank!" he said while showing the bird his phone. Großetaube silently stared at the phone before cooing. Joseph took Großetaube and threw him into the air with both of his hands. Großetaube immediately spread his wings and flapped out of the forest roof. Joseph switched to his camera's stream and watched excitedly as the camera sent back a stunning view of the battlefield. "Pigeon Team has been successfully deployed!" he cheered.
Miho couldn't help but giggle at her teammate's excitement. "Fly high little bird," she whispered, "well, I guess for a pigeon he is pretty big." She sighed and smiled. "Alright everyone, be ready to deploy at any moment."
The tanks of the main force were all gathered in the gravel pit next to the destroyed Shermans, which were being loaded up by tank recovery vehicles. High above, near the puffy white clouds and bright sun, Großetaube soared above the battlefield. With his eyes on both sides of his head, Großetaube could observe nearly the entire battlefield without even needing to turn his head. Although a pigeon's eyesight isn't tuned for moving objects, he could still catch a lone M4 Sherman driving straight out of a heavily forested patch of trees and bamboo. He cooed and dove to investigate the object, finding the same tank in the picture. The camera on his chest played a sharp whistling sound and Großetaube turned around to fly back to the Elefant.
After marking the flag tank on his map, Joseph reached out his arm to let Großetaube land on it. "Good work!" he complimented and threw a corn kernel towards the bird. Großetaube caught the kernel and ate it with a satisfied coo. Joseph grabbed him and put him back in his box before setting it back in the Elefant.
"All tanks advance northwards in an inverted chevron!" Miho ordered.
The tanks came to life again and drove out of the gravel pit. They reorganized in an inverted V formation with Anglerfish Team at the center, flanked by Atrox and Hyena Team. At the edges, Rabbit Team and Hippo Team guarded the formation's edge with Turtle Team safely tucked away behind them.
000
Laika sat on the edge of the KV-1K's open commander's hatch, bored out of her mind. The Calliope was pretty cool to watch, but now there's nothing to do… I wish I had brought a book or something, she thought while idly scanning the landscape. As usual, there was nothing to report. The choke point was still empty and the trees hadn't moved an inch. She sighed and climbed down onto the hull. "I'm going for a walk for a bit. This place is boring me to tears," she said to her crew before jumping down. Aren't Sensha-do matches supposed to be exciting and action-packed?
"A.S, this is Leopard Team, we've been tailing the Saunders tanks and we think they're heading to you. Be ready for combat," Ross informed through the commander's call.
Laika's eyes lit up. "Finally some action!" she exclaimed and turned around. As she started to jog towards her tank, a lone shell flew over her and struck the rocket rack of the T34 Calliope that was a short distance away from her tank. A shockwave ripped through the air, pushing her to the ground and throwing her lab coat from her body as the Calliope was consumed in fire and smoke. Laika pushed herself up to see the scorched destruction brought by 50 rockets going off at once. "Oh my god…" she whispered. The rack was charred completely black and the Sherman had a scorch mark stretching down to the ground while small fires crackled around the grass that surrounded the Sherman. She rushed to grab her lab coat and dashed to the KV-1K that was already turning towards her. She leaped onto the hull, climbed onto the turret, and fell into the commander's position. "Any visuals on the enemy?" she demanded.
"Negative!" Yuri shouted back.
Laika grit her teeth and took out her binoculars, just in time to see a long gun with a muzzle break stare at her from at least a kilometer away. "Cont-"
The gun flashed and its shell impacted the front of her tank. Laika's back slammed against the edge of the commander's hatch as the white knockout flag eliminated her tank. "We're done…" she whispered, "and before we even fired a single shot…" She slammed her fist against the KV-1K's roof. "Damn it!" she shouted.
Below her, Alexei climbed out of the driver's hatch while Valentina tapped Laika's knee. "Let's go check out Medaka Team to see if they're okay," she suggested.
Laika growled and grit her teeth, but turned away and climbed from the turret. Her gunner and loader followed her and stepped away to check out Medaka Team. Laika collapsed against the tank and sat on the ground. She wanted to curse, scream, go cuss out the girl who knocked them out before she could even face them, but all she did was sit in silence. Eventually, she gave up being upset and just sat sadly waiting for the tank recovery vehicle.
Everyone from Medaka Team climbed out of the hull hatches on their M4 to avoid the charred wreck of their rocket launcher which was still piping hot. Canaveral, Vandenburg, and Houston's ears rang without pause while Kennady felt alright. "Thank goodness my hearing aids can automatically lower the volume…" she whispered to herself.
"DID YOU SAY SOMETHING KENNEDY!?" Canaveral shouted.
Kennedy shook her head and held a finger to her lips. Canaveral tilted her head in confusion. "WE'VE ALREADY BEEN KNOCKED OUT, WHY DO WE NEED TO BE QUIET!?"
Kennedy just facepalmed. I hope they don't need hearing aids now too…
000
"Miho I've got bad news," Joseph reported.
"Other than losing our rocket support? Do you have confirmation that they're okay?" Miho replied.
Joseph winced while he looked over gauges set up in the commander's position. "No, but we're running out of gas. I have some backup fuel, but we'll have to stop and fill it up," he informed. Wait, that's not right, we should still have plenty of fuel, oh shi- he cut off his thought and rushed to activate his intercoms. "Kill the engine, kill it right now!" he screamed. His crewmates turned to him with confusion.
"Your intercoms are off, remember Miho's orders?" August reminded.
Joseph scrambled to reactivate his intercoms. "To hell with that, this is an emergency!" he shouted and frantically pushed the power button.
"Hyena Team, what's wrong?" Miho asked.
"Cut the engines!" Joseph shouted. When no response came he frantically threw his hatch open and jumped onto the engine bay. He quickly pulled the driver's hatch open. "Cut the goddamn engines!" he shouted.
Tanner jumped in his seat, but pulled himself together and stopped the tank to shut it down. Just as he hit the ignition switch, the engine deck behind him exploded into flames as gas fumes ignited. The flames leapt at Joseph's back, causing him to scramble off the tank. Frantically, he rolled through the grass, putting out the flames that scorched his uniform.
Elliot threw open his hatch with the fire extinguisher in hand. Tanner followed and grabbed his own extinguisher and they climbed out of the tank before spraying the engine deck with the extinguisher. The rear hatch of the Elefant flew open and August started to climb out before stumbling back into the tank. Flames burned below the hatch and the tracks were slowly consumed by fire fueled by gas fumes and the grass beneath them. "Fuck, fire, fire!" August shouted.
"I got it!" Kass shouted. She grabbed another fire extinguisher and blasted the ground below them, damping the fire enough for them to scramble free from the slowly burning tank. "Don't you burn up on me!" Kass shouted as she erratically blasted the Elefant with the fire extinguisher. Gallons of fuel still charred the bottom of the hull and the flames roared despite the three tankers' efforts to put it out.
"Wait! Großetaube!" August shouted in panic. He rushed past Kass and dove into the burning Elefant again. Inside, the flames had already reached the crew compartment. While the fire licked at his uniform, August worked quickly to grab the small box the pigeon was squeaking and shrieking in. He jumped from the rear hatch just as the flames reached the recently put-out grass. August ran away from the Elefant before turning to watch their tank destroyer burn with Großetaube's box in his hands. Ow… he grimaced as his skin stung as his adrenaline began to wear off.
"No, no, no, no!" Kass screamed as the flames only pushed back her extinguisher fumes. Then the extinguishers ran dry. First Tanner's, then Elliot's, and finally Kass's extinguisher stopped. Tears filled her eyes as flames filled her tank. She threw the empty extinguisher at the flames in one last vain attempt to put the fire out. The moment the extinguisher hit the hull, the ammunition inside was set off by the flames and the crew was pushed to the ground as the tank exploded with a reasoning roar that caused everyone to freeze, even the Saunders tanks across the battlefield froze as the valley was filled with the noise and smoke.
Kass pulled herself onto the knees to see the Elefant turn black as the paint was burned away. "No…" she whispered.
000
Two years ago
"And this is the tank you six will crew. Although the Panzerjager(P) historically was super unreliable, we've done some work on it to make it last for some time," William explained to the six new seventh graders who would crew the tank. Joseph, Kass, Morgan, August, Tanner, and Elliot were new to the middle school Schwarzadler team, managed by William, a ninth-grader and Second Sub-Commander of the high school team who would become the captain of the team next year.
"The gun is so big! We'll be able to take out anything!" Kass exclaimed, slowly approaching the vehicle. The shape, the thick frontal armor, and the sheer power it commanded made her fall in love with the tank destroyer immediately.
"Yep, no doubt that once you guys are in high school, you'll be the most effective tank destroyer Schwarzadler has seen!" William exclaimed.
"We'll make sure of that William!" Joseph said eagerly, "guys, let's make it our goal to destroy every enemy tank we see!"
Kass giggled and ran back to her friends. "Alright, let's do it!" she cheered.
The other four new crewmembers of the Elefant smiled and nodded. "Let's do it!" the six seventh-graders cheered.
000
"All tanks be advised, a tier I safety flag is now in place. Cease operating your vehicles or you will face disqualification," Ami Chono informed through a safety alert broadcast to all vehicles through the radio. Even if the radios were off, they would receive a signal to turn back on to inform the combatants off the safety flag. She watched with stern, but worried eyes as four emergency vehicles departed from the central officiating lot, four M113 APCs modified into two emergency medical vehicles and two firefighting vehicles. Above, two Bell 204 helicopters, civilian variants of the UH-1 "Huey" military helicopters rushed to the scene as a medical helicopter and a firefighter helicopter.
"Aerial drone footage shows all six crew members are out of the vehicle," one of the officials sitting at the drone control desk behind her informed.
"Thank God, at least they weren't in there when the ammo cooked off," Ami whispered.
"The medical team has arrived at the scene, awaiting report on the victims' conditions," another official reported with a headset on.
000
Anglerfish Team turned around immediately once they lost communication with Hyena Team. The rest of Oarai's tanks stopped and turned to follow her when the safety flag was put in place. Every tank stopped, but William and Miho leapt from their commander's cupolas and ran towards the Elefant. When they were only a hundred feet away, the ammunition cooked off. Although the null explosive didn't burn extremely hot or deliver enough force to harm a person, even in large quantities, the force dispersed the gas fumes further, creating a fireball that rose into the sky.
The two tank commanders froze in fear and horror as the fireball consumed the tank. William erratically scanned the area for Hyena Team's crew, but could only see Tanner, Elliot, and Joseph slowly crawling away from the wreck. William rushed forward.
"Wait, it's dangerous!" Miho shouted before running after him. The two ran over to their fallen comrades and pulled them further from the wreckage. Slowly, the flames began to move in, consuming the grass around the tank. Joseph pushed himself up and out of William's grasp. "Go…" he coughed out, "I can get up." He started frantically crawling from the wreck, so William let go of him, grabbed Tanner, and rushed away from the scene with Miho pulling Elliot away.
The fire helicopter circled around the fire and began dropping a giant cloud of white powder that consumed the flames. The five tankers dropped to the group as the fire was suppressed and the sound of sirens approaching filled their ears. With the fire almost out, the other three members of Hyena Team ran around the white cloud to reunite with their friends.
Joseph leaned his head up, fighting his exhaustion. "You three are okay, thank goodness, he whispered.
August knelt down to him and handed him Großetaube's box. "I was able to grab Großetaube before it completely went up in flames," he said.
Joseph took the box gently. "Thank you…" he whispered. He looked inside the box and saw Großetaube, who although ruffled and completely terrified, was unharmed.
Kass knelt next to Joseph with tears running down her face. "I'm sorry… I tried to put it out, I tried…" she cried.
Joseph pushed himself into the sitting position and hugged Kass. "You did everything you could. There's nothing more I could ask from you," he reassured. The four M113's arrived at the scene along with a tank recovery vehicle. Firefighters and medical personnel deployed at the scene and the medical helicopter landed. The firefighters cautiously approached the wreckage with extinguishers. As the dust cleared, the extent of the damage could be assessed. Most of the paint had been burned through and the armored steel was beginning to warp. One of them poked his head inside the rear hatch. Inside, anything that wasn't steel was burned to ash, but the fire was gone and only a few spots of the tank were still hot. "Looks like the fire has been completely extinguished, but the vehicle is a total loss," he reported.
"Understood," Ami replied before radioing to the medical personnel, "any injuries to report?"
"Mild superficial singing on one of the Elefant's crew members, August Monroe. Other than that everyone is fine, but the six crew members are exhausted and likely dehydrated as well," an emergency nurse reported.
Ami exhaled with relief. "Thank you," she said before radioing into the tank recovery crew, "you're clear to begin vehicle removal, please let me know when it has been pulled from the battlefield."
"When should we rescind the safety flag, Miss Chono?" an official behind her asked.
"Once the emergency services are clear of the battlefield. We'll restart in five minutes after they report in."
000
As the members of Hyena left to be transported to an on-site examination center, Miho and William started walking back to their tanks. But before they left, William gave the destroyed Elefant one last glance before turning to it completely. "Thank you for your service," he said with a salute before catching back up to Miho.
"Let's take out their flag tank quickly and end this match. After that incident I-I just want this match to be over," Miho said weakly.
William nodded solemnly. "I understand," he replied simply. The excitement and thrill of battle were gone, replaced with exhaustion.
The two commanders returned to their tanks, where several members of the team sat outside their hatches or on the hulls of their tanks. "This is Leopard Team, what happened? Why did the safety flag deploy?" Ross asked.
"We're not sure just yet, but I suspect a fuel line failure on the Elefant caused it to burn out," William answered.
"Burn out? Oh… you don't mean…" Ross replied.
"It went up in flames. It's completely lost. Everyone's okay, but the tank is probably completely destroyed."
"As in beyond being knocked out?"
"Yes. It's completely destroyed. Only thing left is what was metal. The great boom was from its ammunition cooking off."
"Good God…"
"Yeah."
The team sat in complete silence. Since the call was connected
to all commanders, the entire team heard it. The silence was broken by Miho. "I know this is hard, but everyone is okay. We have to push on for them. The flag tank is directly ahead so the moment the safety flag is lifted I want everyone to crest over the hill, stop, and destroy it," she said.
But the mood of the team didn't lift. They sluggishly crawled back into their positions when a raspy voice spoke up on the call. "Everyone listen up and listen good," Joseph wheezed. Everyone shot up at attention. "Don't let the Elefant's loss be in vain. If you all don't at least bring home a defeat with dignity then by God I'll have you all-" he cut off with a fit of coughs. "You know what, just take that little nagging feeling of grief and crush it. Crush it and use it to knock out whatever poor bastard is commanding that M4A1," he said. He coughed again. "Can I get a soda? Oh god not diet… screw it I'm thirty, hand it over!" his call cut off with the sound of a can opening.
William just shook his head and chuckled. "You heard him, everyone. I believe we have a job to do," he said. Then he began to sing, "Um die Fahne stehen wir, Jungs, wir sammeln uns nun heut. Rufen den Schlachtruf unser Freiheit." (Around the flag we stand, boys, we gather today. Shouting the battle cry of our freedom.)
The rest of his crew looked up at him. He only smiled and began again, "Uber Berge, Meer und Land, ziehen wir zum Feind erneut. Rufen den Schlachtruf unser Freiheit." (Over mountains, sea and land, we march to the enemy once more. Shouting the battle cry of our freedom.)
The rest of his crew smiled and joined him, "'Der Einheit zu Ehre,' tönts von nah und fern. Tod den Verrätern, es lebe der Sterne." ('To the glory of unity,' sounds from near and far. Death to the traitors, long the stars)
"Uber Berge, Meer und Land, ziehen wir zum Feind erneut. Rufen den Schlachtruf unser Freiheit," they repeated. (Over mountains, sea and land, we march to the enemy once more. Shouting the battle cry of our freedom.)
By this point, all the dejected tankers turned to Atrox Team. They kept singing, "Eine weitere Million freier Menschen stimmt jetzt ein. Rufen den Schlachtruf unser Freiheit." (Another million of free men now tune in. Shouting the battle cry of our freedom."
"Trotz Gefahr und bittrer Not, füllen sie die lichten Reihen. Rufen den Schlachtruf unser Freiheit," Atrox Team chanted. (Despite danger and bitter need, they fill the thinned rows. Shouting the battle cry of our freedom.)
"'Der Einheit zu Ehre,' tönts von nah und fern. Tod den Verrätern, es lebe der Sterne. Uber Berge, Meer und Land, ziehen wir zum Feind erneut. Rufen den Schlachtruf unser Freiheit." ('To the glory of unity,' sounds from near and far. Death to the traitors, long live the stars. Over mountains, sea and land, we march to the enemy once more. Shouting the battle cry of our freedom.)
William stretched out his arms as if welcoming the dejected tankers to his song, even though they couldn't speak German, all of them except two, Miho and Erwin. "Heißen jeden hier willkommen, der treu und tapfer ist. Rufen den Schlachtruf unser Freiheit," they joined. (Welcome everyone who is faithful and brave. Shouting the battle cry of our freedom.)
"Nun marschiere mit uns mit, wenn du gegen Sklaven bist. Rufen den Schlachtruf unser Freiheit!" they sang. (Now march with us if you are against slavery. Shouting the battle cry of our freedom.)
"'Der Einheit zu Ehre,' tönts von nah und fern. Tod den Verrätern, es lebe der Sterne. Uber Berge, Meer und Land, ziehen wir zum Feind erneut. Rufen den Schlachtruf unser Freiheit." ('To the glory of unity,' sounds from near and far. Death to the traitors, long live the stars. Over mountains, sea and land, we march to the enemy once more. Shouting the battle cry of our freedom.)
William couldn't help himself. He climbed from his cupola and stood on the roof of the tank. "Nun von Westen bis nach Osten ertönt nun unser Ruf. Rufen den Schlachtruf unser Freiheit." (Now from west to east our call is heard. Shouting the battle cry of our freedom.)
"Tilgen nun die böse Saat, die der giftige Süden schuf. Rufen den Schlachtruf unser Freiheit." (Now we eradicate the evil seed created by the poisonous South. Shouting the battle cry of our freedom.)
"'Der Einheit zu Ehre,' tönts von nah und fern. Tod den Verrätern, es lebe der Sterne. Uber Berge, Meer und Land, ziehen wir zum Feind erneut. Rufen den Schlachtruf unser Freiheit." ('To the glory of unity,' sounds from near and far. Death to the traitors, long live the stars. Over mountains, sea and land, we march to the enemy once more. Shouting the battle cry of our freedom.)
The final verse was upon them. "Wir marschieren in die Schlacht, Jungs, es gibt nun kein Zurück. Rufen den Schlachtruf unser Freiheit." (We march into the battle, boys, there's no turning back now. Shouting the battle cry of our freedom.)
"Folget nun dem Sternenbanner, wo's weht da ist das Glück. Rufen den Schlachtruf unser Freiheit." (Follow now the star-spangled banner, where it blows there is happiness. Shouting the battle cry of freedom.)
"'Der Einheit zu Ehre,' tönts von nah und fern. Tod den Verrätern, es lebe der Sterne. Uber Berge, Meer und Land, ziehen wir zum Feind erneut. Rufen den Schlachtruf unser Freiheit." ('To the glory of unity,' sounds from near and far. Death to the traitors, long live the stars. Over mountains, sea and land, we march to the enemy once more. Shouting the battle cry of our freedom.) They cheered with energy.
Right as they finished, Ami Chono radioed into every tank. "The tier I safety flag is lifted. All vehicles may resume the match!" she announced.
"Panzer Vor!" Miho and William shouted. The six tanks pushed forward, climbing the hill, and stopping on the top of the hill. Ahead of them, in the aim of their guns, was the Saunders flag tank. "Fire!" the commanders ordered.
Alisa froze as the barrels of seven guns were aimed directly at her tank before she rushed to close her hatch. "Reverse, reverse!" she screamed. The M4A1 stopped and quickly reversed as the guns fired in front of her. As her tank sped back, the shells rained down on her, exploded, and blasted a wall of dirt and dust into the air. Alisa gripped her periscope as the tank fell back, but the eliminating strike never came. "Oarai's tanks are all coming for us!" she screamed into her radio.
Kay, who was stopped with her group of tanks, raised an eyebrow and picked up her radio. "That doesn't make sense, how'd they track you down?" she asked.
Alisa winced as another shell struck the ground in front of her tank. She began nervously tapping her foot. "Um, well… I may have left my hiding spot…"
"You fool!" Kay shouted angrily, "why in God's name did you do that?!"
"I'm sorry! I intercepted their communications and went to 0765 since I thought their tanks would be there instead of D44!" she cried.
Kay clutched her radio in fury. "Haven't I always told you to fight fair Alisa?!" she shouted, "Come on, we'll regroup at D45, that's not too far from D44 for both of us. Get moving!" she ordered.
"Yes ma'am! D45!" Alisa replied. Her tank veered to the left and drove forward to the left of Oarai's tanks to escape down a pathway that cut through the rolling hills.
Kay sighed and changed her channel to exclude Alisa. "Everyone on me! We're heading out to D45. Naomi, Jennifer, Patty, I want you three in front," she ordered.
"Yes ma'am," the three commanders replied. The two T22E1s and Firefly drove ahead of the formation, with the Firefly in the center. Behind them, the remaining four Shermans advanced in a single file line, with Kay in the lead. "She better hold on or I'm going to have her discharged!" she muttered angrily.
000
Oarai continued their chase of the M4A1, but Atrox Team began to struggle keeping up with the more agile light and medium tanks. "Miho, we've maxed out our engine, we can't keep up like this," William informed.
Miho bit her lip and thought for a moment. She took a look at her map before coming up with a plan. "Okay, there's a turn in this path, you can cut through the forest coming up on our right. From there you can intercept the M4A1," she instructed, "I'll have Leopard Team join you. It looks like there's a path that'll connect to the forest he's near."
"Alright, this is Leopard Team, where's that path?" Ross asked.
Miho was going to speak, but Chloe beat her to it. "It'll be our next left on this path," she said.
"Right, you two will link up ahead and ambush the flag tank!" Miho exclaimed.
"Affirmative, breaking off," William said. The Tiger H2 broke off and cut its way into the forest. Further south, Ross was stalking the Saunders group from nearly a kilometer behind but broke away to the left onto a new gravel road.
"Alright, no more speed limits, give this poor tank hell Tandy!" Ross ordered.
Tandy smirked and pressed all the way down on the steering sticks and maxed out the RPMs. Within seconds the tank screamed towards its top speed. "Just as fast as a 911!" Ross exclaimed.
"There's a small difference in speed," Jody pointed out smugly.
"Shut up and let me have my fun," Ross replied and stood out his cupola to avoid her.
Further north, the group of five tanks sped closer and closer to the M4A1. If we can just get close enough to stop and still have a shot at them…
000
"My, my, this is certainly new. It's much like a game of tag isn't it?" Shichiro said.
"It's nothing but a disgrace to Sensha-do. What fool misses a perfect shot, with a Tiger nonetheless? Of course, it would be a boy," Shiho commented sourly.
"So you still think Oarai won't win, even with the Saunders flag tank right in front of them?" Shichiro asked.
Shiho snorted. "Of course, not only has the Tiger been sent into a forest where it'll likely get stuck, but the Type 100 is going so fast it'll throw a tread and crash. Tanks are not like sports cars," she said, "they've proven to have incompetent gunners and couldn't hit a single tank with seven guns. This match is effectively over."
"I would've thought you of all people would've seen the value of sending tanks through forests…" Shichiro muttered.
"What was that?" Shiho asked with a cold glare.
"Nothing, nothing," Shichiro waved off. "It looks like the Elefant crew has recovered," he pointed out, pointing to the crew standing next to the main grandstand.
"They must have mishandled or messed with their Elefant. Kuromomormine's Elefant's never had any failures. Of course, it is driven and commanded by a boy. Ignorant brat probably tampered with the engine."
"Well our early reports suggest a fuel line failure something that wasn't uncommon in the war," Shichiro stated, "regardless, we'll be conducting a full investigation and revoking the safety license for the Ferdinand and Elefant tank destroyers until a conclusion is made by the Vehicle Safety Approval Committee."
"What?" Shiho asked, "surely that isn't necessary."
"We don't want to take any risks," he replied.
Shiho just scowled and glared out the window.
000
Alisa sped past a tri-intersection in the gravel road and continued speeding down the road, right where Miho wanted her. Unbeknownst to her though, that fell right into Kay's plan. Kay smirked while looking at her map and confirmed the positions. "We'll be coming up right behind them. We'll see how they like getting chased!" she cheered.
Shortly after Alisa and Oarai passed the tri-intersection, the forward guard of Saunders entered the road. "Enemy tank group identified," Naomi reported, "Five tanks in total, including the flag tank, roughly three kilometers away."
"Excellent, close in on them, we're right behind you!" Kay encouraged, "Let's go, go!"
The three lead tanks sped forward, slowly closing in on Oarai. "Load HE, I want to give them a little rattle," Naomi ordered.
Her loader nodded and grabbed an HE shell. She carefully tried to load it without bumping her hand on the back of the turret, but failed and pinched her fingers. "Ow…" she moaned. She loaded the round into the gun and rubbed her bruised knuckles. It wasn't the first time she had pinched her hand on the turret and the shell she was loading.
"Sorry, I'll buy you reinforced loaders gloves after this match," Naomi reassured. "Firing!" she warned.
The 17-pdr screamed and fired a high explosive shell towards Oarai. The shell crashed close to Rabbit Team. "Ah! Something just exploded next to us!" Azusa squealed.
"That was the Firefly!" Yukari recognized.
"Don't worry! It's unlikely they'll get an accurate shot more than a kilometer away! Rabbit, Duck Team I need you to shield Turtle Team!" Miho ordered.
"On it!" Noriko replied.
"Yes ma'am!" Azusa said. The Type 89B and M3 Grant slowed down marginally and fell behind the Stridsvagn M/41 SII. Their turrets faced rearward. "We won't fail now!" Azusa declared.
"Hippo Team, we won't have the luxury of stopping and firing now, we'll have to fire on the move now!" Miho said.
"I'm not sure I can!" Saemonza replied, pressing her face against her sights. While the road was flat, it was by no means smooth and the gun bounced like crazy.
"We have no other choice, it's time for us to step up!" Miho shouted, "I know you can do it!"
Saemonza grit her teeth and fiddled with the gun sights. In the Panzer IV, Hana did the same, trying to lock in on the M4A1. "Yukari, load AP and don't stop until we knock out the flag tank!" Miho ordered.
"You got it!" Yukari exclaimed, already grabbing another AP round.
At the rear, Noriko loaded the Type 3 HEAT into her gun and Saki loaded standard armor piercing. "Let's go, fire!" Azusa ordered. The 37mm cannon fired back towards the Saunders tanks. "Use the coaxial MG to try and distort their gunsights while Saki loads!" she ordered.
The M1919 coaxial machine gun rattled off bullets as Aya pressed on the foot trigger. The bullets pinged off the armor of the Firefly. Naomi frowned, but was not deterred and fired another round towards the M3 Grant. The shell soared through the air and impacted the thin rear armor of the M3 Grant. With a flash of smoke and fire, the medium tank ground to a halt on the side of the road. "We've been taken out!" Azusa shouted, "I wish you all the best!"
"Are you okay?" Miho asked with concern.
"We're fine!" Azusa answered.
"My glasses broke, but I'm fine!" Aya added. One of her lenses was completely shattered and the other was cracked pretty badly.
"We'll protect you Turtle Team!" Noriko declared as the Type 89B blocked the line of sight between Saunders and the Stridsvagn. Her tank fired a round backward that completely missed.
Nora and Harriet narrowed their eyes, locking their automatic guns onto Duck Team's treads. "Fire!" their commanders ordered. Together the 75mm guns fired and destroyed the poor medium tank's treads causing it to skid across the ground. Before it came to a stop, the Firefly put it out of its misery.
"Sorry Miho, we're out!" Noriko cried.
"Are you okay?" Miho asked.
"We're fine, good luck. Give them all the guts you've got!" Noriko encouraged.
"Hippo Team fall back to protect to Turtle Team!" Miho ordered desperately.
Without a word, the StuG III quickly swerved in front of Turtle Team to protect them. "It seems we must be sacrificed to win," Erwin stated.
Caesar solemnly nodded. "Just like Jan van Speyk," she added.
"'I'd rather blow up!'" Oryou exclaimed.
"Death before dishonor!" Saemonza declared.
000
"Would this be a bad time to tell you that… um, the levers are stuck?" Tandy asked.
"This would be a bad time, why?" Ross asked.
"Because they have…" Tandy informed.
Ross had only one word to say, "Fuck."
The Type 100 sped forward without steering. Thankfully the road was completely straight and they had plenty of room between them and the ditches. Ross peaked out of his periscopes to see the M4A1 speed past the intersection ahead of them, closely followed by Anglerfish, Turtle, and Hippo Team. Then he saw the lead three Saunders tanks pass.
The column of Shermans entered the intersection just before he did. The crew closed their eyes and braced themselves for impact. The first three Shermans were able to escape a crash. The fourth one was stuck at full speed by the Type 100 in its left rear corner. The Type 100's tread grabbed onto the Sherman, causing it to be flung onto its side. The tank slid, pulling up dirt and grass while its crew screamed in terror. The Sherman spun to its left and flipped onto its right side as well, with its crew being completely blindsided by the crash. Although not technically knocked out, both tanks were completely immobile.
"Jesus Christ! What just happened!?" Kay screamed, "Baker, are you okay!?"
"Ow, ow, ow, ow…" Baker's commander replied, "I think I'm gonna hurl…"
Suddenly from her right, a shell screamed through the forest and impacted the side of the third Sherman, knocking it out instantly. "No, no!" she panicked, "Pull yourself together!" She frantically looked to her right to see a lone Tiger emerge from the forest and stop. Oh my God… it's just like in… she cut off her train of thought and sprung into action. "Patty, Jennifer, Able, on me! We're going to charge the Tiger to our right! Operation: Spencer is approved!" she ordered.
"Alright!" Patty and Jennifer shouted. The four tanks broke away, leaving only Naomi on Oarai's tail. Patty and Jennifer climbed out of their hatches and were handed a Spencer Repeating Rifle from their gunners. The radio operators of each tank climbed through the turrets to man the Gatling guns. "Take this Fritz!" they shouted. They stood on the engine decks of the T22E1s now speeding towards the Tiger I H2. With their rifles aimed, the girls fired Sensha-do bullets modified to have a paintball bullet embedded in the front. As they fired, Atrox Team fired again, destroying Able. The M4 Sherman sputtered to a stop, leaving Kay, Patty, and Jennifer to face the beast. The paint splattered all over the turret as the Gatling guns lit up with harsh cranks from their gunners.
William jumped out of his cupola and frantically tried to give Quinn adjustments to aim the cannon for him. His jacket and face quickly got splattered with paint from the enemy's guns, but he was able to direct the gun enough to knock out Patty's T22E1. "Right, right!" he shouted as the enemy tanks closed in. The turret jerked sharply right, just in time to fire on and knock out Jennifer, causing the paintballs to seize.
But Kay Sherman was too quick. With a clumsy wipe, the gunner's sights of the Tiger H2 were clear and the turret began to turn and close on Kay's Sherman as it approached Atrox Team's rear. "Fire!" Kay shouted. The 75mm gun shot into the Tiger's rear, knocking it out of commission. Kay let out a sharp breath and looked at the paint-splattered, knocked-out Tiger I H2. "We did it… we knocked out a Tiger I like Fury did!" she shouted in happiness.
000
Anglerfish Team broke away from the Oarai's convoy. "Be ready Hana!" Miho exclaimed. Driving up a ridge, they approached the edge with the Firefly right behind them.
"Ready to fire!" Naomi's loader informed.
The two tanks stopped. Anglerfish Team at the ridgeline, aiming down at the M4A1 as Alisa reached the coast. "Sherman's march ends here," Hana said. Naomi locked in Anglerfish Team in her sights. Then both tanks fired. A 75mm shell flew towards Alisa and the M4A1 and a 76.2mm shell flew towards the Panzer IV.
Alisa's M4A1 shook and its side exploded in a shower of sparks and smoke as the 75mm Panzergranate 39 knocked out her tank. The Firefly's shell crashed into the back of the Panzer IV, shoving it forwards and knocking it out. But it was too little, too late.
"Saunders University High School's flag tank has been eliminated, Oarai Co-ed Academy wins!" Ami Chono excitedly announced. The crowd went ballistic as Oarai fans cheered and celebrated.
Shiho sneered in disgust. "What a mess, is this what Sensha-do has become? A crazed demolition derby and paintball extravaganza?"
Shichiro frowned and opened his phone. "Miss Chono, could you please call in the crew of the Type 100 to the officiating lot. I would like to have a world with them," he said. After a nod, he closed his phone. "I will ensure the incident is handled, Shiho."
"This better not spiral out of control like 1989 or I will take action, and this time I won't allow any young girls to get hurt or be denied the opportunity to participate because of a boy's reckless actions," she stated coldly.
"It shall be handled with the best interests of the sport at heart, I can assure you," Shichiro assured.
"I will not tolerate anything short of that tank crew's expulsion from the tournament," she demanded.
000 (Warning: Lots of swearing)
Kay's Sherman stopped next to the flipped-over Baker Sherman that was dug into the ground. Ross slowly crawled out of the Type 100 with a bruised forehead and a nasty-looking black eye. Kay jumped down furiously and stormed towards him. "Just what the fuck were you thinking!" she shrieked and grabbed him by his collar and pressed him against the tank.
"Wha.. what?" Ross stuttered.
Kay growled and threw him to the ground to her left. She grabbed his collar again and stood over him. "I. Said. What. The. Fuck. Were. You. Thinking?!" she shrieked, punctuating each word with a slam against the ground.
Jody crawled out of the Type 100 and lunged at Kay. "Get off of him!" she screamed. The two fell to the ground and struggled against each other before Ross and the Baker Sherman commander pulled them apart. "Let go of me!" they both screamed.
A loud, shrill whistle pierced the air and a group of officials jumped into the fray, grabbing all four members and restraining them. "All of you, that's enough!" Ami Chono shouted over the chaos, stepping out of an M113.
Everyone fell silent as the intimidating woman stepped between everyone. "Is this what represents the future of Sensha-do? Are you all too fueled by your emotions to think reasonably? You should all be ashamed!" she boomed.
"He was the son of a bitch who rammed one of my tanks! Anyone in Baker could've been seriously injured!" Kay shouted, "I shouldn't have been so accepting of you male bastards!"
"Our steering levers were stuck. We had no control!" Ross retorted angrily.
"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Ami shouted. "Every single one of you are coming with me. We'll sort this out sooner or later," she said bitterly. A collection of tank recovery vehicles stopped near the overturned tanks. The three tanks were loaded up and their crews sat next to them on the trailers in tense silence.
000
"So, you're the driver of the Type 100, could you tell me what happened, in your view?" an official asked. Tandy was sitting on an ad hoc examination table with a few bandages and an icepack taped to his head.
"Of course, we were heading down the road and I went to make an adjustment with the levers and they just stuck. I tried, honestly, I pulled at them and tugged but they would not budge. After that we had no control," Tandy explained.
"So, you did not intend to ram the Sherman?" the official asked.
"No, of course not," Tandy answered.
The official hummed and wrote down on her clipboard. "Alright, we'll see if your black box supports your story," the official said.
Tandy nodded and followed her out. In a large tent with many separated inner rooms, everyone involved in the incident was gathered with officials watching over them. Baker and Leopard Team were patched up, and Ross and Kay were nowhere to be seen. The group sat in awkward silence. Until Ami Chono and Shichiro entered the tent with Ross and Kay behind. Ross looked completely exhausted, while Kay was still fuming. A mechanic climbed into the Type 100 with a drill and after a minute of work, emerged with a black box. He set it on a table and opened the top with the drill. The lid of the box came off, revealing several input and output ports. "This black box has all the information regarding your tank, inputs such as the steering levers, audio logs recording your intercom and radio communications, and finally judgment data used in officiating and determining knock-out status," Shichiro explained.
A technician connected a laptop to the box and downloaded its data. Opening a program that can read the data, he scrolled through the match records until the end, where they could see the steering levers stuck on full throttle for both tracks. "I-I… he could have told him to do that! Check his radio!" Kay demanded.
"There are no radio records for that time. Not a single word was spoken," the technician said.
"Why did you- oh…" Kay started.
"Yeah, you tapped out communications," Ross said, slightly smug, "do you think we're dumb enough to not figure it out?"
"That doesn't justify you ramming Baker!" Kay retorted.
"It wasn't intentional!" Ross countered.
Shichiro contemplated the case for a moment. "Did you have any contact with other tanks, some other way?" he asked.
"Of course, we used our cell phones," Ross answered.
Shichiro nodded. "Bring in Oarai's commander," he requested to an official. The official nodded and she walked off to grab Miho. "Here's what is going to happen. Captain Nishizumi will be brought in and she will be briefly questioned regarding communications. What she says will determine this case."
Kay turned away angrily and scowled. Ross just silently nodded. A short time later, the judge returned with a confused and concerned commander. "Can someone explain what's going on?" she asked.
"One of your subordinates rammed one of my tanks, that's what happened!" Kay said angrily.
"It was an accident!" Ross retorted.
"Enough, Miho, what did you hear, did Ross give any orders to ram Baker?" Shichiro asked.
"No… but I can recite what he said if that would help," Miho said shakily.
"It would if you could please," Shichiro requested.
"Okay… So Tandy says 'Would this be a bad time to tell you that… um, the levers are stuck?' Then Ross says, 'This would be a bad time, why?' Then Tandy says, 'Because they have…' and then Ross replies with, 'fuck,'" she blushed from embarrassment, "Sorry for swearing, it's just what he said last before impact."
"It's fine Miho. Thank you for your help. I think that's enough to close the case. The crew of the Type 100 are cleared of wrongdoing. Kay, I would like you to apologize for your actions," Shichiro decided.
Kay sat in shock. Oh God, I've messed up real bad… She bowed deeply. "I am really sorry, Ross, Miho, everyone, I acted out of line and completely on my emotions. Could you please forgive me?"
Ross gave her a small smile. "Alright. I guess I can accept your apology, on one condition," he said.
Kay nodded. "Yes, what is it?" she asked.
Ross smirked and turned to Miho, "I do believe you now owe us a tank," he said.
Kay laughed. "I guess I do now, don't I?" she asked, "who'll be Miho?"
"I'd actually like to ask them first if that's okay," Miho said shyly.
"Girl, we just shot at each other for hours, and you're still all uppity? Loosen up a little!" Kay exclaimed. "Let's get moving, Miho's got some requests to make."
000
The crews returned to Saunders prep lot, where everyone from both had gathered around a single T22E1. On the engine deck, Patty and Jennifer stood with Bouzouki and guitar, eagerly entertaining the crowd, which was growing larger by the second. With eager strumming, the two began to sing. "Since first the dirty Southern traitors, this foul Secession War began! When all them treacherous alligators commenced the row at Charleston! Columbia's flag, the Star of Freedom, still has ruled on land and say. Fools may rave, but never heed them—to bate our foes we know the way!" they sang.
Then came the chorus. "Whack, fal de ral, da to ra laddie. Whack, fal de ral, da to ra lay. Whack, fal de ral, da to ra laddie. Whack, fal de ral, da to ra lay."
Patty opened the first verse, "Volunteers we have by thousands, generals trusty, true, and brave! For the union they arouse, and all would die our flag to save! Butler down at New Orleans, he kept the rebel host at bay! On them there to draw the reins, he quickly showed he knew the way."
They joined to sing the chorus together, "Whack, fal de ral, da to ra laddie. Whack, fal de ral, da to ra lay. Whack, fal de ral, da to ra laddie. Whack, fal de ral, da to ra lay"
Jennifer opened the next verse, "Gallant Meade, a hero truly, at Gettysburg the foe met he; And there he gave them Ballyhooly—Oh, how are you, General Lee? Rosecrans, a soldier thorough—that's a fact that none can gainsay. The rebels met at Murfreesboro, to rout them there he knew the way!"
"Whack, fal de ral, da to ra laddie. Whack, fal de ral, da to ra lay. Whack, fal de ral, da to ra laddie. Whack, fal de ral, da to ra lay," they chanted.
Patty pointed out to William and Joseph's crews, who were hanging out closer to the back. "Little Sigel, for the Germans! He has bravely stood the test! Dix and Banks, Burnside, and Sherman all have nobly done their best. General Meagher has shown his mettle, Corcoran too, was in the fray. The foes of Uncle Sam to settle," she paused to point to herself and her crew, "the Irish boys they know the way!"
"Whack, fal de ral, da to ra laddie. Whack, fal de ral, da to ra lay. Whack, fal de ral, da to ra laddie. Whack, fal de ral, da to ra lay." They paused for an instrumental. "Whack, fal de ral, da to ra laddie. Whack, fal de ral, da to ra lay. Whack, fal de ral, da to ra laddie. Whack, fal de ral, da to ra lay," they chanted.
Jennifer sang the next verse, "Then there's General Daniel Sickles, from the field ne'er stirs a peg. The foe's catastrophe he tickles—gallant Dan has lost a leg! General Grant he gives them thunder, at Vicksburg he won the day! Then to make the foe knocked under, Chattanooga knew the way!"
"Whack, fal de ral, da to ra laddie. Whack, fal de ral, da to ra lay. Whack, fal de ral, da to ra laddie. Whack, fal de ral, da to ra lay."
In a slower pace, the two sang together, "For to call the list of fame, I haven't room now in my song, for to go through each General's name, it would keep me singing all night long. But of one more I will be telling, and who should be restored straightway! To put an end to this rebellion—Little Mac, he knows the way!"
"Whack, fal de ral, da to ra laddie. Whack, fal de ral, da to ra lay. Whack, fal de ral, da to ra laddie. Whack, fal de ral, da to ra lay."
The crowd cheered and clapped while Patty and Jennifer waved to them. Patty and Miho locked eyes, and Patty gestured her to come forward. "Everyone, everyone! Clear the way for Captain Nishizumi!" she shouted.
Miho's face glowed red from embarrassment, but Ross patted her back and gave her an encouraging smile. "Your fans want to see you!" he exclaimed with a laugh.
Miho sighed and approached the tank as the crowd parted. Patty held out a hand for her which she took gratefully. Patty pulled her up onto the tank. "Howdy Miho!" Patty greeted.
"Hh-hi," Miho stuttered.
Jennifer laughed and grabbed a pint of amber-colored, fizzy, foamy liquid from the roof of the turret. "Here you go, girl! It's on the house! Congratulations on the victory!" she cheered.
Miho took the glass. "Thank you… what is this?" she asked.
Patty laughed. "Try it first, then I'll tell ya!" she said.
Miho slowly took a sip. The drink tasted grainy and light, with a hint of bitterness, and plenty of foam and fizziness. "C'mon, you do more than that! Chug, chug, chug!" Patty cheered.
"Chug, chug, chug!" the crowd repeated.
The Freikorp Oarai members looked on and chuckled as Miho started drinking more and faster. "Hopefully they brought the light stuff…" William said.
"Nah, that better be like 100% alcohol. That'd be funny," Jody commented.
"At that point, you'd just be drinking rubbing alcohol or ethanol," Chloe said.
"Sounds like my kind of drink!" Morgan added.
"You'd be dead before you'd finish a glass," Alex dryly said.
Miho lowered her glass and felt really warm. Her face reddened a little more. "So what was that?" she asked.
"Only the finest, homebrew, Kansas-style Irish beer!" Patty answered.
"Beer?!" Miho squeaked.
"Ha! Don't worry, girl, it's 'nonalcoholic,'" Jennifer reassured with tiny air quotes, "so, Miho, we actually have a request to make."
"Yes?" Miho asked.
"We'd like to join your team as the trophy tank reward. A T22E1 with me, Jennifer, Nora, and Harriet crewing it," Patty requested.
"Really?! I was going to ask one of you to join us!" Miho exclaimed.
"Works fine with me! Well then, Captain Miho, you're leading the Irish Brigade now!" Patty cheered.
"I think you mean she's leading the Arkansas Volunteers!" Jennifer interjected.
Miho laughed nervously and held up her hands. "Well, it'll be good to have you," she said.
Suddenly, Nora blasted a tune of horns and drums from the radio. "Oh hell yeah! We're the Oarai Expeditionary Force now!" Patty cheered.
"Over there, over there!" Jennifer sang, "C'mon everyone sing along!"
"Send the word, send the word over there! That the Yanks are coming, the Yanks are coming! The drums rum tumming everywhere! So prepare, say a prayer, send the word! Send the word, to beware! We'll be over, we're coming over! And we won't come back till it's over, over there!"
000
If I don't keep writing the voices get louder.
We've reached Chapter 18, which means we have finally beat my last personal best! One of my previous stories reach 17 chapters (Only 1k each chapter though), but now we've beat even that!
Credit to Karl Sterneu for the German version of The Battle Cry of Freedom and to David Kincaid for the song, The List of Generals
Up Next on Girls und Panzer: Tank Aces!
Chapter 19: Marching Along!