Author Thought:
Hello again, glad to get this chapter out to you valued readers, while also a little nervous as I'm taking a crack at doing tank duels for the first time, not an easy thing to write about. Yet were reaching the end of this battle that just like the last volume went further than my expectations.
Now I don't usually ask, but I have been wondering what a lot you think about this volume so far, maybe it got to wordy or stuff. Yet that's just me as an amateur author having anxiety about my writing as I'm sure all of us do. If you have any thoughts I'm all ears.
Now let's get to reading as the battle of Oarai and Chi-Ha-Tan is reaching its final stages. With hopefully the next chapter being the end of this fight and with it one of these schools going onto the semi-final, but who win's? Even I don't know at this point.
Have a great rest of your day, and thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading this volume up to this point. Till the next Author Thought.
"Can you believe this folks?!" Fumihiko Sakaguchi said excitedly, host of the Sensha-do battle network said, currently doing commentary for the Chi-Ha-Tan versus Ooarai girls Academy match at the network's studio back in Tokyo. He was leaning back in his chair with an enthusiastic look.
Fumihiko kept his commentary going. "We have just seen Miho Nishzumi's Tiger 1 of Chi-Ha-Tan just make an insanely long shot from well over 1000 meters….wait…our analyst on the ground has just confirmed that shot was at a range of 1500 meters. My word! That has just shattered the Sensha-do record for the longest recorded distance of a tank kill set by Miss Naomi of Saunders last year when she took out a Pravda T-34/85 tank at over 1100 meters. This is a momentous occasion to see it happen, isn't Miss Susan?"
Fumihiko's co-host in Susan Marshall, was equally animated as she spoke. "Most definitely Mister Fumihiko. It's one thing to hit a stationary tank from such a distance, but to hit a target at that range with the speed of the M18 Hellcat that's moving is something I never thought possible, or even try in my time in Sensha-do."
"Yes, yes, this is something that will go down into legend for sure of our great sport, and for you dear viewers watching back home, you have been given a treat by seeing it on screen. As this match between Chi-Ha-Tan and Oarai is turning out to be all we hope for," Fumihiko said, turning his head back to the camera.
"Ah, but looks like trouble is on the horizon for Miss Nishizumi," Susan said, with a sly grin looking at the secondary screen displaying the match.
The Sensha-do Battle Network turn his head back to the secondary screen to see what trouble his co-host was seeing, then spoke. "Ah, I see what you mean by trouble. It seems like Oarai's reinforcements have arrived, but I wonder if they will be able to spot Miss Nishzumi's Tiger 1 in that great position around the bushes, couple with that great camouflage scheme their tank has."
"Yes, something that makes Chi-Ha-Tan one of the most dangerous teams in this tournament. Now we have a duel on our hands now," Susan commentated.
"Yes a duel for the ages, so don't you dare get up or change the channel dear viewers as Miss Nishizumi will have her hands full to save her team from being defeated, but who will win is still in the air, so strap in for this battle of great underdogs," Fumihiko said while gesturing to the camera to emphasize that none of the viewers leave.
"Most definitely, this will be a duel of a Tiger and Wolf," Susan said, while watching the match play out on the secondary screen.
Well, Miss Shimada, you were not wrong about this Miho girl being something else, glad I get to see it for myself. Now the real challenge will be to see how she handles this hurdle
Susan thought, smirking out how things were playing out just like her good friend said they would.
XxxxX
Aboard the HMS Ark Royal, inside the St. Gloriana High School level Tankery office, the shattering of an expensive porcelain teacup echoes through the finely decorated room. It broke against the polished wood floor, spreading its content of black tea named Assam, named after the place it was produced in Assam, India, as well as the given name for the one who drop it. The black tea spread and soak into the wood, though someone was quickly bringing a fine rag to clean the mess as quickly as she could.
Orange Pekoe, dressed in her St. Gloriana school uniform, was the one to clean the mess up. Having moved at rapid speed from her place at the table filled with various delicate cakes and sweets. The loader for the school's Churchill Mk 4, tries to keep her irritation down at her friend dropping the expensive cup on the ground, as it would be very unladylike of her to have an outburst at the moment.
Though a certain pinkish red-headed girl wasn't about to let a chance to tease her fellow tankery member pass by. "Wow, I always thought you were so sure-handed Miss Assam, never knew you to be a klutz."
"Miss Rosehip, please refrain from making such comments. It was an accident nothing more," Orange Peko said, trying to calmly scold her first-year tank commander.
"I…I…I'm very sorry for the destruction of that expensive cup. I've shamed the St. Gloriana motto to never spill an ounce of tea in any situation," Assam said, while bowing in her seat to her commander, who was sitting on a 19th-century white color sofa watching the match on the wall-mounted T.V. in their office.
Darjeeling simply took an elegant sip of her tea with her eyes close, then lower it back onto the saucer she was holding in her other hand noiselessly and gracefully as she always did, then turn to look her gunner of her Churchill Mk 4 with open eyes and an elegant smile on her lips.
"My dear Assam, may perchance you drop that tea in a fit of jealousy?" Darjeeling teased.
"Uh..no…uh…yes, but only a little," Assam said, blushing in embarrassment, as Darjeeling read her like a book, but that was to be expected of her observative commander.
"Here's a quote from Francois de la Rochefoucauld you might like: Jealousy lives upon doubts. It becomes madness or ceases entirely as soon as we pass from doubt to certainty," Darjeeling said, trying to quell her friend's agitation.
"I understand Miss Darjeeling. Sorry to be ungraceful by having such thoughts of jealousy," Assam, placing her hands in her lap to bow once again to her commander in apology.
Darjeeling just chuckle a bit, then spoke. "I understand your feelings, we are only human. We are prone to have them, even the most fortitude of minds will have fall to such emotions. If anything I'm a little glad you feel this way."
"You do?" Orange Pekoe said, just standing up from finishing her cleanup work.
"Yes, if anything our dear Assam wants to make such an accurate shot, like that first-year gunner under Miss Nishzumi's command, am I right?" Darjeeling ask, looking directly at Assam.
"Yes, Miss Darjeeling," Assam said solemnly.
As always, Darjeeling knew what stir in the heart of her close friends, which went double for her gunner who she needed to be in synch with during a match at all times. The reason for the dropping of the teacup, was because the four girls in the room had just witnessed the Tiger 1 of Chi-Ha-Tan make an insane sniper shot from over 1500 meters on a fast-moving target. Not even the best ace gunners of Sensha-do had made such a shot, and with it being done by a first-year, would obviously make some of them jealous. Which for Assam who had always been considered an ace gunner on par with Naomi of Saunders and Nonna of Pravda, only made her want to match this first-year gunner of Chi-Ha-Tan.
"Ah, why are you getting jealous of a first-year? You're like the ace of aces," Rosehip again tease.
"Have some respect you wh-," Assam began to retort but was cut off.
Rosehip cut in. "All of the tankery members in our club know you're the greatest ace gunner around, add in the spy work you do to make sure we're ready for any opponent, you got no equal Miss Assam."
That made Assam blush with the praise being laid on her, making Darjeeling and Orange Pekoe chuckle at how flustered she was by a first-year nonetheless.
As the chuckling die down, Orange Pekoe spoke up. "She is right, though Miss Rosehip said it in a less than graceful manner."
Rosehip simply shrug at the comment.
Orange Pekoe continue to speak. "You must not let jealously cloud your mind. Since we might be facing this Chi-Ha-Tan team in the final and will have your chance to match that Tiger 1 gunner."
"Yea! St. Gloriana is going to take the Victory Flag for Miss Darjeeling!" Rosehip boasted, raising her glass of tea in the air, sloshing all around the cup, yet somehow not spilling a drop.
"Miss Rosehip, quiet your voice. Must you be so loud, especially in the presence of Miss Darjeeling," Orange Pekoe said, in a mildly irritated tone.
"Ah, come on, let your hair down for once," Rosehip complain.
That made Orange Pekoe rub her forehead in frustration as she spoke. "Honestly, you have the privilege to be part of the Tea Garden club, yet you act like this."
"It is alright Miss Pekoe," Darjeeling said, calming the situation down. "Miss Rosehip was selected by me personally. She has the making of being a fine tankery member of our club, though I will make sure to rectify her more wild side, to become more ladylike."
That made Rosehip lean back in her seat. "Oh no, please no more intense manner training. I barely got through it yesterday, you made me hold that teacup for four straight hours, while squatting nonetheless."
"That is nothing, our former commander Earl Gray made us do it for six straight hours. You're getting off easy," Darjeeling teased.
"I'll pray for your soul," Assam teased as well to her first year.
"Me too," Orange Pekoe said, joining in on the fun.
Rosehip said nothing as her face show pure terror at the thought of the intense training of St. Gloriana's conduct and etiquette training, trying to produce some of Japan's most graceful and sophisticated ladies. With many of them going on to be leaders of companies, government positions, or other prominent leadership roles.
"Please be gentle," Rosehip said with a distressed tone.
"I'm sorry my dear, but we of St. Gloriana never skimp on our training. Oh, looks like the American tankers for Oarai have come to reinforce their allies. Let us see if they are up to the task of beating this Tigress that my friend Kay has such affection for," Darjeeling said, bringing her attention back to the screen.
The four girls now focus back on the screen, their minds wondering who was finally going to come out on top in this furious battle that was reaching its climax stages.
XxxxX
Aboard the USS George Washington, another group of girls were reacting to the long-distance shot made by the Tiger 1 of Chi-Ha-Tan. Though instead of dropping of a cup, one of the girls sitting in Kay's office which was designated for the commander of Saunders Tankery team, spit out the orange soda she had been drinking, with her unintended target getting the soda all over her.
"Naomi! What the hell! You got orange soda all in my hair!" Alisa, vice commander of Saunders tankery team, wearing their school uniform, now yelp feeling the liquid all over her head and quickly becoming sticky.
"Hahahaha!" Kay laugh out loud at her poor friend from her office chair, making Ailsa blush in frustration.
Naomi though got her senses back, and from her folded-out seat next to her friend, began to try and help her. "I'm so sorry Alisa, don't know what came over me."
"Don't know what came over you, like that is going to make me feel better. You just got my hair all sticky, what the hell am I supposed to do now?!" Alisa said with venom, looking ready to jump at her tall friend to pounce and get some vengeance.
"Take a shower," Naomi said casually with a shrug.
"How about I get sod-," Alisa began to retort.
"Alright, alright, enough with the horseplay," Kay said, after calming down from her laughing fits.
That only made Alisa more irritated. "Whose horse playing?! I better not have to cut my hair because of this."
"You'll be fine, go take a shower," Kay said with a wave of the hand.
Alisa growled from her seat, then let out a breath to calm herself. "Fine, I'll go. Thankfully we got T.V's mounted in the shower room, so I don't miss any of the action."
"One of the perks of having such a wealthy school," Kay boasted in her seat.
"Yea, only reason we were able to get those Jumbo's. Though you had to go and give one to Chi-Ha-Tan, even worse you upgraded it with the 76mm gun," Alisa said, now rising out of her seat.
Kay just shrug. "They more than earn it from us. Plus I've already got a contract with a company in America to produce a couple more for us."
"Won't do you much good, since you're graduating, unless the Federation brings back the Winter Cup," Naomi said, leaning back in her seat.
"True, alright I'm out of here," Alisa said, but as she walked by Naomi, she gave her a ruffle of her hair for a little payback, then left the room.
Now that they were alone, Kay focus in on her ace gunner with a sly smirk as she spoke. "You had that kind of reaction because that first-year gunner just shatter your record."
Naomi turn to her commander with a determined look. "Of course, you know how proud I was to make that shot in last year's tournament on that Pravda T-34/85. I know the feeling of hitting a tank successfully from such a distance. I was pretty sure my record would stand at least for a couple of years, yet that Nishizumi girls gunner just shatter it this year, on a moving target nonetheless."
Smiling at her friend Kay just couldn't help but agree. The Saunders commander was just as baffled to see the Tiger 1 hit a moving target at such an extreme distance, especially a speedy tank in the M18 Hellcat. There was now no doubt about Chi-Ha-Tan's commander Miho Nishzumi's skills as not just a commander, but a tank commander as well. It sent chills down Kay's spine to see this girl seem to only keep improving as time went on.
"Now I want a rematch with Chi-Ha-Tan," Naomi said, watching the battle play out now on the screen.
"Well theirs still the Summer Champions Cup or expedition matches for us to give it a go," Kay said, also wanting to take on the vaunted Tigress Corps once more.
"True, would be even better if Chi-Ha-Tan become champions, then beating them will be just as good as winning the Victory Flag," Naomi said, grinning at the imaginary scenario.
"Placing a lot of faith in them girl, but they still have to take on Pravda if they want to make it into the finals," Kay said back.
Naomi nodded at that. "Yea, but theirs still a chance for them to be upset by that Maginot team they will be taking on."
"I love for you to say that in that pint-size Pravda commander's face," Kay teased.
"Ah, yea that might not end well for me. Those Vice commanders of hers are pretty damn scary, makes its worse it was Nonna that took me out last year. That girl is cold and calculating, though the only thing that warms that heart of hers is Miss Katyusha," Naomi said with a shiver, thinking about last year's duel with the Pravda vice commander nicknamed the Blizzard.
"True, but even if Miss Tigress has to face Pravda, I believe she will come out on top," Kay said confidently.
"You sure got a lot of faith in her, why is that?" Naomi said with a smirk.
Turning to watch the screen once more, Kay spoke with a gentle smile on her face. "That's because she was the first to accept our team back into the Sensha-do family. She has my gratitude, so I'll support her as much as I can."
"Even if they face St. Gloriana in the final?" Naomi tease.
"Well that might test my loyalties, Darjeeling might actually get jealous if I don't support her," Kay joked.
That made Naomi chuckle, then spoke. "That wouldn't be good at all. Yet I think she would understand. Oh, looks like Oarai's American teammates have arrived, now we're going to see some fireworks."
Still watching the screen, Kay spoke again. "They really got no idea what their up against. Come on Miss Tigress, show them the fighting spirit that can't be beaten."
XxxxX
Aboard the School Carrier Kiev, housing the defending champions of Pravda Girls High School, was drifting out along the sea in a much warmer climate than the girls were accustomed to. With most waiting with eagerness to get back past the 50th parallel and to the colder climate they were use to. Though that might not be happening for a while, as the reason for their stay in warmer weather was due to the commander of their tankery team Katyusha, who wanted to get her team acclimated to warmer climates they might fight in during the tournament.
Said commander was currently in her large office at the school itself, decorated with large bookshelves, tables for dining, and an office desk with a chair too large for the pint-size commander. Yet no one was going to make a comment about it, especially when the threat of being sent to the gulag or study camps was waiting for them if they did.
Though Katyusha was at the moment sleeping on Vice commanders Nonna's lap, on a large comfy couch. Nonna had just finished putting her commander to sleep with a Russian lullaby and was now stroking her head to keep soothing the commander in her dream state. Nonna's hand flowed through Katyusha's short hair with ease, letting the blond locks seep through her fingers, then repeating the process once more, and loving every second of it.
"The great…Katyusha…is here…you won't…question my victory…ever again," the Pravda commander said in her dream state, making Nonna smile, now gently rubbing her commander's face with the back of her knuckles.
That seem to soothe Katyusha, who let a small smile plaster her face as she snuggle into Nonna's lap some more to get comfortable, then let out soft snores as she slept peacefully.
"You are quite the lap pillow, comrade Nonna," Klara said, coming to the side of the couch with some tea for her fellow vice commander.
Nonna let a small smile cross her face as she turn to her blonde hair friend. "So are you comrade Klara. Our dear Katyusha was complaining she wanted you here as well. Seems she can't sleep properly without the two of us singing to her."
After handing the teacup to Nonna to drink, Klara came around to the front of the couch, then kneel down to look at her sleepy commander's face. She admire it for a little bit, before reaching a hand out to also gently rub the back of her knuckles across her commander's face, who seem to relax even more at her other vice commander's touch.
"She really work hard today," Klara said, then rose up to take a seat next to Nonna.
"Thankfully only two girls were given punishment today," Nonna said.
That made Klara sigh, then spoke. "It just seems some people can't help but not meet the standard of Miss Katyusha."
Nonna nodded to that. "Yes, we are the defending champions, so meeting a high standard is a must. Oh, by the way, how is the Oarai and Chi-Ha-Tan match going?"
"Getting quite lively from what I watch on my phone while I was making the tea. Seems Miss Nishizumi just made a record-breaking long shot on Oarai's ally M18 Hellcat from some 1500 meters away," Klara said.
Nonna's left eye squinted for just a moment when she heard that. To Klara, who had gotten to know Nonna over time, understood this facial feature was one that said she was aggravated. The black hair vice commander never had any emotional outbursts, always remaining calm and calculating, with some rare showing of happiness which was mostly around Katyusha and Klara.
"Quite a feat," was all Nonna said, trying to keep calm.
"Vash vpolne konkurentosposobnyy(you're quite competitive)," Klara said in Russian, with a teasing smile on her face.
Nonna was about to respond, but Katyusha mumble something out in her sleep. "No…Russian…Klara."
Klara cover her mouth as she chuckle, then lower it to speak. "Sorry Miss Katyusha."
Once again running her knuckles over her commander's face to calm her, Nonna spoke. "I guess I am competitive, but only because I want to achieve glory for our motherland of Pravda, and for Miss Katyusha's ambition."
"That I understand," Klara spoke in Japanese now. "Yet our journey is still a long one. We might be facing this Nishizumi girl in the future once we beat Maginot. We must not let her stop our commander's ambition."
"Yes, my dear Klara, no one will stop our ambition. We must make sure no one questions Katyusha's win ever again, I trust you will give her your all," Nonna said, looking towards her friend's face with a small smile.
"My heart and soul now belong to Miss Katyusha's dream, I will never waver," Klara said with a look of pure determination to the cause.
Nonna nodded at that. "Good, would you please make sure to record the rest of the match. We must know our enemy's strategies, so Katyusha can form her future tactics. As you know, once she gets up, she will be slaving over paperwork again."
"Understood, let us make sure to lighten her load as much as possible, das vadanya Comrade Nonna," Klara said, then stood up to bow to her fellow vice commander, then left the room.
Now alone once again with her commander, Nonna look down to Katyusha once more. Making a vow to destroy all enemies in Katyusha's path. Yet a small ambition of her own was forming in Nonna's mind, she wanted to face this Tigress of Chi-Ha-Tan, and duel her to prove who the better ace sniper was.
If there was one thing Nonna prided herself on, it was being one of Sensha-do's elite gunners and tank commanders, with the competition being Naomi and Assam, who she respected greatly. Yet now she had to face and beat this Tiger 1 of Chi-Ha-Tan who had been making mincemeat of the competition so far and needed to face its equal, with that equal being her.
Don't lose Miss Nishizumi, we have a date with destiny I want us to meet
XxxxX
The rain pelted down hard on the battlefield, the roads starting to degraded with it. The mud was a natural enemy for tanks, but so far were still sturdy enough for the girls of both sides to keep using. Though one such girl aboard the M18 Hellcat, had just met her end with a long-distance shot that took her out. Morena Garcia of Wolverton Academy, became the first causality in her young academy's history, though she was more impressed by the Tiger 1 having taken her out on the move from such a long distance, that had ended her time in this match.
Her teammates in Jasmine, Ellie, and Fukushu had all seen her taken out, as they had just caught up to the pursuit. They witness the tracer shell coming flying down from its high arc and smack into the M18 Hellcat, whose speedy nature, came at a cost of armor, which most definitely wasn't going to hold up to the roar of a 88mm gun's shell, that sent her careening off the road.
"Morena, are you alright!?" Ellie yell over the net with her wired communicator aboard her M36B2 coming down the road.
"Yea, I'm alright, crews shaken, but good. No one's hurt," Morena responded over the net.
The Wolverton girls let out an exasperated breath to know their fellow tankery members were alright. Yet the real challenge began now of finding where the shot came from, to which Fukushu went into action. In her peripheral vision, she had seen a flash of the Tiger 1's gun firing. The gun to which her half-sister had fired at her foe, which now Fukushu was going to exact some revenge.
Fukushu standing tall in her commander's cupola, leaning against the brim with the rain pelting her, open a net call to her crew. "Holly, full stop. Then pivot left off the road and forward till I order you to stop."
"Roger!" Holly her driver said, while pulling the M4A3E8 Sherman to stop, though the mud made them drift a bit, then pivoted the tank to the left and roll forward off the road leaving their column behind.
"Fukushu! Where are you going?!" Jasmine, the platoon leader for the Wolverton girls said.
"I saw the muzzle flash, I'll pay the Tiger 1 back," Fukushu said back over the net, then switch to her crew net. "Holly, full stop. Alice load AP."
"Up!" Alice reply quickly, after loading the shell.
"Nicole, traverse right 1 o'clock, 1600 yards, aim for that collection of bushes," Fukushu ordered to her gunner.
"God, you really like to overwork me," Nicole said annoyed, though she did as order, while traversing the gun to the clock direction with the power traverse. Then had to raise the gun's elevation as she look through her M71D Telescopic Sight to get the yardage to match up with the bushes her tank commander order her to aim at.
Once she was set, she let out a breath and call her shot while stepping on the firing pedal. "On the way!"
The M4A3E8 76mm gun bark its shell out at the foe, with its shell flying through the rain and across the land at high speeds thanks to the guns velocity. The shell's arc ended with it smashing into the collection of bushes, but only dirt was kicked up as the round bounced up and into the distance, and no smoke rose over a defeated tank, meaning they miss.
"Damn! Sorry Fukushu," Nicole said as she kept her head buried in the gunner's sight.
"Don't mind," Fukushu said, then saw out of the corner of her eye as Ellie's M36B2 came in line with her tank with at least 50 yard spacing.
The tall blonde was equally wanting some revenge for her latin friend, handed down orders to fire as well. Matching Fukushu's distance she fired at, Ellie gave down the same orders, with her loader quickly getting a shell into their tanks gun breech, and their gunner making her adjustments to her aim.
Once she was set, the M36B2's gunner call her shot while she pull the trigger to unload the fury of the 90mm gun, sending its tracer shell in a high arc as well, that splashed into bushes, but again no smoke from a defeated tank rose up. Only dirt was kick up as her shell as well bounce and flew off into the distance.
"Damn nothing, how the hell did she hit Morena on the move like that, it's impossible," Ellie said, standing tall in her modified hatch, using her binoculars to try to spot the enemy in the rain.
"Let's load HE shells, the explosions might cause her to want to break out o-," Fukushu said over the net to Ellie, but was cut off.
The cut off was because their enemy deliver some fury back to them, as a muzzle flash in the bushes they had been throwing shells at, now sent a tracer shell back at them. It flew in a high arc, then came down just between the two tanks spacing, crashing closer to the M36B2 spraying up mud and grass everywhere as it bounce into the ground and away.
"Damn! That was close!" Ellie said with a shocked face, feeling a little fear start to run through her.
"Enough you two!" Jasmine ordered over the net, as her M4 Sherman, stay on the road watching her platoon try to take the hidden enemy down, to no avail.
"We can get h-," Fukushu try to argue.
"I said enough, both of you are doing nothing but wasting shells. Now listen to my orders," Jasmine started.
Damn if I hate Linda's guts like no other, but she was right, I need to take charge of these girls when the situation requires it and that time is now.
Jasmine thought, then lay her orders down to her team to get them out of this disadvantageous position. "Fukushu and Ellie, fire off your smoke shells at the same target now."
Their platoon leader's hard and commanding voice, made both Fukushu and Ellie get to their task with no arguments. Quickly laying down orders, both gunners fire again, letting their smoke shells splash around the area of bushes, creating a large wall of smoke and giving them a precious few moments to get themselves sorted out.
Nodding at her platoon's work, Jasmine lay a flurry of orders down over the net. "Alright, Fukushu flank left and Ellie flank right to drive that Tiger 1 out of its cover. Fukushu contact Miss Akiyama and see if she can help pincer the enemy flag tank out, so we can win this match."
"Roger that, what are you going to do?" Fukushu ask.
"I'll help Miss Sawa keep up the pursuit on the retreating Chi-Ha-Tanks before they regroup, get to work ladies," Jasmine said over the net.
"Understood platoon leader, will see you soon when we win this match," Ellie boasted, then saluted her leader as her tank began to move out.
"Be careful," Fukushu said over the net.
Jasmine look at her young friend. "Fukushu, I don't know why you're so aggressive toward this enemy team. Yet remember we are representing our whole nation here, whatever grudge you think you have, leave it behind for the team."
As her tank roll away, Fukushu look over her shoulder to her platoon leader, who she respected, but at the moment wasn't hearing her advice as she spoke back over the net. "Yes, ma'am."
The Wolverton platoon leader shook her head as the rain kept pouring down on her, the gloomy day matching her mood at the moment. Since she didn't know why Fukushu, who was such an upbeat girl when they first met, was now becoming so cold and hard. It was like she wasn't herself ever since the match started, with her goal this whole time to take the Tiger 1 down, who Jasmine knew Fukushu's family member was fighting in. It again made Jasmine wonder if there was more to the history of Konomi and the Nishizumi family that she wasn't telling them.
Yet such thoughts during a match needed to be placed on hold, as Jasmine had a job to do.
Opening net call to Azusa Sawa, the only Ooarai girl who could speak English, Jasmine spoke to her. "Miss Sawa, I'm coming to join the pursuit of the Chi-Ha-Tan forces."
"We be glad to have you, the fleeing Chi-Ha-Tan tanks look ready to turn around and fight, will need your assistance," Azusa said over the net.
"Got it, on the way," Jasmine responded, then lay down orders to her driver to put full gear down the road to catch up to her allies.
Grandpa, I hope somewhere you're watching me. I'll make sure to make you proud fighting in the same tank you did for our nation during World War Two
Jasmine thought, as her M4 Sherman went down the muddy road with rain pelting down to finish the fight for her team.
XxxxX
With the rain pouring down and wetting her hair, causing her long bangs to stick to her face, Miho endure it, while having to deal with her tank being surrounded by a thick field of smoke, that had been the result of the M4A3E8 and the M36B2 having fire smoke shells at her. They had tried to take her out with shells, but had missed due to the great positioning in the bushes around the Miho's Tiger 1 making it practically invisible.
Yet they had only just missed, while she had returned fire just missing herself. Then they fire smoke shells, now leaving her and her Tiger 1 crew blind, while Miho knew they had to be flanking around her now, not leaving her much time to think and more time require of her to act. Touching her throat microphone, Miho open a net call to her crew.
"Moteki, get the engine started up, we're going to be moving soon. Watabe, patch me through to Maita, Nene Load AP and Nomi reset magnification to 2.5x, while also bringing our gun distance back to normal, we're going to be firing at closer distances now," Miho said, laying her orders down to her crew.
"Starting her up," Moteki said, turning the ignition key and then pressing the button to start up the engine. She then move her hand down to the chock lever at the side of her seat, to give the engine some help warming up of its oils before they took off.
"Loaded," Nene confirm, as she slam the AP shell into the breach.
"Reset the magnification and distance on the reticle reset as well, ready to fire," Nomi confirm.
"You know, you do your sister proud by hitting a moving target on the first shot, then miss a stationary one and make me slap my forehead in disappointment," Nene said with a coy smile, again giving her twin a hard time.
"Would you get off my back, I did a snapshot alright, happens to the best of us," Nomi growled at her sister.
"The best part might be a bit of stretch," Moteki said from her driver's chair.
"Man, I hate this crew sometimes, never can please any of you for long," Nomi said.
Watabe smiled at her friend's usual antics with one another, then touch her throat microphone to talk with Miho. "Co…co…commander, pat…patchi…patching you through to Maita."
Standing tall in her commander's cupola, Miho spoke. "Thank you Watabe."
Then Miho spoke over the net to her operator tank commander. "Maita, Miho here, what's your status?"
"Good to hear your voice commander and thanks for the save earlier. We're still on the run for Phase Line Alpha, the M3 Lee, Type 89, and now the M4 Sherman is pursuing us," Maita said over the net.
"No problem, glad to help. We're changing the strategy up a bit now, your job is to keep that Oarai force on you, take them out if you have to, you have the freedom to do it any way possible," Miho ordered over the net.
"Roger, but what about you? I caught sight of that M4A3E8 and M36B2 who coming after you," Maita said over the net.
"It's alright, I'll keep their focus on my flag tank by running. Maita if you can, stay out of the fight, our air force can still come back into the fight if you are still operational if the rain stops," Miho stressed to her operator commander.
"Alright, will do, good luck commander," Maita said, trusting in her commander to come out on top.
"You too, see you when this is over," Miho said, then cut the net call.
Now calming herself for the coming fight, Miho look to the sky still pelting down rain on her, knowing everything was riding on her at the moment to keep their team in it. Her thoughts for the moment turn to Tamada, her lover who she believe was still fighting in the city. At the moment she could see Tamara's teasing grin, yet those reddish-brown eyes she love so much, look at her with confidence in her abilities, that Miho never knew quite believe in till Tamada help her to her feet and put her back in the saddle.
There was also her beloved sister Maho, who Miho knew was also watching her this day. It was Maho who had given her this new path in life, to find herself and her love for tankery, and she needed to honor that selflessness her sister displayed to her, by showing her the fighting style that was hers and hers alone.
Lastly, there was her mother, who had changed that fateful day. No longer to look at her with pride anymore, only with a judgmental eye as Miho struggle to upkeep the Nishizumi style. Yet now, Miho would hope her mother would watch her to see how much she had grown. While also hoping to see her mother once more, to hopefully be a family again.
I can't waver, no matter the odds, I want my tankery family whole once more first
Miho thought, then began to lay orders down to her crew over the net. "Alright, engine should be warm-up, Moteki pivot the tank all the way around and will head west. We're going to make for that patch of woods, should even the playing field with those two tanks coming after us."
"Roger," Moteki said, releasing the handbrake, while turning the wheel to pivot the Tiger 1 completely around, then headed west, away from the smoke.
As they came out of the smoke, Moteki with full vision now put the Tiger 1 in the highest gear to get going. The ground was still solid enough to not bog down the tank as it travel across the land. Miho looked left and right scanning for the two American tanks she knew were coming after them, but saw no trace over the open landscape with a few trees and bushes.
Soon their Tiger 1 was rolling over some hedgerows they had passed earlier on the way to help their teammates. Yet still, nothing, making Miho nervous as she knew the American tanks had great maneuverability that had to have closed the gap while she had been blind by the smoke earlier.
Then something felt off, again something within Miho screaming danger at her, as she touch her throat microphone to speak over the crew net. "Moteki full stop!"
The driver obey her orders to the letter, pulling hard on the handbrake causing the Tiger 1 to drift to a sudden stop. No sooner had the Tiger 1 stop drifting that an AP shell came from the left, smashing into the ground right in front of Miho's tanks, kicking up and into the distance with its remaining velocity.
"What the hell!" Nene said, as the tank shook from the shock wave.
Miho brought her binoculars up, while scanning the left to spot a 76mm gun poking out over a bush some 200 meters away. It was the M4A3E8 Sherman, who look ready to deliver another shell at the side of her Tiger 1 whose side armor wasn't going to hold up to its gun's velocity. However, Miho jump into action, with no hesitation in her voice.
"Moteki, pivot the tank left till I tell you to stop," Miho said, as Moteki pivoted the tank quickly left, taking advantage of the Tiger 1's excellent neutral drive, then spoke. "Alright stop!"
Quickly, the Tiger 1's corner of its armor pointed towards the M4A3E8 Sherman, who had just reloaded and fire another shell. This one was a dead-on hit, but as Miho had hope, their gunner had been aiming for the hull, with now's it angle hull toward the foes tank, effectively giving her more armor protection. The angling prove effective as the 76mm gun's shell bounced and ricochet off the angled side of the armor.
"Heck yea! She bounce let's get back at her," Nomi said, ready to traverse the gun at the Sherman.
Yet Miho had other ideas as she spoke over the crew net. "Nomi traverse left, 11 o'clock, but don't fire."
"Ah…ok," Nomi said, as she use the power traverse to move the 88mm gun to the clock direction, then stop.
Reaching down in her cupola, Miho touched a switch that was linked up to her smoke discharges located on either side of the Tiger 1's turret. In quick succession, 6 smoke grenades were shot out of the discharges towards the direction of the enemy tank, some 40 meters from the Tiger 1 and quickly creating a wall of smoke between them.
"Alright, Moteki quick pivot us back west and full speed! Nomi bring our gun back to 12 o'clock," Miho order.
"On it!" Moteki said, turning the wheel in neutral drive to pivot the tank around, then putting it in the highest gear to get moving.
No sooner had they begun to pull away, as another tracer shell from the 76mm gun came flying through the smokescreen, but its accuracy was way off, going behind them in a straight arc into the distance, as the smokescreen had played its role as Miho wanted.
Now as the Tiger 1 roll forward again in a bid to get away from its foe, Miho turn to her right, bringing her binoculars up to scan for the M36B2, she knew had to be flanking around and the reason she didn't want to stop and fire at the other tank, knowing it might be lining up at the other side of the Tiger 1. No sooner had she begun to scan did the flash of cannon muzzle light up from near a tree.
There was no time to react for Miho, who watch in horror at the approaching shell, that in a blink of an eye reach their Tiger 1. Yet whether by luck or the enemy gunner snap shooting, the tracer shell flew over the top of the back of the Miho's tank, most likely aiming for the side as well but had aimed too high.
Too close
Miho thought, then went into action. "Moteki keep heading straight west! We need to get out of that 90mm guns sight, be ready for my call to stop."
"You got it!" Moteki call back, while pressing full down on the pedal to keep their Tiger 1 moving.
Again scanning to her right, Miho continue to eye where the M36B2 was hiding in the distance, using the tree earlier where she had seen the muzzle flash as a start point. It was then that she saw through the downpour of rain, the imposing tank moving with her now. It felt like a wolf stalking her in the distance, waiting for another chance to strike, with its other hunting mate on the other side.
Now passing by the last of her smoke wall, Miho turn left to see the M4A3E8 keeping pace with her, but at a closer distance of no more than 60 or so meters. Yet it had angle its gun to the side of its tank at the Tiger 1, ready to fire again at her. Letting her instincts take over once again, that seem to be sharper this day than ever, Miho sprung into action.
"Moteki full stop!" Miho order once again.
Just as she order the stop, the M4A3E8 fired its 76mm gun at them. However was thwarted again by the Chi-Ha-Tan commander being perceptive, with the stopping of her tank came to a drifting stop along the muddy ground, while the furious shell found no target and just miss hitting their gun barrel which would have been disastrous for them.
Knowing she couldn't keep stopping and going along this ground becoming muddier by the second because of the rain, which soon would bog down her heavy tank. Miho decided to try something bold to give them some hope of making it to the woods before they finally got the range on her.
"Moteki, angle the tank 11 o'clock, we're going at that M4A3E8 Sherman, we need to stay close to her so her friend can't fire at us," Miho order.
"You got it, commander, another crazy idea I know will work," Moteki joked, while pivoting the tank to the clock direction quickly and efficiently.
"That's just how mom operates, can't say it's ever dull right?" Nene teased from her loaders chair.
"Right, yet this is what makes fighting under mom the best," Nomi said from her gunner chair, leaning into the optics.
"Le…let...let's give...it…it…to…them…mom," Watabe stutter out, gripping her MG 34 ready to help when she could.
"That's right girls, now come on let us show them the fangs of a Tiger 1," Miho said, matching her cub's belief.
At their tank's headed clock direction heading, they were on a collision course with the M4A3E8, who seem surprised by their movement as they veer away to the left. Their gun was still pointed to the side at them, but fire just as they started to veer angling the shot away into the distance. Now giving the Tiger 1's crew a chance to fight back.
"Moteki now head 12 o'clock, Nomi traverse left, I'll guide you onto target," Miho ordered over the crew net.
"Roger!" Nomi said, using her left foot to work the pedal power traverse control to get their 88mm gun to the foe, while using the handwheel manual traverse to help fine-tune her aim as she had done in practice.
"On!" Miho said, once her 88mm gun was facing over the left side of her tank. "Fire!"
"On the way!" Nomi said, pulling the trigger.
It was as she was pulling the trigger that the M4A3E8 Sherman now pulse up, causing their tank to full stop. Giving Miho's 88mm gun nothing to fire at as her tracer shell roar out finding nothing but air and no tank to takedown. Yet Miho had gathered that would be the case, feeling this tank commander was pretty good, but now had the moment she needed.
"Moteki, swerve our tank to the left while keeping our heading, be ready to lower our speed," Miho said, while touching her throat microphone.
"Right!" Moteki said, while pulling the wheel left across the face of the M4A3E8 Sherman behind them.
Miho now look behind, with her tank rear to the M4A3E8, which would be dangerous, but luckily the foe's 76mm gun was facing to the right, but was traversing to bring it to 12 o'clock to fire at her Tiger 1's rear. That wouldn't happen, as Miho eye her tank's rear that was passing across the enemy's front, then she felt the moment was right.
"Put it in third gear!" Miho order, holding onto the cupola as she lurch a bit from the sudden slowing down of her tank, as the M4A3E8 came alongside the Tiger 1 now, with their side armors so close they scraping together as Miho laid orders to her driver again. "Now, bring it up to fourth."
Moteki work the gears and the clutch, then press hard on the pedal. Now the two tanks were bumper to bumper, their side armor and tracks scrapping together as they roll along. Both tanks brought their guns to the forward position, but could not turn them against each other because of their close proximity.
"Wow, this is crazy. We're literally riding alongside the enemy tank," Nene said, looking out of her side vision slit in her seat.
Even Miho knew this was something out of the ordinary, but now she was effectively using the enemy tank as a shield, so her ally to the far right couldn't fire, without the risk of hitting their friend. Playing the role of villainous now, which made Miho feel uneasy, as she knew her team was going to tease her about this later on.
With the tanks so close now, Miho could see the enemy tank commander also standing tall in her commanders cupola. Instantly, even with the tankers helmet and goggles on, Miho could see it was her half-sister, looking intently at her. The two girls for what seem like an eternity of staring at one another, divided by not just a battle line, but by each other's past that had defined both of their futures. Their goals each to win this battle for their team, but for different reasons.
No matter what you say, half-sister, I want us to be family
Miho thought, while the two tanks kept close to one another. Yet the Chi-Ha-Tan commander now brought her eyes forward, seeing they were nearing the woods Miho had been trying to get to earlier. She now needed to get some space from her foe before they got any further.
"Moteki, pull left and then right, we need to ram this tank away from us," Miho order over the net.
"Now we're going to bully them? Oh, I like this," Moteki said with a grin, then pull the wheel left, then right.
The Tiger 1 with its 57 tons of weight, now slam into the M4A3E8's 32 tons of weight, sending the tank careening away from the violent shove from its adversary. Miho turn to watch the tank spin out of control in the rain and mud, while she made it into the woods just in time as another tracer shell came flying in behind them from the M36B2's 90mm gun, but only found trees to smash up and not Miho's Tiger 1.
"Now this is tank driving at its finest," Moteki boasted as they had made it into the woods.
"Gr…gre…great job Moteki," Watabe said, still gripping her MG 34.
"Thanks Watabe," Moteki said, keeping a steady hands on the wheel.
"Good job Moteki, sorry I ask a lot of you there," Miho said over the crew net.
"Heh, you can ask for anything Miho," Moteki said happily.
"Does that include cleaning up your dorm room, Watabe told me what a mess it is," Miho teased over the net.
"Watabe!" Moteki gripe at her friend.
"Sor…sor…sorry I had..to…to tell her about…th..that," Watabe said with a smile.
"Busted," Nomi joke from her seat.
"At least her driving is clean," Nene added to her friend's torment.
"Don't worry, I'll come help you when this match is over," Miho said with light chuckle.
"Yes mom," Moteki said with a grimace.
Glad her crew was relax enough to still joke after a tough fight, Miho focus herself. The woods she was in was spacious enough for her Tiger 1 to travel through. While she knew her adversary's tanks would catch up to her soon with their great maneuverability. Her best bet was to make for the river she knew was at the edge of these woods and get over the bridge as fast as possible, while hopefully destroying it before the enemy can cross, since she had sent Uenishi in her Type 3 Ka-Chi to assist Miya's Type 5 Na-To.
Suddenly a flash from front of Miho's tank caught her off guard from some ways off, with a screaming tracer shell coming at them. Bouncing the shell right under the Tiger 1's gun mantlet and right across the left side of the turret ring. The sudden impact, causing the whole tank to shake as the shell bounced away. With surprise, Miho look into the shadows of the trees to her new foe.
Coming on slowly, was the Panzer 4, with a light brown color all over the tank, with an anglerfish painted on either side of the tank's turret skirts, with also their schools emblem painted on the sides of the armor skirts.
"Miss Akiyama," Miho whisper out, as the fated two met on the battlefield finally, as the howls at Miho's rear were heard with the ferocity of the Wolverton girl's tanks' engines, as they effectively were pinning her in.
Yet this Tigress was ready to fight against all odds for her team, no matter how many enemies she must face to keep her team's dreams alive.
XxxxX
The city that dominated the middle of the battlefield was quiet at the moment, as the rain pour down onto the 20th century design buildings. The wet droplets sliding down the bricks, shatter glass, and woods. Small puddles were forming in some of the bomb out craters around the area that an artillery strike had happened some time ago. Resulting in some of the buildings collapsing down around the poor tanks that had been subjected to it.
Tozen platoon had been tossed around in their tanks by the devastating artillery, with huge mounds of debris all around them now. Their tanks hammer and scorch from the intensity of the strike, though it had battered their tanks and the buildings around them, the fighting spirit of Tozen platoon could never be broken.
Opening her hatch above her, Tamada now peek out of her commanders cupola to check her surroundings. Her tank was surrounded by mounds of debris, but was spare luckily from being buried under any destruction. There was a wall of rubble in front of her tank, obscuring her vision from the street she had been fighting down against the Type 5 Chi-Ri and StuG 3. Yet that didn't deter her, if anything she was glad to have cover, as she got out of her tank and climb down.
She made her way to the rear of her tank, going to check on the other members of her platoon in their Type 1 Chi-He's. They had also been spare the artillery strikes worse blows, keeping their tracks on and only suffering some scorching, since the artillery shells were made so they couldn't take tanks out directly, just only as a suppression tool for teams.
Coming up to the first tank, Tamada climb up its front end to commanders hatch, then tap on it. It soon open up, with Miyata coming up. Her face took in the sight of her company commander and smile while reaching out to hug her. Tamada smile and hug her junior back, glad she was safe, then check on the rest of her crew.
Once things were all settled, Miyata spoke. "Miss Tamada, why didn't you check on us on the radio? It's dangerous to jump outside your tank during a battle."
"Radios busted, damn artillery strike shook the wiring loose. Glad you girls are ok, stay here I'm going to check on the rest of the girls," Tamada said, then climb off the tank.
Quickly she check on her tank commanders in Shibata and Nakahara, as well as their crews. Glad to see they were fine and in good spirits as well, Tamada call a tank commander meeting, while the crews of all tanks quickly did a double check on their tanks engines, tracks, and guns. The tank commanders situated themselves under a building still intact on the right side of the street, giving them a reprieve from the rain.
"Well that was fun," Nakahara joke.
"Oh really? You want another round of being tossed around like yakisoba," Shibata said with a shake of the head at her fellow tank commander.
"That actually sounds pretty good right now," Miyata said while rubbing her stomach.
Nakahara look at her tankery sister with a teasing smirk as she spoke. "That's because you're a glutton."
"Am not," Miyata fought back.
"Are so," Shibata added to the teasing.
"I am n-," Miyata was about to fight back.
"Girls enough, and keep your voices down, the enemy is on the other side of the wall of rubble to our front," Tamada scolded her juniors.
"Sorry ma'am," they all mumble out at once.
Tamada smile, thinking she knew how Miho felt handling her bickering first years. She hope Miho was alright, especially with no radio to contact her, while her platoon's other radio operators hadn't been able to raise any of their other team members, so they had no idea what was going on with them. The cannonade seem to be further away than when they enter the city, telling them the fighting was getting farther away from them, which was part of the plan.
Focusing herself, knowing Miho was fighting hard most likely to keep their team in the fight, Tamada would do the same here as she spoke. "Alright girls, seems we luck out. Our tanks got a little cook in that artillery, but no one lost their tracks and turrets seem to be in working order. We still got a job to do."
"Heck yea we do, have to find their flag tank," Nakahara said with a confident look.
Tamada nodded at that. "Yes we do, but we need to deal with this enemy to our front."
"That Type 5 Chi-Ri is something, the fire rate is beyond anything we can match," Shibata said rubbing her chin in thought.
"Even so, Miss Tamada's Jumbo can bounce its shells," Miyata said confidently.
"That may be th-," Tamada began to speak.
"Company commander," Kana, Tamada's bow gunner said coming up to the tank commanders under the building.
"Kana, what is it?" Tamada said, looking to her friend with concern.
"Pardon the intrusion," Kana said at first with a bow, then raise her head. "I was scouting over the rubble to our front as you ask me to. I got eyes on the Type 5 Chi-Ri still in position behind that cover of debris down the road, but there is also some other tank. Looks like the Porsche Tiger is also positioned down the street."
"They're not pulling any punches on us are they," Nakahara said with a shake of the head, knowing their job just got tougher.
Now thinking over what to do, Tamada look behind her platoons tank to the fallen buildings that cut off any retreat back to the interstation. Meaning their only way was forward over the wall of rubble at the front of their tanks, but knew they had to find a means out of this predicament. Their team was counting on them to get to the flag tank and win this match.
Can't look for the conventional tactic here, have to think like Miho, and find the unconventional
Tamada thought with a smile at her lover, then step out from under the building. Standing in the rain as the crews work on their tanks, Tamada look around, then found a small gap in the destroyed buildings across the street. Tamada move to come look at it, and saw that the artillery had made a small gap through the rubble, yet would take time to navigate over it and most likely end up on street on the other side.
Checking the width of the rubble, she turn to look at her Chi-He's who even with wider builds then their little sister tanks in the Type 97 Shinhoto's, were just small enough to squeeze through. With their more powerful Mitsubishi Type 100 air-cooled V-12 engine and suspension might just be able to get over it.
Feeling confident in her unconventional plan, Tamada move back over to her tank commanders. Once she was under the building, she shook her head to get some of the rainwater out of her hair. Then look to her tank commander with a confident smirk that told them she had a plan.
"Alright ladies," Tamada began. "Here's what we're going to do. Miyata you're going to take the rest of the platoon and lead them through that gap in the rubble Oarai was so kind enough to layout for us."
Miyata look across the street from their position to the gap in the rubble, then back at her Company commander as she spoke. "Miss Tamada, you want me to lead?"
"Yes, you're going to make your way through that gap in the rubble to the street on the other side. Then use that street to get to the city center and find that flag tank," Tamada layout to her plan.
"Ok, but what are you going to do in the meantime?" Miyata had to ask.
"Do the one thing I love doing, attacking the enemy," Tamada said with a wide smirk.
That baffle her tank commanders, as Miyata spoke in a frustrated tone. "How are you going to do that?"
"Simple, I'm going to fire a high explosive shell with a point delay into the wall of rubble at our front. The blast should give me a large enough opening to push through, then charge down the street," Tamada said as if she were explaining something simple.
Her tank commanders became more baffle at their fiery leader, as Nakahara spoke. "Let's attack together then."
"No," Tamada said with a shake of the head. "To many of us attacking down a single road will make it easier for them. I'll be able to at least keep the Porsche Tiger and Chi-Ri's attention while you're making your movement."
"But I-" Miyata try to argue.
"Remember what I told you that day in practice. That all of you first years have the strength to become better than your upperclassmen. I'm just being a little selfish and asking you to do it now," Tamada said with an encouraging tone for her girls.
The first-year tank commanders all steel their resolve and took their Company commander's trust, as well as her expectation of them to heart. They wouldn't let her down or their team who they knew were fighting with all they had to keep the rest of Oarai's forces from coming back to the city to fight them.
"Don't worry Miss Tamada, we won't fail in our mission," Miyata said, looking at Tamada fiercely.
That made the Tozen Company commander grin, seeing her firsts years seeming to bear their fangs for the coming fight. Making Tamada believe they could fight on, even without her, and win. With this belief, now she could go about her task knowing they wouldn't waver and find a way to win.
"Alright, we got a plan, mount up and Panzer Vor," Tamada said back to her cubs.
"Panzer vor!" they cried back, then move off into the rain for their tanks.
XxxxX
"Incoming! Brace yourselves!" Miya yell to her crew aboard the Type 5 Na-To.
Her warning came just in time as the Black Prince's 17 Pounder tank gun muzzle flashed with a loud roar, with a tracer shell coming towards them. Its trajectory was slanted downward, as Tortoise team of Oarai had tried to knock them out by firing lower to get at their hull-down position. However, their angle had been too low, smacking into the ground just to the side of Miya's tanks gun, just protruding over the slope of the dried-out creek bed.
The resulting shockwave made the Type 5 Na-To shake violently, with its crew in the compartment area trying to hold on tight to their arm handles above them to stay steady, since there were no seats for them. Though one of the girl's lost their grip on the handle and fell onto her bottom.
"Ow," Akoto, the secondary loader and radio operator yelp in some distress.
Miya quickly turn to her direction as she spoke. "Akoto, you alright?"
The secondary loader wave her hand to her tank commander. "Yea, yea, just lost my grip."
Shioko, the main loader for the Type 5 75mm gun, walk over to her friend with a gloved hand out to her. "Come on, let's get you back on your feet."
Gratefully, Akoto took the offered hand to get back up, then talk in an annoy tone as she rub her sore bottom. "By next match, we better have some seats in here."
"Why? Because you have two left feet?" Shioko tease her friend.
"I do not," Akoto yelp back, causing her other crew members to chuckle at her.
"Alright girls, let's get focus, we got a tank to take down still," Miya said trying to get her crew in order.
A huff of annoyance came from Nanami the gunner, with her head still buried in the gunner's monocle sight. "Would be nice if we could take her down. We've hit that Oarai tank at least ten times and nothing. I thought the Type 5 75mm would cut through it like butter."
With a shake of the head, Miya spoke to her gunner. "Are you forgetting what the commander taught us about that tank in the meetings? It's got 152mm of frontal armor, that even the Tiger 1 would have problems dealing with."
"That's not encouraging," Nanami said at first with a sigh, then spoke again. "We can't just keep sitting here. We need to take it out somehow."
Miya with one hand still holding the arm handle above her, use her other to touch her chin in thought. Her objective was to hold the enemy here for as long as possible, yet the Black Prince was going to eventually come forward at her, and they couldn't stop the tank if they did. If they try to reverse or go forward over the slightly steep banks of the dried of creek bed they were using for cover, they only expose their tank to the enemy with no chance to fight back.
The commander can always adjust her plan on the fly, I need to do that here
Making her mind up to adjust her orders she had received earlier, Miya turn to Akoto to speak. "Get in contact with Miss Uenishi to leave her support position and go help the commander."
Akoto raise an eyebrow at her tank commander. "Weren't we suppose to fall back to the river for her to support us."
"I know, but we need to finish this fight here, win or lose," Miya said.
"That wasn't the commander's plan," Shioko said with a questioning tone.
"Yes, but this Black Prince will have a long way to travel to support its team, we've done our job so let's give it all we got," Miya said back to her crew.
"Well, I'm in, nothing like a good fight. Plus you know how proud are upperclassmen would be if we took that tank out," Nanami said, pulling back out of the gunners sight to look to the rest of her tank crew with a grin.
"Alright, alright," Akoto said, knowing she had to stop arguing and trust her tank commander. Quickly she work the dials on the improvised radio near the back of their tank, near the ammo crates.
After relaying Miya's plan to Uenishi, Akoto turn back to Miya to speak. "Alright, Uenishi understands. She's rerouting herself back to the commander, she also says good luck."
"Good, now le-," Miya said, but was cut off.
"Looks like that Black Prince is done waiting on us, it's coming forward," Nanami said looking through her monocular sight to the enemy tank.
Taking hold of her periscope, Miya could see the Oarai tank closing the gap between them like she knew they do eventually. The distance couldn't be any more than 600 meters at this point and became less as the Black Prince came on through the rain and mud.
Not wasting time being indecisive, Miya gave out orders. "Load AP, Nanami aim low left, and take the track out."
Akoto sprang into action, grabbing a shell from the left rear crate, then handing it to Shioko, who then slam the shell into the breech as she spoke. "Loaded!"
Working the elevation and traverse hand wheels quickly, Nanami depress the gun while getting her reticle to the left to line up on the Black Prince's track, then call her shot. "On the way!"
The Type 5 Na-To recoil some with the velocity of their gun firing. Sending a shell through the rain and across the flat land to the Black Prince, but the angle was wrong as it screeched and bounce off the upper plate of the track.
"Damn, sorry," Nanami said as she readjusted her sights.
"Don't mind, hit her again with AP," Miya said with encouragement.
Again the two girl team of Akoto and Shioko quickly got their gun loaded, and just as Nanami was about to call her shot, the Oarai Black Prince stop and quickly return a shell at them. Though this turn out not to be an AP shell, but a smoke shell, as it splash in front of them and plaster the area in white smoke.
"Damn she blinded us," Nanami said in an irritated tone.
"No, she just gave us an opportunity," Miya said, making her crew members give her a funny look. She ignore them and open a net call to her driver. "Fumiki, hard reverse out of this position, then Ichida use the Type 97 heavy tank machine gun to send some tracers into the smoke once we're on the flat land."
"Roger!" Both girls said from the driver cab area at the front of their tank.
Quickly the Type 5 Na-To begin to reverse out of the dried-out creek bed that was beginning to fill up with rainwater. There was a sudden shift in tank's slope as it climb the steep banks behind them, while Miya and her crew members had to double their effort to hold onto the arm handles as they were standing and now leaning with the tank's upward angle. As soon as they were onto the flat land, Ichida began to blind fire into the dissipating smoke.
"Alright, hard right stick get us going diagonal to the smoke," Miya quickly order her driver.
Fumiki quickly work the sticks, getting the tank turn slightly right, then again reverse going diagonal. It was just in time as AP shell came flying from the smoke just missing their tank. Just as Miya wanted, using the smoke against her foe, making her grin.
Yet that grin didn't last long as she saw the A43 Black Prince push through the last effects of smoke that the rain wash away. Seeing the Type 5 Na-To, it began to traverse its gun to line up on them, making Miya curse now at it, since she had hoped it go forward some more and dip into the dried out creek bed to give them a shot hitting it while it tries to get out.
"Fumiki, keep reversing at this angle, Nanami traverse our gun all the way right quickly, you should be able to hit even with our limited horizontal traverse, girls I need an AP shell," Miya ordered to her crew.
Working the handwheels again, Nanami turn the Type 5 75mm gun to the right and got the Black Prince in sight just as Shioko got the shell into the breach.
"On the way!" Nanami said calling her shot.
With the range now at 100 meters, there was little error for Nanami to miss, as this time she aim to try to get the kill shot by going at the lower neck of the enemy tank's turret. That proved to be a fruitless endeavor as the Black Prince had a lower plate built with its turret mantlet for such an occasion. Resulting in another bounce shot that seem to only anger their foe's crew.
The Black Prince snap shot a shell at Miya's tank, that miss only barely, skirting and screeching loudly against the side Miya's tank gun mantlet. The violent shake again, made the girls lose their balance in the compartment, with Akoto once more falling this time to her knees with a curse.
"Ok, all you have to agree we need seats in here," Akoto griped to her crew members, while trying to find her balance again.
"Maybe, but nows is not the time to groan about it. Give me another AP, hit her around the left cheek of the turret, and into the gunners sight," Miya order, hoping she could smash the opponent's gunner's sight and give them a fighting chance.
"Loaded!" Shioko confirm to gunner.
Nanami did her best with the adjustments, while the tank move still, then put her crosshairs over the foe, then call her shot. "On the way!"
Another furious shell left the Type 5 75mm gun at the Black Prince, smashing into the cheek of the turret around the gunner's sight. Yet bounce upward and over, doing little damage to the beast tank's extra armor around the mantlet. Yet again the Black Prince return fire, with this time they angle their gun low and hit the Type 5 Na-To's right track and tore it off with its shell.
"Tracks out!" Fumiki yell over the crew net from her driver's position.
"Damn," Miya quietly growl to herself, but didn't let the situation sap her fighting spirit as she touch her throat microphone again. "Fumiki, give me left stick forward."
"But the trac-," Fumiki try to argue.
"I know, just do it till I say stop," Miya order.
"Roger," Fumiki said in a fluster tone.
Pushing the left stick forward, Fumiki made the tank to the spin right. Though it seem weird to the Type 5 Na-To driver why her tank commander was asking this of her, but from her vision slit, she could see the barrel of the gun above her now coming to bear front to the Black Prince.
"Stop," Miya order, having to hold onto the arm handles to make sure she wasn't thrown with the sudden jerk to a stop, then relay orders to her crew. "This it girls, let's give it to Oarai. Ichida throw some tracers at its face, Load AP, fire when ready."
Red tracers spew forwards in a short burst from Ichida manning the Type 97 heavy tank machine gun, while Akoto got a shell from the rear crate, handed to Shioko who slam it into the breach. While Nanami use the handwheels quickly to get the sights on the Black Prince once more, then feeling right she call her shot.
Yet the Black Prince's gunner had just got herself adjusted as well, as she fire at the same time as their adversaries tank. Both sent tracer shells that just past one another in a heartbeat, both finding their homes in the enemy's turret mantlet. The results though differ, a product of the both tanks strengths, where one was better from distance because of paper-thin armor and the other better at brawling with its foes up close.
One bounce.
The other smash hard like hammer against a nail.
It was an undeniable victory for one side.
XxxxX
"Target destroy," Ryoko, the Black Princes gunner said in a tired tone, leaning back in her seat with the action finally over.
Sitting in her commander's chair, the Black Prince's commander Asira looking through her periscope atop her hatch, took in the sight of the smoking and defeated Type 5 Na-To, as rainfall continue to pour down outside. It had been a tough duel with the Chi-Ha-Tan tank, with the enemy using Asira's smoke shell against her to get out of the ditch, a mistake that Asira would definitely learn from once they won this match.
Touching her throat microphone, Asira open her crew net to her driver. "Nara, how we doing on fuel?"
"Pretty good still, we were just sitting there letting them bounce rounds most of the time and didn't waste fuel on maneuvers," Nara confirm over the net.
"Alright, let's get a move on and get back on the road and link back up with the commander," Asira order.
"Right," Nara said, then started to work their tank around back to the road.
As the tank roll along, Ryoko spoke up from her gunner chair. "Have to say, I can see why Miss Akiyama has such high respect for Chi-Ha-Tan."
"Whys that?" Asira ask.
"They knew they couldn't penetrate our armor, but they kept shooting. If it were me, I might have gotten fluster and probably stop firing, while they stay persistent even to the end," Ryoko explain.
Looking to her rear vision block, Asira took in the sight of the defeated Type 5 Na-To, as the rain continue to pour down on it. She could understand why her gunner felt that way, they had the luxury of being given a heavy tank with the great 17 Pounder gun on it, to which they knew even some of the best tanks of Sensha-do had to fear its power and respect their impressive armor.
Yet the Chi-Ha-Tan tank knew it couldn't puncture their armor at any point, while their own tanks' paper thin armor was nothing to the 17 Pounder, but they kept fighting back. Even though she couldn't see the opposition's faces, Asira could imagine their faces having nothing but pure determination to give it their all, just like Chi-Ha-Tan had done against Saunders.
"Well let's make sure not to disrespect their fighting spirit. Let's fight them with all we have," Asira said with a smirk.
"Right!" her crew yell back, matching their tank commander's expectation of them.
XxxxX
"Sorry I miss the kill shot Yukari," Hana said from her gunners chair, having just fire at the Chi-Ha-Tan Tiger 1.
"Don't mind, it was a good try for a trap shot, load AP and let's try again," Yukari encourage while standing tall in commanders cupola of the Panzer 4 Ausf. H.
Currently, they were located under the trees of a small wood that was shielding them from the rain somewhat. Yukari had been in contact with Fukushu who reported they had found the Tiger 1 who had taken their M18 Hellcat at some insane range. It was a blow to their forces to lose the speedy tank destroyer, but Yukari had handed down orders for both Fukushu and Ellie's tank to push the Tiger 1 to the woods, where she had planned to ambush Miho. Though the result had been a skirt shot, bouncing off the side of the turret ring.
There was no faulting Hana for that in Yukari's mind, since their gun didn't have the punching power for the frontal armor of the Tiger 1. Yet they still had their Wolverton teammate's heavy tank destroyers with them, and now had isolated Commander Miho's flag tank from her team with the chance to win this match.
"Mako, pivot left slight then reverse!" Yukari order while touching her throat microphone.
"Got it," Mako said in a casual tone, working the sticks like a natural.
Quickly the Panzer 4 pivoted on the spot, then it hard reverse at a diagonal angle, and was just in time as the Tiger 1 fire a shell that scream through the air as it flew between the trees and into the shadows of the wood. Yukari kept her eye on the Tiger 1, while watching her rear to guide Mako as they kept reversing, so as not to hit any trees. Though a surprise came when the Chi-Ha-Tan Tiger 1 roll forward now at full speed, while traversing its 88mm gun at them.
"Mako, pivot the tank right till I say stop," Yukari now order.
Quickly the Panzer 4 spun to the right, then went forward on Yukari's orders. Now the two opposing tanks were running side by side with some 50 meters of spacing. Both put their tanks into their highest speeds heading for the edge of the woods some many meters away to the west.
"Are we seriously going to duel with that cute Chi-Ha-Tan commander like this," Saori said in a fearful tone in her bow gunner's chair.
"We have no choice, we can win this match here and now," Hana said, while using the power traverse to get their tanks gun facing to the side and at the Tiger 1.
"Loaded!" Kisa said, after the shell was shoved into the breach.
"Fire when ready!" Yukari order, watching the enemy tank while standing tall in her cupola.
Hana didn't like calling her shot, mostly because it always threw her off when saying it. Yukari as well didn't force her to adjust, especially when Hana had such a talent for gunnery position, to which even till this day stump Yukari. If Hana had ever done Sensha-do earlier, she may have gotten a scholarship to even Kuromorimine who valued accurate gunners.
Pulling the firing trigger, Hana sent their tanks shell at the foe. Yet suddenly the Tiger 1 suddenly put on the brakes, grinding to reduce its speed, while also pulling out of the way just as the shell came out of the Panzer 4's gun. The tracer shell found no foe to penetrate and went flying off into the distance of the woods, perplexing the Anglerfish team.
"Did she anticipate our shot?" Hana ask with wide eyes, since she had seen everything happen in her reticle.
"Mako hard brake!" Yukari order.
Pulling on the brake, the Panzer 4 did with what the Tiger 1 did earlier, coming to a grinding halt, which was just in time as the 88mm gun roar a shell at them. Just missing, but clipping a piece of their left front skirt armor, tearing it away while missing the front of the track by inches.
Turning to the left Yukari saw the Tiger 1 come into line with them again, then both tanks roll forward again together like they were in a dance with one another, their guns lining up fire at one another like they were 19th-century battleships. Now it was a race for who could load faster, to which Kisa won the duel, loading in record time, a product of their fighting style calling for quicker loads as they fought at closer ranges and needed a faster fire rate.
With more determination, Hana got her sights on the Chi-Ha-Tan Tiger 1, taking a little more time while getting the tip of her inverted V reticle under the gun's mantlet for a neck shot she knew could penetrate to overload the systems as a kill shot. Quickly she got her sights on, then pull the trigger to fire, but at the same time, their foe fired at them.
Both gun's muzzles flash sending their respective shells at one another. In a flash they were both soaring at their foe, looking to put them down for good, however, both gunners seem to have chosen the same target, which led to something never before seen in a Sensha-do battle. The opposing tracers' shells came together skirting one another sending their shell's flight paths in different directions, with Hana's taking an upward flight path, and Nomi's shell redirected downward into the earth. A loud screeching noise echoed through the woods from the high-velocity shells skirting each other, making Yukari's ears ring.
As she shook her head to throw off the ringing in her ears, Yukari look across to see Miho standing tall in her commander's cupola too. It seem their eyes became locked on one another, making Yukari grin that she was dueling her idol and standing toe to toe with, in her mind, the best tank commander in all of Sensha-do. What more could she want right now, and she make sure to fight Miho with all she had.
"Now this a duel!" Yukari said excitedly.
"It really is," Hana said in her soft pleasant voice, but a hint of fiery competitive fury was in it, as she remain buried in the gunner's sight ready for another go.
"Saori, get in contact with Miss Fukushu. Have her catch up to us in the pursuit, while relaying to Miss Ellie to bring her tank destroyer up as fast she can and fire only when stationary. Let them know the flag tank is heading for the bridge at point 403, and we need to take her out before she crosses," Yukari order.
"On it," Saori said, knowing radio communication was her area, as she work her radio like a professional.
Watching the Tiger 1 once more, Yukari let a pleasant thought past her mind.
This is what Sensha-do is all about it, so let's battle some more Miss Nishizumi, I want to fight you with all my crew's strength, and see if we can stand tall with the best of the best. While hopefully, we can be friends afterward too
XxxxxX
Miss Akiyama is the real deal, I'll make sure to fight her with the respect she deserves
The thought past Miho's mind, as she watch the Panzer 4 across from her own tank.
"Did we really just bounce shells together?!" Nomi said, excitedly.
"We did, that gunner in Miss Akiyama's tank is as good as they come. Don't ease up at all," Miho ordered over the crew net.
"Don't worry mom, have to keep my position as a top gunner in Sensha-do, can't have her beat me," Nomi said, eyeing the opposition's tank through her reticle.
Miho smile at her now adoptive daughters fighting spirit, again finding the weirdness that their age gap wasn't much. Yet she was comfortable with it, now needing her cubs to match Yukari's Panzer 4 crew step for step, as they weren't going to be an easy opponent to defeat.
"Moteki, we only have to keep pushing past these woods, then we make for the bridge," Miho order over the crew net.
"You got it!" Moteki said, leaning forward in her seat, working the wheel to avoid any trees.
Miho turn to see the Panzer 4 of Oarai keeping pace with her still, then again something inside the Chi-Ha-Tan commander screamed at her that danger was coming. It was the same feeling she had when just before they made the long shot, knowing she needed to adjust if she wanted to hit the fast-moving M18 Hellcat, which prove to be right. While also helping her in the flight away from the American tanks.
"Moteki hit the brakes!" Miho order, with her arms against the inside of the cupola to keep her balance just as the Tiger 1 driver pull the brakes on.
Their tank ground to a sliding stop as another shell from the Panzer 4 screamed at them. This time, it seem the Oarai gunner had made some adjustments to hit the hard breaking target, as the shell skirted along the right side of the Tiger 1 turret. Sparks from the skirt, with the ear-wrenching sound of metal scraping metal, follow the highly accurate shot, forcing Miho to grip her cupola so tight her knuckles turn white.
"Miho, are you alright!" Nene call up, with evident fear in her voice for her surrogate mother.
"I'm fine! Thanks, Nene. Nomi, give me coaxial gunfire this time!" Miho order, leaning down in the cupola now, with her elbows supported on the brim.
"Roger!" Nomi affirm, while stepping on the secondary foot pedal for the coaxial gun.
Angry green tracers flash across the space, peppering the Panzer 4, as well the passing trees. Though the Oarai tank wasn't going to endure this without some payback, as their gunner threw some angry green tracers back across the space at the foe. Both weren't backing down, the mixture of green machine gun tracers lighting up the woods.
"Nomi, fire the main gun now!" Miho order, hoping their trading of machine-gun tracers would throw Yukari's gunner off.
Then a flash from behind the tank duel, sent a tracer shell towards the Tiger 1. The shell miss just to the left of Miho's tank, skirting the side armor, giving the crew a good shake. Turning in her cupola to the rear of her tank, the sight of her half-sister's M4A3E8 Sherman that was closing the distance to rear of her tank. It was easy to tell she was aiming for the rear of her tank, which her 76mm gun would penetrate easily and end the match.
A quick follow up of machine gun from the M4A3E8's coaxial and bow gun added its red tracers to the show, which ping and spark off the back of Miho's Tiger 1, while also causing her to dip low on the cupola to avoid the tracers rounds. With the Panzer 4 lining up once more on her tank for the kill shot, and the M4A3E8 quickly loading its main gun once more, quickly adjusting its aim to put an end to the defiance of the Tiger 1.
Miho knew she was in a bad spot at the moment, with all the odds against her once again. Seeming to see no way out of this for her and the end in sight for her team if she was taken out. Even with her mind running wild to find the solution out of this situation, she was drawing blanks.
I just need to get to the bridge and we can get out of this spot
Miho thought, taking a quick breath, then press forward. "Moteki, swerve left to right, we can't be an easy target for the Sherman at our back!"
"Roger!" The driver said back, working the wheel intensely, as the fight for survival was only just beginning.
XxxxX
The rain continue to pelt down, making Tamada standing tall in commanders cupola of her M4A3E2 Jumbo, painted with the Chi-Ha-Tan color scheme, curse as the continued downpour was doing no favors to her uniform that was becoming heavy with rainwater at the moment. Which didn't help when she was trying to get her mind right for the solo assault on the other side of the wall of rubble, that block the street in front of her.
Turning back in her cupola, she took in the sight of the platoon of Type 1 Chi-He's who were some ways back, ready to make their journey to the slight pathway through the rubble of a fallen building to the side of the street. Their tanks would just be able to navigate through the mounds of debris, but they needed someone to distract the enemy down the street to leave their flanking movement unnoticed.
That distraction would be Tamada and her heavily armored Sherman. Though the prospect of winning against the Porsche Tiger and Type 5 Chi-Ri was up in the air, even for this impressive tank. Yet Tamada had made the plan, and as her duty as the leader here, would make sure to execute it to the best of the her ability to give her team the chance to win.
Fortunately her bow gunner Kana had fix the their radio, which had some loose wires only thankfully, as now Tamada touch her throat microphone to her juniors. "Miyata you ready?"
"Ready Company Commander," Miyata said back over the net.
"Alright, get going once I start my attack," Tamada said back to her junior.
"Please be careful Miss Tamada," Shibata, tank commander of one of the Type 1 Chi-He's said in a worried tone over the net.
"Show them why they should fear our fiery company commander," Nakahara said in boast over the net.
"Show them why we will follow you to the ends of the earth," Miyata said in a determined tone over the net.
That made Tamada smile at how fierce her juniors were and as well their care for her. Again Tamada believe the future of their club would be alright in their hands when she would graduate, but her mind needed to stay here and now. As the dream of doing the impossible was very much still alive for them right now.
"Thank you girls, make sure to let Oarai know not to look down on my cubs, for they are as ferocious as our Tigress commander," Tamada encourage them over the net.
"Yea!" The cubs roar back.
With a nod, Tamada now turn forward now, ready to meet her enemy with the fire in her heart to win despite the odds. Taking one deep breath to calm herself for the moment, her thoughts turn to Miho who had to be fighting with everything she had, just as Tamada would expect of her.
"I can't wait to see you again," Tamada said quietly to herself, picturing that heartwarming face she could not see her life without, then focus as she open her crew net. "Alright Maemi, get this beast started up."
"Roger," Maemi said, as she pull on the primer pump to get the engine going. Once the engine was on, she shifted to 2nd gear, and readied herself to step on the accelerator pedal.
Hearing her engine roar up, Tamada nodded, then handed down more orders to her crew. "Mikik give me HE, with point delay."
"On it," Mikik said, grabbing one of the few High Explosive shells from the rack, then took out a screwdriver. Using the tool, she twisted a screw on the head of the round, which now gave the round a point .5 second delay before it exploded. It was a little trick Tamada had learned herself from the more open studying Miho asked of her tank commanders to do.
After getting the point delay, Mikik put the screwdriver back in her tankery jacket breast pocket, then put the shell in the breach. "Loaded!"
"Alright, Chisato fire at that wall of rubble to our front, after its blows a hole in it, Maemi marching speed with our tank over what's left and down the street," Tamada ordered, as she closed her hatch knowing debris was going to be thrown into the air and onto her tank.
Getting her sights right on the rubble to her front, Chisato felt good and called her shot while stepping on the firing pedal. "On the way!"
The Jumbo's upgraded 76mm gunfire its shell into the rubble, the tracer penetrating deep, then half a second later the shell exploded. Bricks, glass, and wood were thrown everywhere, with some it landing on the Jumbo. The constant thumping of rubble on the tank's hull lasted for a few moments, dying down till nothing but the soft pattering of rain outside was to be heard.
Looking through her periscope, Tamada could see a decent hole had been formed in the rubble wall, which would give them an opening to push over it. Yet suddenly two tracer shells came flying through the small hole in the wall and smack head on to the Jumbo's frontal armor, screeching as the shells found no penetration and bounce away. It gave the crew a good shake, but did not jar these veterans who had learned to deal with the constant shaking from their commander's 88mm gun in practice.
"Panzer Vor!" Tamada order.
Stepping on the accelerator, Maemi got their Jumbo rolling forward. It climb a bit over the rubble, then came down past the hole its gun created earlier. Tamada look back to her rear vision block, just in time to see her teammates Chi-He's turning to the left and into the destroyed building making their way over the rubble pathway to get to the other side.
Tamada then turn back to her periscope, as their Jumbo was now back on the flat street, with buildings to either side of the street. Coming on slowly at first, as another couple of tracer shells came flying at them, smacking into the Jumbo's frontal armor, sounding like a couple of thunder strikes against the front of their tank from the inside, but it didn't dissuade the oncoming Jumbo, whose crew were hungry to fight back.
"Alright, make sure our Gyrostabilizer is steady, Kana be ready on the bow gun with tracers, Maemi keep the tank in second gear, Mikik give me another high explosive with a point delay, Chisato wait for my mark to traverse left and fire on my signal," Tamada said, laying her flurry of orders down to her crew.
"Roger!" Her crew confirm back, getting to work.
Operating a tank requires every member to do their job to bring out all the potential in their machine. No one girl was more important than the other, every one of them were needed to obtain victory, even if in the end the audience always praise the tank commander. However the girls of Chi-Ha-Tan had learned under Miho to remember these words, sie spielen zusammen, they play together in German. Something Miho had learned about German tank crew's use of this catchphrase to describe how their crews operated in World War Two.
Now these words apply here, as every crew member for Tamada went about their job with great fervor, even if people wouldn't know them or praise their actions. They knew each other, knew their hard work, and commitment to their team's dream of doing the impossible, and only together could they achieve this.
"Loaded!" Mikik said, after shoving the High explosive shell into the breach.
The Jumbo continue down the ravage street, crushing any debris under its tracks. Awaiting them were the Porsche Tiger and the Type 5 Chi-Ri, some 200 meters away. Still behind its cover of rubble that cover its tanks hull with only its gun exposed was the Chi-Ri, while its accompanying Porsche Tiger stood in the middle of the road, but kept its armor front, since its tanks 200mm was better positioned frontally toward a foe.
Both tank's guns flash as they fire at the oncoming Jumbo once more, pounding the Sherman tank with their shells. The horrid high pitch sound of metal screeching metal seem to echo through the city, yet Tamada's tank armor held up, sending the shells off its armor. This was followed up by more shots, which bounce and kept bouncing off this heavy tank's armor.
Trying to keep her self-seated, but was proving difficult with the constant firing and shaking of the tank, Tamada kept looking through her periscope at the enemy tank's muzzle flashes. They had closed the distance now to 100 meters, and now the time to get some payback had come.
"Chisato traverse left," Tamada order, then watch the gun traverse, using her vein sight on the outside of the tank to know where her gun was aiming. "On, fire!"
"On the way!" Chisato yell, while stepping on the firing pedal.
The shell came furiously over the space, with its target being the rubble the Type 5 Chi-Ri was using for protection. With the shell finding its home in the said rubble, but bury itself for half second, follow by an explosion that sent debris everywhere, leaving a gaping hole in what was the enemy tanks cover, exposing its turret.
"Alright, Kana lay down some tracers on the Porsche Tiger, aim for its mantlet and into the gunner's sight. Load AP, Chisato hit that Chi-Ri," Tamada order now.
Getting her sights set on the Japanese tank, Chisato call her shot while stepping on the firing pedal. "On the wa-."
Suddenly the turret shook hard, throwing Chisato's aim off, making her accidentally pull the power traverse handle left away from its target. Her gun still belch out a round, but it was away from its intended target, smashing into a shop near the Chi-Ri's hull down position. The Porsche Tiger had fired just in time to save its friend by smacking its shell into the side of the Jumbo's mantlet.
"Damn, sorry Tamada," Chisato said, her head still buried in the sight, trying to traverse onto target again.
"Don't mind, let's change things up. Maemi put it in fifth gear, then right stick and bring us along the side of the street," Tamada now order.
"Got it!" Maemi reply, working the sticks.
"Chisato, traverse the gun to our 9 o'clock," Tamada order.
"Roger!" her gunner confirm back.
Now at a higher speed, the Jumbo pull to the side of the road, as the Oarai tanks traverse their guns to get on target. Yet a problem soon occur, as both tank's traverse was slow, and even with heavier armor, Jumbo prove to have great mobility.
Tamada was also exposing a flaw in the Oarai tanks defensive line, with the Porsche Tiger being in the middle, she was going to use an odd tactic, but one she know Miho would approve of, or maybe not. With the Chi-Ri's at the far side of the street, traversing its gun to the point that they might accidentally hit its Porsche Tiger ally in the middle of the street if they didn't fire sooner.
Unable to keep up its traverse with its foes. Both tanks fire in panic, their shots were high and low, smashing their way past the Jumbo doing more damage to the buildings, than the tank. Now came the time for Tamada to put her plan into action, as her gun was now lining up to the side of the Porsche Tiger with the gun pretty much touching the enemy's armor.
"Fire!" Tamada order, seeing her guns angle just right.
"On the way!" Chisato call stepping on the firing pedal.
The 76mm gun fire point-blank into the Porsche Tigers neck, hitting the vital point couple with the velocity of the shell was too much for the onboard systems. Smoke billowed into the rain, as the white kill flag on the Porsche Tiger came up. The super-heavy tank had met its match by this tank's crew, who work in complete sync with one another.
Still pressing forward and passing by the defeated foe's tank, now they had to deal with the Chi-Ri who was traversing as fast as she could, as Tamada lay orders down. "Mamei, left sti-."
A sudden cannon fire flashed from the shadows of the building to Tamada's right of her tank, which hit them at point-blank range from a building they were passing. Tamada quickly shook her dizziness away, then look to her cupola's right vision block and to the sight of a 75mm StuK 40 L/48 just peeking from the shadows of the building. They had shot their right track out, leaving them immobilize since they were so close the buildings on the street, and couldn't turn even with their one track.
Now looking to her left rear vision block, Tamada could see the Chi-Ri turn completely around, bringing to bear not only its Type 5 75mm gun, but also its bow gun in the Type 1 37 mm gun to bear at the rear of Tamada's tank. Coming past its defeated teammate to fire point-blank at them. While the StuG 3 came forward to place its gun against the side of the Jumbo.
"Girls brace yourselves, we're about to have one heck of headache coming on," Tamada said, accepting the end was near.
"No, I'll still fight!" Chisato said, working the power traverse to bring their gun to the rear of their tank and at the Chi-Ri.
Tamada wanted to argue, then a net call came in over the surrender plea net.
"This is Riko Matsumoto of Oarai Girls Academy, aboard the StuG 3, you have fought tenaciously, but you are surrounded with no way out," Erwin ask over the special net for enemy tank commanders to use for surrender pleas only.
"Huh, thought they just fire at us," Tamada said with a weary smile.
"We can't give up," Kana said from her bow gunner's position.
"I don't want to give up!" Maemi said.
"I'll load till my arms fall off, give me the order Tamada," Mikik said from her loader's chair.
"Will go down as true Chi-Ha-Tan tankers should, no quit till the end," Chisato said, still working the power traverse.
Guess they're still some of the warrior's code in us, sorry Miho, can't beat all of the old ways out of us
Touching her throat microphone, Tamada spoke back to Erwin. "Sorry Miss Matsumoto, but I'll have to decline. We've fought this battle as one warrior to another, so let's end it as warriors."
There was some silence over the net, then the Oarai tank commander spoke back. "Understood, it's been an honor to fight you, I like to share some green tea with you after this match."
"Sure…I like that," Tamada said, then cut the call, "Chisato, fire whe-."
She was never allowed to finish as the StuG 3 and Type 5 Chi-Ri gave Tamada and her crew the warrior's end they wanted. Finally putting an end to the crew who fought tenaciously together that make their commander proud. As smoke billow into rainfall from the once-proud Sherman Jumbo and the white kill flag pop up.
Yet their sacrifice has only given a spark of hope for a bunch of cubs to be the heroes this day, on this rain-soak field that was seeing two sides slug one another, while never backing down, a battle that would define whose dreams would continue to the top.
